Caribbean Rain (13 page)

Braxton stepped close. “I be sorry, Boss.”

“Sorry? That’s a word to contemplate later.” He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “My baby was butchered like a pig.”

Braxton shook his head and stared at the cracked sidewalk.

“Whoever did this to her has no concept of sorry, but I’ll teach them.”

Motioning for Braxton to get in, he followed behind him.

“Take me to the SJPD. I’m going to introduce myself.”

Chapter-23

Screeching to a halt, like Gulfstream Vs were prone to do when the pilot clamped on the brakes, caused Sophie to scream. Chloe followed suit, both clutching one of Manny’s arms. Glancing at Josh, Manny noticed his fingers dig into the leather of his chair, but said nothing. However, if eyes had mouths…

“Damn. I’m glad we’re on the ground for a few days, or whatever. Maybe you two can act more like FBI agents than pansy-ass schoolgirls,” said Alex.

“Schoolgirls, eh?” huffed Sophie. “It’s going to be embarrassing to tell your friends, both of them, that a schoolgirl blackened your eyes and pulled your scrotum up around your neck with one hand tied behind her back.”

“Maybe, but that would mean you have to let go of both your purse and Manny to do it. By the looks of things, that doesn’t seem too likely.”

“He’s got a point,” said Manny.

“Yeah, on his head, but it won’t save him,” said Sophie.

The co-pilot emerged from the cockpit, a big man wearing a disarming grin and a pilot’s hat that seemed a size too small for his head. Manny immediately thought he recognized him, but the moment vanished. He’d probably seen him when they boarded.

The co-pilot looked at his watch. “Welcome to beautiful San Juan. Safe and sound. It’s 10:08, so we got you here a little early. We’ll be pulling up to the private part of the tarmac in a few. Just thought I’d let you know.”

With that, he squeezed back through the door.

“That’s new,” said Manny. “Why the speech?”

Josh sighed. “He told me before we took off that he realized he didn’t really know the agents he flew all over the world and just wanted to try to connect a bit.”

“That’s nice. We are all in this together,” said Chloe.

A few minutes later, the five stepped off the plane and walked toward the terminal. The co-pilot was right; it was a beautiful night. The first thing Manny noticed was the warm air that carried a mixture of jet fuel and tropical trees. The atmosphere brought back some memories of his first time here for Mike and Lexy’s wedding just before the cruise. So much had changed since then. He’d gained much. New friends, new career, but wondered if the price he’d paid to get them had been worth it. Louise was gone. Sometimes he’d wake up at night and still wonder how that had happened, and always why. They’d had everything a couple could want or need. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was on to bigger and better things— at least that’s how he saw it. He’d promised himself to not dwell on it. In fact, Louise had told him not to in that dream he still couldn’t explain.

As if she knew his thoughts, Chloe slipped her hand into his. He turned to her and let her mesmerizing smile move the memories to the shadows. Chloe would always be a reminder of what he’d gained through the war that was life. Smiling back, he recalled a saying by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “
Each suffering is rewarded, each sacrifice is made up, every debt is paid.”

Chloe epitomized that wisdom, a hundred times over. She was his reward.

“Agent Williams, you started to say something in the hospital room just as Josh came in. What was it?”

“You’ll have to refresh my memory. Getting old, you know.”

“Getting old my arse, you know what I’m talking about.”

True enough. He did know, and now that he considered it again, he was struck with an impetuous thought that wasn’t him at all. But times were different these days, especially for this crew.

“You caught me in a weak moment. I thought I’d lost you, and you’re way too hot for my own good. So we should. . .” he hesitated.

You really going to do this?

“Should what?”

The terminal door flew open, and as they entered, two people waved them over. A third stood a distance behind them. The first two—tall, attractive woman dressed like a cop and a shorter, muscular man wearing a teal island shirt—both displayed large, golden badges. Partners with the SJPD, he assumed. The third person was
not
dressed like a cop, at least none he’d ever seen. The man looked like an argyle peacock. His long beard and matching hair only added to his milieu of being totally out of place. Always something.

“That’s two strikes, Williams. You’ll not be getting out of this the next time, I tell ya,” Chloe whispered, releasing his hand.

“Out of what?”

She elbowed him and moved ahead to shake hands with their greeters.

“Come in, agents. I’m Detective Carlos Ruiz and this is Detective Julia Crouse. We’re pleased to have you here. I hope your trip was pleasant enough.”

He spoke with an accent, but also with an air of melancholy that Manny recognized from his own experience. The man had not only seen too many human-on-human atrocities, but had lost someone he loved.

“Yes. Glad you could make it,” said Julia. She scoped everyone in the blink of an eye, hesitating at Josh, then giving Manny far more time than she should’ve. He returned her smile.

Always good to be appreciated.

Chloe must have noticed too—of course she would—and stepped between them, introducing herself and grabbing Julia’s hand.

Ruiz motioned for the walking argyle sock to join them and then turned to Josh. “I’m sorry for your loss, agent. Caleb was a good man and a pleasure to work with, although I didn’t work with him all that often. I suppose your earlier flight situation doesn’t help, either.”

“Thank you for your condolences, and you’re right: I’ve had better days.”

The man in the beard reached the group and moved directly in front of Josh.

“Agent Corner? I’m Dean Mikus, the new CSI from LAPD.”

Josh stuck out his hand, and Dean hesitated, shrugged, and shook it.

“I don’t typically shake hands, disease and all of that. Do you know that at any given moment, you might have as many as six million bacteria on each hand?”

“Ah, well no, I didn’t know that.”

Alex laughed and put his arm around Dean’s shoulder. “I’m Alex Downs, the other CSI on this team. I like you already.”

The terminal door opened behind them, and Sophie charged in.

“Damn. I forgot my makeup kit and had to go back to get it. Leaving that behind ain’t going to work.”

Josh introduced Sophie to the two detectives and, when he came to Dean, he stopped; in fact they all stood in place and watched the new CSI.

Manny had seen a case or two of instant infatuation. The kind that reduces its victim to a brief catatonic state that evolves into worship, possibly accompanied by some kind of private shrine, which if discovered, would cause the worshipper to be sent to counseling and relieved of duty. Dean Mikus was absorbing Sophie that way.

Glancing at his face, Sophie did a double take, then looked him up and down. “What on God’s green earth are you gawking at? Ain’t you ever seen a hot Asian chick before?”

Silence.

Chloe began to giggle, and Julia joined her.

“Dean? Dean? Shake Sophie’s hand,” said Manny.

Dean came out of his self-induced coma and stuck his hand out so fast that Manny wondered if he’d hurt himself. Then he pulled it back, dropped to one knee, and kissed her hand.

“You’re a goddess and, hell yeah, there are a ton of hot Asian chicks living in LA. I dated some, but, well, none like you.”

He jumped up, regaining more of his composure. He turned to Josh, his face a bright red.

“Sorry sir. Is that sexual harassment? I’ll take it back if it is. But she’s so—”

Josh laughed. The first real laugh Manny had heard from him since before Cleveland.

“No, agent, particularly given the parties involved, and our unit. But be careful in the future.”

“I shall, sir.”

“No problem from my side either, Mucus. Hard to be upset with a man who has such great taste in goddesses,” said Sophie.

“It’s Mikus.”

“Yeah, whatever. Besides, you’re kind of cute, but you can’t wear red-argyle pajamas when you’re working. Damn. Who dressed you?”

“Well, I kind of like—”

Ruiz’s phone went off, the ring tone mimicking an old telephone ringer that Manny remembered from thirty years past.

“Ruiz.”

“What? Aw,
mierda
. We’re on our way.”

Ruiz put his phone in his pocket and let out a long breath. Manny recognized that one too.

“More trouble?” he asked.

“With a capital T,” whispered Ruiz.

Chapter-24

Manny followed Chloe and Alex to Ruiz’s green-and-white SUV while Sophie, Josh, and Dean rushed to the detective’s cruiser.

Some things never change with the BAU. No sleep, no time to eat, a few clothes in a bag, and some sicko who’d lost all sense of how sacred human life is. At least he knew this game, and in a sick way, even embraced it.

Climbing in the back with Chloe, he smiled to himself.

Embraced it, huh?

That fact, and it was a fact, made him wonder who the sick ones really were.

“The morgue is about fifteen minutes away, on a good night, so we’ll be there in less than twenty,” said Ruiz, his sense of sadness still lingering. The detective careened up the ramp, lights swirling and siren blaring, hitting Highway 26 full out.

“You said there was an incident at the morgue, but you didn’t say exactly what that was,” said Manny.

“Just a minute.”

Ruiz flipped on his radio, hit a blue button, and adjusted the volume to turn down the static.

“Crouse? You got that box working?”

Working came out “wurr-king,” revealing his Puerto Rican roots. Certainly not unusual during stressful moments. Chloe did the same thing.

“Yeah, got it. Seems Agent Mikus has a gift with these things because I can’t ever get the damned thing to work.”

“Good, then all of you can hear me. Okay. Here’s the rest of the story. It seems we have at least one body missing—one of the murder victims from the rainforest—and a dead technician lying in the lobby. And it’s a sick mess.”

“Damn. Those two events could be related. Do we know which body is missing?” asked Alex.

“I didn’t get that far. The dispatcher said the caller was in a huge panic. All I know is that someone came in to identify one of the bodies, and they were supposed to be referred to Crouse or me. That didn’t happen, as far as we know. I mean, no one told us.”

“One situation might lead to the other. Do you have the system flagged to be contacted when someone inquires about a body?” asked Manny.

“Yes. For obvious reasons, we want to talk to them,” said Crouse over the radio.

“Of course. I’m wondering if you have access to which records may have been pulled in your system,” said Manny.

“Damn. You’re right. Should have thought of that. Crouse? Can you get Agent Mikus to access those records?”

“I don’t think you’ll have to,” said Chloe.

Manny glanced her way. “Why?”

“This has Fogerty’s MO all over it, and he’d be brazen enough to do it.”

Talk about getting your head out of where the sun didn’t shine. He ran his hand through his hair. He should have considered that.

“I think she’s right,” said Josh, his voice sounding more like a robot than a human through the bouncing static.

“Makes sense,” said Manny. “But we need to make sure.”

“Bingo!” said Dean. “I’m not sure who this Fogerty guy is, but the system was flagged that Amanda Fogerty Griggs had a visitor a couple of hours ago. It says it was her dad.”

The SUV swerved into the right lane and headed to the exit ramp leading to Tai Boa.

“Fogerty is suspected of being one of the largest drug lords in the Caribbean. But he’s so very good at keeping low. He’s like Teflon. We can’t get anything to stick to him,” said Chloe.

“Wow,” said Dean. “Serial killers and drug lords? Great first day on the job.”

“I’ve heard that name, but didn’t know how deep he went. I mean, we’ve got our hands full with homicide,” said Ruiz.

“Grief can do goofy things to people, and it might be true in his case. It was his daughter. But if he did this, he’d be putting his whole operation at risk, and from what I know about these guys, that’s way out of character,” said Manny.

There was a commotion echoing through the short band radio, originating from the other car. Then he heard Dean yelp. “Get out of the way, Mucus,” said Sophie.

“It’s Mikus,” said Dean in the background.

“Whatever. Manny? Manny? Is this thing still working? Okay. Anyway. You might be right, but what about his ego?”

Chloe agreed. “That’s a good point. Men like him are used to complete control and something like his daughter’s murder would certainly challenge him, but what would he gain?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to fit,” said Manny. “Still. It would be—What the—?”

He felt something on his thigh, then realized it was Chloe’s hand. She giggled softly, then wiped the smile from her lips.

“You okay?” asked Alex, turning to him.

“Yeah. Just snagged my finger on the door handle.”

“You’ve got to stop talking with your hands,” said Chloe.

“Yeah. I’ll watch that.”

Ruiz swung around the corner. The street in front of the morgue was throbbing with lights from at least six SJPD cruisers. To Manny, it looked more like a circus than a crime scene.

They parked just as Crouse’s car pulled up behind them. A minute later, Ruiz led them under the yellow-taped entrance and into the lobby.

Manny took two steps inside the building and stopped, trying to get a feel for what had happened. Ruiz made a beeline to the two coroner’s techs talking to two blues. Alex and Dean took out their kits and started taking pictures. Josh, Chloe, and Sophie gathered around two other officers and started throwing questions at them. A job for everyone, and this team did it well.