Dark water rising, p.15
Dark Water Rising, page 15
“No, I can manage, but thank you. I’m not used to being babied.”
“You’re due a little babying, honey. Go do your thing. It will take a good hour or more for the food to get here anyway. You sure you don’t care what it is?”
“I’m sure,” she said, then trailed her finger down the side of his jaw, before leaving the room.
Sam watched her leave, and then went to the cabinet and pulled out a stack of menus from different eating places in the area and began shuffling through them, trying to decide if he’d order pizza, barbecue or Chinese.
As Haley moved through the house, seeing all the bits and pieces of Sam’s world, she could see her absence in his life. The places where she might have added a little bit of color or warmth to enhance it for her were unnecessary to him. It was a reminder that she hadn’t come back to jump into their old life. He was offering her residence and love within the world that had become his.
And then she walked back into the master bedroom and paused, smiling. She was still present in here. This was the part of their life together that had meant enough to him to keep.
Even when love broke, it didn’t die.
She shed her clothes beside a hamper and then walked barefoot into the bathroom, gathering up things as she went. The water was almost instantly hot, so she adjusted the temperature to suit herself and stepped into the shower with shampoo and a wash cloth. The showerhead was huge, showering her all over as she stepped beneath the jets. As soon as her hair was thoroughly drenched, she poured shampoo into her palm, then began gently scrubbing it into her hair and down the long, dark length of it, washing and rinsing, then washing and rinsing it again, removing every vestige of what she had endured.
When her hair was finally clean, she twisted it into a rope and clipped it to the top of her head so she could shower her body. Again, the simple act of cleansing her skin was a release of the degradation she felt every time she saw her face in a mirror, even though none of what had happened was her fault.
First she’d had an accident.
And then she was attacked.
If it hadn’t been for Sam, it would have been the end of her life. She would never take safety or comfort for granted again.
By the time she was out of the shower and drying her hair, she felt human again. Her hair was still damp when she put the dryer away and hurried to get dressed. At this point in her healing, the soft fabric of shorts and a tee were the height of comfort, and going barefoot beat trying to squeeze her sore foot into a shoe. She left the bedroom, curious as to what they were having for dinner.
Sam looked up as she passed his office. “Hey, honey, I’m in here.”
Haley backtracked and then paused in the doorway.
“I have never appreciated clean hair and a shower as much. I finally feel human again.”
Sam grinned. “I can tell. You smell delicious.”
“It’s that lemon shampoo. You have yummy tastes, Sam Quaid.”
“I always thought so,” he said, admiring her leggy, clean-scrubbed beauty. Then his phone signaled a text. He glanced down. “You timed your entrance perfectly. Our food has arrived. The delivery service is on his way to the front door.”
“What are we having?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Sam said, and then loped through the living area to answer the door. He returned with two sacks and a smile. “Follow me, Haley Jo. You won’t regret it.”
She could smell the barbecue from where she was standing, and when he headed into the kitchen, she was right behind him.
* * *
Dude Santos was packing. He’d leased a townhome from a Dallas Realtor and already wired the money, with the understanding that all of the utilities and amenities would be on and ready for him to enjoy. He’d flown from Houston to Cozumel, so he was flying back into the States as well, but couldn’t get the flight out he wanted for another day.
He’d checked with his Houston lawyer to make sure there were no pending arrest warrants in his name. To his knowledge, no one knew he was the third man connected to the heist. Once he was certain he wouldn’t be arrested upon entering the US again, he was itching to get there.
He’d gotten one text from Ledbetter, the assassin he’d hired, stating the target had arrived, and a stakeout was in progress. Now all Dude had to do was get there.
Realistically, he had accepted that this subterfuge might all be for nothing, because if the Quaid woman heard nothing, then she was useless. It was a chance he was willing to take.
Since he still had to kill time here for another day, he called Marigrace and invited her to dinner. Her appetite for food was matched only by her appetite for sex. All he had to do was wine her and dine her, and she was good for an all-nighter in the sack.
As the dinner hour neared he jumped in his car and drove away from his casa, making his way through the city into the old part of Cozumel where Marigrace lived.
She was obviously watching for him, because she came out without waiting for him to come to the door, strutting toward the car with a sway in her hips that promised much in the hours to come.
Dude took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “Pacing,” he muttered. “She’s going to be hot out of the gate, and quick to fire...just like I like them.”
Then the door opened, and Marigrace leaned in, smiling as she took her seat, then leaned over to give Dude a slow kiss, sliding her hand up Dude’s leg all the way to his crotch as she greeted him.
“I am so glad you called,” she said, admiring the contrast of a white shirt against his darker skin.
“And I’m happy you were free to join me,” Dude said.
“Always,” Marigrace said. “Anything for you.”
Dude shivered with anticipation.
* * *
Mae Arnold was making herself a glass of sweet tea when she heard a car coming down the driveway. She set it aside and went to the living room to peek out the window. When she recognized the car, she groaned. Preacher Riley and his wife, Pearl. She wasn’t in the mood to be prayed over, but that’s what was about to happen. They parked and got out, each wearing an extremely pious expression. Mae groaned again when she saw Pearl carrying a pie. Nobody liked Pearl Riley’s cooking.
She waited until they knocked and then smoothed down her hair and opened the door.
“Preacher... Pearl... Come in.”
“We’re real sorry about Pete. Pearl brought a pie,” Preacher said.
“Thank you on both accounts,” Mae said, as Pearl put it in her hands.
“It’s peach, and the crust is Mama’s recipe.”
“The one with vinegar?” Mae asked.
Pearl nodded.
Oh, Pete, be glad you’re not gonna have to eat this. “Thank you again,” Mae said. “Please come in and take a seat. I’ll just put this in the kitchen.”
They moved right to the sofa as Mae left the room. She put the pie down on the counter, took a deep breath, and then went back and sat down in a chair across from where they were seated.
Preacher leaned just the tiniest bit forward as he shifted into his preacher voice. It was soft, kind and a tiny bit condescending.
“What can I do for you, Mae? I know you must feel overwhelmed about all you’ve been called to face.”
Mae clasped her hands across her middle. “I don’t really need any help, except in burying my man.”
“Of course,” Preacher said. “Have you chosen a day for the services?”
“He hasn’t been gone even eight hours. I’ve been getting his clothes ready to bury him in. I’ll take them in to the funeral home tomorrow and work all that out.”
Preacher Riley flushed. “Of course. The main reason Pearl and I are here is to express our condolences and to pray with you.”
Mae sighed. He was gonna make her cry and she didn’t want to, not in front of people. Sure enough, he and Pearl stood up and walked behind the chair where she was sitting. She felt hands on both her shoulders. Preacher cleared his throat and raised his voice.
“Lord, Lord, shine your healing light upon this poor widow woman and ease her aching heart,” he began.
Mae bit her lip and bowed her head.
* * *
Special Agent Jack Gordon and his partner, Special Agent Lloyd Townsend, were at their desks late, finishing up paperwork on a federal case they’d just closed.
Jack was going through a stack of messages, while Lloyd was saving his report to File. Jack noticed a message from the US Marshals Office and set it aside, and then noticed a second one from one of the marshals at a later date.
“Hey, Lloyd, do we know why a US Marshal named Landry would be calling us? I have two different messages from their office,” Jack said.
Lloyd signed off his computer and got up. “No, but it’s late. Won’t it keep until tomorrow?”
Jack frowned. “One message, maybe. Two messages, not likely.”
He quickly punched in the phone number, then leaned back in his chair, thinking about prime rib from his favorite steak house for dinner when his call was answered.
“Hello. This is Landry.”
“Marshal Landry, this is Special Agent Jack Gordon returning your call. We’ve been out on a case for a couple of days and are just now back in the office. Sorry for the delay.”
“No problem,” Landry said. “Just wanted to give you some new info. You are aware our Marshals Service was transporting Roy Baker and Hershel Arnold when they escaped.”
“Yes. I heard you lost one marshal and another one was crippled. That’s a real tough break. And like everyone else, I saw the Marshals Service carrying two body bags out of a flooded house. I assume they were your escaped prisoners?”
“Yes, but that’s not the reason I called. What you may or may not know is that a woman, a Realtor, had also become trapped in the house they sheltered in. She was already injured when they found her. She shot both of them before they caught her and tied her to a bed. Then they beat and terrorized her until she was rescued.”
“We saw the Life Flight rescue on TV. So she was the one in the litter?” Jack asked.
“Yes. They were all in the same room together, and one of the men was dying. She could hear any and everything they were talking about. I just thought you might want to interview her and see if she overheard anything about money or where they hid it.”
“That I did not know,” Jack said. “And yes, we would be extremely interested in talking to her. What’s her name and where did they take her?” Jack asked.
“Her name is Haley Quaid. They took her to Nacogdoches Medical Center, but she’s already been released. Her ex-husband, Sam Quaid, is the man who rescued her and took out Roy Baker. He took her back to Dallas with him.”
“Do you have contact info?”
“Yes, you want to do this old-school and write it down, or do you want it in a text message so it’ll be in your phone?”
“Text it, and thanks for the heads-up, Marshal. It would be a plus to recover that money.”
Lloyd was still there when Jack disconnected.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“Confirmation that the two bodies in the body bags were our missing prisoners, Baker and Arnold.”
“Didn’t we already know this?” Lloyd asked.
“Pretty much. And we also knew they took a woman hostage while they were in the house, but what we didn’t know is that they were all three together in the same room until she was rescued. Landry suggested we might want to talk to her and see if she overheard them ever talk about money or hiding money.”
Now Lloyd was interested. “We are going to talk to her, right?”
“Absolutely,” Jack said. “But she’s been taken to Dallas to recuperate. I have contact info. How about I call this evening, and see if she’ll talk to me over the phone. It’ll save us a trip if she’s able. I’ll let you know details after we talk.”
“Works for me,” Lloyd said. “But if we have to go up to Dallas, don’t make it tomorrow. It’s Trey’s eighth birthday. I missed the last one because of work. I don’t want to disappoint him again.”
“Understood,” Jack said, and took a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to Lloyd. “Tell Trey that Uncle Jack says Happy Birthday, and to eat a piece of cake for him, too.”
Lloyd smiled. “Will do, and thanks, partner. Expect a thank-you card. His mama is big on social graces.”
“Too bad her manners didn’t rub off on you,” Jack said, and then punched Lloyd on the arm as they headed out the door.
* * *
Sam knew when Haley went back for a third rib that barbecue had been the right choice, but he couldn’t tease her because he had just finished number six. They’d eaten most of the French fries, and made a big dent in the container of coleslaw.
“You sure made an inroad in that hot barbecue sauce.”
Haley wiped a bit of barbecue sauce from the corner of her mouth.
“You hooked me on hot,” she said, and then smirked at the pleased grin on his face.
“I need something cold to drink after that remark,” Sam said. “Want some more ice tea?”
Haley nodded. “Yes, please, and more ice?”
“You got it,” he said, and got up to refill their glasses. He was on his way back to the table with them when his cell phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Hello, my name is Special Agent Jack Gordon of the FBI. To whom am I speaking?”
“I’m Sam Quaid.”
“Is Haley Quaid at your residence?”
“Yes, she is,” Sam said.
“Would it be possible for me to speak with her?” Gordon asked.
“Just a moment,” Sam said, and handed his phone to Haley. “Special Agent Gordon of the FBI. He wants to talk to you.”
An instant knot of anxiety rolled through Haley so fast it made her shudder. She put down her fork and pushed her plate aside and took the phone.
“This is Haley Quaid.”
“Ms. Quaid, I first want to express my regret as to what you endured at the hands of Roy Baker and Hershel Arnold. I hope you are on the road to recovery.”
“Yes, I am, and thank you,” Haley said.
“I also understand that for the length of time you were taken hostage, you were in the same room with them.”
“Yes, I was. The room had twin beds. Hershel was in one of them, incapacitated by the bullet I put in his shoulder. Roy tied me up to the other bed.
“Did they talk among themselves much?”
“Not a lot. Roy couldn’t stop Hershel’s wound from bleeding. Hershel was mostly out of his head.”
“Do you remember anything of what they were talking about?” Jack asked.
“Um...a lot of muttering from Hershel about someone needing to call his mama.”
Jack sighed. This wasn’t what he’d hoped to hear. “Can you remember anything else? Even the smallest details?”
“Once before they found me, I heard them arguing in the hall. One said something about having hid money, and the other said Duke...no, it was Dude... Dude Santos was going to kill them if he found out they’d betrayed him.”
Jack’s pulse kicked. They’d just gotten the name of the third man. Hot damn!
“Did they say what they did with the money?”
“Umm, I don’t—Oh wait. Yes, one of them said something to the effect that it was at his place—at home.”
“Could you tell which one said that?”
“No. I was hiding. I couldn’t see them. I only heard them,” Haley said.
“Can you remember anything else?” Jack asked.
“Hershel said he was going to die. He wanted to call his mama and he said something about his things. I don’t remember anything else,” Haley said.
“I really appreciate this, Haley. If you do remember anything else, give me a call, and thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Haley said.
“Could you please hand the phone back to Sam for a moment?”
“He wants to talk to you, again,” she said, and gave Sam the phone.
“This is Sam.”
“There’s something you need to know. There were three men in on the armored car robbery. One got away and we had no idea who he was, and the money has never been found. Haley just verified for us the name of the third man. So, if we thought Haley might have overheard something that would help us find the money, then there is a possibility that this Dude Santos might be thinking the same thing.”
“Is she in danger?” Sam asked.
“Maybe,” Jack said.
Sam frowned. “You mind sending me a picture of Dude Santos? I prefer to know what my enemies look like.”
“Sure thing,” Jack said.
“Okay, thanks for the heads-up,” Sam said.
“Haley gave us some good tips. If we can find the money, then the pressure is off her for good.”
“Then get after it,” Sam said. “She’s been through enough already.”
“Agreed,” Jack said. “I’ll be in touch.”
Twelve
Haley could tell by the look on Sam’s face that whatever the agent said had upset him. “What’s wrong?”
Sam didn’t hesitate. “He suggested you might be in danger. There was one other man in on the robbery and they double-crossed him, remember? There is a slight possibility that this Dude Santos might want to find you, too.”
Haley gasped. “To see if I overheard where they hid the money?”
Sam nodded, and watched Haley’s face lose all expression.
“Should I be afraid?” she said.
