On the run--again

Shite! I’m on the run again, in a car headed for the Mexican border with a guy I don’t completely trust. What’s next?

3:00 a.m.

Okay, it all started at the party at the Muffin-tops villa. I tell you, this lady’s got balls. Every man who showed up, young or old, had a girl in her twenties with him. Then there were the hired eye-candy who were young, beautiful, and even more exposed than the “dates.” Maybe the idea of topless sun-bathing was supposed to inspire the rest of us, but none of the other dates bit and neither did I. But there, as proud as anything was Miss Muffin-top in a swimming suit that was a size and a half too small for her. And the men all drooled over her with a dozen topless hookers sitting by the water being neglected.

Jon “Rentz” Reinholdt picked me up in a six-seater golf cart complete with a driver and two guys who rode on the back with sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts on. They are either his staff or guards. Maybe both. When we got to the villa we had to pass through a security gate like the one that was installed at the Condo. Really, it wouldn’t be that tough to bypass it if you weren’t an invited guest. But I saw the number of security people on the beach was now at least four instead of the one guy I was used to seeing out there on my walks.

I was nearly out by the pool when I got my first big surprise of the evening. Across the pool were a small group of women that I recognized. Delta was there with two others from the Condo whose names I couldn’t remember. But the real shock was seeing my best friend, Teri, chatting with them.

Teri has seen me in a couple different outfits. I expected that when I tried to disguise myself from her, I’d have to use a Hijab or even a Niqab to keep her from recognizing me. Here I was in all my glory. I wasn’t sure a red wig and gaudy makeup was going to go far in keeping her from recognizing me. I’d adopted a slightly Bostonian accent with Jon. It goes with the Riley Finn persona from Chatham. But even that didn’t seem like enough.

I utilized the practical strategy of avoidance. I really couldn’t risk any of the girls from the Condo or Teri blurting out who I was. That meant that I was going to have to steer clear until of her until I could make contact on my own terms and clue her in. I couldn’t believe she was here. I knew she’d met Angel and Cinnamon, but I didn’t think she knew any of the other girls, and I couldn’t imagine how she knew any of the Committee. It was too much of a coincidence.

I was lucky the party was so late. Within an hour after we got there, torches were lit and people started hitting the bar with great regularity. I excused myself to use the bathroom and slipped into the poolside dressing room. That was where I got my first break. The buildings are barely proof against being seen in the toilet. Soundproof they definitely are not. I heard voices outside and discovered that the back of the little building masked a private patio where the Muffin-top was holding conversations with three of the men who had come.

“I thought we took care of him,” one said. “You told us it was taken care of.”

“Apparently he didn’t quite go down as easily as I thought,” Brenda said. “He’s still loose somewhere and I don’t like it a bit.” It took no instruction to understand that they were upset that I had gotten away from the Condo in Seattle. I was fortunate that none of them knew that James Whitcomb was one of my aliases. Even if they caught me, they would still think he was on the loose.

“Where is he?”

“He’s slippery. Didn’t leave any tracks that we know of,” Brenda said. “But we’ve got a clue. Angel left Seattle a few days ago. If anyone knows, she does.”

“So where is Angel?”

“My husband didn’t know it, but I was quite aware that he’d brought property in Croatia in her name. I’m betting that if we go there, Angel will be able to help us.”

I scampered out of the toilet and back to the pool before anyone realized I had been gone long enough to be up to anything. Why did they connect Angel with me? Of course. She was the first person I’d visited when I put on the James Whitcomb disguise. I’ll bet they had some kind of access to Angel’s security camera and had Davy identify it. Crap! But they didn’t use a name. Perhaps they didn’t have access to Angel’s files, or maybe she erased them before she left. At least there was some good news.

It wasn’t long before those of us who were to attend the dinner with the men were told that our dresses were laid out in various bedrooms upstairs and we should get ready. When I got up there, my dress was all ready for me to slip into. Of course, it turned out that Teri had the same bedroom assignment to dress in with two other girls. We made quite the combination all trying to get dressed in the same little space. Fortunately, there wasn’t much for any of us to put on. I didn’t bother with changing out of the thong bikini bottom. I just took off the bikini top and put on the dress.

Some of the girls acted as though this was the most natural thing in the world, but I saw that Teri was spending a lot of time trying to cover up more of her than the dress did. I decided it was time to move in and face the music. I think it was the distraction of the dress that did it. I can’t imagine how else Teri could have missed recognizing me when I spoke, even though I carefully kept my voice modulated in that Boston accent.

“Don’t worry,” I said to her taking the scarf from her hand and tying it around her waist instead of her shoulders. It looked very fetching. “It will look strange if you try to cover up too much. Just look at the others.”

“I’m so nervous,” Teri responded. “I met this guy at a game the other night and I don’t know why, but I agreed to go on his yacht with him. I thought it was in Puget Sound, but it turned out we drove out to Boeing field and took off in a private jet, landed in New Orleans, and sailed down here. I would have freaked out if there hadn’t been half a dozen of us. I’m just so new at this.”

“Playing with rich guys is a different experience. They are so into their toys.”

“Here,” she said, “let me help you with your corsage. There’s one for each of us.”

There was an orchid laid out with each of our dresses. Teri pinned mine on and I returned the favor. She tugged it down the strap a bit so it slightly concealed her left nipple beneath the fabric of the dress. It seemed to make her feel better.

“Well, let’s go meet the lions,” I said. Teri still hadn’t shown a glimmer of recognition, and I wasn’t sure she had actually looked at me yet.

I was surprised to find that there was another security screening before we walked into the dining room. A guy with a security wand was sweeping each of us before we were let in. For Pete’s sake, where were we going to conceal anything.

Imagine my surprise when the damn thing beeped when he passed it over my left breast. He came back and passed it over again and the next thing I knew I was being led out into the next room. The guy was polite, but he let the back of his hand linger a little too long on my breast as he unpinned my corsage. Jon and Brenda came into the room where my flower was being dissected.

“What seems to be the problem?” Jon asked.

“We’re reading an electronic device on her,” the guard answered.

“Where would she conceal an electronic device?” Brenda asked. “She’s barely covered.”

“It’s here,” the guard answered. He tapped the little water holder on the flower on the table and a tiny metal device fell out of it.

“What’s going on?” The newcomer was Goeff Gilliam, the sports playboy from the yacht. Apparently Teri’s date. Well, I understood that a little now. He bought the team with inherited money, is half the age of any of the other men at the gathering, and is pretty sexy looking.

“We’ve got a listening device on this pretty little thing,” Brenda said. “Who were you planning to broadcast to, Honey?”

“I didn’t know anything about this,” I said. “I just put the flower on in the bedroom.” I was truly horrified that there was anything on me that could be against the rules. I was risking enough being here as it was. Brenda, at least, was showing no sign of recognition. When we’d last met, I was a blonde in a business suit.

“Sure you didn’t,” Goeff said. I could see a mean streak about him and was frankly worried about Teri. Sometimes she can really pick them. “Who are you really, and why would you have a sophisticated listening device in your flower?”

“Come, come, now, Goeff,” Jon said. “The flowers were delivered hours ago. I’ll bet the device came in with them.”

“Yes, that must be what happened,” I said a little too anxiously.

“You’re hiding something,” Goeff said. “I can always tell when a woman is lying to me.”

“What do you suggest, Goeff,” Brenda asked sidling up to him and slipping her hand through his arm. “She may already know too much. Who knows how long she’s been listening in with that thing.”

“No, really,” I said.

“Shut up, bitch,” Goeff said.

“Really, Goeff,” Jon began.

“You’re too soft, old man,” Goeff said. “You know how important security is. That’s why we’re meeting way the hell out here instead in Seattle. Load her up and take her out the “Helen of Troy” I’ll drop her off on an island sometime tomorrow and we’ll see how well she gets her information back. I’ll bet she’s a reporter.”

“What would a reporter be doing out here?” Jon asked.

“Think, Jon,” Brenda said. “What reporter wouldn’t want to be in this company. I’ll bet she has a story already. I agree with Goeff. You don’t even have to wait for an island to drop her off as far as I’m concerned. Drop her in the middle of the ocean.”

There comes a time when you should run, and I’d reached that moment. I gave dear, concerned Jon a shove into the security guard and blasted past headed out through the kitchen. Running in an evening gown and high heels is not to be recommended. I hit the pool deck and skidded, falling off the heels. As I bent to release the strap from my ankle, I was hit from the side by another guard. I lost my balance and fell into the pool. In a moment, I was surrounded by men with guns pointing down at me. I crawled out of the pool as I was ordered and was cuffed. If the dress did little for my modesty in the first place, the dress soaking wet did considerably less.

Two men propelled me out on the pier and into a small motor boat which they immediately steered toward the “Helen of Troy”. I’d been captured again, and I liked this captor even less than Bradley. Goeff Gilliam was not only a playboy, he was a sadist. God! How did Teri get mixed up with him?

By the time I was ushered into a cabin, I had had hands all over my body. They let me out of the cuffs in the cabin, but I heard the door lock behind me. All the while they were making jokes about what they’d like to do with this one. Apparently Geoff had rules about how the girls on his yacht were to be treated, however, and they extended them to me. A few moments later the door opened and a towel was thrown through it. Then it was closed and locked again.
I got myself dried off and checked the critical parts of my makeup—eyebrows, eyelashes, and wig. The rest I could do without if I needed to. Then I started examining my quarters. I needed to put something on now that I was out of the wet dress. There was various swimwear in the closet and I chose a one-piece and then wrapped myself in a terrycloth robe. The next step was to get out of here somehow.

It was an inside cabin with no porthole. There was nothing I could readily use as a weapon. I paced back and forth for an hour or more before I heard the rattle of the door being opened. I prepared myself this time to take out whoever came through the door. Teri walked in and I had her pinned to the bed before she could scream.

“Shhh. I came to help,” she whispered. I let her up and she turned to look at me. “It really is you!” she exclaimed. “I suddenly saw you when you were running toward the pool and thought, OMG it’s Deb!”

“Thanks for not blowing my cover,” I said. “But this is dangerous for you. I’ve got to get out of here.”

“There’s no place to go,” Teri said. “I mean, all the guards are at the party and they have all the boats with them.”

“How did you get out here?” I asked.

“I was trying to figure out how to get to you all through the first course. I finally poured salt in my water and drank it in a single swallow, then threw up. I complained that it was the shellfish. Goeff swore at me and said it was the alcohol and that I was dismissed from the party. There were plenty of other girls who would like to have my place. He told a guard to take me out to the boat.” Teri paused to breathe.

“But how did you unlock my door?” I asked.

“I picked the guard’s pocket as he was feeling me up helping me up the ladder onto deck.”

“I may have to find a place for you at DH Investigations,” I laughed.

“No thanks. I regretted making this trip from the moment we reached Boeing field. But there were six girls he was taking and I thought safety in numbers. I tried to call you, but all I got was voice mail.”

“I haven’t been checking since I got down here. I’ve got a lot to fill you in on. But now we need to leave. You should come with me. It’s not safe for you here.”

“Okay. Tell me what to do.” We were out on deck, keeping low so the pilot up in the pilothouse didn’t see us.

“If there’s no boat, we’ll have to swim to shore,” I said. “Come on.”

“I can’t swim, Deb.”

“Teri! You rollerblade, play soccer, play hockey, and run, but you can’t swim? You’re kidding!”

“I’ve always been afraid of the water,” she answered. “That’s made living on this boat hell.”

“We’ll take a flotation device then. I’ll pull you to shore.”

“Why don’t you take my boat, instead,” a voice spoke from the shadows. I went into a defensive crouch and Ray Hawkins stepped out of the shadow. “I came to rescue you, but it seems that I’m a little late.”

“Why would you want to rescue me?” I asked warily.

“Well, I got you into this situation,” he answered. “Least I could do was offer my help getting you out.”

“It wasn’t really your suggestion that decided me on getting invited to the party,” I said, not willing to flatter him with having a good idea.

“No, but it was me that planted the transmitter in your flower. I had to wait until I’d recorded enough of the conversation at dinner though to make it worth while before I came out here. I had a mike in the flowers on the table, too.” He motioned to the ladder on the offshore side of the boat where a little dingy bobbed alongside the “Helen of Troy.”

“Can we all fit in that?” Teri asked.

“We’ll have to,” Ray insisted. We dropped quietly down into the boat and he started rowing us south before turning toward shore near San Pedro.

“I’m afraid you two should get out of here,” he said. “I’m going to need to be back here, though to mop up. I’ve been broadcasting my results back home, but there’s no sense leaving a lot of expensive equipment lying around.

“I need to get back to my room and collect my things,” I said. “Teri, do you have your passport?”

“Yes. I collected my little bag from the room and tossed yours in it, too,” she said holding up the little beach bag. “Never travel without your passport, my mother always said.”

“Your mother never said that,” I laughed.

“All right, I made it up.”

“Ladies,” Ray interrupted. “Let’s get Miss Finn packed and get out of here. I’ll arrange a boat.”

Teri and I ran to my room and I started throwing things into my bag and slipped my khakis on over the swimsuit I took from the “Helen of Troy”. Last I crawled up on the toilet and removed the panel in the ceiling and pulled down my extra disguises and passports.

Ray knocked at the door and we joined him.

“I have a few contacts down here and have a friend who will take us across to the mainland. I can get you straight to the airport.”

“I don’t want to leave from Belize,” I said without thinking. “Teri can fly home from Belize City, but I don’t want to be tracked from here.”

“And what do you suggest?” Ray asked.

“I’ll get a car and drive up to Mexico. I’ll leave from there.”

“Oh great,” he responded.

We argued about it most of the way from Ambergris Caye to Belize City. We argued about it some more on the way to the airport. Teri was scared, but I assured her that she would be fine, and to look up Cinnamon when she got to my office. But I was determined to rent a car and head north.

I got Teri out into the boarding area for a plane that was a few hours away from takeoff, and then headed out to rent a car. Ray informed me that there weren’t any.

“What do you mean? I can’t rent a car in Belize?”

“No.”

“And why not?”

“Because I rented the last one.”

“You?”

“I can’t let you drive alone through Belize and the Yucatan. It wouldn’t be safe. Together we can pose as a married couple on vacation headed for the Mayan ruins. Alone, you’d just be prey.”

We argued about that most of the way from Belize City to the Mexico border.

Now I’m getting sleepy, and I’ve no idea how I’m going to get from Mexico to Croatia, but I’m going to try. I've got to warn Angel that the Committee knows where she is.