Around the World in 80 Men Boxed Set 31-35 (47 page)

“
Rumbledethumps.”
Morgan looked at Finlay, then Sean, who had answered in unison. She
shook her head and laughed, not caring what was in it. If two of her
favorite people suggested it, then she would give it a try. The
second round of beer that was ordered in under fifteen minutes was
also helping. Morgan held up her mug and nodded in their direction.

“
Looks
like it's going to be one hell of an afternoon.”

*****

John
walked through the lobby of the resort, sipping a cup of tea. He had
finalized his plan and needed to find out when Marisol would be
working. It was a thought to break into the office again, but he
found his target running into the kitchen and pulling her vest on as
she made her way to the back. John checked his watch and saw that it
was two minutes until four, which meant her shift was about to start.
“Let the games begin.” He dropped his paper cup into a
nearby bin and went directly back to his room. He planned to wait at
least fifteen minutes before calling for room service, then the gears
to Mustafa's freedom would begin to turn.

Finally,
as if that short amount of time would never pass, John placed his
call to the front desk. He didn't want to wait any longer, and his
house salad with a bowl of vegetable soup should only take a few
minutes. John ended the call and made sure everything was in place.

Chapter
Six

Marisol
entered the room and smiled at John. “Here?” She was
about to place his tray on the nightstand, but John shook his head.

“
No.
If you could put it over there..,” he pointed to the large
dresser across the room. She nodded and walked in that direction.
“Oh, and if you wouldn't mind taking a seat?” He pulled a
chair out for her after she placed his food, and turned around
quickly.

“
I....
I have work to do. I have to..”

John
put his hand up and smiled. There was no room for debate. “Allow
me to properly introduce myself.” He took a step back and
removed a badge that identified him as a private investigator.
Marisol, as John assumed, understood him to be a police officer of
sorts. “Don't be afraid, Marisol. I just want some answers.”
Marisol began to cry and sat in the chair. Her shoulders shook as
waves of fear and sadness ripped through her body. She knew exactly
what he was about to ask, at least, she thought she did.

“
I
know you killed Mustafa's parents... the previous owners.” John
tried to keep his voice calm and steady as he began his lie. Marisol
looked up, her eyeliner and mascara covered her face in blotchy lines
from eye to chin.

“
Me?
It wasn't me! It was him!” She shook her head and continued to
cry as she was pleading against John's accusation. “I can't be
blamed, I didn't do it!” John shook his head and looked down at
her in pity.

“
I've
already spoken to your brother, Marisol. He said that it was you who
pulled the trigger.” Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she
stood suddenly to attempt to run from the room. She didn't kill
anyone, and she wasn't about to take the blame for any of it. “I'm
sorry, you're not going anywhere. I'll need to take you in. A double
murder...,” he shook his head and took a step back, “you'll
spend the rest of your life in prison. Why? Why did you kill them?”
Marisol dropped to her chair, in absolute shock at what she was
hearing. Her brother, the one that always did their mother's horrific
bidding, should be the one in that chair. Instead, it was her. The
girl who always worked hard for good grades, and a better opportunity
to get away from the family that she had been born into. It was too
late, she would pay for their sins and there was nothing she could do
about it.

“
I'll
ask again. Why did you do it?” John sat on the edge of the bed
and waited. He watched the final bit of resistance leave her body and
her shoulders fell in defeat. It was over. She shook her head, unable
to speak right away, but finally took a breath and answered John.

“
It
doesn't matter. I always knew that I would pay a price for what they
do.” John's heart broke for the young girl, but he had to
continue. Hopefully, he thought, she would finally be free from the
nightmare that was her family.

“
I
need answers, or I'll take you in right now. If you're telling me
that someone else did this, then I need to know who.” Marisol
broke down again and started to tell him that her brother had already
pinned it on her and that John obviously believed him. “Look...
if you're telling me the truth, then you need to help me.”
Marisol looked up and into John's eyes. They were kind, it was
something she'd noticed when she first met him.

“
I
can't.. I can't go to prison. I can't!”

*****

“
Nipple
and humps?” Angel tried to hear Morgan through the speaker
phone, but the three on the other end, laughing at the table, were
making it far too difficult.

“
Rumbledethumps.
It's... it's potato and cabbage.. and stuff.” Morgan giggled
and brought her fifth large mug of beer to her lips.

“
That's
what I mothafuckin' said! Did you call my sweet ass to fight with
me?” Angel scoffed and Sean laughed out loud. It was good, he
had to admit, to hear Angel again. He wasn't too sure of it when
Morgan grabbed her phone and turned on the speaker. She had told him
where she was and what she had for dinner. Morgan hadn't checked in
with her best friend for awhile, and thought there was no better time
than the present.

“
Sounds
like you're having fun, Stick. Why can't I be there?” Morgan's
lip immediately stuck forward as she pouted at his words. She would
love to have Angel there and vowed to get with him as soon as she
could.

“
Well,
get your ass to the UK and come see me!” She knew that he
couldn't, especially on such short notice, but she had to make the
invitation anyway.

“U..K?”
She rolled her eyes and giggled, as did Sean and Finlay.

“United
Kingdom, Angel.”

“Sound
like you're uniting the mothafuckin' kingdom all by yourself. How
many men do you have with you? I hear all of that snorting going on.”
All three of them busted out laughing, and Morgan assured him that
she wasn't uniting anything. “Whatever. When you're riding
Finny Stick later, try and say that with a straight face.”
Morgan's mouth opened to tell him to quit, but he was too fast for
her. “Oh, and Sean.... call a bitch sometime so we can catch
up. Love you, Stick.” With that, the call ended, and the trio
laughed loudly as their next round was placed before them.

“He
knew exactly who I was with. God I love that man,” Morgan wiped
her tears of laughter as her heart filled with love for the people in
her life.

*****

“Mother!”
Marisol ran into the small cottage and nearly collided head first
into her mom. “Where's Mark?” The older woman pointed
into the living room, but Marisol's brother heard the commotion and
came into the kitchen. “Mark!” Marisol turned and grabbed
her brother's arms. “I need money. Now! I need to get out of
the country. A police officer is accusing me of killing those people,
and I need to go! I'm going to prison, do you hear me?”

Marisol's
mother stepped in front of her, horror spread across her face as she
spoke. “Who? What? Someone knows?” Marisol nodded and
asked Mark again for money to leave Madrid.

“
I
need the dollars. I can't take euros to America. I'll start over
there.”

“
I
can't. I already spent it.” Marisol's mother no longer cared
about her daughter, and she turned and faced Mark.

“
You
did what?!” She demanded an answer, and pushed her daughter out
of the way to face Mark completely. “I swear, boy, if you spent
all of that money...”

“
I
did! I killed those people so it's mine to do with as I please! Not
yours!” Mark started to turn, but his mother grabbed his arm
and squeezed.

“
The
plan was mine, and mine alone. It's my risk just as much as yours. I
told you to leave that money in the safe until Mustafa was put away.”
Her teeth clenched and her lips barely moved as she continued. “You
will get my money back. You pulled the trigger, but I'm the one that
gave you aim.” Marisol stomped her foot in frustration. She was
getting nowhere, and they were doing exactly what she knew they would
do; ignore her.

“
Mother!
Please! I need help! I'm being accused of murder! I didn't do it, you
and Mark did! Please... just help me get away!” She pulled at
her mother's arm but the older woman just shook her off. The business
about Mark spending all of the cash was far too pressing of an issue.

“
We
can't get caught if the money isn't used. Now get it back!”
Marisol pulled on her mother's arm again, and attempted to get the
help that she needed.

“
Please...
will someone please help me?!”

“
We
will.” The three spun on their heels as several detectives
filed into their cottage. “You two are under arrest.”
Marisol's eyes widened as she stepped back against the stove. She
watched as her brother and mother were placed in handcuffs, and
forcefully escorted from their cottage. There was only one person
left standing in the kitchen, and that was John.

“
Thank
you, Marisol.” He nodded in her direction and she wiped the
tears from her face. She had done exactly as she was told. She
reached down into her vest and removed the wire that John had placed
there. The plan had gone off without a hitch, and the young girl was
finally free from her nightmare. “You did great.” She
didn't answer him, and it was his cue to leave her alone. She had to
deal with more than he could imagine, and it was best to leave her to
it. “If you ever need anything..” he handed the girl his
card, but she refused to take it. She was grateful for his help, but
she didn't want any further dealings with the nice American.

John
left the cottage and returned to his room to pack his bags. The prior
two hours of telling Marisol what to do, and trying to convince the
police force to listen to a confession about two murder cases that
were closed, had been enough to push him to exhaustion. He sat on the
bed and looked at his suitcases. It had been the same view for the
past several weeks, and he was ready for something new. He would
leave the following morning and take a few weeks off, but there was
still one more thing he had to do.

Morgan
returned from the restroom and laughed as Sean and Finlay staggered
to stand. Even drunk, they were still gentleman. “Thank you.”
Both men pulled her chair out that was between them, and returned to
their seat as she fell to hers. Just as she was about to suggest to
call it a night, her phone rang from the center of the table.
Assuming it was Angel again, Morgan reached over and answered it,
then put him on speaker phone again. All three of them laughed and
waited for Angel's antics to begin.

“
Morgan,
it's John. It's over. Mustafa is free.”

Chapter
Seven

“
Free?”
Morgan quickly picked up the phone and Finlay leaned closer to hear.

“
It's
all over. I have to go, but I had to let you know.” John
squeezed his phone between his shoulder and chin as he zipped up his
largest suitcase.

“
John,
thank you.” Tears of happiness fell from Morgan's green eyes.

“
You're
welcome, Morgan. Mustafa will be released tonight, but you should
wait a few days before calling him. Let him get back on track, I know
that's what I would want.” The call ended with a single beep
and Morgan set the phone back down on the table.

“
He's
free! He did it!” She turned to Finlay, more tears flowing down
her flushed cheeks. “He's free!” Her arms wrapped around
Finlay's neck in a celebratory hug and he held her tightly for a few
moments before speaking.

“
Aye
lass, ye did it.” Finlay pushed his chair out with his heels
and rose from the table having to use the restroom. He knew it wasn't
the best of timing, but the amount of liquor he'd consumed made it
impossible to wait any longer. He kissed the top of her head as he
headed toward the back of the restaurant, and Morgan turned to Sean.