me! You and your friends caused this, and now I'm responsible, too. . . . Oh God, what have I done?"
"Jesus, Bonita, get hold of yourself. The TV says the senator is missing. You're jumpin' to wild-ass conclusions.
Take a deep breath and relax a minute."
"Relax? Are you that stupid? I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm getting out of here right now!"
Ted grabbed her arm. "You leave here, Mendez will find you and you'll be fish food. Okay, relax was the wrong word. Just calm down a minute and talk to me without takin' my head off. Tell me why you're so sure Mendez is behind this."
Bonita sank onto the couch. "A month ago I overheard Carlos talking to Raul on the yacht. We were in bed sleeping when Raul came in and woke Carlos and said he had to talk to him. They talked in the passageway and didn't think I could hear them. Raul told Carlos their friend in the DEA had called and said DEA agents were going to pick up several people in the used-car business who were laundering money for Carlos. Carlos told Raul to eliminate the problem."
Bonita raised her eyes to Ted. "I swear I thought Carlos meant for Raul to get rid of the money . . . but a day later I heard on the news that the owners of two big used-car lots had been murdered along with their families. Don't you see, Ted? Carlos must have thought the senator was another `problem.' "
Ted sat down beside her. "Who is Raul?"
"He's Carlos's brother-in-law . . . they call him the chief of staff. Carlos runs everything like he was in the army.
Raul is really his do-it man. If Carlos wants something done, he tells Raul to do it."
Ted looked into Bonita's eyes. "And you stayed with Mendez even though you knew he was ordering people whacked?"
"I was too scared to leave him, Teddy. I tried, God knows I tried to leave. . . . I made up excuses about why I couldn't come over when he'd call me, but he wouldn't listen--he'd send one of his bodyguards over to get me."
Ted's face hardened as he shifted his gaze to the television. "Maybe you're right . . . but just maybe the senator is lost. The only thing we can do is wait and hope they find him."
"It's not just the senator, Ted. They say he was on a boat with his whole family."
Ted closed his eyes. "Jesus."
Baby began to growl, and seconds later Halley appeared at the top of the steps holding a tray. "I got some supper for you, Mrs. Stone."
Ted got up and took the tray from the elderly woman.
"Thanks, Halley. I'll make sure she eats."
"Everything all right, Mr. Teddy?"
"Yeah, Halley, everything is just fine."
Wewahitchka, Florida It was almost nine P. M. when Ashley hopped down from the helicopter. In a park next to the lake just outside the once sleepy town of Wewahitchka, portable road construction lights had turned night into day around a huge collection of National Guard, state, and federal vehicles of every type and description. Like a wagon train, the trucks, vans, and cars encircled a lighted tent city where soldiers, state troopers, divers, crime scene technicians, and federal agents moved purposefully from the lakeshore to the tents. Despite the sticky heat, it looked as if it were snowing within the lighted area. But as Ashley drew closer she could see that the snowflakes were millions of moths and insects drawn to the huge lights. Walking past clusters of black families that had come to watch the only show in town, she showed her ID to a soldier and entered the new tent city. Gas generators hummed loudly and metal trays clanked where men sat eating near a tent. She stopped for a moment in awe of the power of her profession; Eli Tanner had been able to summon all she saw just by saying it was needed. Walking again, she saw men taking soggy equipment out of boats dragged up on the shore, while other men were replacing their diving gear in the back of a truck. Someone tapped her shoulder.
"You're back, I see," Sergeant Major Dan Murphy said.
Ashley smiled. "You don't know how happy I am to see you, Dan. This
"Jesus, Bonita, get hold of yourself. The TV says the senator is missing. You're jumpin' to wild-ass conclusions.
Take a deep breath and relax a minute."
"Relax? Are you that stupid? I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm getting out of here right now!"
Ted grabbed her arm. "You leave here, Mendez will find you and you'll be fish food. Okay, relax was the wrong word. Just calm down a minute and talk to me without takin' my head off. Tell me why you're so sure Mendez is behind this."
Bonita sank onto the couch. "A month ago I overheard Carlos talking to Raul on the yacht. We were in bed sleeping when Raul came in and woke Carlos and said he had to talk to him. They talked in the passageway and didn't think I could hear them. Raul told Carlos their friend in the DEA had called and said DEA agents were going to pick up several people in the used-car business who were laundering money for Carlos. Carlos told Raul to eliminate the problem."
Bonita raised her eyes to Ted. "I swear I thought Carlos meant for Raul to get rid of the money . . . but a day later I heard on the news that the owners of two big used-car lots had been murdered along with their families. Don't you see, Ted? Carlos must have thought the senator was another `problem.' "
Ted sat down beside her. "Who is Raul?"
"He's Carlos's brother-in-law . . . they call him the chief of staff. Carlos runs everything like he was in the army.
Raul is really his do-it man. If Carlos wants something done, he tells Raul to do it."
Ted looked into Bonita's eyes. "And you stayed with Mendez even though you knew he was ordering people whacked?"
"I was too scared to leave him, Teddy. I tried, God knows I tried to leave. . . . I made up excuses about why I couldn't come over when he'd call me, but he wouldn't listen--he'd send one of his bodyguards over to get me."
Ted's face hardened as he shifted his gaze to the television. "Maybe you're right . . . but just maybe the senator is lost. The only thing we can do is wait and hope they find him."
"It's not just the senator, Ted. They say he was on a boat with his whole family."
Ted closed his eyes. "Jesus."
Baby began to growl, and seconds later Halley appeared at the top of the steps holding a tray. "I got some supper for you, Mrs. Stone."
Ted got up and took the tray from the elderly woman.
"Thanks, Halley. I'll make sure she eats."
"Everything all right, Mr. Teddy?"
"Yeah, Halley, everything is just fine."
Wewahitchka, Florida It was almost nine P. M. when Ashley hopped down from the helicopter. In a park next to the lake just outside the once sleepy town of Wewahitchka, portable road construction lights had turned night into day around a huge collection of National Guard, state, and federal vehicles of every type and description. Like a wagon train, the trucks, vans, and cars encircled a lighted tent city where soldiers, state troopers, divers, crime scene technicians, and federal agents moved purposefully from the lakeshore to the tents. Despite the sticky heat, it looked as if it were snowing within the lighted area. But as Ashley drew closer she could see that the snowflakes were millions of moths and insects drawn to the huge lights. Walking past clusters of black families that had come to watch the only show in town, she showed her ID to a soldier and entered the new tent city. Gas generators hummed loudly and metal trays clanked where men sat eating near a tent. She stopped for a moment in awe of the power of her profession; Eli Tanner had been able to summon all she saw just by saying it was needed. Walking again, she saw men taking soggy equipment out of boats dragged up on the shore, while other men were replacing their diving gear in the back of a truck. Someone tapped her shoulder.
"You're back, I see," Sergeant Major Dan Murphy said.
Ashley smiled. "You don't know how happy I am to see you, Dan. This
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