Chapter 9: Change of Address

I was tempted to take Ros to Cape Cod and have her stay with my parents. She would be safe there. Alfonso wasn't looking for someone named Vermeulen, he was looking for Rick Miller. My parents knew something about my career, but not enough to understand why I would be hiding a woman in their home without an explanation. Still, it would do temporarily. Sally would have to stay with me.

We had left the campground immediately after locking up the Airstream. The less time we spent around there the better. I stopped at a gas station in Hemet and made a call to my parents.

"Dad, I have a favor to ask. I need to bring a woman to your house and have her stay in my suite. I don't think she's in danger, but I don't want to take any chances. She'll be safe up there. Is that all right with you?"

"Yes, of course. I assume you can't tell me much more?"

"I can't and I don't want to. Just be sure she's taken care of when we arrive. She's had a bad shock and may need some people around her to help her recover. She's a good person, Dad. You don't have to worry about that."

"Okay, Rick. I trust you. I'll let your mother know. When do you expect to be here."

"Tomorrow, if I can get a flight. I'll call when I know our schedule."

"All right, Son. Stay in touch. We'll be expecting you."

I refilled the gas tank before heading north on I-215, then west to Manhattan Beach. We would stay there that night and I could start to make travel arrangements to fly to Boston.

It was late when we got into Los Angeles, but the evening traffic wasn't as bad as rush hour. We found a hotel near the beach and checked in for the night. We had a reservation for the three of us on a non-stop to Boston leaving at 8:40am the next morning. I booked business class for the five-and-a-half hour flight. We all stayed in the same room that night. I sent out for pizza and beer and we didn't leave the room once we checked in.

Sally was back to something resembling her normal self, and I was happy to see that Rosalind was beginning to recover from the shock of her brother-in-law's murder. Thankfully, she hadn't seen what they had done to him or her recovery wouldn't have been at all guaranteed. I know those kinds of images don't leave your memory very soon, and that included me as well. It was pretty quiet in the room that evening and we all retired early, knowing we had to leave early to catch our flight. I would leave Ros's car in long-term parking.

By the time we had landed in Boston and picked up our rental car, everyone seemed to be back to something resembling normal. Neither Ros nor Sally had ever been to New England, so they were rubber-necking as I drove south to the Cape and Barnstable. The Saturday evening traffic was light and we were only ninety minutes from Logan to the house. Rush hour traffic in Boston was the ugly equal to Los Angeles.

"Hi Mom, Dad, good to see you again."

"It's only been a few days, Richard," my mother remarked, but all the while eyeing my two companions.

"This is Rosalind Baynes and her daughter, Sally. Ladies, these are my parents, Margot and Hendrik Vermeulen."

"Come in, please," Mother said in welcome. I guessed that she was curious about which of the two women would be staying. My father was watching as well, probably wondering the same thing.

We sat in the living room and I explained, in very general terms, what was going on. Ros would be staying in my suite over the garage and she was to be treated just the way I was when I stayed there. She was a friend and I was counting on the famous Vermeulen hospitality to make her feel welcome.

"Don't worry about a thing, Rikard," my mother said happily. "It's a delight to have Rosalind here. If you've never been to this part of America, we can show you around. You'll be well entertained, I can assure you."

I silently thanked my mother for her genuine acceptance of a stranger. I hoped Ros would be happy with her temporary stay in New England. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell her how long "temporary" would be.

"Why did you bring me along? You could have left me with Mother," Sally said. We had just landed in Fort Myers and were southbound to Naples.

"The only family picture Hurley had was of you. That picture hung on the wall of his cabin in a prominent place. He wouldn't have left it behind. So, my guess is it should have been in the trailer. His killers would have seen it and wanted to know who you were. You might have led them to me. It may sound ridiculous, but my gut tells me you're better off with me than with Ros. If they were looking for you, Ros would be in the way. No one knows her. There was no picture of her at Hurley's place. Follow?"

"If I was still a cop and someone spun that story to me, I'd scream BULLSHIT at the top of my voice. Now tell me, why am I with you?"

I looked at her sitting in the right seat of the rental as we drove down the Tamiami Trail toward Naples. She was entitled to the truth, but the fact was I didn't have the guts to tell her the truth, mainly because she would have bailed on me. But now, here she was, a couple of thousand miles from her home and what was left of her family. I owed her something.

"I don't have much of chance of pulling this off by myself. I needed a partner. Someone I could trust with my life. Someone who wouldn't bail on me. Someone who has a stake in the outcome."

"Just exactly what are you trying to 'pull off' as you put it?"

"I want Alfonso. I want his head on a table with a rag stuffed in his mouth, just like he did to Hurley. Then I want to feed him to the 'gators. I want to teach that fucking Mexican what happens to people who mess with me and my friends. I want every one of his troops to see him. I want to post it on the internet where they can't fail to see it."

Sally gave me a look that defied description. I don't know whether she was surprised, or horrified, or what. I was planning revenge and I wasn't about to take any prisoners.

"You must know I want to be part of this," she said.

"I guessed that. I won't pretend it isn't dangerous. If we get caught, you can imagine what will happen. You don't have to do this, Sally. But if you do, I'll do everything possible to protect you. I don't have to worry that you'll do the same for me ... do I." It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact.

She was silent for quite a while. That was okay. I didn't want her to make a snap decision. I wanted her to think about it and be sure. Very sure.

"I don't see how I can say no," she said finally. "Alfonso was linked to the gang in that undercover operation I was involved in. The Mexican authorities have lost count of the number of murders he and his gang have been responsible for. They'll never stop him on that side of the border. He has informants everywhere in the police. But on this side, we don't have to worry about that as much."

"We'll operate out of my condo until we can get a line on him."

"What makes you think he'll be around Florida?"

"South Florida is one of his new operating areas. Everything comes in by boat and almost all of it is landed on the Gulf of Mexico side. He picks little ports to make his drops. His command center on this side of the border is said to be Marco Island. That's a very short distance from Naples. That's where we begin our search."