Malice in Mexico Page 3

  She finished putting her clothes away, and wandered back through the house to find Jack.

  “There you are. Has Helen Marie gone?”

  Jack was sprawled out in a chair on the patio, his feet propped up on a stool, a frosty glass of something in his hand.

  “She left a few minutes ago, but not until she went to the store and then mixed up this batch of Margaritas for us. Sit down and I’ll pour you one.”

  “Should you drink these? I mean, what about the pain pills you’re taking?”

  Jack smiled. “I didn’t take any today. I was anticipating this. It’s a much more enjoyable method of pain control.”

  Claire took a sip, it was marvelous. “Helen Marie makes a mean drink; maybe we should reconsider having her cook for us.”

  “No, I think it was the right decision. I’ve been sitting here watching that bee buzz around the flowers and enjoying the sun. She said it might rain for a little while in the afternoons, and it will be cool enough for a sweater at night, but otherwise it will be just like this most of the time. I think we made a wise decision to come here. I feel better already.”

  They sat there, soaking up the sun, sipping the tart frosty drinks, enjoying the quiet, their hands clasped, letting all thoughts of their world slip away. Either the Margaritas or the sun was having a stupefying effect, and when the little bell on the gate started clanging, they both jumped as if they were being woken from a sound sleep.

  “Who do you suppose that is?”

  “Well, there’s one way to find out.” Jack unfolded his limbs and ambled over to the gate. Already he was moving on vacation time.

  He returned leading a man. “Claire, this is Teddy Hatchett, a friend of Vern and Mike’s.”

  “Oh, don’t get up, Claire. You look like you’ve settled in already. I’m sorry to disturb you so soon after your arrival, but I promised Vern I would do my best to make sure you had a great time here.” Teddy had a light, almost fruity voice but then he dropped its tone dramatically as he whispered, “We’re so disappointed they aren’t able to come, but we’re glad they sent friends.”

  Claire took Teddy’s outstretched hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’s very nice to meet you, Teddy. Vern and Mike told me what a good friend you’ve been to them. And you’re the one who found this delightful house for them to rent. We just love it. “

  Jack pulled another chair close to theirs for Teddy and then took the Margarita pitcher into the kitchen.

  “This patio is wonderful, isn’t it? The house belongs to some people I know, Ellen and Guy Pruitt, who lived here for many years. Unfortunately, Ellen was diagnosed with breast cancer and they went back to the States to get the treatment she needed. They’ve been leasing it out since then. We’re all hoping they will be back soon.”

  “Well, I can see that the house was loved. The whole place has been decorated and planted so beautifully. I have to admit when the car dropped us off in the street I was a little worried, but once Helen Marie opened the door we were delighted.”

  “Yes, well that’s the way things are here. From the street it’s hard to see what the houses look like, but once you get in the door it’s all different. You should be sure to take the house tour the library has each Sunday. You’ll be thrilled by the houses you’ll see. Just go to the Biblioteca Publica and pay your money.”

  “Yes, one of the ladies in the van from the airport with us told us about it. We’re planning to do that.”

  Jack returned with a tray holding bowls of chips and salsa, as well as the full pitcher and a glass for Teddy.

  Teddy took a sip, nodded his approval. “Well, you know how to make a passable Margarita, so you must be okay.” Then he bent over to pick up the large envelope he had laid at his feet when he sat down.

  “I had put a package of materials together for the guys and I thought you could use it instead. Here’s a simple map of the town. See there’s where your house is, and here’s the Jardin. The Jardin is what we call the little park in front of the church in the middle of town. Everything in town revolves around the Jardin, you’ll see. It’s very common for the citizens to gather there every day to socialize, to get the newspapers and see what’s happening.

  “Here’s a list of restaurants that serve food I guarantee is safe for you to eat. Here’s a list of places of interest you may want to include in your visit. And here, most importantly, is the number for Raphael. He has a car for hire. He’s a super driver; he has a very comfortable car and is very knowledgeable of the area. He will take you to some of the towns, like Guanajuato or Delores Hidalgo, places you really need to see while you’re here.”

  Jack leaned forward looking through the papers as Teddy continued to point out items of interest.

  Claire looked at Teddy, trying to decide how old he was. He had short, blonde hair, bleached almost white, but still showing dark at the roots. His beard was apparently very light, as he didn’t have even a hint of a five o’clock shadow on his tanned face. He had bright blue eyes. He was slender and probably about Jack’s height, which was about five feet, eight inches. He wore leather sandals on bare feet, lightweight cotton pants in medium blue, and a gauzy white shirt, full like a woman’s blouse, tucked into his pants and then belted with a fabric tie in white, blue and orange. It was a very tropical outfit but it seemed right for him. Claire remembered Vern said he had been friends with Teddy since the seventies, so she reasoned he had to be at least in his fifties. But he looked far younger than she was.

  Suddenly she became aware that both men were looking at her with expectation and she had no idea what they said. “I’m sorry, I think I zoned out. What did you say?”

  “Oh, that’s easy around here. I frequently just drift off. But I was telling Jack about Mama Mia’s. It’s one of the favorite local restaurants around the corner from the Jardin. They have good food, several bars and music every night. Anyway, tonight I’ll be there with my partner, Jeff Avery, and a few friends so I suggested you might want to join us and meet a few of the locals.”

  Claire started to nod, but then she remembered to look at Jack first. She was learning that being part of a couple meant considering your partner’s opinion before making decisions. Jack’s nod was almost imperceptible, but his message was clear enough for Claire. “We’d love to Teddy, but we can’t stay late. Jack is still recovering from a very serious accident and needs to get his rest.”

  Teddy looked at Jack closely. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. You look so healthy, but of course, stay as long as you can. Around here you’ll find that people do like to party late, so we frequently take advantage of the afternoon siesta.

  “Jeff will be glad to hear you’re joining us. He couldn’t come today, but he wanted to meet you. We’ve heard so much about you from Mike and Vern, you know, we feel like you’re old friends.

  “Now the address for the restaurant is on the list and of course, it’s casual dress. We’ll be there about eight thirty so come any time after that and you’ll find us. I’d better be going or I’ll miss siesta myself.” Teddy stood up and offered his hand again to Claire and then abruptly pulled his hand back and smacked himself on the forehead with it. “I can’t believe I almost forget the main reason for my visit. Jeff and I are having our big party Thursday night. Everyone will be there and of course we want you to come. This is the big event that finally enticed Vern and Mike to visit us, so it’s only fair that you take their place. Please say you’ll come.”

  Claire looked at Jack, but couldn’t read anything from his expression, then remembering Vern’s comment about the lifestyle of his friends she decided to be cautious, suggesting, “Can we talk about it tonight when we see you at Mama Mia’s? That will give us a chance to figure out our schedule while we’re here.”

  “Of course, of course. But I promise you, it’s going to be such a blast you won’t want to miss it. Everyone will be there. We’ll talk about it later. See you later.”

  The bells started ringing again. First one, then anothe
r joined in; soon the peals were bouncing off the walls.

  Claire shook her head as if to rid herself of the ringing.

  “Teddy, what is the reason for the bells. That’s the second time since we’ve been here and it doesn’t seem to be announcing a certain hour.”

  Teddy laughed. “San Miguel is full of churches and they all have bells. Sometimes they ring to announce mass or other services; sometimes they ring for religious holidays. Some ring at specific times of the day and then they ring for prayers. Anyone can request a ringing for their own purpose, somewhat like lighting a candle.” He laughed again. “Frankly, I suspect they sometimes ring them just because the other bells are ringing and they don’t want to be left out.

  “But because we’re in a valley the sound just bounces off the hills, magnifying the sound. But, you’ll get used to it and won’t even notice them after a day or two.” He waved at Claire and followed Jack to the door. “See you tonight,” he reminded them as he left.

  CHAPTER 2

  When KC emerged from her office, she didn’t look like the woman she had been earlier. Now she wore soft, old jeans and a light green sweater. Now her hair had been gathered into a plastic clip and subdued against the back of her head. The high-heeled sandals had been replaced by Nikes, scuffed and worn. Her face was scrubbed clean of all make-up and she looked younger, less sophisticated, but her eyes were still dark and cold. This time they were focused on the two men sitting at the table in the kitchenette area.

  “George,” she used the Mexican pronunciation, Hor-hey, “don’t ever question my orders again!”

  He looked at her thoughtfully; then explained softly. “I wasn’t questioning your authority, Kathleen. I just wanted to make sure I understood you correctly. After all, it wasn’t something we could correct if we got it wrong. And I know how important it is to you, to all of us, that we get this right.”

  She helped herself to a beer out of the refrigerator and popped the cap before taking a long chug of it. She sat down at one of the empty chairs. “I heard it on the scanner.” She nodded her head toward the little radio which now was playing so softly it was hard to understand the constant stream of words coming out of it. Her face showed a grim determination. “Manny Hillerman should be changing his thinking about me and my business proposition just about now. You’re right, George. He’s going to be mad, but I think that will be good for us. He was just playing with me tonight. He wasn’t even considering a business deal. He thought he would just have his men follow me to the source and help themselves.

  “He’s gotten too big. He’s too sure of himself. He will be reconsidering things now. And, after he analyzes that little gift I gave him, he will be falling all over himself to make a deal with us.” She chuckled, anticipating his capitulation. She considered the evening a big success.

  “What next?” Gary spoke up. Unlike George he had no qualms about pulling the trigger, in fact he liked it. It was what he did and he did it well.

  “I think we’ll let Mr. Hillerman think about this deal for a little while. Time will only make him more eager to deal with me, and he’ll be less likely to object to our prices. Meanwhile, I’m going with Carlos, we will share the driving and go right through. I’ll be back here next week with the first full shipment. I expect you will have finished processing everything by then and will have worked out any of the little bugs in the process. You need to be ready for a big load when we get back.” She looked at both men carefully. “You can reach me on my cell if you need me. Be very careful. Don’t take any chances. We’ve got too much riding on this operation.”

  They nodded solemnly; they weren’t just hired help. They differed from the goons who worked for Hillerman. They were men at war. They were engaged in a holy battle to free their people. George and Gary were committed to its success.

  Unfortunately, the terrorists acts of Nine-eleven were as devastating to their cause as it was to the rest of the United States. The shock of that atrocity had effectively dried up the monetary support which had always flowed generously from sympathizers in the United States to the coffers of the Irish underground. Suddenly, just when their colleagues in Ireland were making overtures of peace with the English, when they needed more than ever to escalate their own acts of terrorism, they were faced with the possibility of defeat due to a lack of funding. They had to devise new methods to fund their mission. Kathleen and the Boss had hatched this scheme and it was a beauty. They would still look to the United States for the majority of their funds albeit from less glamorous sources than the former contributions from successful businessmen of Irish descent.

  Just then lights shone through the painted front windows letting them know the truck had arrived. Kathleen went into her office for her small suitcase, grabbed her backpack and headed for the front of the big cavernous building they had leased in the industrial section of Humble, a tiny town sitting just northeast of Houston. The building was divided into sections. The front of the first section had been set up to display DE Imports’ products, as if they were a legitimate business. Then there was the storage room which housed beds, a television and the bathroom for George and Gary to use. Across from the storage room was the lunch room and Kathleen’s office. Beside that section, separated by solid walls, was the processing plant. The loading dock was beside the front door and in front of the processing section. The area right inside was partitioned off so when the doors to the loading dock were opened the processing plant was still protected from casual glances of passersby. It was a well thought-out set up. They were confident they could operate here for a long time without discovery. In the few months since they had moved in they had only a few visitors, an occasional salesman and once, someone from the local Chamber of Commerce. These visitors only saw what they were intended to see, an expanding business settling in. No one asked what DE meant, and Kathleen would never have said it was a constant reminder of their goal, Death to the English.

  Carlos got down from the cab to stow Kathleen’s luggage behind their seats, while Kathleen supervised Gary and George loading the truck with the boxes waiting. The Boss had insisted the truck be used to bring down goods that were hard for the expatriates to obtain locally, thus giving him a chance to ingratiate himself to the community, make a little money and establish his role as a businessman. And as he explained to Kathleen, it looked much less suspicious for the truck to carry a load in each direction. So now they were loading computer equipment, DVD’s, even certain food products they had been instructed to acquire.

  When everything was loaded to Kathleen’s satisfaction, the truck was closed and locked. “I’ll drive first, Carlos. I won’t be able to sleep right now, so you may as well.”

  Carlos nodded and climbed into the shotgun seat, belted himself in and immediately slumped against the door to sleep.

  Kathleen settled herself, started the truck and competently backed it into the deserted road before shifting gears and heading for the freeway. She stopped just before swinging on to the freeway in order to purchase a large soft drink from the mini-mart attached to a large gas station, then she was ready to put on some miles. She swung on to the Eastex Freeway and headed west for Victoria. There she would be taking the Seventy-seven south toward Harlingen and then cross into Mexico near McAllen. It would be a shorter drive to stay on Fifty-nine to Laredo and cross there, but given the recent crime spree in Nuevo Laredo, she decided the miles saved weren’t worth the risk of losing the truck, the load and perhaps their lives.

  She liked driving at night; it gave her plenty of time to think and to plan. The truck was in good shape and easy to handle. There was very little traffic on the road at this hour, and she could just burn up the miles at her own pace. And when she got tired, she’d wake Carlos to take a turn at the wheel.

  It wasn’t until she finally turned on to Route Number Seventy-seven in Victoria that she was ready to think about that day so long ago. She never tired of dredging up the memory, of recalling each tiny detail. She didn’t mind
the pain, the horror of living it over. She relished it; she never wanted to forget any of it. It was what kept her going. It gave her the strength to do what she needed to do.

  * * *

  “Where’s Stu?” she asked when she didn’t see her uncle in the living room with Pap and the others.

  Pap nodded his head toward the back of the house as he turned his attention back to the heated conversation with his sons. Kathleen headed down the hall. She glanced in the kitchen as she passed. Ma and Colleen had already joined Granny, Aunt Jillian and Maureen there to help prepare the Sunday meal. Aunt Jillian was sitting at the big table bouncing little Michael on her knee, and Colleen was trying to coax a smile from him. Ordinarily, she would have been right there with Colleen trying to convince Aunt Jillian she was big enough to hold Michael, maybe even to feed him his bottle, but right now she was more interested in finding her Uncle Stuart. Unlike the other three uncles, Sean, Seamus and Pat, in the living room talking politics with Pa and Pap, Stuart was only sixteen and still young enough for Kathleen to feel a special kinship with him. Right now she wanted to see if he had any of the new American rock albums to play for her.

  “Kathleen,” her Granny called to her as she passed.

  She paused, loath to be drawn into the kitchen. “Yes, Granny,” she said politely.

  “If you’re going back to see Stu tell him I need him to run a bit of dinner over to Mrs. McGuire for me. That’s a good girl.” Then turning back to Kathleen’s mother she said, “Poor woman is just doing so poorly. I swear I don’t know if she’ll make it much longer.”