Trapped in the Mayan Tattoo (13 page)

“But…”

“Your father said
you can handle it. Don’t disappoint him.”

“You’re talking to
me like this is my job. It’s not my job!” Louise said. She still had her hands
on her hips, defying Mrs. Hightower.

“Let me put this
out there in terms you can understand. Abbi’s mother is in very serious danger.
This group, the gang that kidnapped Abbi’s mother, plays for keeps. If they
find out Abbi even exists, there’s nothing to stop them from finding her. It’s
one of their ways of threatening people to do what they want, and they carry
out their threats.”

“But you would
also be putting me in harm’s way. Not just Abbi. That’s not fair!”

“Then you stay
here and wait for the people in that blue mini-van to come knocking. That’s
your choice.”

“I just don’t believe
this is the way the FBI operates,” Louise objected, shaking her head slowly.
“Do they?”

A cell phone rang.
As usually happens, each one checked her phone.

Mrs. Hightower
excused herself.

“Yes, this is
Elizabeth Hightower. Right. My team was responsible for your daughter’s rescue
and your relocation… I’m sorry you feel so strongly about Tina’s hair color,
Officer Benson, but you have a very insecure and, I believe, a very sick little
girl on your hands. And I will not take that tone from you. She’s a sweetheart
but she has suffered untold abuse. She needs you more than you know. I impress
upon you to get her the immediate medical care she needs.”

Without allowing time
for any response, she continued quickly.

“Furthermore, I’ve
set up counseling for the two of you. It’s a condition of your relocation. The
color or cut of her hair should be the least of your worries. And I need to ask
you, and this is critical, why weren’t you there today when I stopped by? In my
mind, that is unconscionable…You put that job above your daughter’s very life?
I will get back to you on these points, Officer Benson. In the meantime,
embrace her and help her heal. She did what she had to in order to survive. I
hold you personally responsible for her improved health and rehabilitation.
Make
that
your priority! I left a packet of vouchers and phone numbers
at your apartment. Use them today. It’s not too late, I hope. Get yourself some
furniture, for Heaven’s sake. They’ll deliver…You’re welcome.”

Mrs. Hightower
turned off her phone.

“Girls, excuse me.
You didn’t hear what just transpired. I’ll explain it later if the need arises.”
She turned to Louise. “Here’s my vice, young lady. I break a few rules, but I
get the job done. I save lives. Get it?”

Louise took a deep
breath. Then she looked at Abbi and lowered her head.

“I’m in too,” she
said quietly. “I’m almost packed.”

“Good. Then we see
eye-to-eye.”

“Before I leave,”
Mrs. Hightower said, “there are a few things that need tending. First, Abbi and
Louise, doublecheck that list. Make sure there’s nothing you don’t have before
Lowell and I take off.”

 Quickly the girls
ran upstairs and finished throwing clothes and supplies into bags, checking off
things on Mrs. Hightower’s list.

“Why do we need
‘office attire’?” Louise asked.

“No idea. Why do I
need a leotard?” Abbi asked. “Do you have one I can borrow?”

“I think I still
have one from gymnastics,” Louise said.

“You took
gymnastics?”

“Hey, don’t look
so surprised. Let’s just say, I wasn’t Olympic grade.”

The leotard was
black and short in the torso, the legs, and the arms. Not something you’d wear
in public.

Abbi smiled and
said, “OK?”

When they managed
to put the final items into their bags and they were able to zip the bags, they
did a quick fist bump and carried their bags downstairs. Abbi also went to get
her mother’s reports in the briefcase and her backpack full of rappelling gear
and other odds and ends.

            “Mission completed,”
Abbi said. “Here are some things of Mom’s I’ve been trying to make sense of.
Maybe it will mean something to you. I can make you copies, if it’s OK with
Louise.”

            “Sure,” Louise said in
a rare moment of helpfulness. “I’d be glad to do it for you.”

            Abbi pulled out files
and sorted through some papers from what she called the Mayan file and handed
them to
Louise.                                                                        

            “I’m afraid we’ve only
just begun,” Mrs. Hightower said. “Several people are working behind the scenes
to pull this mission off. When you see us again, we will be well underway. And
that’s where you come in, if it all works out! You’ll be helping out with our
Project Safe Childhood initiative. We’re coordinating the efforts of all levels
of law enforcement, state, local
and
the Mexican government. Your focus
will be on Operation Shoe Drop, a critical part of locating and rescuing Miss
Shoe. To complicate matters, at this point we believe she is still in Mexico.”

            Abbi felt her heart
skip a beat. The excitement of being part of this was almost too much to bear.

            Louise came back with
the copies in a file folder and handed them to Abbi who smiled and thanked her.
Then she handed the copies to Mrs. Hightower.

            “I hope you’ll find
something in Mom’s notes that will be useful,” Abbi said.

            “I will study her notes
intently. And I also have something for you,” Mrs. Hightower said as she handed
Abbi a packet. “Abeni, in here you’ll find everything you’re going to need.”

“But Nanny?”

The woman put a
finger to Abbi’s lips.

“Hush now,” she
said hoarsely. “Don’t call me that. It could put all of our lives in more danger
than we already are. Remember these things I told you. At my age I forget
things sometimes but, Abeni, I never ever forgot you.”

“I never ever
forgot you, either,” Abbi said. “I’ve missed you!”

Mrs. Hightower
continued to speak to Abbi in a hoarse whisper.

“In this packet
are instructions. There’s a script for you to learn. Also find badges that will
allow your entrance to high-level places. You’ll work under assumed names. You are
taking on a new role for this mission. Read these documents and commit everything
to memory. You, too, Louise. Then destroy the instructions and script. Burn
them in the toilet and flush. You understand? You must follow the instructions
explicitly. These steps are contingent, such as ‘if this, then that’, so learn
the plan and be ready for change at a moment’s notice.”

Abbi froze.

“You can do this. Please
do as I say. I suppose your mother still has wigs, Louise, things we might
borrow? You will pick up boarding passes for your flight at the airport, but I
can’t say at this moment exactly where you will be sent. You will find maps,
metro passes, and some money--plenty enough for food, tickets or overnight
lodgings if you need those things but I think you’ll be put up at no cost to
you.”

 “Don’t spend any
money on trinkets, only necessities. Save all receipts. Before you leave this
house in the morning, put some of the money in your shoes. Do you both wear a
bra? Then use it too. Keep just enough money in your handbags for a cheap meal
but eat good food, not junk. You will be given more information on a
need-to-know basis. Updates. You know how that works?”

Abbi nodded that
she did, since that’s all her parents would give her when they talked about
their fictitious shoe business.

“Do you have a
phone?” the woman continued. “That won’t do. Use this, Abeni. It’s a secure
line.”

She handed Abbi a
very plain-looking but durable phone.

“Games?” Louise
asked.

Mrs. Hightower
appeared to ignore her and continued, “My number’s already in it for you, Abbi.
Speed dial 1 if you need me. So are Lowell’s and Shoe Clerk’s. That way you can
keep in touch instantly. It works off satellite signals and should work
anywhere you go. Don’t use it unless you run into an emergency. We must keep
communication open. Learn the numbers in case something happens to the phone.
This phone won’t do games, Louise, but it’s equipped with a state-of-the-art
GPS system. Your whereabouts will be known by the FBI at all times, even if you
end up in Mexico.”

Abbi’s eyes grew
wide as she took the phone.

“Why can’t we go
with you and Lowell?”

“Lowell is going
to pull an all-nighter, getting temporary headquarters ready for this mission.
Don’t worry, Lowell, you’re young. You can handle it. You girls would just be
in the way and, frankly, a liability. There are some things I need to get in
order, so I won’t be baby-sitting.”

She handed Abbi
the packet.

“How soon do I,
we, leave?” asked Abbi, stammering, as she looked inside the packet. Her heart
was now beating erratically.

“Early tomorrow
morning. I hope that isn’t rushing you, but the matter is urgent, as you know.
I pray that you’ll stay safe.”

Mrs. Hightower
hugged both girls.

“Louise, be sure
the security system here is turned on when you leave. I am very grateful you’re
on board with this.”

Louise gave Mrs.
Hightower a half smile.

“I think it’s a
hopeless escapade, but I’m in,” she said. “Sticking to Abbi like glue.”

“Believe in this,
Louise, with all your heart. Make it work. Memorize those instructions and the
script.”

“I’ve missed you
so much!” Abbi said.

“And I’ve missed
you. If all goes well, I’ll see you again soon.”

“I love you,” Abbi
said, just stopping before she almost called her ‘Nanny’ again.

“And I love you,
too,” Mrs. Hightower said, obviously anxious to get started. It looked like she
brushed a tear away. “Come on, Lowell. We need to leave.”

“This is what I’ve
been waiting for.  They say strike while the iron’s hot. It’s hot now!” Lowell
said as he grabbed his bags and went out the door. “You girls practice your
self defense and stay safe! I’ll see you later.”

“Fred’s Boots
Incorporated just took on some new agents. We’ll be reporting to duty tomorrow,
sir!” Abbi said, and added firmly. “Louise, we can do this!”

They spilled out
the contents of the packet Mrs. Hightower had given them. Strange and
unfamiliar objects made sense when they found an itinerary to follow, the ‘if
this, then that’ contingency. They began working on memorizing the script and quizzing
each other.

Then Abbi and
Louise spent a few minutes practicing self defense on each other, sharing moves
they had learned either from Lowell or their parents. The girls had already
learned to do some of the moves automatically. They worked until they were
slap-happy and needed to snooze.

That night, in
restless bouts of dream-filled sleep, Abbi heard about keeping a low profile
from every member of the Pelletier family. They each told her she was in much
more danger than she realized. Visions of her mother turned her restless dreams
into a nightmare.

Abbi’s groaning
woke up Louise.

“Hey, up there!
Get some sleep!”

“Mom has ways of
letting me know when there is trouble. And, right now there is trouble. I sense
it.”

“That’s too weird.
You’re dreaming. Just stop it,” Louise said, but this time her voice cracked
and she hesitated.

“Louise, I don’t
think it’s a dream.”

“You’re just
kidding, aren’t you?”

“No, no, I’m
serious! She told me once, ‘If you ever need to know, you will’.”

“I thought you
dreamed that!” Louise said.

“No, I didn’t
dream it. She said it. And she’s thinking of me right now. That’s part of my reality!
This stuff really happens –a touch, a warm feeling, thought communication,
little nudges that let me know what to do, and lights that go on and off.”

“Like when we went
shopping at the mall, lights going off. Don’t take it so seriously, for your
own good. If it’s real, it could be something evil,” Louise pleaded. “You’ve
been exhausting yourself with worry. Your imagination’s in overdrive.”

“There’s more and,
as my best friend, I want you to know, Louise! Maybe when you need to, you can
tap into this power too. It’s there to guide us, protect us. I get warnings
sometimes, like right before my parents left last time. I felt so edgy.”

“You’re serious.”

“More serious than
I’ve ever been in my life, I swear to God,” Abbi said as she climbed down from
her bunk and reached for her phone.

Louise sat up in
bed, turned on the light and swallowed hard.

“OK,” she said.
“What else?”

“My mother needs
us. There is a way of knowing beyond seeing, beyond hearing, beyond feeling,
beyond mental telepathy, a much deeper kind of knowing. More physical than you
might think. More spiritual than you want to believe. There’s so much more to
us than what you can see. My father taught me a little about it. One theory is
that our spirits have the ability to zing right through another person, like
flying through a cloud. Right through skin, through muscle, bone, organs,
whatever’s there.”

            Louise gave a nervous
laugh again.

“Through our
organs? Our guts?”

“Yep!” Abbi said.
She was being serious, but all of a sudden she decided to play on Louise’s
fears. “The trouble is we have to be close to death to do it.”

            “You’re giving me
goosebumps,” Louise said. “I don’t believe you.”

Abbi realized that
the dark night sky, heavy with rain clouds, probably added to Louise’s fear.

“Yes, you do. Deep
down, you know it’s true. We have ways of knowing things. Let me show you. My
phone is about to ring. Lissssson!”

Louise cleared her
throat.

“Go to sleep,
Abbi!”

Suddenly Abbi’s
phone rang. Louise screamed.