BLIZZARD OVER MIAMI


Christine

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Today I´ll start my fan fiction story in English. It´s got 47 chapters and I hope you enjoy the sory that´s playing in 2008.

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47 chapters - wow.That certainly sounds like a labor of love. I nominate you for the Vice Fans Hall of Fame. You deserve a place of honor in that hall, and I look forward to reading your work.

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1. AT MARTIN CASTILLO´S HOUSE IN MIAMI Sunday, March 31st 2008 9:30AM

Martin Castillo parked his black Ford Station wagon in front of his house. For a moment he sat behind the steering wheel, and looked into his rear - view mirror. Since he´d been turning from the headquartes parking lot onto the street he thought that someone was following him. Not for the whole time, but sometimes he saw an Explorer appearing and he was convinced that it was always the same car.But after he had turned into the street where he was living, he didn´t see the car anymore. "Maybe I´m getting old and see ghosts", he thought, sighed and got out of the car. It had been a very long night. Even though he has been retired for four years, the colleagues of the different departments often asked him for help if it was about Siamese criminals or witnesses.The criminals often tried to tell the police that they didn´t understand and the witnesses were mostly so excited that they muddled the different languages up.The guy who had stolen him the last night and half of the morning, was a pimp. He sold children to pedophile men and he was the suspected murderer of three girls aged 10 - 12 because they had tried to escape.Castillo walked to his house. It was furnitured in a Siamese style and had a glass facade at its south side.Water dripped from the trees and bushes because it had started raining early in the morning and just stopped for half an hour. Since he moved in only little has changed. Castillo didn´t replace things because they were not modern any longer. And as he never got married again there was no woman who wanted to change something. If one, like him, had lived for three years underground between Siam and Burma he learned to be undemanding and to appreciate the things he owned. Castillo stepped up the stairs to change clothes. To fight against the ocean would help him to calm down his rage to the arrogant bastard. He thought about the Siamese while he changed clothes."Do you think I´m afraid of you, old man?," the pimp had asked in Siamese in his arrogant way. He hesitated for a moment when Cstillo answered in perfect Siamese, "Tell me when we´re ready!"Castillo walked downstairs and left the house through the glass door. From his deck he had a breath - taking view over the ocean, but Martin Castillo didn´t pay much attention to that. For him, the view wasn´t something special. With the big, dark blue bath towel in his hand, and wearing a black swimming trunks he walked over the beach. He left the towel on the sand and walked into the water.He not did know that, in fact, someone had followed him. It was someone who had observed him for days to be sure that his plan works. It would have been bad if Castillo had decided to take a trip this weekend.Hidden behind a bush the young man watched Castillo´s powerful fight against the waves. "One has to give him that, he´s in an amazing good form," the young man thought being impressed. "We shouldn´t underestimate him. "The young man looked up to th sky where the wind quickly pushed the clouds. He dragged at the leaves of the trees and whirled around everything that wasn´t fixed.The man looked around. The wind could hinder his order, but then he saw the stone. It was as big as his hand, light grey, and heavy enough for his purpose. Castillo fought for about one hour against the strong foaming up waves. He had so much to do with that, that he did not think about the Siamese and his provocative smile. Several times he had wished to hit this smile out of the Siamese´s face. But Martin Casillo was a very controlled man. His motto was, not the wolf who growled the loudest was the boss, but the one who controlled the others by using his look. Martin was really good in that. Eventually, he swam back to the beach and walked through the sand to his dark blue towel. He dried his almost grey hair before he casually hung the towel around his shoulders. Castillo´s anger was calmed down now and he felt tired in a relaxed way when he returned to his house. From the far he saw that something was lying on his cast ironed table. Something that hadn´t been there before. A stone from his garden prevented that the strong wind blew the paper away. While Castillo walked closer to the table he looked around. Somebody had been here and probably watched him now. Maybe this was a trap. A bomb that exploded when he put the stone away. Castillo stood beside the table and again he looked around. The policeman in him told him to be careful. Someone who needs to deposit a letter in secret doesn´t plot something good.When the telephone started to ring he first thought to ignore it. But then he walked into the house. With a permanent look at the table he picked up the phone. "Yes?" he asked. "Did you already read the message?" a man with a hoarse voice asked. "Who´s there?" Castillo wanted to know. "Read the message. It is very interesting for you," the man answered. Then the line was dead. Castillo hung up the phone. Anonymous callers don´t plot something good, too. Therefore, he put rubber gloves on and carefully picked up the stone. He found an envelope under it. When he opened out the writing paper something fell out of it. He didn´t pay attention to that, but stared at the words. And his tiredness disappeared from one moment to the next.

Edited by Christine
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I think before you nominate me there are others who deserve it more to be considered.But in one thing you´re right. I´m a huge Vice fan and I love watching the episodes. I´ve written (just for the fan fiction) a short bio about each one of the Vice team about all the things that should have happened to them after 1989.

47 chapters - wow.That certainly sounds like a labor of love. I nominate you for the Vice Fans Hall of Fame. You deserve a place of honor in that hall' date=' and I look forward to reading your work.[/quote']
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2. TRUDY JOPLIN ON THE WAY IN MIAMI 8:40 AMTrudy left her apartment and locked the door. She was a bit late and would have to try to make up for time on the Expressway. But with her car that was no problem.Trudy walked to the used BMW convertible in a showily pink. Trudy didn´t like the color that much, but the prize for the car was very good. One couldn´t have everything.But the car´s color didn´t fit to her winered dress.Trudy had to work today and she and Gina had an appointment for ten o´clock. For that they had to prepare some things.Trudy had always been devoted to Vice. Only once, in 1992, she thought about leaving Miami or not. At this time she had a relationship with the state attorny, Greg Dorman. Greg got the great chance for a job in Washington DC and had asked Trudy to come with him.For days Trudy thought about what to do, but then she decided to stay in Miami. The decision had been really good because in the meantime Greg got divorced the fourth time.The mobile rang when Trudy started the car. Trudy searched for the mobile in her purse and she was glad that the shining display helped her.She thought (and hoped) that it was Damian, the man she had a relationship with for many years. Three days ago they had a bad argument. Damian had packed some clothes, had left, and didn´t come back."Maybe he´d come to his senses and wants to apologize," she thought.But it wasn´t Damian."Joplin," she said. "Good morning." She listened and said, "Oh yes, of course do I know that old warehouse at Rosario Drive..." She was interrupted, listenend and answered, "No, that´s no problem. I drive to the old warehouse...OK."She finished the call and said irritated," What a bad behavior!"She steered the car into the traffic and thought about the information she had learned about on the phone. It was about the actrice Melanie Wilson. Someone had called and told that Melanie was lying lifeless at the old, dilapidated warehouse in Rosario Drive 1045. Maybe she was dead, but maybe she had only used drugs.Melanie Wilson was at the beginning of her twenties and she got to the top in a breath - taking speed. But she didn´t cope with her glory. Her excesses were responsible for high numbers of copies of many magazines. Since she was shooting in Miami, she took the breathe of the police.One week ago Melanie appeared, filled up with drugs and without an invitation at a beach party. There she took off her clothes and started kissing the host. He liked it, but his wife angrily called the police.So, the press got a new headline and Melanie had to admit the very next day that she had no earthly idea about what had happened.Trudy had a close experience to that because she was on duty that night. She and Gina were ordered to drive to the beach and collect Melanie.Since then Melanie had disappeared from the public. Her mother (and manager) told that Melanie urgently needed a rest and that she would continue her work in a few weeks.Trudy asked herself what Melanie had wanted at the old warehouse. It hadn´t been used for years. After a hrricane tore off half of the roof it was thought about a demolition.The only people who used the warehouse were junkies. They thought that half a roof over their head was better than no roof. And several prostitutes used the warehouse, too, when they were with a john.Trudy reached the warehouse, where it looked wretched around. People had dumped their scrap metall all around that became more and more rusty now. The opalescent surface of the puddles showed that there was oil in it.She discovered the lifeless person who was lying in the half - opened door of the warehouse. She was a white woman who was wearing a white, very dirty mini - skirt and dark blue high heels.Trudy couldn´t see more from the distance. She hung her purse over her shoulder and walked closer to the woman."Hello?" she shouted.Maybe the woman was available to talk to her, but she didn´t answer.Trudy reached the woman. She opened the door a bit more and leaned forward. In that moment the woman suddenly moved. Her right hand raised up and even though Trudy instinctively hit against her hand, the pepperspray came into her eyes. Immediately they started to burn and to water.Trudy opened the purse to take out her gun.The woman drawed up her legs and tried to kick Trudy with her dangerous heels. Trudy stepped two steps back and so fortunately missed the kick. But she lost her left shoe and her purse flew away.Suddenly Trudy heard the metallic noise of the release of the safety catch of. She grew stiff and wiped with her hand over her eyes, but everything was blurry."That´s it, cop," a man said. Then he shot.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: IN RICARDO TUBBS´S APARTMENT IN NEW YORK

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3. IN RICARDO TUBBS´S APARTMENT IN NEW YORK 11:00 AMRicardo Tubbs, Lieutenant of the Homicide Division left his car, a silver Audi TT, in front of the apartment house where he was living. He locked the car with his remote control and walked to the front door of the apartment house.Rico wore anthracide colored sports wear and black gym - shoes because he had used this beautiful morning to go jogging in Central Park. He still loved doing exercises, above all since he had to spend most of his time in an office.Rico opened the front door. He thought about what he should do with this Sunday off. Freddy Johnson had already asked him on Friday if he was keen about going to the Bowling - Center with him and other guys. In the evening they want to go to a restaurant.Rico wanted to ask his children first if they wanted to visit him or not. He told Freddy that he wanted to make his decision dependend upon their answer.Alaina and Dylan Raphael were his children from his marriage with Suzy Porter. He got to know Suzy in October 1990. They had been fallen head over heels in love, got rushly married in January and divorced almost exactly three years and seven months later.It hadn´t been easy at the beginning, but in the meantime they understood each other very well. Threfore he would call her to ask what plans Alaina and Dylan had for today.Rico used the stairs. If one, like him, lived on the 5th floor, he doesn´t need an elevator.He met the good - looking, black haired woman who has been living in the opposite apartment since last week. She was carrying a sports bag. Therefore Rico suggested that she was on the way to the fitness center. He didn´t know her name. He said hello, she said hello and they passed by.Rico thought of Alaina. She was almost seventeen and he thought that she wasn´t keen on spending this Sunday with her father. She loved going out with her friends because it was easier to flirt without her father standing next to her.But maybe Dylan wanted to go to the cinema with him. Dylan liked to spend time with his father, above all Rico allowed Dylan´s friend, Jordan, to spend the weekend with them.Rico heard the telephone ringing before he reached the apartment door. He hurried to open the door and jumped to the phone."Hello?" he asked."Oh, Dad, I thought you weren´t at home," Alaina happily said. She always forgot to tell her name when she called. "I just wanted to hang up the phone.""Why didn´t you call me on my mobile?" Rico asked while he was trying to put off his parka. With only one hand, that wasn´t easy."I tried it, but I think your accumulator is empty," Alaina told.Rico fished his mobile out of the inside pocket of his parka. A look at the display confirmed Alaina´s suggestions. "You´re right," he admitted."Dad, we need to talk urgently about an essential matter," Alaina told."You get no car," Rico answered walked to his eggshell colored armchair and sat down."Dad, I drive a car since I´m sixteen and Mum says I can drive very well."Rico sighed. "I know.""You can´t know this because you never allow me to drive your great car," Alaina complained. "Dad, I would be satisfied if I got this car as a birthday present in June. It´s OK if it´s a small car...""Alaina, don´t forget breathing!" Ric warned. "We´ve talked about that. Ten times? Twenty times? The answer is no! Your mother and I are agreed that you won´t get a car.""Dad, that´s damned unfair!" Alaina hissed. This impatience was a heritage from her mother. "I don´t smoke, I don´t drink...""You´re sixteen, you mustn´t drink," Rico told.Alaina snorted. "What you have to do and what you do are two absolutely different things, Dad. Do you say yes?""No," Rico answered. "As I´ve told you before, Alaina, your mother and I agreed. You won´t get your own car now.""That´s not fair! That´s mean of you! I hate you!" She slammed the receiver."Now you´re going definitely too far, Darling," Rico mumbled.Rico shook his head, hung up the phone, and connected his mobile to the battery charger. Then he walked to the bathroom. Alaina urgently had to learn to restrain her temper because she couldn´t persuade him that way.Rico heard the telephone ringing while he was having a shower. He grinned. To keep her in suspense should make Alaina clear that he would never allow her to talk with him that way.When Rico left the bathroom the telephone started ringing the fourth time. Again he grinned. The persistence was one of his heritages. But he thought that he had kept her long enough in suspence."Hello?" he said with a big grin in his face."Lieutenant Ricardo Tubbs, ex - Vice Detective in Miami?" an unknown male voice asked."Who are you?" Rico wanted to know. The grin disappeared. A queasy feeling spread out in his stomach. "Where did you get this number from?"His private number wasn´t in the telephone book. Only good friends knew it."That´s not important," the man answered. "Listen to me and take my order if you want to hinder that people die."Rico listened to the man, but he couldn´t believe what the man told him.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: WITH SONNY CROCKETT IN WEST PALM BEACH 11:40 AM

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4. WITH SONNY CROCKETT IN WEST PALM BEACH 11:40 AMSonny Crockett, Lieutenant of the Department for Gang Crime in West Palm Beach, opened the door to JIMMY JOHN´S GOURMET SANDWICH SHOP and walked in.He stopped for a moment, put off his sunglasses and looked around. Then he discovered the man he arranged to meet with: Angelo Crispi. Angelo was 26 years old and worked underground for three years. Sonny was Angelo´s boss.The good - looking waitress with the glowing, dark brown eyes asked for his wishes and Sonny ordered coffee."Do you want something to eat, too?" the waitress asked. "We offer the best sandwiches in West Palm Beach."Sonny knew about the outstanding reputation of Jimmy John´s Gourmet Sandwich Shop, but he wasn´t hungry. So he turned the offer down.Angelo tucked in his sandwich. "Hello, Lieutenant," he munched, but his dark brown eyes didn´t look at Sonny, but at the handsome curves of the waitress."Hello, Angelo." Sonny sank on the opposite chair. "What´s so urgent at Sunday noon?"The waitress came to bring Sonny´s coffee, but she only had eyes for Angelo. A lot of women turned around to look at Angelo. He was almost 6,2 ft tall and one could see a lot of muscles under his leather vest. His varnish, black, wavy hair framed his angular fce with the dark brown eyes.Angelo smiled at the waitress when she started to clean the table. It was obvious that she wanted to be close to him. But Angelo had to do more important things than to flirt with a waitress."Listen, Sweatheart, my friend and I have to do a very important discussion. You and I can talk later, OK?"After she had left, Angelo bended forward and quietly asked,"Have you ever heard the name EL GRANDE MAGO?"Sonny thought about it before he shook his head. "EL GRANDE MAGO? The great magician? No! Who should it be? A new Copperfield?""I don´t think that he wants to let the pyramides or the Statue of Liberty disappear," Angelo answered, bit into his sandwich and chewed."What´s it?" Sonny asked and unpatiently started to beat with his fingers on the table. "Come on, Angelo! You can eat when we´re ready. Do you have important information for me or do you only want me to be curious and die dumb?""Two guys I know, Ramon Gracciano and Kevin Bailey, told me that Domenico Franco could get a good paid job for them by somebody who calls himself EL GRANDE MAGO. Ramon and Kevin know about his identity, but they had to oblige not to talk about it.""I didn´t know that Domenico Franco applied in a job agency after he ad got out of prison." Sonny was amazed. Then he asked. "What kind of jobs?"Anglo gave a shrug. "A huge thing, Lieutenant. Something that it had never given that way before. The guys didn´t know more. But when a great magician signs up criminals with the help of a jailbird, it can´t be something legal."Sonny thought about Angelo´s words. "Do you want to apply?"Again Angelo gave a shrug. "It would be very interesting to find out more about EL GRANDE MAGO´s big trick, or not?""Wait a few days," Sonny told him. "Ask inconspiciously around while I give this name into my computer. I´m curious what it can tell us about that name. We´ll speak to each other later."Sonny drank his coffee, paid at the bar, and left. He walked to his Corvette and a moment later he was on the way to the headquarter. With one ear he listened to "Blame It" by Jamie Fox featurig T.Pain.On the way he discovered a long - legged woman with long, black curls. She reminded him of his girlfriend, Georgina Fowler. - Probaly his ex - girlfriend. After a big argument, she packed all her stuff and left, door slamming his apartment yesterday evening.What was the argument about? That he worked too much? That he had to less time for her? That he hated to stand around at boring cocktail partys, having a friendly conversation to people he didn´t like?That he hadn´t much time and that he always worked too much were two reasons for his divorce with Emily. It had been his third and his last marriage, as he had stressed in a speech with Georgy, his last girlfriend.His first marriage with Caroline was divorced in 1984. Billy, the son he had with Caroline has been a Vice - Detective since August 2007. He is now Stan Switek´s partner.His second wife, Caitlinn, was shot a few months after the wedding. He didnt know if this marriage would have had a continued existence. If he thought about that from his contemporary view, he wasn´t convinced about it.He always had been on the way on the streets of Miami and Caitlinn, who was a famous singer was on tour all over the country. The only one who had a lot of profit was the telephone company.He got to know Emily in April 1992 when he was working for the Detective Agency Anderson in Atlanta, married her in November the same year and divorced in 1995. With her he had Jamie who would be fifteen in August and Helen, thirteen years old.Sonny parked the Corvette and hurried into the headquarter. He said hello to several colleagues he met and went into the office."Hello, Jenny," he said to Jenny Billings, the colleague he has known since he came to West Palm Beach in 1995."Hello, Sonny," Jenny answered without taking her look from the screen. Her rimless glasses sat in state on her dark brown, shoulder lengthed hair in which the first grey strands were appearing.Sonny hurried into his office with the dark wooden furniture. Three photos were standing on his desk. The first one was a photo of Billy who exactly looked like Sonny in his youth. He was standing at a barbecue. The photo was taken at Sonny´s 58th birthday in July last year.The second photo showed Jamie. He had dark hair and brown eyes like his mother. This photo was also taken at the birthday party. Jamie was laughing about something Billy had told him.Helen, who was on the third photo didn´t laugh. She was sitting at her desk and looked indignant because he had surprised her. Helen looked very similar to Sonny.In the middle of the desk, there was lying an envelope. Sonny read the name on it, JAMES RICKLETT. Someone had crossed out Ricklett and had replaced it with the name CRICKETT. Eventually, a third person had crossed it all out and wrote SONNY CROCKETT on the envelope.Sonny took the envelope and turned it around. It was sealed. He walked to Jenny and showed her the envelope. "Can you tell me something about that?" he asked.Jenny looked at the envelope. She put her glasses on her nose and answered,"I only know what June Wilde had told me. Angela Stark gave her the envelope she had got from Rita Connolly. But I can´t tell you who gave it to Rita.""Thanks." Sonny returned to his office. He could feel that there was more than paper in the envelope. He opened it and had a look at the content. He took a deep breathe. Then he picked up the phone.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: AT THE VICE - OFFICE

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5. IN THE VICE - OFFICE NOONGina Calabrese hung up the phone. She was worried. She had a look at her watch, although she had done this about a minute before. She knew that anything had happened.Angela Billings, the chubby, white secretary with the short, dark blond hair came up to her and put a file on her desk. "That belongs to the Donovan file," she said."Thanks," Gina answered, but she didn´t really listen.Stan Switek walked into the office. He had several files under his arm. "Still nothing?" he asked.Gina who had hardly changed in the last years, shook her head. "That doesn´t suit to Trudy. We´ve had an important appointment at ten. Trudy would never forget something like that. Something must have happened, Stan."Stan put the files on his desk. "Billy hasn´t reached the office, too," he replied. "That´s rather strange. I´ll inquire about the today´s emergency calls. There had happened an accident with several cars on the Don Shula Expressway this morning. Both, Trudy and Billy use the Expressway. Maybe they were involved in that accident.""That´s a great idea, Stan.""There was another accident on the Collins," Ramona Allen, one of the secretaries told them. "If you want to, I can inquire about the vehicles that were involved in that accident."Dorian Knight, Vice - Lieutenant since September last year walked into the office. He always looked very morose and he was always in a hurry. Almost he had sent Sharon Evans, another secretary cartwheeling. Sharon had made away for, but her dark brown eyes flashed indignantly because Knight didn´t apologize.Knight was 5,9ft tall and had an athletic figure. He was 45 years old and quite a few grey strands had already appeared in his thick, dark brown hair. He mostly pinched his dark brown eyes as if hs eyesight was bad, but as if he was too vain to wear glasses."Lieutenant!" Gina shouted.Knight turned around. "Yes?""Have you seen Trudy this morning or did you speak with her?"Knight hesitated for a moment. Then he asked,"No, why do you ask?"GIna sighed. "I can´t reach Trudy and I have thought that you...""No, I haven´t spoken to her," Knight cut her short. That had been one of his mistakes. He always cut others short, didn´t really listen or he simply left. Just like now. He walked to his office and closed the door."Politeness is really different," Stan grumbled and passed all of his ten fingers through his grey hair."We´re used to more politeness of Castillo and Josh Hagen," Gina sighed."Certainly!" Secretary Sarah Tobias had interfered and the light brown eyes in her black face flashed indignantly.Damian Parson and his partner, Ben Bradford, came into the office. They wanted to take their jackets before they went for lunch.Damian was more than 6,2ft tall, black, 52 years old, and Alan Miles successor. Alan Miles had been Ricardo Tubbs´s successor.Damian looked amused down to his much smaller partner."Ben, you must be mistaken! Who ever had told you that wanted to take the piss out of you and you´ve been taken by it."Ben looked up to Damian with his hazelnut colored eyes. He was a white man, 34 years old, and slim. "Why shouldn´t that be right? A lot of cazy things do happen!"Damian had grinned from one ear to the other. "I´ve been a policeman for 30 years, Ben, and I got experienced a lot of crazy and impossible things, but something like that...?""Sorry, boys that I interrupt your small talk, but can you tell me whether Trudy had wanted to drive anywhere this morning, Damian?" Gina asked.Damian has been Trudy´s boyfriend for 14 years, but now he seemed to be embarrassed. "I don´t know. Why do you ask?""She doesn´t pick up the phone and she hadn´t come to the office this morning. Actually, she´s on duty since nine and we´ve had an appointment for ten. Now it´s almost 11:30 AM. I´m really worried, Damian," Gina admitted.Damian turned his face to his desk. He thought about his last argument with Trudy and he felt rather dumb. "I´ve been living in a motel for three days," he admitted, turned around, and looked provocatively at Gina.Gina knew what had happend. Trudy had never lost the contact to Rico. Sometimes they called each other...perhaps too frequently after Rico´s life partner Donna Edwards had died in December.Damian had always been jealous of Rico, although Trudy had never given him a reason to do so. Above all, Damian and Rico had never met. Nevertheless Trudy and Damian had often argued in the last weeks because of Rico."Rico has always been a good colleague and he´s still a very good friend for me. After Donna´s death, he needs someone to talk with. I won´t let him down because Damian sees ghosts," Trudy shortly told.Ben hit Damian at his right shoulder. "We drive to her apartment. Maybe there´s a harmless reason why Trudy is unattainable. Come on, Damian!"The two men left the office. Although Gina knew that it all was in vain, she tried to call Trudy on her telephone and also on her mobile. When she had hung up the telephone after her last attempt, Stan turned around. He sighed. "Trudy´s pink convertible hadn´t been involved in the accident on the Don Shula Expressway and neither was Billy´s Porsche.""And they weren´t involved in the accident on the Collins," Ramona added."Something has happend, Stan," Gina claimed, but she had no other choice as to wait for Damian´s call.That was what was happening 20 minutes later."She isn´t at home," Damian told. "Her car isn´t here, too. Could she be invollved in that bad accident on the Don Shula Expressway?"Gina sighed. "Stan has already checked this. Negative. Besides that, Billy is also unattainable.""Trudy and Billy?" Damian asked."Nonsense!" Gina shouted at him.Knight left his office and Gina asked Damian to hold the line. Knight looked from Gina to Stan and back to Gina. Then he told,"One has found a female body at the old warehouse at 1045 Rosario Drive. She´s black. Trudy Joplin´s car is standing at the scene of crime. Besides that, her purse with her papers and her badge had been found there. Drive to the warehouse."Knight returned to his office. Gina became stiff. She sat at her desk, not remembering the receiver in her hand. Stan walked up to her and took the receiver out of her hand."Damian?" he asked with a rough voice."I´ve heard it, Stan. 1045 Rosario Drive. Ben and I met Gina and you there."Then the line was dead.Stan hung up the receiver. "I´ll drive," Stan decided when he saw Gina´s pale face.Gina nodded. She followed Stan to his car, but there was only one thought twisting around in her mind. Trudy was dead, and she had no earthly idea what her friend had wanted to do at the old warehouse that Sunday morning.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: RICO´S MEMORIES

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6. RICO´S MEMORIESThe man had told him what he wanted to tell before he had hung up. Rico had listened to him. He couldn´t believe the words he had heard, but everything sounded absolutely logical.Before he hung up the receiver the man had told him to take the four- o´clock - flight to Miami and to move into the reserved room at MERCURY SOUTH BEACH RESORT.Rico had called a woman at the ticket desk at the airport and she had confirmed the reservation for the flight. The same had happened when he called the receptionist at the MERCURY SOUTH BEACH RESORT.Rico walked into the kitchen to brew up a cup of coffee. He knew that he had only one possibility to find out if the man had told the truth or a lie. He had to take the flight to Miami.He walked into the bedroom and packed a bag while the coffee was running through. It was the same bag that he had used in 1984 when he had flown to Miami to capture Calderone. And it was also the same bag that he had packed in 1994 for a very special rescue campaign. Maybe this story was similar to that.Then he took one week holiday. He hoped that this would be enough. When he had hung up the receiver the telephone started ringing again."Yes?" Rico shouted."Don´t shout into my ear, Dad," Alaina complained and continued sheepishly,"I can understand that you are steamed. It was a dumb idea to slam the receiver. But I was angry, too.""Could we talk later about your bad behavior, Alaina?" Rico asked. "I´m in a hurry because I have to leave in an urgent matter.""Where do you wanna go?" Alaina wanted to know and sounded pert again immediately."You can eat everything, but you don´t have to know everything," Rico answered. He thought that it might be better not to talk about his journey´s destination. First he urgently needed more information."What a dumb answer," Alaina grumbled. "When do you return, Dad?" Alaina asked."I don´t know. I come back as soon as I´ve finished.""Do we talk about my car after you´ve returned, Dad?" Rico sighed. "No we´ll not talk, Alaina because there is nothing to talk about. But now I have to prepare several things. My plane takes off at four PM. I´ll call you when I´m back. Bye!"Rico walked into the kitchen and filled the coffee into a cup. Alaina always had been strenuous. She got loud acts of defiance until she had learned how to talk. Thereafter, she started to disguss and argue endlessly about everything. He hadn´t got the nerves to listen to her now.Rico put sugar into his cup and while he was stirring his thoughts were going back to that day in 1985. He had been very happy because he had met Angelina again and she had shown him their four months old son, Ricardo.His great luck ended less than 24 hours later. A corrupt policeman had betrayed to Angelina´s half - brother, Orlando, where he could find Angelina. When Rico returned to the house, Angelina and the baby had been kidnapped.The next time Rico had seen Angelina she was fettered, gagged, and connected to a bomb. The fuse reacted on someone´s move. Ricardo was lying next to her, wrapped up in a white blanket.Rico had been wondering that the baby slept so quietly. But, in fact, he was glad about that because Ricardo had been a strong baby. His kicks could have detonated the bomb.For Rico, there was no doubt that Ricardo was in the car with his mother. But the caller had claimed something different."Maria Montoya," Rico mumbled. He put the spoon into the sink and slowly drank his coffee. He urgently needed more information about the woman and he wanted to get some answers.Rico grabbed the telephone and dialed Trudy´s private number. She wasn´t at home. He dialed her mobile number... Nothing! Therefore, he dialed her office number."Vice Squad, Ramona Allen, what can I do for you?" he heard a very friendly female voice."This is Lieutenant Tubbs from New York. Is Trudy Joplin in the office?""No, sir," Ramona answered."Can I speak to Stan Switek, please?" Rico asked."I´m sorry, sir, but the detectives are on the way to a scene of crime. Do you want me to transmit a message to Detective Switek?" Ramona helpfully asked."Oh, no, thanks. I´ve got his mobile number."Rico had dialed Stan´s mobile number. He heard the wailing of the sirens when Stan picked up the phone."Hello, Stan. Here´s Rico. There´s a lot going on there, right?""You´re telling me! He, listen, Rico, you know that I´m always really pleased about your call, but now you´ve choosen the most unfavourable time. I´ll be honest. A woman was found dead at the old warehouse and probably it´s Trudy.""Goodness me!" Rico shouted horrified."We don´t know it exactly," Stan tried to calm him down."Please call me if you know more about it. I´ll come to Miami with the four o`clock flight and I stay at MERCURY SOUTH BEACH RESORT," Rico told."OK," Stan answered. "See you then." Stan hung up the phone.Rico had a look at his watch. It was noon and he still had a lot of time. Too much time!IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: IN WEST PALM BEACH

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7. IN WEST PALM BEACHThree times Sonny had dialed Billy´s telephone number. While he had been waiting nervously for that Billy picked up the phone he was turning the envelope around and let the content slide on his desk. It was Billy´s badge.Billy didn´t pick up the phone. While Sonny dialed Billy´s mobile number he was thinking about several explanations how somebody had gained to get possession of the badge.Billy could have lost it. Unlikely, but not impossible.Somebody had stolen it while Billy was sitting in a bar. That sounded more probable. Pickpockets had fast fingers. A push and a reaching into the pocket... But why did someone send him the badge?The third possibility was that it was a counterfeit.Again Sonny dialed Billy´s mobile number, but Billy didn´t pick up the phone. And he neither had been in the office this morning. That was what the friendly secretary, Ramona Allen, had told him."You could try to reach Detective Switek on his mobile, Lieutenant Crockett," she said. "The detectives are all on the way to a scene of crime. Maybe your son has been driven there and didn´t notice his empty accumulator. I can give you Detective Switek´s mobile number.""Thanks, but I´ve got his number," Sonny answered and called Stan who was still on the way. Sonny could hear the sirens wailing and Stan sounded hectic."No, Sonny, I haven´t seen Billy this morning, although he´s on duty. He, Sonny, you know that I´m pleased about your call, but it´s absolutely inconvenient. I´ve told Rico the same just a few minutes ago. It´s chaotic around here," Stan told honestly."I´m worried, Stan," Sonny admitted. He could hear that he sounded like one of these extremely anxious parents who couldn´t let go of their children, even though they were adults. But Stan had known him well enough to know that Sonny was different."Billy and I were out for a glass of beer yesterday evening. A really hot, black haired woman had made up to him. Maybe they had spent the night in her apartment, and had overslept because they had a really god time," Stan said. It was an attempt to calm Sonny down."Stan, somebody has sent me Billy´s badge," Sonny told."What?" Stan stopped breathing for a moment. Then he replied," We talk about that later, OK? We´re on the way to a scene of crime and... probably it´s Trudy. Bye!"Stan hung up the phone because he had a lump in his throat.Sonny still stared at Billy´s badge. Billy apparantly had been kidnapped... and Trudy was dead?What the hell was going on here?Sonny called Rita Connolly, the secretary who first had found the envelope on her desk. He asked her about the person who had given it to her."I´m sorry, but I can´t tell you, Lieutenant," Rita regretted. "I returned from the ladie´s room and found the envelope."Sonny obtained the film of the surveillance camera in the hall. He watched it and saw a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years who was carrying the envelope in her right hand. She was slim, and was wearing an orange mini skirt and a lemon colored top. She had long, black, and straight hair. Her lips were a bit to full, her nose was light bent, and her look was extremely nervous.Sonny had known immediately that she couldn´t help him, provided that he found her. He supposed that someone, she probably couldn´t describe, gave her a nice bill for this job.Sonny was sure that the girl had no earthly idea about the envelope´s content.Sonny jerked when the telephone started to ring. His first thought was, "Billy has seen my number on the display and calls back!"´The next thought was,"Stan wants to tell me that Trudy is dead!"But it was neither Billy nor Stan. A distort sounding voice said," Drive to Miami. There´s a reservation for you in the MERCURY SOUTH BEACH RESORT."Then the man hung up the phone.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: AT THE SCENE OF CRIME

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8. AT THE SCENE OF CRIMEGina sat next to Stan and all her thoughts were spinning around. Was Trudy really dead? Her car was parking at the scene of crime. But why did Trudy drive to Rosario Drive? Maybe they would never know.Trudy had always been a great friend. When Gina told her in 1990 that she wantd to leave Vice to search for her roots in Cuba, Trudy asked," Are you sure that the real reason for your flight isn´t Sonny Crockett?"Trudy had recognized it right. Gina had always hoped that she and Sonny could become a couple. Instead, he had left Vice, and Miami, and was working anywhere in the Bahamas now.Gina took a trip to Cuba, and in Havanna she had fallen head over heels in love with the Spanish buinessman Juan Navarro Sanchez. She followed him to Madrid, and married him.IN 1992, she had given birth to her only child, Elena, but her relationship with Juan ot more and more worse. He developed to a tyran.Sometime Gina told Trudy in one of their more and more rare calls about that. Rare because Juan controlled everything she did.Trudy told her that she always would be there if Gina needed help. But Gina stayed until 2004. Then she had enough, packed her clothes, took Elena, and escaped.Gina returned to Miami where Trudy and Damian took her and Elena in and where Castillo ave her back her job shortly before he retired.Gina didn´t want to think about that Trudy could be dead. She heard Stan´s mobile ringing. Stan had always been a huge Elvis - Presley - fan and therefore he had charged JAILHOUSE ROCK as ringing tone.Stan spoke with Rico, and only a few minutes later he spoke with Sonny. But Gina first pricked up her ears when Stan said,"Someone has sent Billy´s badge to Sonny.""What?" Gina asked confused and Stan repeated,"Someone has sent Billy´s badge to Sonny. And Blly´s unattinable. I tell you, something really strange is going on here, Gina."They reached the scene of crime. Gina saw Trudy´s Convertible, then the colleagues in their white protective clothing, the pathology - car, and she noticed that the body had already been put into a black body sack.Stan´s car did hardly stop when Gina jumped out of it and ran up to the man who wanted to put the bier with the body into the vehicle."Please, wait!" she shouted.She recognized that a policeman packed a wine-red high-heel and Gina remembered the shopping tour where Trudy had bought these shoes. She had been thrilled to bits because these shoes suited exactly to the dress and the earrings she had bought the same day.Another policeman fished Trudy´s mobileout of a puddle, but Gina didn´t believe that it still worked.She ran to the black sack, showed her badge, and ordered the man to open the sack."Be prepared for a bad view," the fat white man warned while he was opening the zip. "She looks really bad. Someone had blown away half of the poor woman´s face.""Thanks, but I´ve seen bad things before," Gina unpatiently answered. "I´ve been working in that job for many years."Then the sack was open. Gina stared at the intact part of the woman´s face and suddenly tears started running over her cheeks.Stan ran up to her. "Is it her? Is it Trudy?"Gina slowly shook her head. "No, Stan, it isn´t Trudy."Stan sighed with relief before he lent Gina his shoulder so that she could have a good cry.When Damian and Ben came running up to them, Stan raised his hand to calm them down. "It isn´t Trudy," he said.Gina fished a hanky out of her purse, and blew her nose. Then she told her friends. "The woman called herself Noella. I don´t know her real name. She´s been working on the streets for many years. I know that she and her johns sometimes had used this warehouse. And every now and then, she had stayed here overnight if she hadn´t enough money to pay for a motel room."A slim man with dark blond hair joined them. "Ethan Beck, Homicide Division," he introduced himself. "You´re from Vice?""Yes," Ben answered and introduced himself and his colleagues."Could you identify the woman?" Beck wanted to know.Gina repeated everything she knew about Noella. "But the Convertible, the mobile, and the shoe belong to Detective Trudy Joplin," she said.Beck nodded. "We knew that it was her Convertible, but as Detective Joplin isn´t dead...where is she? Why did she come here?""We ask ourselves the same questions," Stan answered. "Maybe her mobile can help us to find out her last caller. We´re sure that somebody had lured her into a trap.""Don´t expect too much from the mobile," Beck warned. "It had been lying in an oily puddle. Maybe Detective Joplin had wanted to pull her gun out of the purse...we don´t know what had really happened. But, in fact, we´ve found her purse´s content spread out everywhere around."Gina, Stan, and Damian walked back to their vehicles while Ben was speaking to the pathologist."We drive to Billy´s house," Stan decided. "Billy´s father has called me and told me that someone had sent him Billy´s badge."Damian raised up his eyebrows. "That´s weird. Shall we come with you?""Drive to the office and take care for the moile´s examination," Stan answered. "It´s our only hope at the moment."Ben joined them. "The pathologist has told me that the woman died between seven and nine AM.""Trudy normally leaves the apartment by 8:30 AM," Damian told."Somebody killed the hooker and then he called Trdy," Gina said."We´ll also check her telephone access in the apartment. Maybe she´s been called before she left," Damian replied. "You and GIna, drive to Billy´s house, and Ben and I return to the office."IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: IN BILLY CROCKETT´S BEACH HOUSE

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9. IN BILLY CROCKETT´S BEACH HOUSEBilly Crockett was living in a small, one - storey beach house with a deck covered with a roof at the front side and another deck on the back side. A little garden, prevented by a hedge, bordered to the back side deck. The house was painted in light blue and it had white windows."The Porsche is here," Gina said with a look at the silver vehicle that was parking in a carport near the house.Stan parked his car in front of the house and then he and Gina walked to the front door. It was open and they both recognized that the lock was undamaged.Gina and Stan pulled their guns and took position left and right beside the door. They had a look at each other and nodded as a start signal. Then Stan pushed open the door. He glanced over the room before he moved back. Nothing happend!They rushed into the living - room with the light - wooden closets and the two caramel colored couches. One of the couches didn´t stand at its place, as they could see at the imprints in the eggshell - colored carpet. Someone had pushed the couch against the wooden table. Therefore, the two candles in the glass - candlesticks fell over and broke.In the right wall, there were two doors. Stan gave Gina signs to go to the farthest door. Gina nodded and rushed quietly to the door. Behind it, there was the big kitchen with a cocking island and a bar with three light wooden stools in front of it.Gina looked around. She recognized the half - full cup of coffee on the bar. Next to it she saw Billy´s bunch of keys. She checked the terrace door, but it was locked.Stan walked through the door into a small hall that connected the bedroom and the bathroom.Stan opened the bedroom - door. The room was equipped with black furniture, but with lemon colored bed linen. The bed was ruffled up and Stan found several long, black hairs. On the bedside table he saw Bily´s mobile lying.San looked at the hairs and immediately he thought about the woman who had made up to Billy yesterday evening. The lady had really given everything. And even though he was very happy with his wife, Gianna, he had thought that it would be great to be twenty years younger.At a glance into the bathroom, he found out that the room was empty. He returned to the living - room where Gina was already waiting for him."He brew up one cup of coffee, but had drunk only half of it," Gina told. "Obviously he was alone.""He wasn´t," Stan contradicted. "He has spent the night with a black haired lady who made up to him yesterday evening when Billy and I were out for a glass of beer.""OK, Billy makes up to a woman...," Gina said.Stan grinned and interrupted," SHE made up to HIM!""However! He had taken her to his house, had spent a burning night with her... and then? He only brew up ONE cup of coffee. Why?" Gina asked."Maybe she dislikes coffee," Stan answered. "But you´re right. That doesn´t go together. Billy has disappeared, but nobody has picked the lock. What happened with the woman? Were they both kidnapped? Why?"Gina sighed. "Actually, I don´t understand anything.""Gina, call our colleagues. They should send the CSI to Billy´s house. I call Sonny, and Rico had also asked me to tell him what´s new. By the way, he arrives today. If Trudy appeared again, Sonny dropped in, and Castillo got in touch, almost the old team would be joined together. Would that be great, or what?"Gina slowly shook her head. "Sometimes you´ve got a strange kind of humour, Stan," Gina repremanded.Stan grinned and asked," Do you know who had frequently told me similar things in the past?""No. Who?"Stan smiled at her. "Lou Rodriguez," he answered. Then he dialed Sonny´s mobile number.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: ABHISIT MARTIN

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10. ABHISIT MARTINAbhisit had no earthly idea how long he had been locked in the wooden hut because the two small, round pediments were the only windows, where oly less light shone in.Probably the hut wa standing in a forest because he could hear the birds singing and the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees.All that Abhisit knew was that the plane had landed in Miami on Thursday. He had been filled with thrilling expectations, but also with scepticism. Was it really a good idea to descend upon somebody and tell him, "I´m your son!"?But his new friend had dispelled all his doubts. "He´ll be enthusiastic about it, Sit," he had nsured. "Believe me he would do everything to get to know you."Abhisit´s mother, a slim woman with long grey - stranded, black hair and a gentle face where the first little lines had appeared, had expressed her reservations. But Abhisit had only told her disappointedly that she hadn´t told him the truth all his life. He was sure that she wouldn´t have told him the truth about his father in the future if Ross hadn´t appeared.Three times a week Abhisit went jogging through the park not far away from the apartment where he and his mother were living.On an early Sunday morning, when Abhisit had finished jogging and was having a rest on a bench near the pond, Ross appeared in front of him.Abhisit had watched the ducks on the pond and the birds, who came to search for insects and earthworms."You´re Abhisit Martin Wang," the man told and before Abhisit could ask him who had told him that, the man said that his name was Ross. "I´m one of your father´s best friends and I would like to take you to him."Abhisit looked at the man who was a bit taller than he, himself. He thought that he, approximately, was fifty years old. His hair was brown and also his eyes. His nose was a bit too long and a scar of about one and a half inch streched at the left side from his chin up to his cheek. He had a little belly that bulged under his sky blue shirt. Abhisit thought that he was American because of his speech.But Abhisit also thought that Ross wanted to have on him and so he answered,"My father is dead. He was a policeman and he died long ago in the hinterland in a fight against a drug dealer named Lao Li."Ross laughed while he and Abhisit were walking along the path. It wa very quiet at that early time. Only two women passed them by, jogging, and they giggled and talked to each other in a fast Siamese."Well, boy, in fact, your father is...was... a policeman. He´s retired now and he had fought against a lot of drug dealers, but I insure you that Martin Castillo is in a good health. He´s living in a beach house in Miami. Ask your mother for information about Martin Castillo,"Ross advised.Ross gave Abhisit a piece of paper with a telephone number when they reached the street. There, they had to separate. Ross had parked his hired car on the parking lot at the park entrance. Abhisit would walk home.Ross told him the name of the motel where he had rented a room. "Ask your mother for information about Martin Castillo," he repeated. "You can call me until Wednesday evening. My return flight goes on Thursday at seven AM. If you want to accompany me to Miami, I can arrange it."Ross walked to his car and left Abhisit very confused behind. Why had his mother told lies to him? What had his father done that she preferred to tell him that he was dead than to run the risk that Abhisit wanted to get to know his father?Abhisit walked home and a lot of questions were twisting around in his mind. He wanted to get some answers. He told his mother about the things he had learned about this morning.Mai Ying reacted startled. Probably she had never calculated that something like that could ever happen. But then she understood that Abhisit, who got his father´s persistence wouldn´t give up before he knew the truth.She looked at him, as he stood in front of her, looking at her with Martin´s eyes and pressed together his lips as his father always had done in dissatisfaction."It´s true what I´ve told you about the fight in the hinterland. It had happened and I thought that your father got killed. But years later, I had met him in Miami. I was married again and had given birth to your half - brother who had died so early," Mai Ying told.She continued,"My husband, Ma Sek, and I flew to Miami because someone had offered him a job there, but, in fact, it was all about Martin."She stopped for a moment, sighd, and looked at the tea cup with the delicate flower pattern on it."It would take us too far to talk about the whole story," she said. "Suddenly Martin showed up at my door. We had found each other only to lose us aain."Mai Ying got up and walked to the window from where she could see the park where Abhisit and Ross had met. She recalled,"A few years later, we met again in Miami. Your brother was dead and Ma Sek... He wasn´t the man I considered him to be. I stayed a few days with Martin, but the time had changed too many things. We had changed. We weren´t the same people we had been when we got to know each other in the past.""And therefore, you returned to Siam," Abhisit said. He was still sitting at the low table, his tea was untouched. "But why didn´t you tell him that he was becoming a father? Is he an irresponsible man?"Mai Ying spinned around. Her hazelnut brown eyes flashed disgusted. "Martin Castillo is the most responsible, greatest and most dependable man I´ve ever met. He would have married me immediately, but it wouldn´t have worked, but ended in a disappointment. Therefore, I didn´t tell him.""I want to get to know him," Abhisit said. "Ross is one of my father´s best friends. He offered me to accompany him to Miami and I want to take the offer."Mai Ying didn´t think that this was a good idea. She told him that Martin always had a lot of enemies as her own story should have made him clear. She asked him to call Martin first, but Abhisit digged his heels in.Mai Ying asked him to think about it, she argued, and she railed. Nothing worked. Abhisit called Ross and when the plane took off on Thursday morning, he sat next to his new friend.After they had arrived, Ros took a photo of Abhisit in front of the airport with a HERALD in his hand. "It´s a memory for you. So, you´ll never forget the day when you arrived in Miami," Ross told.Abhisit laughed. "Are you joking? I´ll never forget this day because this is the day I meet my father the first time in my life."Then Ross´ son, Alex, arrived. He was a wiry guy with dark brown hair and a crooked nose. He had a scar on his right cheek.Alex had bought coffee. Abhisit disliked coffee, but he was too polite to turn down the coffee. He put a lot of sugar in the plastic cup to ease the bitter taste. He drank from the coffee...and then everything turned black.Now he was sitting on one of the mattresses in the hut, not knowing if it still was Thursday or already Friday.When he regained consciousness, he found a 1,5 l bottle of mineralwater and a paper bag with four rolls in it beside the mattress. But Abhisit wasn´t hungry, but only thirsty. Then it got dark. The darkness came very quickly and Abhisit assumed that the forest swallowed the light.Sometime Ross appeared to bring a new bottle of water and fresh rolls. "Organize the food and the water because I don´t know when I´ll return," he said"You told lies to me!" Abhisit shouted angrily and disappointed while he was drumming against the door. Ross hadn´t opened the door to give him the water and the food, but pushed it through a cat flap in the lower part of the door."You don´t know my father!""Believe me, boy, I know your father. He was responsible for my conviction. Can you imagine how one feels if he´s in prison? Do you have any idea what the dirty pigs there do with a new prisoner? You don´t know! You know nothing!" Ross snarled."Why have you kidnapped me? What do you want to do with me?" Abhisit raged and continued drumming against the door."Everything that happens to you is depended on your father´s decisions. If the arrogant ex - Vice Lieutenant condescends to do what we will ask him to do, you´re free.""And you go into the can!" Abhisit predicted."Oh no," Ross answered determined. "I´ll never go to prison again."Abhisit heard him the car door slamming. oss started the engine and left.Abhisit searched for a possibility to escape. The ground consisted of stamped soil and the hut seemed to be rather new and solid.Every now and then, he fell asleep. When he woke up, he had something to eat, two sips of water, and then he continued his investigation.Sometime, Abhisit heard a car coming and then Ross spoke to him. "Step aside, boy, you get company!"IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: INFORMATION FOR CASTILLO

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11. INFORMATION FOR CASTILLOCastillo brew up a can of coffee. One of that kind, where a spoon could stand in. While the coffee was running with a gargling and rattlig sound, and the good smell spread out in the kitchen, Martin had a look out of the window at the ocean. The wind lashed the water and let the scum dance on the top of the waves. Some seagulls were trying to sail in the wind, and the clouds were pushed so quickly forward ovr the sky as if they were on a flight.Castillo took the thermos jug and went to the spartan furnished living - room. A two seat -couch and two armchairs of wicker furniture were standing around a glass table. A glass cabinet was standing there with delicate china and two different Buddha statues in it. Several palms were spread in the room, and on the wall, opposite of the couch, there wa a picture of Mai Ying hanging on the wall. It was the one Lao Li had sent to him a long time ago. But Castillo had let enlarged it to 75 x 100 inch.He filled a big, white cup with coffee and looked at the photo on his table. it showed a young man of about eighteen to twenty years. he was very slim, and he had night - black hair that covered his ears. Unambigously he had Siamese features, but he had also western features. He hadn´t the typical almond - formed eyes, but more straight eyes. If Castillo could believe the message, the young man´s name was Abhisit.Abhisit was wearing jeans, gym - shoes, and an emerald - green T - shirt. Next to him, there was standing a black travelling - bag with coral red zips. He was holding a HERALD in his hands, the same what Mai Ying had done 24 years ago. In the background, Castillo could see the Airport - building.Abhisit was laughing happily into the camera. Maybe he was a tourist or a student who was pleased that he was standing on American ground now.Slowly Castillo drank the hot coffee while he was studying the young man´s features. He didn´t know him, but something in his face seemed to be familiar to him."Maybe it´s only the fact that he is standing in front of the airport, exact the same pose as Mai Ying in the past," he thought.He raised his look to Mai Ying´s photo. She had always been his only love.He emtied the cup that still steamed after he had drunk te last sip. He filled the cup again and had a look at the message that didn´t tell a lot.WE HOLD ABHISIT PRISONER. IF YOU WANT TO PREVENT HI DEATH, WAIT FOR OUR INSTRUCTIONS.Castillo had thought about it. He didn´t know what it all was about, but he was a policeman. A long time ago he had sworn to work for the law, and that´s what he stuck to in his lifetime. And he would neither take the order of any dubious individuals now. On the other hand, he didn´t want to be responsible for Abhisit´s death.The name Abhisit meant the same as "the privileged". So Castillo thought that he was a very special child for his parents. Castillo swore that he would do everything he could to keep Abhisit alive.With his availabe means, he started to secure the evidences. It was long ago that he had to improvise that much, but he still knew what to do.He removed the lead of a pencil and crushed it in a mortar. Then he took scotch tape, plastic bags, scissors, a soft brush, and new rubber gloves.Castillo hoped that the kidnapper hadn´t been careful all the time, and that he could find any evidence that leads him to the kidnapper´s trail.Castillo worked concentrated and searched meticulously on the envelope, the message, and on the photo... and then he found a forefinger print on the backside of the photo.One of his rare smiles flitted across his face while he was carefully securing the print."Rat pack!" he snarled. "I´ll tell you what happens if one picks a fight with Martin Castillo!"The coffee was cold now. Castillo took the cup, walked to the kitchen, and poured the coffee into the sink. He looked out of the window at the ocean. The water had calmed down, the waves weren´t that high, and as the wind had died down it was easier for the seagulls to sail.He recogized his neighbor, Carl, who was walking his Golden Retriever. Carl was carrying a toy for dogs in his right hand, a colored rope with knots at both ends. Then he threw the toy and the dog, Kennedy, ran enthusiastically after it to bring it back.Castillo returned to the living - room. He sat down on the couch and looked at Abhisit´s photo, but he had no idea why someone had sent him the photo. He had no siblings, and therefore no nephews. He had cousins, but he never got to know them because the whole family had turned their back to his father, Ramon.Ramon was an alcoholic who hit his wife and his son. His mother died when he was thirteen. She fell down the stairs and broke her neck, but Martin had seen her after her death. He had known that his father was to blame for her death. The policemen had also known it, but they hadn´t done anything.Martin left the house when he was old enough to visit the Police Academy and he had sworn that he always would be an upright policeman.But Martin was sure that Abhisit wasn´t a cousin´s son because he had Siamese features. Martin thought about Mai Ying, his only love.He leaned back, closed his eyes, and the pictures appeared as if it all had happened yesterday.It was his first year in Siam and it was spring. The night was warm, and the air was filled with typical Siamese music, the smell of delicious food, flowers, and joss sticks.At this evening, after night fall, the young unmarried women had to put their small paper ships adorned with flowers and candles into the river, so that the current swept them away. The hope for a beautiful future accompanied each of these paper ships.Mai Ying had also carried such a paper ship in her hands, adorned with blood red hibiscus. Shortly before she and the other women walked into the river to put the paper ships on the surface of the water, she had turned around, and had looked at Martin...Castillo started from the couch when the telephone started ringing. He noticed that he had fallen asleep. While he picked up the phone with his right hand, his left hand was wiping over his eyes. Then he started to massage his tense and paining neck."Yes?" he asked."I think in the meantime you´ve read our message," the ho**** voice told."Yes," Castillo answered and asked, "Who is Abhisit? And what do you want from me?""In the next days, you get experienced to our wishes... Abhisit is your son, Lieutenant," the man explained. He started laughing. It sounded like a seal´s barking.Castillo forgot to massage his nck, but he left his hand there.The man continued," In fact, we had planned to surprise you with a meeting with your wife, but then we found your son. Don´t you also think that the similarity between and your son is really huge? His name is Abhisit Martin. He was so thrilled to bits to get to know his father.Don´t mess it up!"The man hung up and Castillo noticed that he had stopped breathing. Slowly he also hung up. Abhisit was his son! That was the reason why Abhisit seemed to be familiar to him!But what did the kidnapper want from him? He was neither wealthy nor influential.Well, he would find out all about their mean plans ans then they had to learn that it wasn´t a good idea to pick a fight with Martin Castillo!IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: ANYWHERE IN THE NOWHERE Part 1

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12. ANYWHERE IN THE NOWHEREAbhisit heard the meallic noise of the release of the safety catch up. He retreated immediately. A mosquito buzzed next to his right ear and he hit after the annoying blood sucker without leaving his eyes from the door. He didn´t catch the little beast.During the time that he was stuck in the hut, he thought again and again about what he would do if Ross sometime opened the door. He wasn´t a coward and he had learned martial art for some years.Sitting in the unbearable hot hut and fighting against the hungry mosqitoes, that found entrance everywhere he had imagined how he would unload his rage at Ross... or whatever his name was.He would give him some well - aimed hits and kicks, and then Ross had to tell him the truth about everything. Abhisit would force him to take him away from here. He would take the gangster to the police so that his father could be very proud.In his fantasy he became a hero, but in reality he stepped back. Ross wasn´t alone and they were armed.Abhisit wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was sure that he stank like a herd of billy goats. Maybe Ross and his pals suffocated when he walked close to them.They unlocked the door. Sulight flooded into the hut. It was so harsh that Abhisit had to close his eyes. Then he squinted, but he could only recognize two black shadows who were carrying somebody into the hut."Oh, man, in this hut it´s stinking like as if this is a liquid manure pit. Couldn´t you air, Sit?" an sarcasticly sounding voice sneered.The other guy laughed. "Maybe this isn´t usual at the chinks, Ramon." It was Alex.Abhisit felt that the rage started bubbling in his stomach. He hated it when people looked down on others because they had a different look.He clenched his hands, but he didn´t do anything. Ross was standing at the door and his gun was aimed at Abhisit.Abhisit sneaked a look at the mattresses where Alex and Ramon had laid somebody down. The person sighed. The voice sounded female."Why did my father arrest you, Ross?" Abhisit asked."I had had the wrong boss," Ross snarled."Nobody goes to prison because..."Alex ht him at his shoulder. "Shut up!" he hissed.Without thinking about it, Abhisit hit him with the edge of his hand at the chin. Alex staggered backwards, stumbled over the edge of a mattress and fell onto the back."Damned chink!" he raged and jumped back on his feet.But Abhisit was already ready to fend him off. His legs were light wide apart, his elbows were bend, and his open hands were upright. The edges of his hands were directed in Alex´s direction."Finish!" Ross shouted angrily. "We haven´t enough time for such a rubbish! Go, and get the others into the hut. And you stay calm, Sit! Otherwise, I´ll blow a big, ugly hole in your bird brain!"Abhisit slowly took a deep breath. Self - control had been part of his martial art - training. And it was absolutly necessary that he controlled himself if he wanted to leave the hut alive."Why have you been in prison?" he repeated.Alex and Ramon lugged somebody in, probably a man because it was a tall person."Oh, man, that black guy is damned heavy!" Alex´ groaned and confirmed Abhisit´s suggestions that this hostage was male."I´ve had the wrong boss," Ross replied.Alex and Ramon let the man fall down on the mattress. The man groaned hollowly. It sounded like the rumble of a baer. The woman next to him sighed again. Apparantly she was regaining consciousness.Alex and Ramon hurriedly left the hut."What do you want from my father? How did you actually find me?" Abhisit wanted to know."A friend of mine, who was also arrested because of your father, knew several things about your mother," Ross answered."Why do you tell him all these things?" Alex groaned when he and Ramon returned with another hostage, a white man."Why not?" Ross shrugged casually. "He´ll never get out of here."After Alex and Ramon had laid down the white man they left the hut again. Ramon returned to give Abhisit four bottles of mineralwater and some bags with cookies."And don´t eat them all at once," Ross ironically told. He sounded as if he was speaking to a child he had given some candies. Then he closed the door. A moment later, a car left with squeezing tyres.The only things that stayed behind was the nerve - racking buzzling of the mosquitoes, three further hostages, and the knowledge that the kidnapper didn´t want to give them back their freedom when everything was finished.Abhisit walked closer to the mattresses to have a look at his fellow - sufferers.He looked at the woman. She was black, and had short, straightened hair with only a few grey strands. She had a good figure, and she was wearing a tight, wine red dress, and only one high - heel. She moved, sighed, and raised her hand to her right ear.The man next to her was black and rather tall, approximately 6,2 ft, and he had a muscular build. He was wearing gym - shoes, shorts, and a once white T - shirt. As an opponent, one shouldn´t underestimate him.He squinted, turned around to his right side, and raised his hand to the back of his head. The other man sat up groaning.He was a white man with dark- blond hair who also looked athletic. He was wearing jeans and a light blue shirt that stood open until his navel. He had a gash at his left hand, but it had already stopped bleeding."What has happened?" the white man asked."You´ve been kidnapped," Abhisit answered. "Like me, like the lady, and the man next to you. My name is Abhisit Martin Wang.""Billy Crockett. Please, call me Billy."The black man also sat up. "Kidnapped?" he snarled. Again he raised his hand to the back of his head. "If I catch the guy that had hit on my head, I make him into Salami.""Don´t invite me to lunch, then," Billy said. "What is your name?""Alessio Montoya, and if this is a ransom - story, the guys have caught the wrong man. My grandmother is my only relative and she isn´t wealthy."Abhisit sat down next to the woman. "My mother isn´t wealthy, neither. And my father...? No, I don´t think so."Trudy regained consciousness. She felt as if she had had an anaesthesia. Her brain seemed to be wrapped in cotton and didn´t really work. She couldn´t held her eyes open and the right side of her head was badly aching. It felt as if someone had torn her ear off."A nightmare!" she groaned."Trudy?" Billy amazingly asked. "Trudy Joplin?""Oh, you know each other," Abhisit said."We´re colleagues," Billy answered. "We´re both working for Miami Vice.""Great," Alessio ironically mumbled. "The policee, your friend and helper. They´re always there when you need them.""Do you have anything to drink?" Trudy asked. "I´m so thirsty! I could empty the Miami River!"Abhisit jumped up, got the bottles of water and distributed them. "Devide it well," Abhisit advised.With a hissing noise, they unscrewed the top and drank."How long are you staying in the hut, Sit?" Billy asked."Frankly speaking, I don´t know. What day do we have today?" Abhisit wanted to know."Sunday," Trudy replied."So, I´m staying in the hut since Thursday." Abhisit opened one of the cookie bags and offered them to the others. "A man, Ross, spoke to me one week ago. He claimed that my father wasn´t kill in the fight against General Lao Li´s men, but was a policeman in Miami. He said that my father, in the mean - time, retired. My mother had warned me to accompany Ross to Miami without speaking to my father first..." Abhisit snorted. He bit into the cookie and chewed."Castillo," Trudy said and asked,"Is your father´s name Martin Castillo?"Abhisit startled. "Yes, do you know him?""If I know him? He was my boss for twenty years, and also Billy´s father´s, Sonny´s, boss. But the big question is, why have we been kidnapped?"Abhisit raised both of his hands. "Don´t ask me! Ross only told me that they would give any orders to my father, and that I´m free if he obeys the order." He put his hands down and confessed,"But I don´t believe it.""Why?" Billy wanted to know. "Ross told me something like that," Abhisit answered. He sighed. "And before you ask, there´s no way to get out of here. Since I regained consciousness I´m searching for an escape route. The ground is very hard. One can´t dig without a tool. The hut is new and solid. The gable windows are so small that not even a child could escape through them, and the door opens to the inside of the hut. In the lower part, there´s a cat flap. It´s only big enough for a cat to walk in and out. Ross gives me my food and the bottle through this flap. Oh...hrm ... before I forget it...there´s a pit over there in the right corner for...you know what I mean. Next to it there´s a mount of earth so that you can...hrm...cover it.""I think you´ve done a really good work, but we shouldn´t stop searching for an escape route," Alessio said and got up. "I don´t know how you see it, but I don´t want a burial site somewhere in the jungle."IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: IN MIAMI

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  • 2 weeks later...

13. IN MIAMISonny only needed a moment to make a decision after the unknown man had hung up, He saw clearly why someone had written the wrong name on the envelope. As many hands as possible should touch the envelope to cover the prints up. A clever trick. But someone had touched Billy´s badge and the writing paper. Maybe he had luck.Sonny called Pam Snider who was working for CSI. He asked her to come to his office to secure some evidences."It´s very important, it´s urgent, and you must promise to treat it confidentially," Sonny said."That sounds serious," Pam answered. "I´m there in five minutes."Sonny unpatiently ran around in the office while he was waiting for Pam. He heard the telephones ringing, and someone closed the drawer of a filing cabinet loudly. Something landed on the floor with a loud bang, and Jenny swore rather unladylike.Why should he come to Miami? Why did someone kidnap Billy? And what had happened with Trudy? He suddenly thought about EL GRANDE MAGO.Sonny hurried to Jenny who had just hung up the phone to pay her attention to the screen again. He asked, "Can you obtain me some information? He calls himself EL GRANDE MAGO."Jenny looked at Sonny. "And?" she asked.Sonny shrugged and aswered, "I don´t know more...oh, one thing... our old customer Domenico Franco seems to be a very good friend of his. If you find something out, call me on my mobile. I have to drive to Miami for a few days.""OK," Jenny replied.A man opened the door and rushed in. It was Detective Luke Sanders."Oh, Lieutenant," Luke said. "Great that I´ve caught you. I thought that it was your Corvette on the parking lot..."Sonny quietly sighed. Luke was a crawler who talked like a waterfall without giving important information.Luke continued,"I think I´ve got something..."At this moment, Pam Snider walked into the office and passed Luke. She was at the beginning of her fourties, almost as tall as Sonny, and slim. Her short, light blond colored hair was tousled styled on purpose. It was so hard of styling mousse that onny once asked himself if Pam needn´t to apply for a gun - license for her hair."I´m very sorry, Sanders, but we talk later, OK?" Sonny told and tried to hide the big grin that wanted to spread out on his face. "Escaped!" he thought.Luke turned around. He was disappointed and when he left the office he mumbled,"And I thought that he´s interested in everything that´s got something to do with Miss Fowler."Pam said hello to Jenny and followed Sonny to his office. In her right hand she was carrying a black leather - case. She had a look at the badge and the paper and she listened to Sonny´s explanations while she was packing the evidences."I´ll call you as soon as possible," she promised when she and Sonny left the office.Sonny drove home. He was so distracted of his thoughts that he almost had run over the famous homeless person, Sammy. He reeled from one side to the other without paying attention to the traffic. Sonny recognized him suddenly and braked hard. His heart slid down to his feet. The car stopped exactly in front of Sammy who propped himself against the ood. He gave Sonny a teethless smile while he continued walking.Sonny drove to his apartment with its light and friendly furniture. But there weren´t any plants. Sonny always forgot to water them and even palm hold this against someone.He packed a bag and hoped that one week could be enough to finish the nightmare. Even when he put the toilet bag into the bag, Stan called to tell him about the things that had happened."Unambiguous, there was a fight in Billy´s house," Stan said. "I found evidences that the lady, I´ve told you about, had spent the night with Billy. We don´t know who she is and we don´t know what had happened with her and Billy.""OK," Sonny replied. "I´m glad to hear that Trudy is alive. I´m on the way to Miami. There´s a reservation for me in the MERCURY SOUTH BEACH RESORT.""What a coincidence," Stan said. "Rico takes the four - o´clock - flight and will stay at the same motel. Why don´t we meet tonight? Maye in Rico´s old favorite bar.""OK," Sonny agreed. "But I don´t believe in coincidences with this case."He said bye, hung up, and left the apartment.At the other side of the road, a young Asian was sitting in an inconspicious small car. He watched Sonny when he left the apartment - house, got into his car, and filted the Corvette into the stream of traffic.The young Asian smiled, dialed a mobile number and said,"Crockett is on the way to Miami."Rico also packed his bag. He put the few photos he had from Ricardo into his billfold and told the secretary in his office that he would leave New York for a week. Then he called a taxi and rode to the airport. A lot of questions were spinning around in his mind. His son was alive, but he was kidnapped! Why? Why did it happen now? Was it really his son? And what had Trudy to do with all of this?At the airport, Rico got a message that Trudy was alive, but that she and Billy were also kidnapped. Rico asked Stan if he could obtain information about a woman named Maria Montoya. But then he had to hurry if he didn´t want to miss his flight.He didn´t pay attention to the elderly Asian who was sitting at the other side of the corridor. The man looked at him and then he smiled.Castillo had packed the evidences and left his house. If he wanted to find out whose fingerprint he had secured, he needed the help of his old colleagues. He was sure that his old team would support him. But he wasn´t sure about that in question of Dorian Knight. He was obscure, rude, and often impossible.After the wind had died down, the moist air was like a wall, and felt uncomfortable.Castillo got into his car. When he turned on the street, he saw Mrs. Clark´s cat that was carrying a mouse in her mouth. Probably she was on the way home.Castillo waved his hand when he passed by Carl and Kennedy. The dog was wet, but he looked very confident.When he turned on the mainstreet, he recognized the Explorer that was following him. He wasn´t surprised, but had calculated with that. Theefore, he carried the evidences in his inside pocket.He parked his Ford at the headquarter´s parking lot and walked to the entrance. He saw the Explorere´s reflections in the glass door, but he couldn´t realize the driver.He walked into the big, modern office of his old team. Even on Sunday, it was hectic. The telephones were ringing, the secretaries who were on duty ran around and the computers were running. The air was filled with diferent voices, and the smell of deodorant, perfume, after - shave, and fresh brewed coffee."I know that this is a case of the Homicide Division," Damian indignantly told somebody at the phone. "But one of my colleagues is involved in this. I need the ballistic report."Castillo was standing in the office. He looked around. The situation reminded him of his first day as a Vice - Lieutenant. He had been standing in the office without beeing noticed until he whistled.Stan passed him by. "Hello, Lieutenant," he said. The he turned towards Gina. "Carla examinates the hairs and tells us about the results as soon as possible. How are things going on here?""Jones takes care for Trudy´s mobile," Gina answered. "He´s confident. He says mobiles are more robust as we all can imagine. He´ll send me Trudy´s call list to my computer as soon as it´s available."Ben sighed. "I´ve checked the telephone access in Trudy´s apartment. Nobody had called her this morning." He realized Castillo who was still standing at the door. "Hello, Lieutenant," he said.A little smile flashed over Castillo´s face. "There´s a lot going on here, right?""You´re telling me," Stan answered and listed,"Trudy was kidnapped, Billy was abducted, Tubbs´ son, who apparantly was killed in 1985, was also kidnapped, and Rico and Sonny are on the way to Miami." With a big grin in his face Stan asked,"And what can we do for you, Lieutenant?"Castillo put the photo and the secured fingerprint, both packed in plastic bags, on Gina´s desk. The Vice - detectives bended forward to have a look at the photo."Who is that?" Gina asked.Castillo took a deep breath. "That´s my son, Abhisit. He was also kidnapped.""What`s going on her?" Knight suddenly asked with a frosty voice. "Don´t you have to work?""Of course, but...," Stan said, but Knight cut him short. "Oh, Castillo, a friendly visit shortly before quitting time?""No, I want to ask for support. I thought...," Castillo replied."As it´s got nothing to do with drugs and hookers, you might have to turn to the relevant department. We´re not responsible for kidnapping - cases. Switek, you, Bradford, and Parson take care for the Cruz - observation. Calabrese, I´ve got desk work for you," Knight said and returned to his office, followed by the looks of nine people."Rude," Ramona snarled and slammed a drawer."Impossible," Gina added."If he thinks that we let you down, he is very much mistaken," Stan said.Damian added,"My sister Carla is working at the crime lab. I´ll take the evidences to her." Then he left the office.Castillo turned around and looked at Knight´s closed office door. "Amazing," he said. "Where from did he know that I´m here because of a kidnapping - case?"IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: AT TOM´S BAR

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14. AT TOM´S BARSonny walked in the lobby of the MERCURY SOUTH BEACH RESORT. For a moment he stopped and looked around. The ground tiles were light grey and polished and the walls were painted in lobster - red. Four big pictures with beach motive themes in frames of light wood were hanging at the walls, and different palms were spread in the room.At the right side, there were several comfortable, ruby - red leather seats. Always between two of them, there was a small square table of elder. The reception desk was made of elder, too.Sonny looked at the people who were sitting on the seats. There was a young couple with five bags, an elderly grey - haired woman with a poodle that suited exactly to the color of her hair, and a young woman with fantastic legs. He couldn´t see a lot of her because she was reading a magazine.Sonny walked to the reception desk. The woman on the leather seat let the magazine sink a little bit so that she could have a look at Sonny. She got up, threw a strand of her long, black hair over her shoulder, and left he motel.The receptionist gave Sonny the key, number 1402. Sonny asked for messages, but the receptionist, Louisa Winter, said no."A friend of mine, Ricardo Tubbs, arrives also today. Would you call me if he´s checked in?" Sonny asked.Louisa Winter smiled at him. "Of course, Mr. Crockett."Sonny used the elevator. Then he walked along the hallway to his room where he looked around. Behind the door, there was a built - in cupboard. Opposite of the entrance, there was a small bathroom with white tiles, a washbasin, a toilet, and a shower, but without a window. It was very clean. the smell of fresh lemon was filling the air.Sonny returned to the bedroom. A light - blue fitted carpet was lying on the floor. To his left, there was a queen - size bed standing, covered with a rainbow - colored quilt. Bedside tables flanked the bed. On them, there were small lights with rainbow - colored lampshades, suitable to the quilt, and the lamp under the ceiling. Besides that, the room was furnitured with a desk and a desk chair (standing at the window), two small armchairs of elder with dark - blue seats, and a small round table. For his welcome, there was a vase with five yellow roses in it standing on the table.Sonny looked out of the window. His room offered a fantastic view over the ocean, the cloudy sky that spanned the ocean, and the beach promenade. He saw good - looking woman in tight shorts or skirts and tops. Some were wearing bikinis. Two women kept their dogs (a Mastiff and a German Sheepdog) on leashes. Two homeless men were reeling along the promenade. One was carrying a bottle of schnapps, but Sonny couldn´t see how much schnapps was in the bottle.He unpacked his suitcase. Then he ran back and forth in the room while he was thinking about if he should call Caroline or not in Atlanta. He held the mobile in his hand, but then he decided not to call her. He would only frighten her without having real information.Night had fallen when Rico got into a taxi at Miami International Airport. He told the driver the address of the motel. Then he leaned backwards, and did what he had done since he had gotten the first information. He thought of the day in May 1985.At the other side of the road, the Asian got into a black Porsche. He grinned at the man at the steering wheel. "Is everything OK?" he asked.The man nodded and replied with a ho**** voice," Very well, man. Crockett has still arrived and Castillo is very worried."The older Asian dialed a number and told that Ricardo Tubbs had arrived in Miami.Rico walked to the reception desk and told Louisa Winter his name. He looked around. Two men in dark suits, carrying black suitcases and talking to each other, came in. A woman with long, black hair was sitting on one of the seats. She seemed to be rather bored, but when she caught his eyes she smiled.Rico got the key for 1403 and the message that a friend, Mr. Crockett, was staying in 1402.Rico thanked her. He used the elevator, but he decided to unpack his clothes first before he wanted to knock at Sonny´s door. But before he was ready with unpacking his clothes, someone knocked at his door. It was Sonny.The friends looked at each other. They both had gotten older. There were small lines next to the eyes that hadn´t been there in the past and here and there were some grey hairs.The friends grinned and hugged each other. "We didn´t meet for a long time," Sonny said and closed Rico´s door. "What are you doing so far in the south?"Rico took a deep breath. "It´s because of my son, Ricardo. Apparantly, he´s alive and was kidnapped, the same as your son and Trudy."He ran back and forth while telling Sonny about the things he knew, but that wasn´t that much.Sonny leaned at the wall, his arms fold in front of his chest, and he listened to Rico´s explanations. Then he said, "It sounds logical, but nevertheless crazy. Let´s drive to Tom´s Bar. Stan and Gina will meet us there. Maybe they know something new."They used Sonny´s Corvette, and Rico looked around. Miami´s streets were as busy as in the past. Some neon signs had changed, others had disappeared. Some buldings had been pulled down and had been replaced with more modern and more beautiful buildings. But the prostitutes were still waiting at the familiar places for johns, and the young people were hanging around at other corners with their friends.Rico was sitting next to Sonny and it wa almost the same as in the past.Eventually, they stopped in front of Tom´s Bar. The name was still the same and in the bar only little had changed. The lamps above the dark wooden bar were new and Rico couldn´t remember the disco balls above the dance floor, neither.Good - looking, dark - haired twins were the bartenders. One of them was wearing a black skirt and a coral - red top, the other twin had chosen the colores vice versa.The bar was crowded. Bon Jovi sang "It´s My Life", smoke and a lot of different voices were filling the air. Many people were dancing.Ric and Sonny needed a moment to make their eyes used to the gloomy light, but then Rico discovered the old friends. Gina and Stan had chosen the farthest table from the loudspeakers.Gina noticed the two ex - colleagues first, and when she looked at Sonny she felt the same butterflies in her stomach like in the past."Get a rip of yourself now, Calabreses," she thought. "You´re no longer 25...but he´s still a damned good - looking guy!"Sonny gave Gina a hug and she thought amazingly,"He´s still using the same after - shave as in the past."RIco first said hello to Stan, then he said hello to Gina. They ordered drinks with the twin in the black skirt. Then Stan asked," Why did you come to Miami, Rico?"Again Rico told hs story before Stan told them about Castillo´s visit in the office.Rico shook his head. "This story is getting more and more crazy."When Duffy started singing "Mercy", the twin in the coral - red colored skirt came to them. "Is one of you...ehm...," she had a look on the envelope that she was carrying in her hand. "...Tubbs?""It´s me," Rico replied.She gave him the envelope and explained, "I should give you that from the man..." She turned around and looked to the bar. "Oh, he has already left. One moment ago, he was sitting at the edge of the bar.""What did he look like?" Rico wanted to know.The woman shrugged. "He was a bit older, maybe between fourty and fifty. He had brown hair and a scar." She pointed next to the left side of her chin to show Rico where the man had the scar."Thanks," Rico answered and smiled at her.Rio looked around, even though he was sure that the man had already left the bar. He hesitated for a moment, then he put the envelope in the inside pocket of his sand - colored jacket. He would open it later."Maria Monoya, what could you find out about her,Stan?" Rico asked."Not that much," Stan admitted. "She isn´t in the police computer. Her vest is so white that one could get blind, although he´s wearing sunglasses. She and her grandson, Alessio, are living in an nice house in Coral Gables. I couldn´t find out where she gets the money from she needs for her maintenance and her grandson´s training. Alessio is a law - student."Rico and Sonny looked around in hope to discover the man with the scar at the chin, but it got more and more difficult to see something, anyway. The smoke got thicker and the air worse. More and the more people came into the bar and the noise level raised, the more crowded the bar got."That´s really little information," Rico shouted over the table."Maria is 64 years old, Alessio is 23," Stan shouted back. "Three times a week, Maria does voluntary work for MONTANA´S SOUPKITCHEN."Rico was amazed."MONTANA´S SOUPKITCHEN is still existing?"Stan nodded. "In the meantime, there are five vehicles on the streets."Sonny got up. "I get us some more drinks," he said. He forced himself a way through the crowd. A young woman stumbled backwards against him. She smiled and shouted," Sorry!" She looked him up and down and turned around. Probably she was at the beginning of her twenties...and he was an old man for her.At the bar, he ordered drinks with the twin in the coral - red skirt. While he was waiting, he looked around. The green young things, that were running around here, seemed to be just old enough to get the permission to visit bars.Nevertheless, he noticed a woman that was looking at him with interest. She had long, back hair, a small face, and a snub nose. She was good - looking and all her curves were at the right places.Sonny also smiled, but at the moment he wasn´t keen about an affair. Maybe she visited Tom´s Bar more often. When the kidnapping - case was over, he would come back to see if she was there.When he returned to the table with the drinks, Stan gave Rico a piece of paper. "That´s her address and her telephone number.""Thanks, Stan. I´ll call her tomorrow. She has to answer me some questions," Rico said and put the piece of paper into his pocket.Sonny gave the drinks to the friends. "If you want to visit her, I´ll take you there," he offered and Rico nodded. "That would be great.""What´s with the envelope´s content?" Gina wanted to know. "Shall we examinate it on fingerprints?"Sonny raised his glass, and they drank. Sonny looked around in search for the attractive, black - haired woman, but it was too crowded.Rico confessed," I would like to look at the content with more light.""We could drive to the office. You can have a look at the message, and thereafter I take it to the lab," Gina suggested.Rico nodded. "A great idea."A bit later, they left the bar. Outside, Gina´s mobile started ringing. She had a look at the display, sighed, and explained," My daughter, Elena. Excuse me for a moment."She walked some steps away. Rico looked around. The area was both, familiar and strange. When he had come to Miami in 1994, he had noticed that he had missed the city, the more casual life, and even sometimes the unbearable heat.But he was sure that it had been the right decision to leave Miami 1989. He had experienced a great time with Vice. He had collected a lot of experiences he, probably, couldn´t have learned somewhere else."Here am I again," Gina said andd snorted," Children!""How old?" Rico asked."Sixteen," Gina answered and Rico understood immediately what she was talking about.Gina rode with Stan, and Rico rode with Sonny who was looking around. Then he saw the black - haired woman passing by his car. She looked at him, smiled, and waved her hand with wriggling fingers. Sonny also waved his hand.Rico noticed it, looked outside and said smiling," Still the same Casanova, right?"Sonny grinned and started the engine. "Do you want to tell me that you´re a monk now?"Sonny filted the Corvette into th stream of traffic."I´ve been living with a fantastic woman, Donna, for eight years, Sonny," Rico told. "Donna died in December at lymphatic gland cancer.""I feel very sorry," Sonny sincerely said.They drove to the headquarter, an assymetrical looking building in an orange coat of paint. When Rico visited Miami in 1994, the old OCB - building was still existing.Now the Vice - offices were on the 4th floor, and even though it was late at night, several offices were illuminated and computers were running. They could hear voices and smell fresh brewed coffee.In the Vice - office, Rico took the envelope out of his inside pocket. He opened it carefully and shook the content on Gina´s desk while Gina was switching on her computer. The criminal - technical - engineer, Mark Jones, had sent a short message to her,"Trudy´s mobile list is on your p.c."Rico stared at the photos that were sliding out of the envelope. hey all showed Ricardo (he should better learn to call him Alessio) in different ages: Alessio´s first Christmas (the almost one year old boy was sitting with beaming eyes in front of the Christmas tree), the maybe three years old boy was collecting mussels on the beach, his first day at school, Alessio, who was fooling around with a girl at a party, and kissing a blond woman in front of the law - school in Coral Gables.Rico looked at the different stations in his son´s life. For him, there was no doubt that this was his son. Nevertheless, he took the baby photo out of his billfold and held it next to the photo of the boy sitting in front of the Christmas tree.Suddenly Gina said," Please, come and have a look at that! I can´t believe it! Why should HE lure Trudy into a trap?"IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: WITH MARIA MONTOYA

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15. WITH MARIA MONTOYA Monday, April 1stThey stood around the computer and looked unbelievably and aghasted at the screen, but the letters and numbers didn´t change."Tomorrow morning, I´ll take this to Commissioner Henderson," Stan said with serious expressions.Gina printed the list for him while Rico was looking at the photos. When he put them back into the envelope (he used a tweezer for that) he saw that there was something else in the envelope. It was a postcard with Miami´s skyline on it and a message on the backside."WE HOPE THAT THESE PHOTPS ARE GOOD ENOUGH AS EVIDENCES THAT YOUR SON IS ALIVE. AS AN ADDITIONAL PLEDGE WE´VE ALSO KIDNAPPED TRUDY, YOUR SWEETHEART. IF YOU DON´T MEET OUR DEMAND, WE´LL THROW DICE ABOUT WHO DIES FIRST.""Why do they think that something´s going on between me and Trudy?" Rico wondered. "We´re just good friends. Besides that, New York and Miami are too wide apart for a hot affair."Gina gave Stan the list. Then she admitted,"Damian was always very jealous. Trudy told me sometime that Damian knows that this is his problem. His first merriage failed because of this." She sighed and looked openly at Rico. "You and Trudy have called each other very often, above all in the last six months..."Rico opened his mouth to defend himself, but Gina raised her right hand. "That´s not an accusation, but only a comment. Donny felt really bad and died and Trudy was there for you as a friend. That´s OK, Rico. But Damian got always excited and angry about that. He and Trudy had a lot of arguments because of this...at home and also in public. Someone had heard it and had drawn the wrong conclusions."Rico put the postcard into the envelope. Gina wanted to bring it to the CSI, and after this Stan would give her a ride. They arranged to call each other at noon and meet if possible. Then they separated.Phil Collins was singing "I Can´t Stop Loving You" when Rico and Sonny returned to the motel. It was late. Almost all bars were closed, the neon lights were switched off, and there was only little traffic.The lights in the motel were dimmed down. Louisa Winter had left. Instead, a slim young man with a chinbeard was working behind the desk.Rico and Sonny got into the elevator and Sonny asked,"Everything´s OK, Rico?""No, man," Rico snarled. "Nothing is OK until the hostages are free and the gangsters are in prison. I can´t stop thinking about that Trudy is in this situation only because she´s a great friend.""Nobody could know that something like that would happen," Sonny replied and put his hands into his trousers´ pockets.The elevator doors opened and they walked along the hallway to their rooms. The dark blue carpet lowered their steps."I want to visit Maria Montoya unexpectedly," Rico told shortly before they separated.Sonny nodded. "Half past nine?" he asked."OK," Rico answered.They didn´t sleep well. Rico thought about the day when Angelina died, and about the funeral. He asked himself where the hostages could be and if they were treated well.Sonny´s thoughts twisted around his son, Billy, and the question if he should call caroline or not. And there was one big question: What did the kidnapper want?"They had a rather quiet breakfast the next morning in a café opposite the motel. It was a small café with only five tables. There were small, dark blue square table cloths on them and yellow serviettes."You´re still a vegetarian?" Sonny asked amazingly after Rico had ordered his breakfast."One is a vegetaran out of conviction," Rico answered.After breakfast, they drove to Coral Gables and found the right address immediately. Maria was living in a nice, one - storey house. The garden was bordered by a hedge. The light bended way to the house was paved and wided out in front of the double garage at the right side of the house. Flower beds hemmed the way, and palms and blooming bushes spread out on the lawn.In front of the garage, there was a black Hummer and a silver Mercedes station wagon parking. Behind the Mercedes there was standing a fire red Ford Focus.Sonny parked his car behind the Focus, and they walked to the front door. On the deck, there was a hammock swinging in the light wind.Rico rang the door bell and a moment later a woman opened the door. It was Maria Montoya. She was black, plump, and reached Rico only to his shoulders. She had short black hair with some grey strings in it. She had a round face with coffee brown eyes, and a small wide nose. Her eyes were puffy because of the tears she had cried. She was wearing jeans and a wide flowered blouse.Politely Rico said,"Sorry that I didn´t call first, Mrs. Montoya. This is Sonny Crockett and I´m Ricardo Tubbs. I urgently need to talk to you."Maria looked at Rico and nodded. "The similarity is obvious. Besids that, I´ve been waiting for you."Maria walked into the living - room with the walnut furniture and the eggshell - colored three - piece suite with the big pattern of roses on it and the red and green cushions. Plants were standing and hanging everywhere, and Rico noticed a lot of photos of Alessio.On the wooden coffee - table there were standing two big, coffee - cups ad next to them Rico noticed a piece of paper.In an armchair, there was sitting a young blond woman. Rico recognized that it was the woman Alessio had been kissing on the photo. They shook hands and the woman said that her name was Anna Marmann. She was from Hamburg.Maria offered coffee and gave Rico the message that was lying on the table."WE´VE KIDNAPPED ALESSIO. DON´T CALL THE POLICE, BUT WAIT FOR TUBBS," Rico read aloud. He looked at Maria and regretted,"I´m here now, but I think I can´t help you. In fact, I hope that you can help me. I´ve got a lot of questions."Anna got up and walked to the kitchen to get the fresh brewed coffee."Where should I start?" Maria asked.A flee slammed against the window, and in the kitchen the coffee machine finished with a groaning noise."The day when Angelina died," Rico suggested.Maria nodded. "You should know that I was Orlando´s nanny since he´d been three weeks old. I was always the only one who took care for him, and I was the only one who could say everything to him. But I had no earthly idea, what he wanted to do in Miami until the moment when I had a look out of the window of the Villa he had rented. From there I had a good view over the light house bay."Anna returned with the high - grade steel thermos jug and two white cups. While Anna was filling the cups, Maria continued," I saw when two of his men were carrying his fettered sister into the car, but I couldn´t do anything...""You could have called the police," Rico said, but Maria shook her head. "I wasn´t alone. Then Paolo came and brought the baby...""Paolo?"Sonny asked and took the cup in his hand."Paolo Sanchez," Maria explained. "He had already worked for Orlando´s father and he was very annoyed with you, Mr. Tubbs... He gave me the boy and told me to take care of him until his boss returns."Maria drank a sip of coffee and smiled in remembrance of the baby. "He was really sweet and laughed at me. I knew that I wouldn´t give Orlando the baby..."The smile disappeared. She looked to Anna, knowing that Alessio´s girlfriend never had heard about these things before. Anna sat in the armchair and looked down to her hands.Maria took a deep breath and continued,"When the shed exploded, I thought that Orlando was dead, but he wasn´t. He was wet and injured, but alive. I told him that I wanted to keep the baby."Rico put his empty coffee - cup on the table and amaingly asked," And he said simply yes?"Anna offered him more coffee, Rico said yes. He looked back to Maria and saw her smiling. She shook her head and contradicted," Oh, no, he didn´t say simply yes. He shouted, he raged, and he threw a lot of things at the wall. But Orlando knew me well. And he knew that he couldn´t change my mind. Sometime, he left, door slamming, the room and when he returned about an hour later, he said yes, but only on conditions. He would give me a paying off for all the years I had worked for him, but I had to leave the house immediately. Besides that, I had to swear that the boy will never get to know who his parents were and I had to give him a new name.""You´ve changed your whole life for someone else´s baby?" Sonny asked ironically.Maria leaned forward and looked openly at him. "It´s the same what I had done for Orlando in the past. But Orlando was a mean man like his father. After I knew that he was his sister´s murderer, I didn´t want to stay."Rico listened to her and watched a flee that landed on the table where some sugar crumbs were lying. Almost desperate the flee ran around, not knowing which crumb to choose."Who, except from Calderone, knew about your address?" he asked."Paolo knew about it. He visited me every year at my birthday, on Easter, and on Christmas to bring me a little present until orlando died. Thereafter, he stayed away for a long time," Maria recalled.Sonny emptied his cup. Anna got up immediately to fill it again, but Sonny raised his hand and shook his head to tell her that he didn´t want more coffee. Then he asked,"Does that mean that Paolo had visited you recently?"Maria nodded. "Yes, it was... let me think about it...at the end of February. Suddenly he showed up at my door and gave me flowers."Rico raised his look from the flee on the table. He drank a sip of coffee and asked,"What did he want?""He wanted to know how things were going on with me and Alessio, talked a little, and having a look at the old photos...," Maria listed."Did he take some photos when he left?" Rico asked.Maria looked amazingly at him. "Why should he do that?""Someone had sent me different phots of Alessio," Rico replied.Ten minutes later, they knew that Paolo had stolen Maria the photos he had sent to Rico, exept of the photo where Alessio and Anna were kissing.Rico asked Maria for a description of Paolo, and then Anna told him and Sonny what had happened on Sunday morning. She and Alessio always met on Sunday morning to go jogging. They always met at the same time on the same beach.Anna thought that Alessio was in time because Alessio never was late. She, herself, was always ten minutes too late.When she had arrived yesterday, she only found the Hummer. The door was open and at the window pane behind the driver´s door, there were blood splashes. On the driver´s seat, she had found the message.Even though Maria turned it down, Rico told her that he would call his old colleagues from Vice because not only Alessio, but three more people had been kidnapped.Then Rico called Stan.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: THE FIRST ARREST

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16. THE FIRST ARREST Monday, April 1stAs usual, Dorian Knight hurried with pinched eyes and together pressed lips to his office. "Morning," he said, but had closed his office door before one could reply.Angela and Sarah walked into the office together with Ben and Damian."Disappeared," Damian unbelievably said. "He´s simply disappeared!""Good morning," Gina said, and added,"Who or what has disappeared?"Damian took his cup, walked to the coffee machine, and filled his cup with the caption SIMPLY THE BEST. Then he answered, "Emanuel Cruz. He had already left his house the day before yesterday. But we first got to know about it this morning. We had observed his house from a boat and wondered because it was dark inside."Damian walked to his desk and sat down on his chair. He looked tired, but probably he didn´t find sleep because of Trudys kidnapping.He continued, "We thought that he paints the town red. Therefore, we had visited all his favorite bars. An informant told us this morning that Cruz had left.""EL GRANDE MAGO," Ben said. He had also filled his cup with coffee, and now he sat down half on Damian´s desk."I don´t know what you´ve got with that magician," Damian mumbled and carefully drank a sip of the hot coffee."EL GRANDE MAGO?" Gina curiously asked. Who´s that?""A good question," Ben praised. "Someone had told me that he recruits criminals, for example, Victor Bonivar, but nobody believes me.""I´ve also got news to tell," Gina told and gave signs to the two men to come closer to her.Suddenly Knight hurried out of his office. "Gina, what´s about the Donovan report?" he asked in his usual unfriendly way."I´m working on it. I only need...," Gina started to tell, but was interrupted," I give you one hour for that!" Then he left the office."If he had let me speak out, he would know now that I can finish the report in ten minutes, but in one hour HE can be history," Gina said.Then she told Damian and Ben about the things she had learned about last night. Damian got very steamed, and Ben had to make him clear that it was better for the hostages to stay calm now.When Damian´s mobile started ringing, he took some deep breaths before he had a look at the display. It was his sister, Carla. Knight returned when Damian recieved the call. At the same time, Gina´s telephone started ringing."Bradford, you and Parson, come to my office in half an hour. It´s about the Cruz´s observation," Knight scarcely told."Well, there´s nothing...," Ben replied, but he was interrupted," In half an hour.""Good morning, Carla," Damian said to his sister. "Did you have a good night?""Good morning, Rico," GIna said at the same time. "Oh, yes, Stan is very busy at the moment." Gina squinted to Knight, but the man had already turned his back to her and walked back to his office."Oh, really?" Damian surprisingly asked and looked at Gina. "Gina didn´t tell about it. But...it doesn´t matter. What kind of news do you have for me?" He walked to his desk to write a note."Paolo Sanchez," Gina mumbled while she was writing the name on a piece of paper. "I´ll ask the computer about information about this man..." - "Lunch at the Ocean Club? That sounds good..." - "At 12:30 PM? OK, I´ll tell Stan about it. See you then."Gina hung up and told," Possibly we´ve got the name of..."At that moment Stan, Commissioner Henderson, and two policemen walked into the office. They said good morning, but walked immediately to Knight´s office, then.Behind this procession, Sharon walked in, carrying some files under her arms. She raised her eyebrows and her look amazingly followed the men. Then she looked at Ramona who was standing at a filing cabinet. Ramona pulled faces and wagged her right hand. That meant," A serious matter!"Everybody stared at the Lieutenant´s office, but if the had calculated that Knight would shout angrily, they were mistaken. After only five minutes, Knight, Stan, the Commissioner, and the policemen left the office. Knight was very calm, but his look showed his anger."He claims that he´s innocent," Stan told. "Apparantly he had lost his mobile on Friday. He even gave Commissioner Henderson his jacket so that he should have a look into the pockets.""Oh, come on, that was a trick. He did it because he hoped that Henderson wouldn´t search for the mobile. For me, that´s an absolutely transparent move! As if the mobile was in his pocket!" Damian snarled. "Knight isn´t an idiot!""The mobile WAS in his pocket," Stan said."OK, cross out the last sentence. By the way, Carla found out that the earring, that was found at the crime scene, belonged to Trudy. Besides that, we´ve got a name that matches on the fingerprints on both, the photo´s of Castillo´s son and Tubbs´ son," Damian told. He looked at Gina. "You didn´t tell me that Tubbs had been here.""I did," Gina contradicted, leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I had mentioned it when I told you what had happened in Tom´s Bar."Stan looked around Damian´s right arm to have a look at the piece of paper in Damian´s hand. "What´s that?"Damian waved with the piece of paper. "The fingerprints belong to a man named Paolo Sanchez, the hairs that had been secured in Billy´s house belong to Rachel Anderson," Damian answered."What a coincidence," Gina surprisingly said. "That´s the same name that Rico had told me. He said that Sanchez had worked for Orlando Calderone. After Calderone´s death on St. Andrews Island, Sanchez had started working for his son, Orlando."Gina gave the name into the computer and a moment later, the computer showed her the information about Paolo Sanchez. He had to dismount a prison sentence in Bolton because of grievous bodily harm, and later he had been arrested again because of illegal possession of arms. He had left prison in 2004.Rachel, however, had received several reports because of prostitution. It was well - known that she was working for Emanuel Cruz."I think we should drive to her address," Damian proposed."Oh, no," Stan answered. "You and Ben, drive home and have a rest."Ben amazingly raised his eyebrows. "Are you the new boss, Stan?"Stan was standing between Gina´s and Ben´s desk. He grinned at Ben. "I´m only a worried colleague, but if we want to dissolve this case we need to have a good sleep."Ramona joined him. In her hand, she was holding the folder with the papers, that Knight actually had to sign. "Who will take on Knight´s work until this mater is settled?" she asked."I´ve suggested Castillo," Stan said, not knowing that a surprise was awaiting him later that day.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: THE NEW LIEUTENANT

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17. THE NEW LIEUTENANTAt noon, Rico, Sonny, Stan, Gina, and Castillo met at the Ocean Club. Gina had invited Castillo for lunch because he was also involved in this case.They shook hands and Rico, Sonny, and Castillo exchanged pleasanties. Then they ordered drinks and the meal before one after another told what was new."I´m honored that you want me back as your boss, Switek," Castillo said while they were having lunch. "But I´ve suggested you."Stan unbelievably looked at him. The fork with the piece of steak on it hovered in the air and his mouth was open. Then he let the fork sink down to the plate, closed his mouth, and swallowed.Castillo continued eating. It seemed as if he hadn´t noticed Stan´s surprised reaction. "I think that you are the right man for that job, Switek. I´m sure about that," Castillo said. For him, everything was settled now."Let´s summarize the things," Rico suggested. "Paolo Sanchez had worked for both Calderone´s and he knows where my son is living. He had sent the photos to you, Castillo, and to me. Mrs. Montoya had told us that he has a ho**** voice, and therefore we know that he also had called us."Rico looked at Stan who fairly had digested Cstillo´s unbelievable news. HE was lieutenant now! Probably! If Castillo´s suggestion was accepted... and it was only temporary, but it could be his chance!"The hairs that you had found in Billy´s house belonged to a hooker, right, Stan?" Rico asked.Stan continued eating. He had to concentrate to show Castillo that he really was the right man for that job. He didn´t want to disappoint his old boss."Her name is Rachel Anderson. She had gotten several reports because of prostitution. Unfortunately, there´s no photo in her file because she´d never been arrested. Later, I meet a police drawer to make a composite sketch."Sonny pushed the empty plate to the middle of the table. "When Rico and I had been on the way to the Ocean Club, Pam Snider had called me. She´s working for CSI in West Palm Beach. I´d asked her to examinate the message and Billy´s badge. She had found a partly print that was good enough for a checking. It was Rachel Anderson´s print.""It´s weird that Rachel is working for a dealer and pimp named Emanuel Cruz, who had disappeared the day before yesterday without a trace," Stan explained and also pushed his empty plate to the middle of the table. "Ben claims that Cruz had joined the criminal organisation of a man who calls himself EL GRANDE MAGO."Sonny pricked up his ears. He thought about his meeting with Angelo who had also talked about EL GRANDE MAGO. He told his friends about that meeting, but neither Gina nor Stan or Castillo had any idea who EL GRANDE MAGO was. But it was more and more obvious that he pulled the strings."He calls," Castillo said shortly before they separated. "Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. We stay in contact."Rico and Sonny returned to the motel. On the way, Rico looked around. In New York, everybody was wearing parkas and scarves, but in Miami the people were dressed in light clothes."I´m missing that fantastic view in New York," Rico admitted and sighed."Oh, yes, the ocean´s got something very special," Sonny replied.Rico looked at two good - looking young women who were walking along the street. Both were wearing mini - skirts and bikini - tops. "Not the ocean, man. I´m talking about the nice women in their bikinis. You´ll never see women in bikinis in New York!"Sonny laughed. "Tell me when you´ve got enough of the New Yorkers in parkas and scarves. We´ve got always enough work to do for an experienced policeman."When they walked into the motel, Rico suddenly had the feeling that someone was watching him. He had butterflies in his stomach, and in his head an alarm bell was ringing.Rico looked around. A man was leaning at the reception desk. He was in his forties and he had, except from the scar that stretched from his chin to his left cheek, an ordinary kind of face.Rico hesitated. He thought about the waitress in Tom´s Bar who had given him the envelope with the photos. She had mentioned that the man, who had asked her to bring him the photos had had such a scar.Ross had noticed that Rico hesitated after they had looked at each other. He saw clearly that it was better for him to disappear and quickly walked to the door."He, you!" Rico shouted and pointed on Ross who started running now. Rico spinned around and bumped into a woman who had walked behind him into the motel. She yelled and fell onto the floor.Sonny didn´t recognize the man at the reception desk, but Rico never became hectical unfounded. He saw the good - looking blond woman falling to the floor, and he realized that Rico had almost stumbled over her, but he also noticed the man who was leaving in a hurry.Sonny followed the man to the door, but there he bumped into an Asianwho indignantly started railing in his language...And Ross escaped.Rico could bring himself just under control before he also fell down. The young lady with the long blond curls, who was lying in front of him, looked up to him with her sky blue eyes. "You´re very impetuously," she said, smiled, and continued,"But I´m OK." She had a smoky, very erotically sounding voice."I´m sorry," Rico apologized as he reached her his hand to help her to get up. "I didn´t notice that someone was behind me.""I´ve realized that." The woman smiled again, and smoothed her amethyst - colored, tight dress out. "I´m OK," she repeated, walked to the reception desk and asked if Mrs. Landon was staying in this motel.Sonny returned. He looked morosely and told Rico quietly that the man had escpaed. When the blond woman passed them Sonny looked at her and mumbled," Not so bad!"They walked to the reception desk, recieved their keys and Louisa Winter gave Rico an envelope. "That´s from the man who was in a sudden hurry," she said."Did you know him?" Rico askd, but Louisa shook her head.On the way to their rooms, Rico told Sonny who the man was, they, unfortunately, hadn´t caught.They walked to Rico´s room. There, Rico opened the envelope and carefully got the content out of it."COME AT 7PM TO THE FLORIDA VILLAS TO THE LAST HOUSE ON THE RIGHT. 7:05PM, AND THE FIRST HOSTAGE DIES. AND DON´T TRY ANY TRICKS! OTHERWISE WE´LL FEED THE HOSTAGES TO SOME VERY HUNGRY FRIENDS."Rico looked at Sonny. "The Florida Villas are still existing?" he wondered. "Thy had been empty and looked dreadful when we tried to hide Lombard there.""And they hadn´t become more comfortable since then," Sonny replied and dialed Castillo´s number.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: ANYWHERE IN THE NOWHERE Part 2

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18. ANYWHERE IN THE NOWHERE PART 2They had investigated the hut together, but at the end they had learned that Abhisit was right. There was no way to escape, apart from they digged a hole. But their only tool would be Trudy´s high - heel, that tapered to a point.It got more and more hot in the hut, the mosquitoes got more and more aggressive, and the mood was tensed.Sometime, Billy took Trudy´s shoe, broke the heel and said he would prefer to do something senseless than to do nothing. If someone would like to help him, he could use the heel.He dragged the mattresses from the wall and explained," If Ross or someone else comes and unlocks the door, we can hide our escape route with the mattresses."Then he started to work on the ground with Trudy´s shoe.Alessio took to heel to help Billy, but the ground was very hard and at night fall the hole was even big enough for a hand. But the bottles of water were almost empty."If we work on in that speed, it´ll take weeks until the hole is big enough for Abhisit," Alessio said with a look at Abhisit, the slimmest.They were lying on the mattresses and they were feeling very tired."Have you got a better proposal?" Billy aggressively asked.Alessio sighed. "No."They listened to the jungle noises. In the jungle, it was never absolutely quiet. They heard animals chirping, squeaking, and wheezing. Somewhere things were cracking and rustling.Several times they woke up because an animal was wheezing and scratching at the door, but then it gave up and ran away.When the new day dawned, and the sun shone into one of the small gable windows to sign golden patterns on the ground, Abhisit sat up and sighed. His tongue felt furred. He was very thirsty, but there was only little water in his bottle.Abhisit drank one sip and forced himself to keep the water in his mouth for a while.Trudy moved next to him. She was thirsty, too. "When does Ross come to bring further supplies?" she asked as she was taking her bottle of mineralwater."That´s different," Abhisit admitted.Trudy also drank. She wasn´t hungry, but if she would have been hungry, she had lost her appetite after a look at the cookie bag. Many insects had found the way into the bag and were enjoying the cookies now. The bag moved and rustled. She could hear the insects humming.Again, they took turns and worked tiredlessly. The sun raised higher and higher and so did the temperature. In the hut, it was as in a sauna, and until noon all waterbottles were empty. But, fortunately, the soil wasn´t that hard now (even though they couldn´t find an explanation for that) and so it was easier to work.In the early afternoon, Billy sank exhaustedly on the mattresses. A little cloud of dust raised up and the dust was dancing in the sunlight."If this guy, Ross, doesn´t appear soon we´ll die on thurst," he predicted."He must come," Trudy said and tried to sound confidential. "Someone who takes hostages, makes demands on somebody and the person who should meet the demand, insists on a sign of life of the hostages. Therefore, he must come and give us the possibility to talk to someone."Billy sighed. "Normally you´re right, but this thing isn´t normal. Kidnappers want money, so they kidnap members of wealthy families, but none of us has got the big cash." Billy looked around. "Or does one of you have a rich Uncle he could talk about?""No," Alessio grumbled and stared at the ceiling. He thought about whether there could be a possibility to damage the roof from the inside. Until now, he had never been interested in things like that. He had always loved animals and for some years he had thought to study veterenary science. Then, in his teenager - time he thought about studying sports before he decided to study law, but he´d never thought about studying architecture."Does my father have rich siblings?" Abhisit asked."I can not even tell you whether your father has any relatives or not," Trudy admitted without taking her look from the cookie bag that was violently moving now because of the heap of the insects. She thought that the jungle mail worked well, and that it got around that there was delicious food in this hut.She said,"Your father had never talked about his family. He did never use big words. We had only learned about your mother because General Lao Li had lured her to Miami, and he had sent your father a picture so that he knew that she was his hostage."Alessio still looked at the ceiling. He couldn´t believe that they could dig a hole that was big enough to escape through it. "What´s about the roof?" he asked. "Could we try to escape through the roof?"Everybody raised his look."No," Billy answered. "It´s got a framework one can´t demage."Alessio sat up, sighing. He took the strongly demaged heel and continued digging. He was in doubts that Ross would appear. Maybe something had gone wrong and the kidnapper had decided to leave the hostages in the hut. Or the only people who knew about the hiding, had died in an accident. So their only chance to escape alive was to dig a hole.At night fall, when they almost had given up hope, they suddenly heard the noise of a Jeep.Trudy, Billy, Abhisit, and Alessio sat up. They stopped breathing because each of them thought that this noise comes out of their imagination.The car stopped, the engine was switched off, and they heard a door slamming. The someone was fiddling around at the cat flaps lock."The empty bottles!" Ross grumbled. He sounded angry.Trudy jumped on her feet. She ran to the door and started drumming against it. "Let us out of here! Damned, what do you want from us?""The empty bottles," Ross repeated. "Obey my order or I´ll leave and you´ll get nothing!"Trudy had a lump in her throat. She wasn´t a woman that quickly bursted into tears, but now she got more and more desperate. Probably, it was because her ear was badly aching and she hated this powerlessness and to be at somebody´s mercy. Additionally, she felt very thirsty, dirty, and she was exhausted.She stood at the door, pressed her fists against the wood, and watched as Alessio, in the last daylight, pushed the empty bottles through the cat flap and received new bottles.Ross closed the flap, and then he left wthout further words.Billy came to the door and put his hand on Trudy´s shoulder. "We´ll get out of here," he promised. "Maybe already tomorrow. Come, have a sip of water. I bet, that you´re feeling much better, then."Trudy nodded. She sat down on the mattresses, opened the screw top, and drank. "Yes," she said. "Maybe we´re free tomorrow. Then we´ll capture these dirty guys who are responsible for this, and everything will be OK."It was good that they didn´t know that things would get worse the next day!IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEAL

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19. INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEALCastillo recognized the piece of paper before he got out of his car. It was lying at the front door, weighed down with a stone. He parked his car, left it and walked to the door. Before he took the piece of paper, he looked around, but nobody was there. He laid the stone back to the edge of the bed where it belonged to be.The piece of paper contained the same message Rico and Sonny had gotten, as he learned when Sonny called a few minutes later."We meet tonight," Castillo said before he hung up."Castillo has received the same message," Sonny told. Then he dialed Angelo Crispi´s number. "Here´s Crockett. Can you speak?"Angelo´s answer showed him immediately that he wasn´t alone. "Oh, wow, brother! What´s going on, man?" Angelo enthusiastically asked.Sonny grinned from one ear to another. "Try to get into the magician´s organsation. He´s the suspected kidnapper of four people, among them is my son, Billy."Angelo laughed as if Sonny had been joking. "So, you´re still hanging around in Vegas...Siegfried and Roy? Oh, yeah, man, everybody knows them.""I want you to be there when we unveil the magician," Sonny urgently said."He, man, that´s a damned good idea!" Angelo sounded more and more enthusiastic.Sonny grinned and if his ears hadn´t stopped the grin, it would have ran around his head."That´s what we´ll do! I´ll come and visit you soon and then we´re going out on the town. He, old man, listen, I´m very busy at the moment, but we´ll have a chat later, OK? Bye!"Sonny still grinned when he hung up. He had hard the giggling in the background and he knew at what occupation he had disrupted Angelo."Angelo," Sonny said to Rico. "A damned good man. He´s got a keen mind. He´ll try to join the organisation."Rico called Stan to tell him what´s new. He turned down Stan´s offer of police support, but promised to call him after they´d returned to the motel.Stan proudly told that Castillo´s proposal was accepted and that he was the new Vice - Lieutenant now.Rico and Sonny congratulated him."In any case, it secures us the full support of the Vice - team," Sonny said with relief. "Regarding this, Knight wasn´t very cooperative."Rico snorted and sat down at the edge of the desk that was standing in front of the window. "Are you surprised about that? He´s deeply involved in that case."Rico shook his head and looked out of the window. Some bikini - beauties were on the way , even though lot of clouds were covering the sky and the wind was blowing.Opposite the motel, Rico realized a car. It was a Frelander and someone was sitting in it. An observer?Rico paid his attention to Sonny again. "My whole life, I´ve been stumbling over corrupt policemen. Every time, other people had to pay for the greed of men, who, actually, had to take care for law and order... and these bad guys, Calderone...!" Disgusted he spit out the name. "I thought this matter was finished and I´ve been thinking this for more than twenty years and suddenly..." He clicked his fingers. "...the name appears again."Sonny walked to the window, looked outside, and noticed the Freelander. "At this time, the only link to the name, Calderone, is the guy, Paolo Sanchez. So there´s no need to go off the deep end," Sonny advised. He pointed at the window with his right forefinger. "Someone is watching us."In the evening, they drove to the Florida Villas. They both felt tensed. Genesis were singing "Land Of Confusion", but neither Rico nor Sonny were really listening.Every now and then, Sonny had a look into his rear - view mirror. "We´ve got company," he said."The Freelander?" Rico asked.Sonny nodded. "You´ve got it."The entrance to the Florida Villas was blocked by an Explorer. Castillo´s car was already waiting and three masked men kept Castillo covered. Sonny stopped and they got out of the car. Two men aimed their guns on them immediately. A third man, masked, but apparantly not armed who was wearing a combat uniform and boots, pushed Rico against the Corvette. He searched for guns, but didn´t find one. But under Sonny´s car, there was a mounting with a gun in it."Walk!" the unarmed man ordered. They hadn´t expected something like that. Now they would be on the gangster´s mercy. Without speaking, Rico, Sonny, and Castillo walked along the street.The darkness came slowly. The wind was spinning around the leaves, plastic bags, little cardboard boxes, and weird scents.They sneaked a look to the left and to the right. They could feel the looks of the men behind them, and of the men in the run - down buildings like pinpricks. They could hear them releasing the safety catches. Their muscles were tensed, and their senses were improved for everything around.Rico noticed a rat that was sitting under a bush and staring at him. Rats never lived alone and therefore he suggested that more of them were living here. Rico hated rats.Rico let his eyes travel over the small, run down houses. The roofs were damaged, most of the window panes were broken, and a lot of doors were missing.In several houses he realized movings and, as he had suspected, the rat had company. The other rats were sitting everywhere and watched what was happening.One rat crossed the street very close to Rico. She had almost touched him. Rico startled, and then he quietly sighed in relief."I count six more men," Castillo mumbled."And six men are waiting behind us. That´s totally twelve against three," Rico answered.When they reached the last house on the right side, the ho**** voice shouted, "Stop!""Sanchez," Rico snarled.They stopped and waited that Sanchez left his hiding. He was masked like his pals and aimed a Mach10 at them. He walked like someone who had watched too many action movies. He was about 5,9ft tall and wiry, but that´s all they could see."What do you want?" Rico asked."Your help. Your professional support," Sanchez replied."Before we do something for you, we need the certainty that the hostages are OK. We want to talk to each of them," Sonny demanded."You don´t have to demand something, but to fulfill our conditions," Sanchez angrily shouted and aimed his gun on Sonny."What - do - you - want?" Castillo slowly asked."You´ll take on some transports," Sanchez explained. Casually he let the gun sink, but Rico, Sonny,and Martin were sure that he had excellent reactions. Probably, it wasn´t in his bosse´s sense that Sanchez shot at them, but they knew that Sanchez wouldn´t hesitate to kill them.Sonny disparagingly snorted. "I think that means we shall smuggle drugs for your boss, right?"Sanchez forcedly laughed. It sounded like a seal´s barking. "What a mean word, Crockett! We call it our contribution to South America´s entertainment industry. Don´t you also think that this sounds nicer?""We´re talking about drugs, no matter how you call it," Castillo grumbled. "You can also call a dog´s legacy as his contribution to the insect´s nutricion, but, in fact, it´s only a mount of ****."Again Sanchez utterd his seal - like laughter. "I didn´t know that you´re such a humerous man, Castillo," he admitted. Then he became serious again. "Let´s talk about business."Rico let his eyes travel around carefully. He noticed several rats, heard someone coughing, and felt the tensing of his muscles. He knew that they had no chance to win a fight, not even when they were armed."We need guarantees. The certainty that the hostages...," Rico said.The shoots of the Mach10 let the dirt in front of his feet splash in all directions. Horrified he jumped back. "Damned, man, you want us to do something for you!" he shouted."And you want to get to know your son! Listen now!"Sanchez aimed his gun at Rico. They could hear several men releasing the safety catches in their guns. Rico, Sonny, and Castillo saw that it was better to run no risk.Sanchez explained,"What we´re talking about is one ton of pretty white powder that you have to bring to Florida for us. We´ll tell you where you take the goods over, when you have to receive them, and where you have to deliver it. I´ll call you when our preparations are ready, Crockett." He looked at Castillo. "You have to pull a few strings, Castillo. Take care for an article in the Herald about your four brothers who died in a tragic accident in Columbia three days ago. The bodies should be transported to Miami on Tuesday.We´ll tell you about the hostages hiding after everything´s finished."Sonny dared another attempt. He mistrusted Sanchez and everybody else in that organisation. Normally, kidnappers only refused a sign of life when the hostages were dead. But Sonny didn´t want to think about it."With that amount, we´ll not negociate with a messenger," he said and stepped one step forward without thinking about it. In that moment, Sanchez shot without a warning and the dirt in front of Sonny´s feet splashed in all directions.Sonny jumped back, partially dragged by Castillo. Sonny looked horrified, Rico´s heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. He thought that Sanchez would shoot them to death, but he didn´t."That was the wrong answer!" he grumbled. "One of the hostages will have to pay for this. Let´s see which one. And now clear off!"IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: ANYWHERE IN THE NOWHERE Part 3

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20. ANYWHERE IN THE NOWHERE PART 3 Tuesday, April 2ndThey had drunk some sips of water, and they had opened a new cookie bag. They let pass it around until it was empty. The insects won´t get something of that bag, but obviously they had enough to do with the cookies in the other bag.After night fall, they tried to make themselves comfortable on the mattresses and they talked to each other. Abhisit asked Trudy to tell him everything she knew about his father. After he had thought for nineteen years that his father had been killed, he soaked up every information about him like a dry sponge soaks up the water.Trudy knew a lot to tell, although she didn´t know anything personal. Castillo had always lived very quietly and had seldom talked about his private life."That sounds as if you´ve had a great team," Alessio sometime said.Trudy smiled, even though nobody could see it in the darkness. "Oh, yes," she answered. "We could always count on each other and Castillo was a great boss. Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs always asked me and Gina for favours...if we could get them things, copy things, or search for information..." Trudy quietly laughed. Something squeezed at her back and she moved a little. Immediately, dust raised up and Trudy started coughing. Then she continued,"Tubbs and Crockett always promised to make it up. If Tubbs had invited me for every favour, I could have spent every evening in a restaurant for one year."For a moment, it was silent in the hut. Then Abhisit claimed,"My father and Billy´s father will get us out of here.""Oh yeah, you can bet your **** on it," Billy answered.Sometime, they fell asleep. They were tired because of the heat in the hut, the unfamiliar work on the hard soil, and the shortage of water and food. Additional to that, the jungle noise had a hypnotical effect.When the first sunbeams found its way over the horizon and was sending its light through the leaves of the trees, a mouse flashed to the hut, tempted by the good smell of the cookies.It found the hole, ran into the hut, and startled for a moment. Then the mouse quickly passed Alessio, ran past his, Abhisit´s, and Trudy´s feet, and disappeared into the cookie bag.But another fellow was on the mouse´s trail. A copperhead was wriggling to the hut. It also found the hole and got inside. It startled for a moment to orientate. Its tongue flashed in and out. Then it wriggled forward. It passed Abhisit´s head, then his right shoulder and brushed his upperarm, but Abhisit only sighed.The snake turned further to the right because its destination was the cookie bag at Trudy´s right side.It wriggled closer to Trudy´s left leg. It startled and its splitted tongue flashed in and out.Trudy awoke. She didn´t know the reason, but her heart was beating rather fast, even though she knew that she hadn´t had a nightmare. Somthing touched her left hand that was lying next to her. Something brushed her. Something that was moving.Trudy opened her eyes. Her face was turned to the right side, and the first thing she noticed was the violently moving cookie bag. She was sure that these weren´t bugs.Again, something brushed her hand, then she heard a quiet hissing."A snake!" she thought.Trudy hated snakes and she stopped to think clearly when she realized one. She knew that it had been much better not to move, but she reacted before she could think about it. With a yell, she shot up, but the sudden move of her legs had, obviously, an alarming efect to the snake. It bit Trudy hardly under her knee.Again, Trudy yelled, but Abhisit had already reacted after Trudy´s first yell. He shot up, realized the situation, and grabbed the snake. Unfortunately, it was too late to prevent the bite.Now he was kneeing next to Trudy. His right hand had grabbed the snake hardly behind its head.Trudy was panting as she was staring at the reptile. Her hands clutched the snakebite, two red points. Her leg started swelling."Take her away! Oh, please, Sit, take her away! I hate snakes! I´m afraid of them!" she wispered.Abhisit got up immediately and went away to the wall.At a glance at the snake Alessio told," This is a copperhead. Give me your belt, Billy I need it to legature the leg."Billy gave him the belt, and Alessio strapped it around Trudy´s thigh."It´s venomous, isn´t it?" Trudy asked with a shaky voice."Yes, but you know that not every poison is dangerous for humans," Alessio replied, but he avoided to look into her eyes.The swelling grew more and more, the pain spread out. It was flooding like viscous lava down to her toes and up to her groin. It was so strong that she couldn´t breath without panting.Alessio was very worried, but he hoped that Trudy didn´t realize it. Since he was a boy, he had been fascinated of snakes. He´s owning several books about these reptiles, and more than once he had asked his grandmother for a terrarium. But his grandmother hated snakes as much as Trudy."Les, is this snake dangerous for humans?" Trudy wanted to know. She could see that Alessio concealed something because he still avoided to look at her.With a shudder, she looked at the snake in Abhisit´s hand.Alessio hesitated, but Trudy got angry. The pain got more and more worse and the belt cut into her leg."Come on, Les, tell me the truth!" she shouted. "I wanna know it! Will I croak on the bite, or not?"Alessio took a deep breath. "OK, the poison contains an enzyme that effects a change of the clotting. That means that your blood is clutting wore if you get injured. Besides that, it can happen that you feel bad and vomit."He didn´t tell her that she also could get diarrhea, and that her blood press, possibly, falls. All these symptoms could cause a fast death in the jungle."There´s a car coming," Billy suddenly said."Then we should think quickly about an idea to get out of here because it would be really good if we could take Trudy to hospital as fast as possible," Alessio answered and Abhisit replied," And I´ve got an idea."IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: MEETING AT CASTILLO´S HOUSE

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21. MEETING AT CASTILLO´S HOUSEThey way back to the cars was alarming. The gangsters at the beginning of the dusty street, had turned around the Explorer so that the headlamps were dazzling. Unnoticed, another vehicle had arrived while Rico, Sonny, and Castillo were talking with Sanchez. Its headlights were also switched on. It was very glaring and they couldn´t see that much.A full moon was shining, and the wind pushed the clouds forward so fast that the moon appeared and disappeared as if he wanted to give signals. Anywhere a bird was screeching. In the bushes, the rats were rustling and squeaking.Rico could see that the number of rats had increased. "They´re like the audience in a Roman theatre that is waiting for the execution of some poor pigs by some hungry lions," Rico thought and shuddered.The dry leaves were rusting under their feet, the wind touched their faces. It was too warm and not pleasant.They squinted to the left and to the right, but they suspected the men in the run - down houses more than they could see them. In two windows, they could see cigarettes glowing. In another house, a man lit his lighter to light a cigarette. For a moment, they realized the silhouette of a bearded face and the smell of tabacc was in the air.Sonny asked himself what had gone wrong while he was walking along the street. What kind of mistake had he made? Was it the indication that they didn´t want to negociate with a messenger?He and Rico had used this trick very often in the past to get closer to a big dealer. He couldn´t deny that it sometimes got dicey because the messenger considered the indication as a personal insult. But he didn´t think that Sanchez was offended.Maybe it had been wrong to step forward. He could have thought that Sonny had wanted to attack him. But maybe Sanchez simply liked it to be a big worry for him. He had only expressed a vague threat and Sonny was very worried. He hoped that was only an empty threat and that the kidnappers didn´t harm or kill the hostages because of his behavior."We meet at my house," Castillo mumbled whnen they were about 150 ft far away from the vehicles."OK,"Rico answered."Yeah," Sonny said.The gangsters leaned at the Explorer and the other car, a black Van. Their guns were casually pointed to the ground. Through the slids of their masks, they stared at Rico, Sonny, and Castillo, but they neither moved nor talked. Two of them were smoking.After Rico got into the car, he touched his side of the Corvette in search for a wire. He found one between the seat and the console."Not particularly smart," he snarled and removed the wire. With a grimmy grin, he scratched with his right thumb nail over the wire before he threw it out of the window. He hoped that somebody was suffered with terrible ear - ache now.They looked at each other and grinned before Sonny started the engine. They left the Florida Villas and for a while nobody talked."What was my mistake?" Sonny asked while driving behind a slow car."There was no mistake," Rico answered and stared at the car in front of them. It was an old station wagon and the driver was wearing a hat. Only a few weeks ago, his daughter had told him that men with hats or white haired people were the most terrible drivers. The man in front of Rico and Sonny confirmed Alaina´s statement.Sonny´s fingers drummed nervosly on the steering - wheel while he was looking for a possibility to pass the car."Did you actually call Caroline? "Rico asked."No," Sonny said. Suddenly he indicated left and accelerated. Rico took a very deep, horrified breath as he saw the headlights of a truck coming closer and closer.Groaning, he closed his eyes. His fingers clashed the seat and all his muscles tensed. He heard as the truck driver sounded his horn, and as his brakes were shreeking.When he opened his eyes again he noticed that Sonny pulled the steering - wheel round hard and passed by the truck by a hair´s breadth.Relieved Rico took a deep breath, loosened his fingers, and slightly relaxed. "Why not?" he asked.For a few minutes, Sonny raced along the road without answering. Then he asked," What should I tell her? For a long time, she... we... had a lot of problems with Billy. He didn´t get as good along with his half - brother as Caroline had thought. He was stroppy, rebellious, and aggressive. Sometime, she had called me because she couldn´t cope with him. I returned from the Bahamas and started working in Atlanta to support Caroline."Sonny groaned and passed through his hair with his right hand. "I don´t want to think about this dreadful time. I thought that he didn´t manage to do it and that he would land in prison. Caroline almost got crazy. Can you imagine what will happen when I tell her about the kidnapping without having any information about Billy?"Sonny shook his head. He turned into the street where Castillo was living and braked the car when a cat crossed the street from the right to the left.Castillo´s front door was slightly ajar when Rico and Sonny reached it."Come in," Castillo shouted.In the house, nothing had really changed. Rico glanced around, but the only different thing was Mai Ying´s photo. On the table, there were standing glasses and different bottles. Castillo asked them to take a seat and offered drinks. Sonny chose beer, Rico chose mineralwater."They´ve done their homework," Castillo said and drank a sip of mineralwater. They know that a friend of mine, Graham Foster, is working for the HERALD. We´ve known each other since our time together in Saigon. I´ve already called him. The article will be published tomorrow morning."Rico looked out of the window at the ocean. Its water shone in the moonlight like black ink. He twisted the glass in his hands, but didn´t notice it. "I dislikethat they didn´t let us speak with the hostages..." He looked at his former boss. "And I think that the hiding is somewhere in the Glades."Castillo agreed, and then he asked for information about EL GRANDE MAGO.Sonny told him everything he knew about the magician. Tha wasn´t that much, but the most important man was, anyhow, Domenico Franco. He had a big file Stan could obtain. Besides that, one of Sonny´s best undercover - agents, Angelo Crispi, would try to join the organisation. Sonny thought that Angelo´s chances were good because he knew two guys who were hired, but Sonny had forgotten their names. When he and Angelo had met at JIMMY JOHN´S GOURMET SANDWICH SHOP he couldn´t know how personal this case would become for him. Sonny was only surprised because Franco only chose these two guys, though there were about 20 or 30 members in that gang, EL DORADO LA FLECHA.Sonny called Angelo, and he had luck that Angelo could speak freely. Sonny listened to him, said bye, and hung up. Then he explained," The boys´ names are Ramon Gracciano and Kevin Bailey, and apparantly Angelo´s in."Rico called Stan and gave him the names. In Castillo´s name he asked Stan for a little unconspicious wire. Castillo wanted to place it on one of the coffins.Stan promised to take care of everything, and then he told Rico that Castillo´s proposal was taken. The new Vice - Lieutenant´s name was Stan Switek.Rico smiled. For a moment, he had been thinking of the summer 1994. Stan had been a gambler and his debts because of this were very high.One night, Stan had called Rico in New York because he was beaten up by his bookie´s thugs. Rico had called Trudy who had called the ambulance. Rico had booked a flight to Miami, and together with Trudy and Castillo he did his very best to help Stan.Rico returend to reality when Castillo said,"As Sanchez had wanted the article to be published tomorrow morning, I think that the coffins will arrive sometime during the day.""I think that we´ll have to carry the drugs by boat," Sonny suspected. "Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow.""The sooner, the better," Rico answered."You say it," Sonny agreed, not knowing that a big surprise was awaiting him.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: KNIGHT´S INTERROGATION ( MONDAY AFTERNOON)

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22. KNIGHT´S INTERROGATION ( MONDAY AFTERNOON)Knight was sitting at the table in the interrogation room. Above him, there was cold neon light. He stared at the scratches on the pencil - grey colored table top. Each of these scratches could tell a story... from callous gangsters who had killed someone because of greed or rage or for money. They could tell stories about junkies who had committed a crime to get the money for the next fix, and about desperate people who had killed someone in self - defense.Knight had always been sitting at the other side of the table. But, on that chair, the bald - headed and fat Commissioner Henderson, who was short on breath, sat down. A cloud of cold smoke and peppermint blew over the table. Henderson was a smoker, but, in buildings, smoking wasn´t allowed. Therefore, he ate lots of peppermint candies, and so he was doing now.Stan, who was wearing a Hawaiian - shirt like "Magnum" and sand - colored trousers, was standing next to the door with his arms folded in front of his chest.Only ten minutes ago, he got experienced that he was the new Lieutenant. That was the fact why the interrogation occured now. Vice needed a new Lieutenant first.Henderson stared at Knight and Knight stared back. He was sitting so upright as if he had swallowed a stick. There was a charge atmosphere in the room.Henderson put Trudy´s caller- list on the table. "Yesterday morning, you´ve called Detective Joplin and ordered her to drive to the old warehouse at 1045 Rosario Drive," he said and turned the list around so that Knight could have a look at it. Knight ignored it."No, I didn´t do that," Knight claimed. "On Friday, I´ve lost my mobile. Maybe someone had stolen it." Knight folded his arms in front of his chest, and he looked at Stan in open hostility. He knew that he was unpopular and that Stan would never have been appointed as Lieutenant without this very weird story.Stan felt anger sprung up. In his entrails, it started to bubble as in a kettle, but he was determined not to bring himself out of his shell. He took his arms down, rammed his hands into his trouser pockets, and clenched them. He knew that Knight would be glad if one could could accuse the new Lieutenant a lack of discipline. But he thought that Knight should be put in prison only for the thought that Stan or another member of the Vice - team could harm Trudy.What a pity that Alcatraz was no longer a prison!Henderson´s short, thick fingers started drumming unpatiently on the table. He could be at home now and eat the steaks, the delicious salad, and potatoes in tin foil with sour cream his wife had promised him for today. Instead, he was spending the evening with Knight´s interrogation."Your mobile was in your pocket. Can you explain that?" he asked.Knight shrugged. "Someone had put it back into the pocket to incriminate me."Someone knocked at the door, then Ramona came in. "The mobile´s examination is finished, but there were only Lieutenant Knight´s prints on it." She closed the door again. Suddenly, it was so silent in the room that they could hear the discreet noise of the air conditioner. Henderson put some peppermint candies in his mouth, and Stan stared at Knight. The man seemed to shrink in front of his eyes."That´s...totally crazy," Knight stammered. "I... I didn´t..."He took several deep breaths. Then he said,"I didn´t call Detective Joplin, no matter what the computer tells you, or this list, or the lab. I don´t know what has happened and I don´t know what this is all about.""And where from did you know that Castillo came to ask for support in a kidnapping - case?" Stan asked.Knight waved his arms around. It looked as if he conducted an invisible orchestra. "I had heard him telling you and the others about it."Henderson had enough of this. He wanted to go home and have the delicious meal that was awaiting him. He was in a hurry. Only the thought about the steak let him almost slobber.He and Stan left the interrogation room together. Outside, he congratulated Stan with a spongy - moist handshake to his promotion before he hurriedly left. Before he disappeared around the corner he sounded like an old, weak steam engine shortly before its break - down.Knight and an officer passed Stan. Knight ignored him, but Stan thoughtfully looked at him. Something was wrong and nothing was suitable. Knight wasn´t an idiot. He wouldn´t call Trudy to lure her into a trap, and then take his mobile to the office. But all evidences indicated to that.With a very bad feling, Stan went back to the office.IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: FIRST INDICATIONS

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