Caribbean Hustle (A Nick Teffinger Thriller / Read in Any Order) by R.J. Jagger, Jack Rain Page A
Authors: R.J. Jagger, Jack Rain
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she doing in Denver?”
“According to a guy named Michael Ross, who’s the head of the division where she works, which is the litigation division, she was on vacation. She wasn’t here on work. Here’s the big news, though. We found the note.”
“Where? What’d it say?”
“There was an old pop can about twenty feet from her body,” she said. “It was in there. It said, KK.”
“KK?”
“Right,” she said. “I’m assuming it stands for Kovi-Ke. What I’m not sure about is whether it means she’s next or whether it was her signature, taking responsibility for the murder. I’ve tried to call her about twenty times. She’s not answering. Her phone’s completely off so I can’t even track her. I have no idea where she is.”
32
Day Five
June 8
Sunday Morning
The villa was awash in the aftermath of last night’s revelries. Glasses and trash were everywhere. Dozens of beer bottles laid in drunken death at the bottom of the pool. A cushion floated on the surface. Teffinger picked up a book of matches and set a stick on fire as he headed back over to Rail and Kovi-Ke. They watched him as he came, curious, but in different ways and for different reasons.
Teffinger sat down, looked Rail in the eyes and said, “Here’s the problem. I have a friend named Modeste. Someone took her.”
Rail washed his face in confusion.
“Me?”
Teffinger shrugged.
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
Rail shook his head in denial.
“I don’t know anyone by that name,” he said. “And I don’t take people. I make music. I don’t know why you’re barking up my tree but it’s the wrong one.”
“She took your little gold bars and your little diamond divas. You figured it out.”
Rail’s face tightened.
“Who is she?”
Teffinger frowned.
“I’m not here to play word games,” he said. “I want her back and I want her now.”
“I don’t have her,” Rail said. “You think that because I have a motive that I’m the one who took her? Do you have any idea how many people have that same motive? The word’s out, my man; it’s out far and wide; everything’s out there for the grabbing. It’s not just me looking for it. It’s everyone. Hell, I’ve heard rumors that people have come in from as far as New York looking for it.” He paused and added, “If you really want her back, tell me what you know.”
Teffinger looked for lies and found none.
“Widson Danticat,” he said. “He came for her. Unfortunately, I was with her at the time and it didn’t work out for him. He ended up with a broken bottle in his face.”
Rail grunted with disgust.
“Danticat’s a nobody who does dirty work for whoever has the money,” Rail said. “One of his primary clients is a voodoo woman named Janjak.” He retreated in thought and added, “It would make sense that she figured out about your friend. She has ways to see things that can’t be seen.”
Teffinger nodded.
“I found a voodoo tape in Danticat’s apartment. The connection is definitely there. Where can I find her?”
Rail shook his head.
“You don’t find her,” he said. “She finds you.”
“Not this time. Give me an address.”
Rail frowned.
“You can’t do this alone,” he said. “I’ll help but here’s the deal. You get your friend back, assuming she’s still alive. I get my stuff back, though; all of it. She keeps none of it. You keep none of it.”
“I don’t want it,” Teffinger said. “If we get her back, you need to leave her alone afterwards. I don’t want you tracking her down for revenge. Everyone walks away.”
“Deal.”
Rail held his hand out.
Teffinger shook it.
“She never really planned to take anything in the first place,” Teffinger said. “It sort of fell into her hands.”
He told Rail the story—how Modeste came to the villa to take the job offered by May-May, how she found everyone dead, how the bags were right there for the taking, how she picked Teffinger up on the plane
“According to a guy named Michael Ross, who’s the head of the division where she works, which is the litigation division, she was on vacation. She wasn’t here on work. Here’s the big news, though. We found the note.”
“Where? What’d it say?”
“There was an old pop can about twenty feet from her body,” she said. “It was in there. It said, KK.”
“KK?”
“Right,” she said. “I’m assuming it stands for Kovi-Ke. What I’m not sure about is whether it means she’s next or whether it was her signature, taking responsibility for the murder. I’ve tried to call her about twenty times. She’s not answering. Her phone’s completely off so I can’t even track her. I have no idea where she is.”
32
Day Five
June 8
Sunday Morning
The villa was awash in the aftermath of last night’s revelries. Glasses and trash were everywhere. Dozens of beer bottles laid in drunken death at the bottom of the pool. A cushion floated on the surface. Teffinger picked up a book of matches and set a stick on fire as he headed back over to Rail and Kovi-Ke. They watched him as he came, curious, but in different ways and for different reasons.
Teffinger sat down, looked Rail in the eyes and said, “Here’s the problem. I have a friend named Modeste. Someone took her.”
Rail washed his face in confusion.
“Me?”
Teffinger shrugged.
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
Rail shook his head in denial.
“I don’t know anyone by that name,” he said. “And I don’t take people. I make music. I don’t know why you’re barking up my tree but it’s the wrong one.”
“She took your little gold bars and your little diamond divas. You figured it out.”
Rail’s face tightened.
“Who is she?”
Teffinger frowned.
“I’m not here to play word games,” he said. “I want her back and I want her now.”
“I don’t have her,” Rail said. “You think that because I have a motive that I’m the one who took her? Do you have any idea how many people have that same motive? The word’s out, my man; it’s out far and wide; everything’s out there for the grabbing. It’s not just me looking for it. It’s everyone. Hell, I’ve heard rumors that people have come in from as far as New York looking for it.” He paused and added, “If you really want her back, tell me what you know.”
Teffinger looked for lies and found none.
“Widson Danticat,” he said. “He came for her. Unfortunately, I was with her at the time and it didn’t work out for him. He ended up with a broken bottle in his face.”
Rail grunted with disgust.
“Danticat’s a nobody who does dirty work for whoever has the money,” Rail said. “One of his primary clients is a voodoo woman named Janjak.” He retreated in thought and added, “It would make sense that she figured out about your friend. She has ways to see things that can’t be seen.”
Teffinger nodded.
“I found a voodoo tape in Danticat’s apartment. The connection is definitely there. Where can I find her?”
Rail shook his head.
“You don’t find her,” he said. “She finds you.”
“Not this time. Give me an address.”
Rail frowned.
“You can’t do this alone,” he said. “I’ll help but here’s the deal. You get your friend back, assuming she’s still alive. I get my stuff back, though; all of it. She keeps none of it. You keep none of it.”
“I don’t want it,” Teffinger said. “If we get her back, you need to leave her alone afterwards. I don’t want you tracking her down for revenge. Everyone walks away.”
“Deal.”
Rail held his hand out.
Teffinger shook it.
“She never really planned to take anything in the first place,” Teffinger said. “It sort of fell into her hands.”
He told Rail the story—how Modeste came to the villa to take the job offered by May-May, how she found everyone dead, how the bags were right there for the taking, how she picked Teffinger up on the plane
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