Flawless Danger (The Spencer & Sione #1) (20 page)

Walking along the opposite side of Front Street, he kept his focus on Ms. Edwards as she passed several storefronts and shops, her pace brisk as she moved in and out of the ebb and flow of human traffic.

As a group of four or five girls in short dresses and heels sauntered toward him, laughing and giggling, Sione stepped between two parked golf carts, allowing them to pass.

Across the street, Ms. Edwards struggled to make her way through a large group of European tourists, and at one point, Sione lost sight of her, but then he found her again as she squeezed through two round, ruddy-faced grandmotherly types.

A pick-up truck rumbled down the street, and after it passed, Sione searched for Ms. Edwards among the tourists, but couldn’t pick her out.

One of the girls stared openly at Sione as the five of them passed him, and then she whispered something to her friends who looked over as they walked along, still giggling, and he forced himself to look pleasant because he couldn’t manage a smile.

The tourists had crowded into a souvenir shop, but he didn’t see Ms. Edwards. Where the hell had she gone? Cursing, he picked up his pace, threading through the tourists as he scanned the opposite side of the street. He was about to cross the road when he saw Ms. Edwards standing in front of a bar about a quarter mile down the road. Seconds later, a blue cab pulled over to the curb and Ms. Edwards got in.
Damn!

The blue cab rolled away from the curb, heading south down Front Street. His heart pounding, Sione turned. Through the back windshield, he saw Ms. Edwards sitting in the cab, heading away from him.

Rushing down the street, he spotted a row of golf carts parked in front of a restaurant. Using the cover of excited, distracted tourists and the nonchalance of the locals, he walked between the golf carts, scanning ignition switches, hoping to find a cart with the key still inside.

Peripherally, he saw a cab heading south. Abandoning his search for a golf cart to steal, he stepped out into the street and stopped, preventing the cab from continuing down the road.

The driver leaned out of the window. “Get out of the way! I almost hit you!”

“I need you to follow that cab,” Sione said, taking out his wallet and ignoring the honking horns of the cars lined up behind the cab he’d stopped in the middle of the street.

“What you talking about?” The driver frowned at him. “You crazy?”

Walking to the driver’s window, Sione dropped a one-hundred-dollar bill on the driver’s lap, opened the rear door, and got in.

San Pedro, Belize

Estrella Estates

Spencer closed her eyes as the cab jostled over paved stones.

Despite the low clouds promising more thundershowers, San Pedro was full of life, bursting at the seams with music and bright beckoning lights, an invitation to a shot of bacchanal glee. People were having a good time, laughing and talking, stepping to the beat of a lively harmony wafting along on the tail of the wind.

With the rear windows rolled down, Spencer thought it would be impossible to drown out the passing revelry, but nothing could drown out the sound of her heart punching against her ribcage. She didn’t know what to think about the situation with Maxine Porter. What could the damn problem be? And why did she have to be involved in coming up with a solution?

She should have known the side venture would be problematic despite Ben’s promise that nothing would go wrong if she followed his instructions. Well, she’d done exactly what he’d told her to do. And what had obedience gotten her?

Why was she surprised? She was used to dealing with problems and obstacles. Anything she’d ever had to endure had always been painstaking and laborious, depleting her emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Rubbing her eyes, Spencer told herself to cancel the pity party and focus. This problem with Maxine had the potential to become a huge mess. She needed to think of some way out of the mess before she became stuck in it. Without knowing what the problem was, it was difficult to figure out what sort of defense she needed. She had to think of something because she suspected the situation might blow up in her face, leaving her shell-shocked and damaged beyond repair.

“Ma’am, here you are.” The driver’s voice was jarring, like a slap.

Slowly, Spencer opened her eyes and became aware of her surroundings. The cab had stopped along a deserted stretch of unpaved road. Across the street, an expansive complex of Spanish-style condos with red-tiled roofs loomed toward wispy clouds smeared across the hazy, faded gray sky.

Spencer hesitated. She didn’t want to get out. She wanted to tell the driver to turn around and take her back to Front Street so she could get on the next ferry and get back to the resort. The drive over the bumpy, unpaved road had jostled not just her bones but also her nerves, leaving her agitated and paranoid. Coming here was a mistake. Maybe even some kind of setup. Spencer had a feeling Maxine was trying to pull something, but what?

“Ma’am,” the cab driver prompted.

“Um, sorry.” Spencer took a deep breath. “How much do I owe you?”

San Pedro, Belize

Estrella Estates

Trying to stay calm and not think the worst, Sione exhaled a deep breath as the driver tried his best to avoid a series of potholes.

The blue cab had first taken Ms. Edwards about a mile or so out of town and was now maneuvering down a stretch of road, which hadn’t been paved yet. Sione felt every bump, rut, and pothole along the nearly deserted road, and each time the chassis jostled and shook, he felt disgruntled and angry.

He was pissed at himself for losing sight of Ms. Edwards on Front Street. He’d only looked away for a few minutes, but those few minutes had been enough time for her to get in a cab and head away from town. Thank God, he’d been able to get a cab moments later, while Ms. Edwards’ cab was still in sight.

But what if he hadn’t been able to get a cab? Or what if he had but only after the blue cab had turned off Front Street? He wouldn’t have known which way she’d instructed the driver to go.

Sione didn’t want to think about her alone in San Pedro heading into God only knew what, with no protection, no one to watch her back. He didn’t want to think about anything preventing him from making sure nothing bad happened to Ms. Edwards. But why? He didn’t understand why he felt so protective toward her. He didn’t really even know her or anything about her like whether she was working some scam or not, though it was starting to look that way.

All the evidence pointed to her working some con. The money and fake passports hidden in those Xanax boxes. The Mayan ruins tour where she appeared to have left a bag behind for another tourist to take. The cave exploration trip where she had switched bags with another tourist. And today, this second excursion to San Pedro, which made him wonder if the first trip hadn’t really been for retail therapy but maybe reconnaissance.

But all the evidence was circumstantial. Until there was concrete proof against her, he wasn’t going to get the police involved.

“He’s letting her out,” the driver said, slowing for a stop sign at the corner of the street the blue cab had just turned onto. “What do you want me to do?”

Sione turned toward the rear passenger window and scanned the road. Ms. Edwards got out of the cab and closed the door. After walking around the back of the blue cab, she hurried across the street, toward a large complex of three-story condominiums designed in the style of Spanish villas with stucco exterior and red-tiled roofs.

“I see why you wanted to follow her,” the driver said and then let out a lusty cackle along with a few lewd words in Spanish.

Sione wanted to crack him in the jaw, but he ignored the innuendo and kept his gaze on Spencer as she walked toward a small parking lot. His viewpoint was limited by the angle of the cab and the cluster of trees along the fence line of the lot. No sooner had Ms. Edwards stepped foot on the gravel surface than she disappeared behind the dense, low-hanging foliage surrounding the area.

Sione opened the door. “I’ll get out here.”

San Pedro, Belize

Estrella Estates

Skirting puddles, Spencer headed toward the condos where Maxine lived. Taking more deep breaths, she tried not to panic as she walked along the edge of the road, several feet from bushes and low brush growing wild and haphazardly.

The sprawling complex was called Estrella Estates, and despite the dense, gray clouds and damp, humid atmosphere, it looked impressive, exclusive, and expensive—not the sort of place you could afford on a store clerk’s salary.

A few yards ahead, ten-foot wrought-iron gates announced the entrance to the complex, but Maxine had told her to bypass the main entrance. Following the woman’s instructions, Spencer hurried across a palm-shaded parking lot, passing several golf carts, one car, and a few bicycles leaning against the trunk of a large allspice tree.

Ahead, she saw the laundry building Maxine had told her to pass through. At the door, she twisted the knob. Hinges squeaked as she pushed the door open. Cloistered heat and the scent of fabric softener hit her in the face. Several dryers were going, clothes tumbling in circles, and a washer was on the spin cycle. Spencer hurried to the opposite side of the room, toward the door Maxine had said would open out to the grounds of the complex.

Her heart sank a bit when the door opened easily. Secretly, Spencer had hoped the door would be locked. A locked door would have given her an excuse not to meet with Maxine. She couldn’t stop thinking about the last thing Maxine had told her.

If you want to leave Belize alive.

What was Maxine trying to make her think? If the problem wasn’t handled, Spencer might end up dead? And, if so, who would kill her? Ben? Spencer didn’t think so. He’d had so many chances to hurt her, and he’d blown every opportunity to kill her. Spencer couldn’t risk it though. What was that old saying? The straw that broke the camel’s back? If the problem was that some of Maxine’s money was missing and Ben thought she’d stolen the money, he might go over the edge and into a rage—against her.

Spencer made her way through the maze of pathways, searching for unit 309. Now and then, the sun peeked through the clouds, a thin ray of light winking through the gloom. Sun usually made her feel more hopeful. Spencer wanted the hint of sunlight to encourage her and convince her that things would be okay, but it was impossible. With each step, her paranoia and apprehension increased. She was afraid the dense, heavy clouds were a sign that things would turn out to be much worse than she could have ever imagined.

San Pedro, Belize

Estrella Estates

Stopping near an allspice tree along the fence line of the condominium complex, Sione stayed in the shadows as Ms. Edwards headed into a small building at the far end of the gravel surface lot.

Why was she at the Estrella Estates? How did she know about this place? Who had told her to come here? The sloppy guy D.J. had seen talking to her at the Jaguar Café maybe? Was he her partner?

Sione hurried across the gravel lot to the small building. Taking a chance, he opened the door. It was empty except for washers and dryers humming and spinning—a laundry room. Assuming Spencer had exited through a second door on the opposite side of the room, near a row of washing machines, he did likewise. Back outside, he realized she’d bypassed the main entrance and taken a shortcut to get onto the complex grounds.

Ahead, Ms. Edwards rounded the corner of a building, and he lost sight of her. Cursing, Sione picked up his pace. He went around the corner of the building. She wasn’t there. Cursing again, he followed the path to the end, where it forked in three directions. D.J.’s warning echoed in his head.
Don’t lose her
. Sione would never hear the end of it from his cousin if he managed to let Ms. Edwards give him the slip. Sione looked right and saw nothing but an empty path curving though the buildings. Trying not to panic, he turned left. There she was. Relieved, he resumed following her, telling himself to stay focused.

As she walked, Sione had to stop himself from calling out to her. D.J. had warned him not to let her catch him following her. But Sione didn’t want to follow her. He didn’t like stalking her. It bothered him that she had no idea he was tailing her, watching her every move.

He wanted to come clean with her. He wanted to tell her he knew about the money and passports and then offer to help her out of whatever situation she was trapped in. Sione had a feeling she was in over her head, but she didn’t know it, and by the time she figured it out, it might be too late.

Sione saw her head down a path toward a corner unit, and he slipped behind a cluster of A/C units surrounded by oleander trees. He peeked between the flowering leaves. Ms. Edwards stood at the gate of unit 309. Sione waited and watched.

San Pedro, Belize

Estrella Estates

“Maxine?” Spencer called out, tapping on the gate. “Are you here? It’s Spencer Edwards. You called me and said you wanted to see me. You said it was important. Are you in here?”

Her heart slamming, Spencer stood in front of the wooden gate to unit 309, a ground floor corner unit shrouded by large hibiscus trees. Pulling the gate open, Spencer stepped onto the enclosed porch. The front door was open, and the screen door was closed.

Spencer walked to the screen door, cupped her hands against the glass, and peered inside. The interior was shrouded in shadows, but she could see the condo had an open layout. The kitchen was a few feet from the door and gave way to a dining area and then the living room at the far end.

“Maxine ...”

She glanced over her shoulder at the stucco wall and then back at the screen door. Maybe Maxine had stepped out to get her mail. Maybe she was in the bathroom? Maybe she was out on the patio? Or maybe this was a mistake. She shouldn’t have come here. And she should probably leave.

“Maxine?” Spencer grabbed the handle of the screen door, deciding to yank on it, hoping the racket would alert Maxine to her presence. “Max—”