Luc: A Spy Thriller (5 page)

She laughed, putting the back of her hand up to her mouth. It was a delightfully light laugh. ‘Perhaps,’ she said, ‘you need just a little more work on the accent.’

There was a beeping sound and Lucia pulled the mobile phone from her pocket.

‘It’s Granddad,’ she said excitedly. ‘He’s at the marina.’

I pointed a thumb behind us. ‘That one?’

‘Yes. That one.’

I suddenly got a little worried. ‘You’re not going back?’

She looked up at me. ‘I suppose I could drop you off at the Caye first.’

‘Yes, because I have paid you a hundred and twenty for just that.’

‘Yep. Don’t worry. I’ll do that.’

‘How will I get back?’

‘You can take the water taxi.’

No, because Toledo and presumably the client will be on that. ‘Oh yes, hadn’t thought of that.’

‘You are weird.’

‘Can I keep the hat?’

‘No, that’s Granddad’s.’

‘Come on, you owe me.’

She chewed her mouth. ‘Okay, for the sake of your ears.’

We docked at the beautiful small island of Caye Caulker and I stepped out onto the little jetty.

‘Have fun,’ she said, reversing the boat back out.

‘I was going to. And then you decided to go back for your granddad.’

She held my gaze. She smiled a little and then she turned and concentrated on steering the boat around and away. I watched her leave for a bit and then saw that the water taxi was about to dock about two hundred yards away and with head down I stepped away to the side.

I looked around. I wouldn’t know where Toledo was going to head. He would have to come this way, so I continued walking along the busy front. There were a couple of bars and a wooden hut for people to buy tickets for the water taxi. More people were hanging around here. Many passed me, obviously heading for the water taxi which was just coming in.

I passed the bars and there was the smell of roast pork coming from inside one or both of them. After the bars there was another turning, a fork in the road. I couldn’t go much further without risking losing him. There were people, tourists, hanging around the front, leaning on a wooden rail, looking out to sea. I decided to join them. I leaned my elbows on the rail and pulled the floppy hat down further. The water lapped rhythmically below me.

I turned, attracted by the sound of people disgorging from the water taxi. I kept looking for Toledo, wondering if he was still on his own, or whether he’d already made contact with the client on the boat. Tourists and locals getting off the boat were mixing with those about to get on it. Cameras and iPads were being held up, people were posing in front of the boat, in front of the aquamarine water.

And then I saw him.

The thug, Toledo, walking purposefully through the crowd, a rucksack over one shoulder. One of the tourists backed into him as she was taking a group photo. The thug put his fingertips on her back and gently pushed her to the side. She tried to apologise but he was already striding away.

He neared the first bar and looked around. I fractionally tilted my head lower, so all I could see were his feet. He strolled over and sat down at a table outside the bar.

A waiter with dreadlocks and a faded green Coca Cola T-shirt stepped out and Toledo gave his order. He looked around again. He was waiting.

The client was still on his way.

***

The client was late. Three p.m. had come and gone and Toledo, sitting there drinking his beer, didn’t look very happy. He kept looking around, and I wondered whether I should move from where I was. Different tourists were coming and going all the time, but if he recognised that this one figure with a big floppy hat had never moved he might start to get suspicious.

His phone rang. He pulled the mobile from his shirt pocket. He seemed to talk animatedly, but he looked at his watch, nodded, and seemed to accept whatever was being spoken about. Probably the client letting him know why he was late. He finished the call and put the phone down on the wooden table next to his almost empty beer glass. He called into the bar and the waiter appeared. The waiter nodded and returned shortly with another cool glass of beer.

I liked the look of that cool glass of beer. It was something I could (very much) have done with.

And then I realised: the second bar. I looked behind me. A pavement table towards the rear would afford an ideal position. I waited until there were more people on the front between me and Toledo and then I strolled over to the second bar and sat at a circular table outside. It was the last table in the row and I was facing out to the water, but with just enough slant to be able to see Toledo without turning round too much. I ordered a cool glass of orange juice, (not beer, had to keep the head clear), and allowed myself a little smile as it was brought out and I was able to take my first long sip. I sat under a parasol and gazed at the beautiful view of the turquoise sea. With an occasional glance left.

***

I was on my second glass of orange juice. The client was very late. Toledo, wisely, had switched to water.

The sound of the water taxi approaching made him turn round and look out at the marina. We watched as it manoeuvred itself next to the jetty.

The next group of passengers disembarked.

We watched as the mass of tourists dispersed and through them walked two men in light tropical suits, one carrying a briefcase. I used my phone. Pretended I was a tourist, taking photos of the stunning view. Got a good shot of the two of them, just in case they turned out to be the clients. The pair walked towards the first bar and immediately took their seats at Toledo’s table. They shook hands.

Gotcha.

One of the men was white, with close-cropped silver hair. The other was dark-skinned and had a red handkerchief in his breast pocket. Was this the Guatemalan?

The men immediately got down to business. Toledo slid an envelope over to them. The white man looked inside. This, presumably, was information about me.

He’s behind you…

The white man passed over a small packet. Toledo looked inside, seemed to be satisfied, put it into the rucksack he’d brought.

The waiter brought out two glasses of fruit juice for the newcomers. They barely seemed to acknowledge him.

So these were the men who’d killed Wilson - or had him killed. Either way they’d earned my ire. I wouldn’t be warming to these chaps.

I could go over now and smash their faces. Could probably manage two of the three before the third got involved. No. We needed to know why. Why they had Wilson tortured and murdered.

‘Hi. Philip.’

I looked to my right and walking up the front I recognised a beaming Lucia, waving her arm at me, a small older man beside her. ‘We recognised the hat,’ she called out.

I thought, Christ. That’s quite loud.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

My eyes flicked over to Toledo and the two clients. They were laughing about something and the laughter didn’t stop. Neither looked in my direction. Maybe I’d been too paranoid about it. People were shouting out things all the time around here.

Lucia and the old fella came over to my table.

‘Hi,’ Lucia said again.

‘Lucia. Hi.’

‘This is my granddad,’ she said. ‘His name’s Frank.’

‘How are you, Frank?’

‘That hat looked better on me than it does on you,’ he said. Great, I thought, he’s going to take the hat back. (Why not just pick me up and plonk me on Toledo’s table?)

Frank smiled. In fact, he chuckled. He shook my hand. ‘Messing with you,’ he said, beaming. ‘Can we sit? It’s a long boat ride.’

‘Yes, sure.’

Lucia and Frank joined me.

‘A hundred and twenty dollars. Just had to meet the guy who dished out that for a boat ride.’ Frank lifted a hand to signal the waitress. ‘You rich, Phil?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘I was just in a hurry. And your granddaughter is a mean negotiator.’

‘Oh, tell me about it. So what were you in a hurry for?’

The waitress arrived and Frank ordered a grapefruit juice for Lucia and a Belikin beer for himself.

‘Just experience the islands,’ I said lamely when she’d gone.

Frank looked at me with a disbelieving smile.

‘You don’t mind us joining you?’ Lucia asked.

‘Not at all,’ I said. And, actually, I now meant it. Lucia was sitting to my left, blocking the view to Toledo’s table. Which in turn, of course, meant they couldn’t see me too well either. But I’d be able to see them the moment they got up to go.

‘I know why you wanted that boat ride,’ Frank said.

‘And why was that, Frank?’

He looked over at Lucia. He looked back at me and raised his eyebrows.

‘Granddad,’ Lucia said, catching the look.

‘Come on, it’s normal, it’s healthy, the guy likes you.’

‘Granddad, you said you - .’

‘And if he’s rich…’

‘I’m not rich, Frank.’

‘But you like my granddaughter?’

‘She is a lovely girl.’

‘Can we talk about something else?’ Lucia said, looking embarrassed.

‘Phil, I’m old in my bones. I rattle, I creak. But I have a heart. And that heart hasn’t changed in sixty years. I’m a born romantic, Phil. And I have to say there’s not much better in this world than the beauty of young love.’

‘Very kind of you to call me young.’

‘Would you prefer to be my age? Okay, I can see you youngsters are a little embarrassed. And, actually, that’s nice to see too. But I’ll change the subject. What do you do, Phil?’

‘For work? For work, I’m a salesman. But at the moment I’m on holiday, so…’

‘Absolutely. You don’t even want to think about it. Understand. You live in England?’

‘Yes. A county called Hampshire. You both live in Belize City?’

They both nodded. ‘That’s home,’ Frank said, smiling. ‘So are you liking your stay here, Phil?’

‘I am, Frank. I’m liking it a lot. So what do you do, Lucia?’ I asked, turning to her.

‘I’m a student,’ she said. ‘At the University of Belize. I’m studying psychology.’

‘Psychology. So that’s why you were able to sum me up so quickly.’

Lucia didn’t reply. She just smiled, knowingly.

‘She’s the brains of the family,’ Frank said. ‘I’m the beauty.’ He laughed. ‘No, we’re all proud of her. First in the family, and all that. What’s not to be proud about?’

I could see the waiter at the other bar was standing by Toledo’s table. And then I could see why - they were paying up.

Another water taxi was pulling in.

More people now congregated on the front. The three men got up and did the usual discreet stretching. They walked out onto the front and down towards the jetty with the rest of the crowd. It looked like they were all going back on the same boat. I would like to have gone back on that boat too, so I wouldn’t risk losing the clients - but that was a no-go.

I looked back at Frank and Lucia.

‘So what are your plans?’ I asked.

‘Plans?’

‘Are you staying on the island, or are you going back to Belize City?’

‘Well, we wanted to do some fishing.’

They were boarding the water taxi now. I watched as the three walked up the boarding ramp.

Frank caught my glances. ‘Oh I see. Look, don’t let us stop you,’ he said, indicating the boat.

‘Mm? Oh no.’

‘You want to get the ferry, you should go now.’

‘It’s fine. I don’t want to get the ferry.’

We talked a little longer and I watched the water taxi pull out and head away, back to the mainland. I couldn’t let it disappear. I had to follow the clients after they’d disembarked. I had to find out who they were.

‘This fishing,’ I said. ‘Could you do it back in Belize City? Strange question, I know, but…’

Lucia looked at me. She then looked across at her granddad. ‘He wants his return journey,’ she said to him. ‘He did pay the hundred and twenty for a return as well.’

‘Is that right?’ Frank asked.

‘Actually, would you mind? I’m sorry about your fishing. Look, I’d be happy to give you another twenty. Least I could do. You’ve both been very generous.’

Frank waved away any thought of more money.

‘You don’t agree on a figure and then suddenly give more. If a hundred and twenty was agreed for a return trip. Well, we have your hundred and twenty. We owe you a return trip.’

‘That’s very kind,’ I said.

‘No. That’s simple business,’ he said. ‘But let me get this right, Phil. You pay a hundred and twenty dollars because you’re so eager to experience the islands. Then once you get to the island you have a couple of drinks and then you get the first boat back?’

I shrugged. ‘Enough excitement for one day.’

‘I told you he was strange,’ Lucia said smiling.