The Puzzle of Piri Reis (14 page)

I chuckled softly. When I taught English in a high school where administrators didn't want you to teach,
parents were offended when you did, and students
couldn't believe they were expected to learn, drugs were
rampant. Obviously, they still were.

And the schools, for the most part, looked the other
way. Oh, the schools made public gestures, media announcements, and ominous threats as to the dire consequences if a student were caught, but nine times out
of ten, when an infraction occurred, strangely enough
the circumstances usually faded into the night.

More than once, students in my English classes
laughed and told me they could get me anything I
wanted during the next break between classes. I never
had the guts to take them up on it.

So, witnessing drug deals was nothing to get excited about, though in my twisted sense of perspective
I could see the wry irony in a drug deal going down in
front of a mosaic with a priest giving God's blessing
to illiterate Indians. I glanced down at Jack, who was
still babbling about his upcoming marriage.

At the Elena Towers, we found a table against the
white limestone wall at the back of the sidewalk. Jack
ordered a drink while I went inside. Lamia Sue Odom
was in room 718. There was no answer. I glanced at
my watch: 5:40.

I stopped at the desk and left a message including my
cell number and the fact I would be on the sidewalk outside the Elena Towers until six thirty. She could identify
me by my tweed jacket.

Outside, the sun was dropping behind skyscrapers, casting shadows across the River Walk. I joined Jack
and ordered a cool rum mai tai.

"That was fast," he said.

"She wasn't in. I left word for her to meet us here"

I had no idea what kind of surprise I was in for.

About thirty minutes later, the two young women I
had spotted under the bridge sashayed past, heading
up the stairs into the Elena Towers.

Frowning, I glanced over my shoulder as they disappeared inside. I felt the hair on the back of my neck
bristle. Surely not.

Five minutes later, the one in heels and hip huggers
appeared at our table. Her dark brown hair framed her
heart-shaped face attractively. "Excuse me, were you
looking for me?"

I gaped at her for a moment, then glanced past her,
at her friend in the ripped jeans. "Are you Lamia Sue
Odom?"

She smiled brightly at Jack and then back at me.
"Yes. Who are you?"

Rising, I introduced Jack and myself.

Frowning, she said, "Boudreaux? Have we ever met?"

"No. Your cousin, Ted, hired me"

Her face lit in understanding. "Oh, yes. You're the private investigator who is going to find Uncle Bernard's
map" She nodded emphatically. "Ted told me about
you."

I gestured to an empty chair. "I'd like to visit with
you for a few minutes-if you have the time."

She glanced at Jack, then back at me. "Certainly. I
can't stay long. My roommate and I have an appointment in thirty minutes." She slipped in at the table and
ordered a Perrier with a slice of lime.

And I'll bet I know what kind of appointment, I
told myself. "This won't take long, Miss Odom. I'm just trying to pick a few brains. See what I can find out
about the map"

Jack pushed to his feet. "You want me to leave,
Tony?" He glanced at Lamia Sue.

She spoke up. "Heavens no" She looked me straight
in the eyes. "I've got nothing to hide about anything."

I continued. "The map. Have you ever seen it?"

"No. Uncle Bernard purchased it while I was in
Spain. He put it away for safekeeping."

"Your cousin thinks someone murdered your uncle
and then stole the map"

Shaking her head slowly, she laughed harshly. "Ted's
always been suspicious like that. He's paranoid, always
worrying about things and sticking his nose where it
doesn't belong. All I know is that Uncle Bernard hid the
map somewhere in the den. At least that's what he told
me" Her hostility toward her cousin was obvious.

"Do you think someone might have killed your uncle?"

"No. It was an accident. Uncle Bernard wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and tripped. He
hit his head" She shrugged. "That's all there was to it."

"Do you mind telling me where you were that night?"

A bright smile popped on her lips and her eyes glittered with amusement. "Am I a suspect, or something?"

"Nope" I shook my head and lied. "Not really. You
have a big inheritance coming. I don't see what you
would have to gain by taking the map."

She smiled up at me mischievously. "Well, you might
be wise to make me a suspect" I frowned. "To tell the truth, Mr. Boudreaux, I don't know. Some friends and I
partied that night out at Lake Travis. I don't remember
too much about it except I woke up in this yacht the next
morning about ten" She stared at me, a hint of amusement flashing in her dark eyes.

At least she was honest. "Whose place was it? Remember?"

She laughed. "I wasn't that zonked. Horace Shackleford. You know, Shackleford Mall"

I couldn't resist a grin. If she got herself zonked, she
got zonked with good company. Shackleford was known
as Mall Master of Texas, even up in Dallas, which fancied itself as the Paris of the Southwest. "What about
Leo Cobb or Joe Hogg? Ever hear those names?"

"No" She shrugged sheepishly. "I really didn't know
any of Uncle Bernard's acquaintances. I'm sorry I can't
be any more help but I never paid any attention to my
uncle's business." She paused, and in a sarcastic tone,
added, "I leave all of that up to Cousin Ted."

"Trouble between you two?"

Lamia shook her head. "Not really. He's just a wimpy
little boy who never grew up"

Jack ordered us another round of drinks as I watched
her walk away, remembering Patsy Fusco's observation
about her.

Jack sipped his old fashioned. "She any help?"

I pondered his question seriously. In the past, I'd
bounced ideas off Jack. Sometimes, he'd responded
with ideas I'd never considered. "Not really. I've got one more person to talk to. The problem is there are
several who would have probably stolen the map if they
had known where it was."

Jack interrupted. "Huh? What do you mean, if they
knew where it was?"

"Supposedly, the old man hid the map. Now, his
son can't find it, so he thinks it was stolen"

He frowned. "Doesn't he know where his old man
hid it?"

"No.

He looked at me in disbelief. "You gotta be kidding.
He doesn't know where his old man hid it, so now he
thinks it's stolen? That's kinda screwy"

I waved him off. "It's a long story. Anyway, there's
only a couple of individuals who would really profit
by the map, but at the same time, they couldn't offer it
on the market because the map is so well-known that
its sale would be impossible to keep secret"

"Well-known? I never heard of it."

I chuckled. "I mean in the art community."

Jack drained the last of his old fashioned and pushed
to his feet. "Forget about it all. Let's go get us something to eat. Next to my hotel is a place called Elizio's.
Supposed to serve great quesadillas with garlic shrimp,
roasted pepper, and goat cheese"

I chuckled. "Why not?"

By the time we reached Elizio's, the sun had set.

The quesadillas were delicious although an extra shot or two of tequila in the recipe would have added
an extra zest to the dish. Halfway through the meal,
my cell rang. It was Janice, wondering if I was coming
back to Austin over the weekend.

"I wish I could but things are going pretty slow. I
need to hang around here and keep working so I can
get back to our Halloween dance next Saturday"

"I'll miss you," she replied wistfully.

I held my breath but she didn't continue. "I'll miss
you. By the way, how's your aunt?"

"Much better. She's up and around. Not quite her
old self but doing very well."

"Then I tell you what. Why don't you hop in that
new little Jaguar roadster and buzz down here Saturday
afternoon? We'll have a romantic dinner on the River
Walk and take in the Bracero Festival at my hotel Saturday night. I'll even get you a room if you want one"

She hesitated. "What time?"

"Noon at the Grand Isle. You know it?"

"I'll be there. And Tony?"

"Yeah?"

In a sultry voice, she added, "Forget the extra room"

After punching off, instead of popping my cell in
my pocket, I laid it on the table and grabbed my drink.
Saturday had just become a very important day for me.

After another drink, I said good night and headed
across the river to my hotel. Jack remained behind, ordering one more old fashioned.

When I opened the door to my room and stepped inside, a hand seized my arm and jerked me into the room.
I fought for balance, and when I steadied myself, I was
looking into the cold muzzle of a snub-nosed revolver.
Behind it was a man dressed in black and wearing a ski
mask.

I held up my hands. "Take what you want, pal. You
won't get any argument from me."

He snorted. "I don't want nothing from you,
Boudreaux. It's time for you get out of San Antone.
This town ain't healthy for you, and I'm here to show
you how sick it can make you"

At that moment, Jack appeared in the open door.
"Hey, what's going on? Tony? You all right?"

The thug jerked around. "What the-"

I leaped, smashing into his back and driving him
through the open door and slamming him into a startled Jack Edney. The three of us bounced off the wall
and fell in a snarl of arms and legs.

By the time we untangled ourselves, the goon had
vanished down the hall and out a rear exit. Jack and I sat
on the floor looking at each other.

He shook his head. "What was all that about?"

At that moment, the door across the hall opened, and
an irate man stuck his head out. "What's all the racket
out here? We're trying to sleep"

I held up my hand. "Sorry. I tripped over my own
feet and knocked my friend down."

His lips curled in a sneer. "Bunch of drunks," he
muttered. He slammed the door, and I heard him shout, "I told you we shouldn't come here, Myrtle. This whole
town is full of sin and transgressions."

Back in my room, Jack handed me my cell phone.
"You left this on the table. I was bringing it to you.
Looks like I got here just in time. Are you sure you're
all right, Tony? That mug had a gun."

"Yeah, I'm fine" I gestured to a chair in front of the
curtained sliding doors that opened onto the tiny balcony outside my second-floor room. I plopped down
on the bed and stared at Jack. "But I can't figure what's
going on"

Jack frowned. He tried to lean forward, but his
enormous belly prevented it. "You mean, this wasn't
the first time something's happened"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. Last Tuesday on the way
down from Austin, an eighteen-wheeler ran me off the
road. Then that night, my room-well, you were with
me. You remember what it looked like. Someone had
torn it apart"

He looked at me blankly. "When?"

"Tuesday night. When you got snockered"

A sheepish grin curled his lips. "Jeez, Tony, I'm sorry.
All I remember is waking up in here. I just figured you'd
thrown the mattress on the floor for me"

I groaned. "Anyway, the next day, someone planted
a bindle of coke in my truck, and now this."

He leaned back and folded his arms over the top of
his belly. "I'd say someone doesn't want you to find
that map, old friend."

A soft chuckle rolled up from my throat. "That's
what puzzles me. Why would someone not want me to
find the map? The only answer I see is that whoever
wants me off the case knows the location of the map
and has a buyer."

The concern on Jack's face deepened. "Listen, you
want me to spend the night here? I don't mind, you
know."

If I were into kissing men, I would have kissed Jack
then. "No, thanks. I'll be fine"