Deny Tomorrow Page 5

  “How did you happen to move here?” Arianna asked, as they continued on down the ocean highway.

  Lisa grimaced. “It’s a long story. Not a pretty one, either. I arrived about six months ago with my boyfriend. He was a drummer with one of the local bands. Well, to make a long story short, we were only here about a week when he ditched me and headed back to the States.”

  Arianna winced. “Oww! What a bastard! I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “No, it was for the best, really. But I’d given up my job back in Chicago, so I had nothing to go home to. Didn’t have any money to get home on anyway. Maybe that’s why I can relate to your dilemma.”

  Arianna nodded. It seemed they had at least one thing in common.

  “Anyway, in order to survive,” Lisa continued, “I started working as a cocktail waitress at night while I tried to get my design business going during the day. It’s been a struggle, but I think I’m making it.”

  “I’m sorry about your boyfriend but impressed with how you landed on your feet. It makes me think if you can make it, I could too. I at least need to find a way to support myself while I try to find some answers about how I got here.”

  “Sure. I’ll help you all I can,” Lisa assured her. “And as far as the boyfriend goes, well, it was the best thing that could have happened really, so don’t feel sorry for me. Say, are you hungry?”

  “I’m starving. I have no idea when I last ate. I do remember what I ate, however, and it wasn’t the greatest. I could really go for a nice, juicy hamburger.”

  “Done,” Lisa said, breaking to swerve into a McDonald’s. “Here, I’ll buy this time. You can buy when you get on your feet. And speaking of feet, I see we’re going to need to get you some shoes.”

  Arianna looked down at her bare feet. “Thank God, I’m in a tropical climate. I have no shoes and no clothes. I’m wearing the only things I own.”

  “I think we can fix you up. The dress is very casual here so you won’t need anything too expensive.”

  Arianna bit into a Big Mac, grabbed a handful of fries, stuffed them into her mouth, and washed it all down with a big swig of Coke. “I can’t remember when anything tasted so good. By the way, do you know where I might find a job of some kind?”

  “Well, the club where I work is always looking for help. Maybe I can get you on there. It’s not glamorous, but tips are outstanding.”

  “I’ll do whatever I have to do to get by. I waitressed my way through college, so I guess I can do it again. I have to find a way to finance my stay while I solve this mystery.”

  “We’ll figure out something,” Lisa said as she pulled into the carport of a tiny, stucco cottage, a block from the ocean. “Here’s where I call home these days. Come on. Let’s go get you settled in.”

  The house was small but cozy, and Lisa’s designer touches could be seen everywhere. The kitchen, dining area, and living room all opened up together to make one big room and had been decorated in an island motif. A royal blue sofa was nestled beside a blue and white striped, chair and matching ottoman in the living room. A white, painted parsons table sat in the dining area with a fresh bouquet of spring flowers in the center. The kitchen had a small butcher-block center island and a built-in wine rack overhead. The entire house was light and airy and had an inviting feel about it.

  “Your place is lovely,” Arianna said as she looked around. “Did you decorate it?”

  “I agreed to decorate this house in exchange for a reduction on the rent. So far I think the owner got the better end of the deal. Here, you can have the second bedroom,” she said, leading Arianna down the hall. “By the way, I’m meeting some friends at the beach this afternoon. I have an extra bathing suit if you’d like to join us.”

  “That sounds wonderful. I’d love to.”

  “Great!” Lisa replied, opening the door to Arianna’s bedroom. “It’s pretty bare bones, but the bed is very comfortable. Why don’t you change while I pack the cooler? How does a cold beer sound?”

  “Perfect. I can sure use something to help me relax. It’s been a rough day. And, hey Lisa, thank you again for helping me out. This means a lot to me.”

  Lisa smiled and handed her a bathing suit. “Not a problem. I’ve been where you’re at, well, at least sort of. Helping you out is the least I can do. Now, go get ready. I think this suit will fit you.”

  Arianna put the plastic baggies with the money and room key in the top dresser drawer. She was banking on these two items to provide some answers to the identity of her mysterious abductor. It was a long shot though. Even if there were finger prints on the money, there was no guarantee they were in a data bank somewhere, but it was all she had for now.

  At the beach, she wasted no time downing three quick beers in an attempt to numb her senses. It had worked. Drinking to excess wasn’t usually her thing, but today the alcohol greatly eased her anxiety about what had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours. Listening to the waves rush back and forth on the shore, she felt relaxed and free. But she wasn’t free. Though no burqa bound her, she was imprisoned in a veil of mystery. Until she found out how she had gotten to this island, and who had brought her here and why, she would never be free. That’s why she was determined that no matter how many obstacles she faced, she would never give up until she solved this mystery.

  Now, less than fifteen hours since he’d left Kervistan, Zach stood in the shiny marble bathroom of his multi-million dollar, seaside estate on the resort island of Costa Luna. He studied his naked image in the mirror and thought he looked like a Cro-Magnon man. His jet-black hair hung in dirty strands and a big, bushy beard hid the entire lower part of his face. At least three inches would have to come off before he could even begin to shave. He took a long draw on a cold Heineken, then picked up a pair of scissors and began cutting away big tufts of beard. Trimmed to a manageable length, he shaved the last remnants of the Kervistan disguise off his face.

  Draining the rest of his beer, he stepped into the shower and let the hot water pour down on him. Grabbing a bar of soap, he lathered from head to toe, and then shampooed his wild mop of hair, rinsing it until it squeaked. He stood immobilized for a moment, savoring the smell of lime verbena shampoo. It was funny that the things you missed the most could be as basic as a little soap and water and the smell of “clean”.

  Retrieving another beer from an ice bucket on the counter, he stepped back into the shower and sat down on the built-in bench. As the water streamed over his chest and legs, he sat back and closed his eyes. The last twenty-four hours had been hell.

  The event was all over the news—the assassination. It had accomplished just what it was supposed to, and he should have been pleased, but Fasi’s death brought him no joy. He disliked killing, but with Fasi’s passing, the U.S. could move in and bring about a regime change. Everyone won including the people of Kervistan. He rationalized the completion of this assignment as performing a public service for many, though his good deeds would never be publicly acknowledged.

  Then, there was the girl he had saved from certain rape and torture, probably even death at the hands of the Kervistani’s. She was supposed to be just someone he was getting out of harm’s way, but once he got a good look at exactly who was under that burqa, everything had changed. She was amazingly beautiful, and it occurred to him that she must possess extraordinary courage to brave those conditions to get a story… the kind of woman he’d love to meet, but seldom did. Not that there weren’t plenty of women in his life. Through the years, there had been lots of women, and all quite eager to be the one he finally settled down with. But at thirty-one and single, it was obvious it was going to take a special type of woman to capture his heart.

  He’d tried to keep his distance from the girl during the fifteen-hour flight home, but he found himself going over to monitor her vital signs more times than were actually warranted. If he went over there one more time, he knew the men would start to razz him, so he had turned the duties over to Tony. Thus, it was Ton
y who sedated her one last time when she began to rouse just as they were landing. She was going to have a huge, fucking headache when she woke up, but it was the only way. She could not be allowed to come to and recognize them. It was a matter of national security as well as a matter of his own personal safety. His life would be in grave danger if his identity ever got out.

  When they arrived home, the men loaded their gear into a Hummer limo waiting to take them to his gated compound on the far side of the island. He stayed behind to see to the girl personally. After putting her in his black Escalade, he drove to a small hotel in an older section of the city. There, he met Hector Alvarez, a friend of his who was the manager of the hotel. He paid him for three night’s lodging and an additional large sum of cash as hush money. Then, he carried the girl up the back stairs into a room. Once in the room, he laid her on the bed and removed her shorts. He felt like a voyeur as he stared down at her luscious body. Something stirred in him, but at that point, it didn’t take much. It had been more than a month since he’d been with a woman.

  He thought again about how, in a different time and place, he would have been eager to get to know this girl, but that was not possible now. It was doubtful she could ever recognize him once he was clean-shaven and dressed in civilian clothes, but he could never take the chance. So he put twenty, one hundred dollar bills on the nightstand, pulled the comforter and sheet up over her, and then, despite all he was feeling, he left. He knew he’d saved her life, though there would never be any acknowledgement of that either.

  Now, as he sat in the shower, loneliness permeated his thoughts. He’d be hooking up soon with Lydia, a girl he’d been dating at the time he’d left for the Kervistan mission. He wondered why he hadn’t thought of her the whole time he was gone and was only mildly interested in seeing her now.

  He knew why. Because of the kind of work he did, how could he ever hope to have a meaningful, long term relationship? Lydia had no idea where he’d been for a month never mind what he’d done. And he sure as hell hadn’t written or called during that time… would lie about everything now that he was home. Yet, as he sat alone, quietly getting drunk in his shower, a yearning for something more rained down on him. He rose and snapped off the shower and smacked the wall. God, this was a damn lonely business!

  My feet are killing me.” Arianna slipped off her shoes and began massaging her toes. It was 3:00 AM, and she’d just finished a six-hour shift at Poseidon’s Adventure, a trendy disco on the beach where both she and Lisa waitressed. “At least I made some good tips tonight. That makes my feet hurt a little less.”

  “Me, too,” Lisa said, counting her money. “Had some really big tippers in my section.”

  Arianna had been on the island for about three weeks, and Lisa had given her a place to stay and helped her to get a job. She had been right by Arianna’s side as she scoured the island, looking for answers to her mysterious arrival on Costa Luna… a search that so far had hit all dead ends.

  She’d interviewed all the staff of the Cass Hotel who had been on duty the night she arrived. There was no name on the hotel registration. No video surveillance existed. A key had been coded for the room, but no employee remembered or fessed up to coding the key. After being put off for nearly two weeks, the hotel manager finally agreed to meet with Arianna. In the vein of “the customer is always right” accompanied by “fake sympathy for her plight”, he pledged to look into the matter and get back with her, but it all rang hollow. Arianna could tell he was only patronizing her and was sure he had no intention of following up on anything.

  She’d also made the rounds at the airport trying to check in-bound flight records. Jet Blue was the only airline that flew into Costa Luna’s small international airport. Five flights had arrived that day…. all from the States. But she’d been in Kervistan, not the States. Common sense said there was no way to get a comatose passenger off a commercial flight without someone noticing anyway.

  This left the possibility of arriving on a private plane. By using her beauty and charm, she circumvented official airport policy and convinced an air traffic controller to allow her access to the flight logs for that date. They revealed no private planes had filed a flight plan for the day she arrived. It didn’t mean no private plane had landed. It just meant someone might have been paid off not to report the plane’s arrival, making it a completely untraceable event unless a witness came forward to say otherwise. There were only three traffic controllers and none recalled any private plane landing that day. End of story.

  Finally, Arianna considered the remote chance she could have been brought here by boat. Yachts frequented the island all the time, their guests coming ashore for dining and gambling. She had no idea how to follow up on this option. Those yachts were not registered and were long gone anyway. Besides, boats are slow. She would have been at sea too long to have arrived when she did. Arrival by boat was out.

  Adding to her frustration, no one had heard from Kevin. Her former boss, Harold Major, had heard nothing, nor had Kevin contacted his parents. They were worried sick and had turned to the State Department for help. U.S. forces had invaded Kervistan and the nightly news had shown fierce fighting with the Taliban. The situation was too hot to get any reliable information out of there. In her private moments, Arianna was very worried about Kevin. If he were alive, she thought he would have contacted someone by now. The fact that no one had heard from him was a worrisome sign.

  “I should just give up and go back home,” she told Lisa, as they pulled into the carport after work. “I don’t think I’ll ever find out what happened to me.”

  “Oh, no, Arianna,” Lisa pleaded. “Don’t do that. How about the key and money with the fingerprints? Isn’t it time to see if they can help solve this mystery?”

  “I guess you’re right,” Arianna said without much enthusiasm. “I’m out of options, so I think it’s time to run those prints. That will probably turn out to be a dead end, too.”

  “Come on now, Arianna. Think positive. I think you’re going to get a lucky break with those prints.”

  “Sorry. I’m just tired. You’re right. I need to stay positive.” Pouring herself a glass of wine, she sat down and put her feet up. “I need to figure how to go about getting those prints checked. I don’t think you just walk into a police station and ask them to run a set of fingerprints. I wish I knew a private detective or someone who could run them without starting a major investigation.”

  “Hey, wait a minute,” Lisa chimed in. “I might know someone. There’s this guy, Paul Vega, who’s some kind of a detective here in Costa Luna. He comes into the club all the time and keeps trying to get me to go out with him. He’s a nice enough guy, but not my type so I’ve been avoiding him. I could cozy up to him and see if he’ll help you.”

  “Maybe, but you’d have to be careful about how you approach him. We don’t want to give him too many details until we’re sure we can trust him.”

  “Right, so the next time I see him, I’ll ask him if he’ll meet with you. I won’t give him any details. I’ll just tell him you have a private legal matter you want to discuss. What do you think? Want to give it a try?”

  Arianna thought a moment, unsure. She was eager to see if the prints revealed a name but at the same time, afraid they would reveal nothing and that would be the end of the line…mystery never solved.

  “Ahh!” She blew out a ragged sigh of resignation. “I guess it’s time to play my last card. Nothing else has worked, so see what you can line up. Let’s do this.”

  IT WASN’T long after their conversation that Lisa was able to arrange a meeting with the detective. He agreed to meet for coffee at a small diner on Oceanside Drive.

  “I still can’t believe you insisted on dragging me along,” Lisa said, as she sat waiting with Arianna. “I don’t want to give this guy the impression I’m interested in him.”

  “I know. I know, but I need you for moral support.”

  Paul Vega strolled into the diner and slid i
n beside Lisa. “Good morning, ladies. Arianna, I’m Paul. Lisa said you had a legal matter you wanted to discuss with me. How can I help?”

  “Well, it’s complicated,” Arianna began, then paused as the waitress brought Paul a cup of coffee and refilled hers. “You see I have kind of a situation which I don’t really want the police involved in. At least not yet.”

  Paul held up his hand. “Okay, hold on a minute. Be careful what you tell me. I’m duty bound to report any illegal activity.”

  “Oh, no,” Arianna said, shifting in her seat. “It’s nothing illegal, at least not on my part, but my situation is a little unusual.” She looked at Lisa for a sign she should continue.

  “Paul,” Lisa said, jumping in, “Arianna needs your help regarding something that happened to her about a month ago. Ari, just tell him. It’s not anything bad, you know.”

  “Okay,” she said clearing her throat. “About a month ago I was a journalist on assignment in Kervistan.”

  “Wow! Like the real Kervistan in the Middle East?” Paul asked.

  Arianna nodded. “Anyway a month ago, I went to bed in Kervistan, and when I woke up the next day, I found myself in the Cass Hotel here on the island, and I have no idea how I got here.”

  “What? Say that again. You had no idea how you got here?” Paul asked, an astonished look plastered on his face.

  “None,” Arianna said, shaking her head. “Someone in Kervistan drugged me then brought me here and dropped me off in the hotel. I don’t know who, and I don’t know why. That’s where you come in. I need your help to find out who brought me here. If I can find out who, then maybe I can learn why. Right now it’s all a big mystery.”