Too Many Cooks

Chapter 14

Elora kept an eye on the young woman sitting in her underwear across the room from where Christopher held Carlos by one arm behind his back. Carlos couldn't believe what had happened. He couldn't begin to imagine how they'd found him.

"Did you really think I would just throw up my hands and forget sixty-seven million dollars?"

"I was going to contact you when things at the bank settled down."

Chris jerked his arm up and Carlos yelped in pain. "That is so much bullshit, Carlos. They didn't even know anything about it, and don't deny it, I checked."

"Just get the information." Elora said. "Forget the convairsation." She looked back at the frightened woman and blinked her reassurance.

"She's right, Carlos. The money."

"I can't do anythi—"

The front door burst open and the two men jumped into the room waving automatic weapons. The young woman screamed and before Elora could even react they were both stitched with a round of gunfire that sent them sprawling on the hard tile floor. Christopher shoved Carlos aside and dug into his coat for his own gun and managed to get off one round before taking several of his own up the middle of his torso.

Carlos huddled on the couch with his hands over his ears and only moved when he felt the barrel of the gun poke him in the ribs.

"Get up and get outside."

Carlos did as he was told, his eyes widening as he took in the blood-spattered bodies of the two women. He looked back and saw Christopher bent over the ottoman, blood running down the cream leather and dripping onto the floor. The second man went first, holding his side where Christopher's wild shot had caught him and led the way down to the van. Carlos was thrown in the back and tied to the steel floor frame without ceremony.

"I am hurt, I don't think I can travel far."

"We will rest here tonight and leave at first light. I will clean that and put a bandage on it."

"It hurts too much to move. I need a medico, Juan."

"In the morning. In the village. I will look for one. Tonight we must stay put."

Carlos watched as the two men ignored him like just another spare part in the van.

*****

"Did any body check her room?"

"I did. There was no answer." Ebony expressed concern. "She went walking after we all left the restaurant."

"Hell the whole town's only several blocks in every direction, where the hell could she have gone?" Hoyte waved his arms about in emphasis.

Terry checked his watch and then said he was going to go to the different places that were open last night and ask around.

"We can all do that. We'll split up and meet back here in half an hour." Wilfred said.

*****

It only took ten minutes to find out about the black woman who spoke with a strange accent and the gringo man she left with. Christopher had spoken to several of the women in the town since he'd arrived and they all knew that he was searching for Carlos Huentos. They also knew that Carlos lived in the villa in the mountains but had pretended not to so that they could all get some of the gringo's money. Terry paid a generous amount for their help and hurried back to find the others.

"She went off with a guy? Who was he?"

"They just said he was a Nort Americano. From the description he could have been anyone. Actually one women mentioned that he had a really funny nose. She said it was all bent to the left."