"It still sounds spooky," Emily said.
Sam entered the cabin, pushing the door closed as far as it would go. "Everyone satisfied now? Let's get some sleep."
"Can we leave the lantern lit?" Emily asked.
"Sure, I don't see a problem with that. I'll just turn it to low," Sam said.
Sounds of scrapping limbs and the creaking of loose siding made it unbearable to sleep. Rain pelting overhead increased the dripping water on floorboards and items in the cabin, producing a warped symphony of music. Just as everyone had accepted the strange atmosphere and were about to fall asleep, the sound of an engine rattling through the brush neared the cabin. "It's them," Maddie whispered. "They found us."
Chapter Sixteen
Headlights illuminated the front of the cabin, shining through cracks in the wall that wouldn't be noticed in daylight. It looked like the glow of descending angels from the Heavens. Sam blew the light out in the lantern. "No one move," he said.
The engine continued to idle when they heard the slamming of a car door. "What are we gonna do?" Jake asked.
The next sound that followed was the back and forth action of a shotgun being cocked.
"Keep down," Sam whispered, staring at the door, still ajar.
Footsteps over rain puddles drew near. "Quién está ahí?" the man yelled.
"What did he say?" Jake asked.
"Quién está ahí?" the man repeated with an angry voice. "Venir aquí!"
The man fired into the wall of the cabin, leaving a hole the size of a baseball. "We're dead," Emily screamed.
Maddie cupped Emily's mouth, but it was too late.
"Sé que estás ahí," the man yelled, cocking his shotgun again.
The man continued speaking in Spanish, then another gunshot rang out, this time missing the cabin. "He's still shooting at us," Emily said.
"That shot was in the air, a warning shot," Maddie said.
"What should we do?" Emily asked, muffling a cough into the blanket.
"There's nowhere to run." Sam said. "We don't have a choice." Then he yelled, "We're coming out, please don't shoot. We're unarmed."
Then they heard the shotgun cock, again. "Careful, Sam," Maddie said.
Sam tugged to open the door. "Do you speak English?" he asked.
"Let me see your hands," the man said.
Sam held a hand up to his eyes to block the glare of the headlights. Despite a rifle being pointed at him from a stranger in the night, he was relieved to see the vehicle wasn't the military transport truck they had escaped from earlier. "We're sorry, sir. Amigo. We just needed a place to get dry and sleep for the night. My daughter's inside and she's coming down with a cold."
"What are you doing way out here in this weather? You're not from around here," the man asked, keeping the rifle pointed.
"You're right, we're not from here. We were kidnapped, but we escaped. Can you help us? Maybe take us to a police station, or a hospital?"
"Kidnapped? Your whole family?" The man sounded apprehensive. "Why'd they kidnap you? Are you someone famous, or something?"
"No, we're not famous. We can explain the whole story to you if you can take us. Will you help us? Please?"
"How many of you are there?"
"There's only my wife and two children." Sam turned to call them out, but they had already huddled near the doorway.
"Please sir," Maddie pleaded. "Can you give us a ride?"
With the blanket still wrapped around her, Emily's coughs were becoming more frequent. Convinced Sam and his family were of no threat, he lowered his rifle. "What the hell happened to you folks? You look like you've been through hell."
Emily's neck showed a reddened slash mark, and the cut on Maddie's swollen lip and bruises showed signs of struggle.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you," Sam said.
"Please, sir," Maddie pleaded. "My daughter needs a doctor. Can you help us?"
"Looks like she's not the only one. Hop in."
Maddie, Emily and Jake crammed in the cold, but cozy back seat with a fresh blanket the man had given them.
As the man put the jeep into reverse, a large crocodile scampered into the bright beams of the headlights. "The hospital is quite far from here, but I can take you as far as the police station up the road," he said.
"Thank you, so much," Maddie said. "You're too kind."
"By the way, I'm José."
Sam introduced himself and his family, then asked, "How do you speak such good English?"
"Lot's of school children where I live. They're eager to teach us what they've learned."
"Do you mind telling us why you're out in this weather?" Maddie asked.
"It'll probably sound crazy, but my wife told me to check on her granddaddy's cabin."
"Why is that crazy?" she asked.
José chuckled, again. "He's been dead for about ten-years, but she still likes me to check on it from time to time. Why she suggested tonight of all nights, was beyond me, but now I know why."
"Why?" Jake asked.
"To find you folks."
It did sound a bit crazy, but it didn't matter. They had found safety, and would be on their way home soon.
"If my wife, God Bless her soul, were still around, I'd invite you to my home. She was very good at caring for people."
Now he did sound crazy. "I'm sorry, I thought you said she told you to come check on the cabin?"
"I told you it would sound crazy," he said. "It's been a couple of years now, but I still see her around the house," he explained. "She reminds me to take my medicine, and wakes me up for church every Sunday. She was a God fearing woman, and never missed a week," he explained with a proud, yet solemn tone.
"She sounds like an, angel," Maddie said, still not sure what to think.
"That she was," he agreed, then corrected himself, " I mean, is. They never did find her, so the police got tired of looking."
"What do you mean? What happened?" Sam asked.
"A bunch of us were at work in the orchards on the day of our anniversary. When it was time to go home at the end of the day and celebrate, she was nowhere to be found. We looked for her all over, thinking maybe she had fallen down, or something. Hours turned into a day, and days turned into weeks, but still nothing. My compadres tried to convince me she was kidnapped. The police assured me she had run off with another. You're right, ma'am, she was an angel, but not exactly the type someone would want to run off with, if you know what I mean? She wasn't exactly on the thin side, like you and your daughter."
"That's so sad," Maddie said. "I'm sorry to hear about your loss."
"Thank you, ma'am, but I expect her back someday. I've never stopped loving her and she'll always be the only woman for me."
"That's so sweet," Emily whispered to her mother.
It was a quirky sad story from a kind and generous man. Quite a different story than the one they had to tell, so everyone kept quiet.
The jeep slowed at a fork in the road. Sam pointed, "We escaped from the end of that path."
"That path dead-ends at the lagoon. We call it the, Cemetery of Sails," José said. "Locals think it's cursed."
"Why's that?" Jake sat up, interested in a scary tale.
"We think people come in from the sea, lured in by the beauty of the jungle. Kind of a scenic tour. But when they reach the lagoon, their boats sink and the people are never seen again. You folks were lucky. Locals stay clear of that lagoon."
Sam turned and glanced at Maddie.
"Anyway, no need to worry, we're taking this path. It won't be long until we're on the main highway. Depending on the rain, we should be at the police station in about forty-minutes, or so. Sit back and relax, you're safe now."
The jeep bounced and thumped over potholes at a steady pace until the edge of the highway was seen. "Sorry for the ride, it'll be a bit smoother now," José said, then made a cautious turn onto the highway. As he turned the wheel, a truck pulled out in front of him. José sounded his horn, but th
e truck inched nearer causing him to stop. "Looks like someone else is in trouble," he said.
Sam and Maddie sat up as Andrea stepped from the truck waving a pistol. "Go!" Sam shouted. "It's them."
By the time José slipped the jeep into reverse, Andrea was already at the door pointing her pistol at his head.
Chapter Seventeen
The military truck backed against the loading dock through the gleam of security lights, and the spectacle of raindrops the size of dimes. Sam and his family filed from the truck into the rain, staring down barrels of pointed rifles held my military clad men. Huddled together, they glanced through opened doors of the warehouse, illuminated only by flickering bulbs radiating from swinging hanging lamps from metal rafters.
"Bienvenida," a man said.
Andrea led Carlos by his hand to the edge of the dock. They were met by a mustached man standing on the dock with the tip of his whip unraveled and hanging over the edge. "Grab it, I'll help you up," he offered, to Andrea.
"Do I look handicapped?" she asked with a hostile tone, then leaped onto the dock unassisted.
"Where is this place?" Jake asked, clinging to his father. For the first time, Jake's tough facade had faded, replaced with fear.
Carlos peered down at Jake and smiled. "This is my home, Jake," he said, with perfect intonation. "I told you it was big. Do you like it?" He was calm and proud like the first time they met. The warehouse wasn't much, but it was the only real home he'd known.
"Will you stay with us?" Jake asked.
"Don't worry, Jake. You'll like my house," he answered, as if naive of the evils that awaited.
He understood Carlos, and felt sorry for him. In some remote way, he was a combination of his mother and father rolled into one, possessing both their strengths and weaknesses.
"Getaway from him," barked Andrea. "Come with me."
"I'm sorry, Jake. I want to stay with you, but I can't."
Andrea faced the mustached man rolling up his whip. "Where is he?" she asked.
"In back. He's waiting for you," he answered. "He's not happy."
This would be the first time seeing Chavez since her incarceration, and she wasn't looking forward to it. She had spoken to him a few times on the phone after her escape, and sensed he was growing bored of her, and tired of Carlos, mentioning how Carlos was a risk to his operation.
They had first met in a busy marketplace in Mexico, where he had seen her pick pocketing an unsuspecting tourist. He was attracted to her immediately. She was beautiful, fearless, and vulnerable. She agreed to work for him, but had two caveats. The first was, wherever she went, her brother went. He agreed. The second was, if anything ever happened to her, he would agree to take care of Carlos. He lied, and agreed.
Over the years, she became a trusted servant of Chavez. She learned every aspect of the business, and was present when summoned. Then the day came when she was left stranded and apprehended by the Coast Guard. Before going to prison, she reminded him of his promise to care for her little brother. Chavez had no real need for Carlos, and she knew that. She assured him she'd find a way out within a year, and not to kill Carlos. He gave her four months.
She grabbed Carlos and yanked him away from Jake. Entering the warehouse, he glanced a precarious grin over his shoulder to Jake. Jake waved, wondering if that would be the last time they would see each other.
The whip sliced through rain droplets causing splashes in midair. "Get in there," a voice rang out, as a man shoved Sam into the warehouse.
###
Emily's cough rebounded off the aluminum siding. It had turned into a honking sound, rising from her chest. "Where's the doctor?" Maddie asked. "You said there was a doctor here. I swear if anything happens to her or my family, I'll kill you all."
Her words invited the crack of the whip, this time strapping her back and ripping through her skin. She buckled to her knees on the damp concrete floor, blood seeped through her opened wounds.
"Mom!" Emily and Jake cried, then Emily dropped over her mother to protect her from further infliction. They couldn't bear to watch their mother yielding to the needless pain being administered by these barbarians.
"Shut up!" the man with the whip ordered. "She'll get her medicine soon enough."
Sam stepped toward Maddie, but the impact of a rifle butt forced him to the ground beside her. Emily and Jake screamed out for the guard to stop. The guard's boot exploded into Sam's ribs, rolling him face up. Then the rifle butt crashed down into his face, coiling him into submission. "Get up, perro," a man ordered, spitting on Sam.
Sam lifted his head from the floor to rise, but another kick bludgeoned his face. Sam was oblivious to the pain. The humiliation of being tormented worse than an animal in front of his family, was more painful than the injuries he was sustaining. His family screamed and yelled, as several more kicks dispensed into Sam's body.
"Enough!" a guard snapped. "Get them up and put them on the line."
"I swear, you're all dead," Maddie said.
The snap of the whip struck Maddie's back again. She remained on her feet, cringing from the sting. "Is that all you got?" she asked.
"You're a tough dama," the man with the whip said.
"Stop it!" Emily yelled. "We'll do anything you want," then stepped against her mother in line with the stinging whip.
Carlos and Andrea followed Chavez through the door of his office. Chavez looked like a military leader with a cigar clinched between his teeth. His five-o'clock shadow made him look like nothing more than an ordinary street thug.
Surrounded by guards, Carlos stood at Andrea's side with the towel wrapped around his head, keeping his eyes on Jake. Chavez strolled in front of the line with his hands clasped behind his back, like a drill sergeant inspecting new recruits. "So, this is the little family that gave you so much trouble, no?"
Chavez stopped in front of Maddie, then ran the back of his hand down her cheek. Maddie recoiled. "These are quite some bumps you have," he said, inspecting the cut on her lip and lacerations above her swollen eye. He turned to Carlos. "You did this to her?"
"I-I d-didn't m-mean t-to."
"Something like this doesn't happen by accident. You must have been very angry."
"N-No sir, I d-didn't r-realize w-what I was d-doing," he said, stammering more than usual.
"That's what worries me."
"I s-said I w-was s-sorry."
"I gave her the bruises," Andrea said, protecting her brother from fault. "She kicked the crap out of me. She deserved it. I'd do it again if I had the choice. Besides, those bruises can be covered."
He turned Maddie around, examining the wounds from the whip. "We'll have to cover these up too, perhaps with tattoos."
Chavez continued inspecting Maddie. He lifted her shirt, exposing her abdomen. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it down. "Don't touch me."
The mustached man unraveled his whip. Chavez held his hand up, giving the sign to stop. Then he backhanded her across the face.
"Mom!" Emily and Jake yelled.
"You're all going to learn to do things my way around here. Fortunately for you, you won't be here for very long." Then he lifted her shirt again. "Very nice," then ran the back of his hand over her tummy. "And firm. I can't tell you've had children."
Maddie brushed his hand away, then spit in his face.
Chavez reared his hand back ready to strike her again, then stopped as his hand was about to make contact. He wiped the saliva from his face then licked his fingers. "You're tough, I like it. Maybe I'll keep you for myself."
Rain pelted against the outside of the warehouse, as everyone waited for Chavez's next move. Andrea felt uncomfortable, and squeezed Carlos's hand. Staring into the rain through the warehouse doors, Chavez spoke. "You know, when merchandise is damaged, its value decreases. When values decrease, income decreases. That's money out of my pocket. What's the solution for something that damages merchandise?"
Everyone remained silent. "No guesses?" he asked. "I'll
tell you, we get rid of whatever is causing the damage."
"She'll heal, just give her a few days," Andrea pleaded.
"We don't have a few days!" his voice reverberated throughout the warehouse like an echo chamber. "You think we can put them up, bed them, and feed them? This isn't a hotel."
Andrea heard a snap. It didn't sound like the snap on her windbreaker. She squeezed her brother's hand.
"Is e-every th-thing okay, D?"
Emily was the first to break the silence with a series of echoing coughs. "Please, can my daughter get some medicine?" Maddie asked, with a whisper.
"I promise you, soon she'll get the best medicine we have here," he answered, then turned and glanced at a heavy-set guard standing in the group around Carlos and Andrea.
Andrea recalled the subtle, yet obvious glances of convicts in the prison. "Boss, I promise you..."
"Silence!"
Without further delay, the heavy-set guard reached around Carlos and sunk a foot-long serrated blade into Carlos's stomach, just above his naval. Carlos's eyes widened into large orbits boring into Jake. "I'm s-sorry."
Andrea turned and faced her brother, then screamed. "No!"
Several men moved in and restrained her.
"You bastard," she cried.
"No!" Jake yelled out, and started running toward Carlos.
He was stopped short by another guard and lifted off ground. "Put me down. Carlos!"
The heavy-set man carved the knife upward into Carlos's chest, leaving a gaping slice with blood forming a puddle where he stood. Andrea continued to writhe with hopes of escaping the clutches of the guards. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you," she repeated.
Chavez turned toward Maddie. "I'm sorry you and your family had to witness this, but he had it coming."
Maddie wondered if Andrea was next. If anyone deserved to be killed, it was her. She felt a mountain of remorse for the pain they had put Carlos through on the boat.
Carlos fell to the floor in his puddle of blood, as the knife extracted from his body. The knife dripped blood from its blade and the man's hand. Emily's face turned pale. She fought back the vomit rising in her throat. "The sight of blood disturbs you, no?" Chavez asked. "It does me, too. I don't think I'll ever get used to it."