By edRogers
[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]
Charlie was on his second glass of water after three aspirins. He had remembered too late why he hated drinking wine. It was the mother of all hangovers. He had awoken in an empty bed, and when he came out of the bedroom, Margot handed him water and aspirins, and he headed to the couch. That was as far as he had gotten, and now he lay there waiting to die.
Margot entered from the kitchen with a tall glass containing half a can of beer, one shot of vodka, some hot sauce, along with tomato juice. “Here, drink this.”
Charlie pulled himself upright and took the glass. “What the hell is in this?”
“Don’t worry about what’s in it, just drink it down. It’ll get you back on your feet. We have company coming over and you need to fix my overhead light in the jeep. Now, drink the damn thing!”
The first swallow almost came back up, but the second stayed down a lot easier. By the time he finished the glass he was ready for another one. “I think I would like one more. I don’t know what’s in it but it’s a damn good drink. It reminds me of a Bloody Mary.”
“No, Charlie, I don’t need you drunk. I just need you on your feet. Go check out my light and I’ll make you some breakfast.”
Charlie stood and had to grab the couch arm to steady himself. The dizzy spell passed quickly and he started toward the front door. The bright sunlight hit the back of his eyeballs like a sword blade upside his head. With half-closed eyes, he opened the rear of the jeep and got the tool bag out. He dug around until he found the small screwdriver that he would need to open the fuse box.
Under the dashboard, he found the fuses and removed the tiny screw, which he dropped and lost under his body. Before looking for the screw, he checked the fuses and found that they were okay. He let out a groan, knowing now he would have to go into town to buy a light bulb.
He slid out of the jeep and began looking for the screw. He thought it would be on the mat, but no such luck. He pulled out the mat and then saw the screw. He was picking it up when he noticed the wires running from under the seat to something up under the dashboard. He couldn’t imagine what they were attached to, so he laid his head on the floor and looked under the seat.
Charlie fell back onto the gravel. His mind was screaming, It’s a bomb, it’s a bomb! My God, it’s a bomb!
Kicking dirt and small rocks with his sandals he tried to get up and at last he was on his feet. He ran into the house and grabbed Margot by the arm. She tried to push him away as he began to drag her out the back door. He hollered at her, “Stop fighting me! There’s a bomb in your jeep. We need to get as far away as we can.”
She stopped fighting Charlie but as they came out of the back door she asked, “Are you sure? A bomb!”
“I know what a bomb looks like, and yes, I’m sure there’s a bomb in your jeep.”
“How could someone have put a bomb in there.”
Charlie had his phone out. “Juan, this is Charlie, I need you to come to Margot’s house right now. Someone has planted a bomb in her jeep.”
Juan was half asleep. He had been watching the warehouse until around one in the morning. That was when Mr. Tai left to go home, and so did Juan. “Don’t touch anything, I’m on my way.”
“We’re on the back porch. Blow your horn and we’ll let you in. Hurry.”
“I’ll be there in under ten minutes.” He hung up, hollered at his wife that he had to go out, and ran to his car.
Within eight minutes Juan was blowing his horn at Margot’s gate. Charlie came into the house and checked the monitor to be sure it was Juan before pressing the button to let him in. Juan pulled just inside of the gate. He parked and got out. He noticed the jeep’s driver’s door was open and figured that must be the side with the bomb. He was easing toward the jeep when his cell phone rang. He fell to his knees, it scared him so bad. “Yes?”
“Sorry. I wanted to tell you, it’s a block of C-4, under the driver’s seat.”
“Charlie, do you think I would not have found that out on my own. You call me again and I’ll shoot you.” He hung up and began his slow walk once more.
Standing at the door, he could see the wires. He got on his knees in the gravel and peered under the seat. At the sight of the block of C-4 with the wires running from the detonator he pulled back; it took a few seconds to overcome the fear. Taking a deep breath, he slowly moved his hand under the seat and gently pulled on the wires. The copper tube slid out of the clay compound. Juan placed the tube on the floorboard and reached back under the seat. By now sweat was making it hard for him to see.
He had to stop for a minute, so he removed his hand and sat on the gravel. With the tail of his shirt, he wiped the salty sweat from his eyes and face. Juan took another deep breath and got back on his knees.
This time he leaned forward and removed the block of C-4 in one motion. He placed it beside his right knee and pulled his wire cutters from his pant’s pocket. He said a short prayer, crossed himself, and cut one of the wires coming from the tube. No explosion. He exhaled and cut the other wire.
With the wires cut, the danger was over. Juan walked to the front door of Margot’s house and entered. He waved at Charlie and Margot on the back porch.
“Here is the detonator. Put it someplace safe. That bomb had to have been planted last night. Did you go out?”
“We went out for dinner.”
“Well, let’s find out why you two are still among the living.”
They all went outside, and Juan forced his body under the dashboard. “Charlie, hand me your flashlight.”
Charlie went to the tool bag in the back of the jeep and returned with the light. “Here.”
Juan put his hand out and Charlie set the flashlight in it.
“What a harebrained asshole,” Juan said. He disconnected the wires under the dashboard, and as he started to get out of the jeep, he noticed the tape on the inside of the door and pulled it off. “Whoever planted the bomb hooked it to two ground wires. A real dumbass planted this bomb. That’s the only reason you’re alive. If he had hooked one of these lines to a hot lead you would be dead.”
Charlie took the wires and turned them over in his hands. “I don’t guess there’s any way of telling who did this?”
Juan shook his head. “We’d have to take it to the police and that would open a can of worms. With what we are involved in right now, well, we would have to stop. In Costa Rica, when an investigation is opened, it can go on for years.”
Charlie said, “Why don’t you move your car down by the house and we’ll have a beer. I know I need one.”
Juan started up the road to his car. “I’ll see you inside.”
Charlie picked up the C-4 and wire and took them into the house and laid them on the coffee table.
Margot was balled up on the couch. Charlie sat next to her and said, “We were lucky, whoever planted the bomb didn’t know how to wire it to explode.”
“Who would do this, Charlie?”
“I don’t know, Margot.”
“I’ve been doing this work for years and this is the first time someone has tried to kill me. We must have tipped our hand somehow.”
Juan came in about that time. He said, “The only person that I know here in Puntarenas that would have C-4 is Tai.”
Charlie got up and headed to the kitchen. “I’ll get us a beer. Margot, do you want one?”
“No, I want answers, not beer. Juan, how would Tai know what we’re up to unless someone told him?”
“Tai doesn’t think like normal people. It could have been something you did two, three years ago and he woke up yesterday morning and decided you had to go.”
“I don’t believe that. You and Charlie put a camera in his warehouse and that night a bomb is planted in my car. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”
Charlie came with their beers. “She has a point, Juan. The timing is awful close.”
Juan drank about half his beer in a couple of gulps and leaned back in the chair. “If the bomb had been in my car, then I would say the camera had something to do with this. But the man who placed the camera has never met you or Charlie. I’m the only face he has ever seen, and he doesn’t know my name.”
Margot got up and began to pace. “What do we do now?”
Juan took another drink. “There is only one thing we can do and that is stay alert. Monday morning I’m going to return the C-4 to Tai and let him know I know where it came from.”
Charlie put his beer on the table and said, “Do you think that is wise, giving it back to him? His people may do a better job next time.”
“Believe me, Charlie, he has more than this one bar. I want him to know that it could become a police matter if he tries it again.”
Margot poured a glass of wine and returned to the couch. “But that doesn’t mean he won’t try some other way, does it?”
“I’m afraid not; it only means he will be more careful next time.”
The sound of a horn sounded and they all jumped. Margot went to the monitor and called back, “It’s Tommy and Howard. I forgot all about them coming over.”
Juan sounded doubtful, “Maybe we should not tell them about the bomb.”
Margot turned at the door and reminded Juan, “They are part of this team and are in as much danger as the rest of us. We’ll tell them.”
Juan threw his hands up. “Okay, but I don’t see how it will help.”
“I won’t have us keeping secrets from each other. If we can’t trust one another, then we need to stop right now before we all get killed.”
Charlie felt Juan was right but he knew it was going to go Margot’s way, so he stepped in. “It may not help, Juan, but it won’t hurt anything. Also, they should be told that someone out there who wants us dead.”
The two men came in and the conversation came to a halt. Charlie got up and met the two halfway across the room. “It’s great to see you! I know we talk on the phone but we need to meet at least once a week. I miss seeing your faces.”
Juan came up and shook each man’s hand. He had the C-4 and wires in his hand. “I’m sorry, but I need to get home to my wife and kids. I took off in a hurry this morning.”
Howard jumped back. “My God, is that C-4?”
Juan laughed. “Yes, it is Howard. I leave the explanation to Margot. Margot, do you have that detonator?”
She opened a cabinet and handed the detonator to Juan.
“Have a good day,” Juan said. “I’ll check back with you on Monday.”
| Copyright © 2018 by Ed Rogers |
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