to is Otero?”
Herrera nodded. “Yep.”
“You did say he’d have me watched. I’m surprised he sent someone to warn me away.”
“Me too.” Herrera frowned. “In fact, I’m more than surprised. Otero isn’t usually so ham-fisted.” He glanced at Leine. “Santa never did give me your background.”
Leine shrugged. “I worked security for a low-level diplomat for a few years, but that shouldn’t have raised any flags.” There was no way that Otero could have found any information about her previous profession. She’d had a friend in her old agency do a series of high-level background checks on her. Nothing had come up. At least that was one thing Eric hadn’t lied about. Her old boss had promised to scrub her past when she left the business. Apparently, he’d kept his promise.
“Obviously, Otero feels threatened by my presence. How far do you think I can push things without turning this into an international incident?”
“His sending Ignacio and his BFF tells me there’s more to the story. I’d watch your back from this point on.” Herrera scanned the development. “I think we’ve done all we can do here.”
Leine sighed. “I really hate it when someone threatens me.”
Herrera squinted at her. “Santa told me you had a rebellious streak. I’d be remiss if I didn’t strongly advise against antagonizing Felix Otero or Ignacio. But, you gotta do what you gotta do. Just don’t make my job harder, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
***
Herrera dropped Leine off at her vehicle with another admonishment that she take Ignacio’s warning seriously. She was taking it seriously, all right. But first, she had one more errand before she left Mexico.
She ordered two tacos from the now open restaurant and asked the woman making tortillas where she could find a hardware store. The woman gave her directions to one a few kilometers away. Leine thanked her and drove there as soon as she finished eating.
She picked out several meters of heavy rope, a pulley, some clips, a machete, and a pair of leather gloves, and paid at the front counter. Then, following the crude map Willy gave her, she drove to the place where his “friend” had purportedly driven the car over the cliff.
Six kilometers past the white house with the fence, Leine slowed as she came to an area missing several meters of metal barrier. The spot was remote, with no visible homes or businesses. She pulled over just beyond the break and parked. Grabbing the binoculars from her bag, she got out and walked to the edge of the road.
Steep and composed of heavily eroded soil with sparse vegetation sprinkled near the top of the cliff, the slope grew less severe approximately halfway down. A mixed palette of desert trees and shrubs partially obscured the bottom of the ravine. Leine scanned the slope for pieces of Porsche, but nothing stood out. She was about to chalk Willy’s story up to a lame attempt at a payoff when something far below in the dry brush caught her eye. She trained the binoculars on a small red patch of color between two straggly mesquites and zoomed in. In between the branches, she picked out a slim, metallic letter R resting against a red background.
Well, what do you know? Leine lowered the glasses and studied the area surrounding the ravine. A sturdy mesquite grew by the edge of the road near the terminus of the old, rusty barrier, half of its roots gripping the shoulder, the other half weaving their way into and out of the cliff face, seeking a stronger hold.
Leine walked back to the rental and stowed the binoculars in her bag, which she took with her to the rear of the SUV and placed in the cargo area. She grabbed the equipment she’d purchased, slid her phone into her back pocket, and shut and locked the door.
After looping the rope around the tree trunk, she threaded the other end through the pulley, making sure it was secure. Using the clips, she rigged a harness with the remaining line and tested the
Herrera nodded. “Yep.”
“You did say he’d have me watched. I’m surprised he sent someone to warn me away.”
“Me too.” Herrera frowned. “In fact, I’m more than surprised. Otero isn’t usually so ham-fisted.” He glanced at Leine. “Santa never did give me your background.”
Leine shrugged. “I worked security for a low-level diplomat for a few years, but that shouldn’t have raised any flags.” There was no way that Otero could have found any information about her previous profession. She’d had a friend in her old agency do a series of high-level background checks on her. Nothing had come up. At least that was one thing Eric hadn’t lied about. Her old boss had promised to scrub her past when she left the business. Apparently, he’d kept his promise.
“Obviously, Otero feels threatened by my presence. How far do you think I can push things without turning this into an international incident?”
“His sending Ignacio and his BFF tells me there’s more to the story. I’d watch your back from this point on.” Herrera scanned the development. “I think we’ve done all we can do here.”
Leine sighed. “I really hate it when someone threatens me.”
Herrera squinted at her. “Santa told me you had a rebellious streak. I’d be remiss if I didn’t strongly advise against antagonizing Felix Otero or Ignacio. But, you gotta do what you gotta do. Just don’t make my job harder, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
***
Herrera dropped Leine off at her vehicle with another admonishment that she take Ignacio’s warning seriously. She was taking it seriously, all right. But first, she had one more errand before she left Mexico.
She ordered two tacos from the now open restaurant and asked the woman making tortillas where she could find a hardware store. The woman gave her directions to one a few kilometers away. Leine thanked her and drove there as soon as she finished eating.
She picked out several meters of heavy rope, a pulley, some clips, a machete, and a pair of leather gloves, and paid at the front counter. Then, following the crude map Willy gave her, she drove to the place where his “friend” had purportedly driven the car over the cliff.
Six kilometers past the white house with the fence, Leine slowed as she came to an area missing several meters of metal barrier. The spot was remote, with no visible homes or businesses. She pulled over just beyond the break and parked. Grabbing the binoculars from her bag, she got out and walked to the edge of the road.
Steep and composed of heavily eroded soil with sparse vegetation sprinkled near the top of the cliff, the slope grew less severe approximately halfway down. A mixed palette of desert trees and shrubs partially obscured the bottom of the ravine. Leine scanned the slope for pieces of Porsche, but nothing stood out. She was about to chalk Willy’s story up to a lame attempt at a payoff when something far below in the dry brush caught her eye. She trained the binoculars on a small red patch of color between two straggly mesquites and zoomed in. In between the branches, she picked out a slim, metallic letter R resting against a red background.
Well, what do you know? Leine lowered the glasses and studied the area surrounding the ravine. A sturdy mesquite grew by the edge of the road near the terminus of the old, rusty barrier, half of its roots gripping the shoulder, the other half weaving their way into and out of the cliff face, seeking a stronger hold.
Leine walked back to the rental and stowed the binoculars in her bag, which she took with her to the rear of the SUV and placed in the cargo area. She grabbed the equipment she’d purchased, slid her phone into her back pocket, and shut and locked the door.
After looping the rope around the tree trunk, she threaded the other end through the pulley, making sure it was secure. Using the clips, she rigged a harness with the remaining line and tested the
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