The man kicked open the door and leapt out, tumbling along the road and then coming to a stop. They watched as he picked himself up and slowly limped off.
Puller said, “I like your style.”
Carson eyed him with a stern gaze. “What?” he said.
“Next time you go on R and R, pick a safer place than Paradise.”
His phone buzzed. He answered it and listened for a bit before saying, “Okay.” Then he clicked off.
Carson said, “Talk to me.”
“I’ve been officially invited to join the murder investigation.”
CHAPTER 58
Mecho studied the police officers.
He was bagging yard debris and the police officers were bagging the remains of a very expensive automobile.
Mecho wondered if they had found the bits of the license plate with “The Man” on it. He hoped not. He hoped it had been blown into the water and swallowed by a shark.
As he used a rake to collect some dead branches that had fallen to the ground, he watched the maid Beatriz walk across the lawn with a tray of lemonade and snacks. She was headed to the pool where Lampert and James Winthrop and Chrissy Murdoch were lounging. Her eyes were puffy and she kept her gaze downcast as she served the drinks and food. He watched Lampert eye her as she walked back across the lawn.
As she neared the hous
e and was out of sight of the others, Mecho hoisted the bag of debris and used his long legs to reach a spot that would cross her path. She pulled up when she saw him. He was well over a foot taller than her and more than twice her weight.
He spoke to her in Spanish, asking her if everything was okay.
She mumbled that it was and kept walking. He kept pace beside her.
He asked more questions, and finally queried Beatriz about her employer. Her features hardened.
Mecho pounced on this vulnerability.
“I understand that your boss is leaving the country soon.”
She looked sharply at him. “How do you know that?”
“One of his guys told me. Asia?”
“And Africa. At least that’s what I overheard.”
“When does he leave?”
“Why do you want to know?” she asked suspiciously.
“I was thinking of asking you out. It would probably be easier if he weren’t around.”
Whether she understood the significance of his words or not it was impossible to tell from her features.
“You want to ask me out?” she said slowly.
“I wasn’t always a laborer,” said Mecho truthfully. “I treat women with respect and courtesy.”
“It is impossible.”
“I understand.”
She put a hand on his arm. “No, you do not understand. I am not allowed to leave the premises.”
“You cannot leave here?”
She shook her head and said in a low voice, “It is not permitted. I should not even be talking to you.”
“I am a nobody. They do not care about nobodies.”
She glanced up at him. “I think you are somebody,” she said hopefully.
“Is it the guards that keep you in here?”
“Not just the guards.” She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the pool.
“You could call the police.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“It is not just me.”
“I don’t understand.”
Shit! thought Mecho.
“It’s okay. I’m not upset or anything. Did you like what you saw?”
Was she playing with him? Yet for some reason he thought she really wanted to hear the answer.
“Did you like what you were doing?” he shot back.
She seemed to mull this. “It’s complicated.” “Complex things are actually simple.”