CHAPTER 9B: THE RESORT CLIENT - CONT'D
* * * READING CHAPTER 9A IS IMPORTANT * * *
"Okay. It's almost too much for coincidence, isn't it? What do we do? Sounds like a police matter rather than policy and procedures."
"Too early for police. All circumstantial," Marie said.
"What are you thinking, then?"
"Do you have a handgun?" Cindy asked.
* * * *
Cindy's older brother had returned from two tours in the Marines and presented her with a 9mm Glock. She was reluctant but finally gave in to his insistence. The time in combat zones had heightened his concern for her safety. She didn't live in a war zone, she had insisted. She finally gave in. She accepted his training, spending hours and boxes of ammunition at target ranges, and getting licensed. Cindy and Marie had no intention of killing anyone, though.
They were all set. The plan was simple. They had first called the three guys from the afternoon on the beach and told them they had something important to resolve for the office. No rest for the wicked, they had explained. 'Lusty, yes; wicked, no', came the reply. Both women really ... REALLY ... liked the three guys and were looking forward very much to more time with them.
After calling the guys, they called for room service: salads and wine to be delivered in two hours. They figured that would be sufficient time. Cindy sat on the sofa in the living area. They were both covered only in their short robes. Cindy, for the umpteenth time, was disassembling the gun, verifying the magazine was empty as well as the chamber. Underneath her short robe, she also had a belt on. She slipped the gun under the belt at the small of her back. They were making an assumption based on circumstances but circumstances that fit together too well.
When it happened, it happened fast with a knock on their door precisely on time. A check through the peep-hole showed Manny with a service cart. If they were wrong, they might be embarrassed. At the confirmation from Marie, Cindy retreated further away from the door. She hadn't tied her robe but was holding it closed with her hand so she could quickly reach behind, if necessary. She waited, trying to appear much calmer than she felt. She was an HR specialist in conflict management, not an undercover agent. Marie let Manny in with his cart laden with the salads, a wine bottle and glasses, water glasses, rolls, and fruit. He transferred everything onto the table. He noticed Cindy holding her robe closed and leered at her, probably thinking they were in the midst of something sexual or preparing for something sexual. He made no move, though. He thanked the women and wished them a good evening and it was too anti-climatic. As the door was closing behind him, Marie turned to look at Cindy with surprise, disappointment, and relief, all mixed together. She was wrong. Cindy's eyes, though, looked different.
In no more time than it took to reflect those feeling on her face, the door burst open behind her and large, rough hands propelled her deeper into the room. Stumbling to a stop, her short robe now loose and hanging open, she saw four black men standing threateningly as she heard the door click shut.
"There is no reason for you to be hurt, but you may if you resist. We're going to have some fun and it will be more fun if you cooperate. Ultimately, though, it won't matter one way or the other." The one who spoke was a step closer and had the attitude of the leader.
Marie cinched her robe shut and stepped to the cabinet with the TV on it, touched the screen of her smartphone sitting there, then tapped the button that appeared. "What did you just say?" Marie asked defiantly.
The man laughed and repeated everything. Marie argued, told them to leave, told them she'd call security, told them she'd call the police. The man laughed. A couple of the others didn't laugh quite as hard and she wondered if they might be the ones to eventually break. When the laughing died, it came out. They had their addresses and phone numbers back home. They had everything. The man grabbed Marie, a hand around her throat, "If there is a hint of trouble," he said with a laugh, "well, you, your family, will be very sorry."
The man pushed Marie back roughly and she stumbled back near Cindy. So that WAS the reason the other women didn't file charges, she thought. Cindy's hand was already inside her robe and behind her. Now that Marie was out of the way, it was time.
A simple nod from Marie and, "Don't you dare take another step!" A chill went through Marie as Cindy's voice calmly but with surprising confidence and authority filled the room as the gun in her hands appeared and she settled into a shooter's stance.
"What the ...?"
"Shut up," she called out. Then chuckling, "Sorry, my outfit didn't allow for my credentials to be visible. Now, hands on the wall."
They froze, looking bewildered and utterly confused by the turn of events. Police? They froze just long enough for the door to the suite to burst open with Mr. Martin and three beefy security guys rushing in. Cindy stepped forward, handed the gun back to Mr. Martin who released the empty magazine, slapped in a loaded one, and jacked the slide to chamber a round. Those quick moves seemed to totally deflate the four men.
Marie's phone had been set to record and send to Mr. Martin, something Miles had worked out for them. As soon as he heard, the security detail moved and he phone the police on the next island. They were there within a half hour but by that time the four men had confessed quickly in the hopes of damage control. Manny indeed was behind it all. He might be able to be charged with a variation of sex trafficking. He charged men for identifying, providing personal information, and arranging for the assaults. The resort was based on the availability of consensual sexual encounters but some men, apparently, were more interested in less consensual situations. Manny couldn't be found at the resort, but it was a small island. The police found him hiding out at the docks trying to get a boat to escape.
The excitement may have seemed to start and end quickly, but the police interviews (over and over, it seemed), forensic evidence collection, and transferring of the recording seemed to take all night. Daylight was breaking over the eastern horizon and they stood at the front entrance still in their short robes as the police drove away with the four men and Manny. Mr. Martin thanked Marie and Cindy for the hundredth time and said he wanted to talk again in the afternoon after they had slept. That was when the two women saw the three men from the day before among the many guests crowded around watching.
"Are you okay?" They each hugged the women with genuine concern. What a difference in men, Marie thought. After assurance they were okay, just exhausted now, the men excitedly talked about the rumors floating around: guns drawn, assault, special agents from some government agency (FBI presumably), etc. They laughed, denied most of it, then asked if they could meet for dinner and .... They agreed. Of course, they agreed. Especially with the 'and' thrown in.
* * * *
It was early afternoon when Marie's phone jarred them awake. Seeing the caller ID, Marie pushed Cindy harder and sat up in bed, Cindy following suit bleary-eyed. Marie pressed buttons to answer and put the phone on speaker. "Yes, ma'am?" Marie answered. They both struggled to untangle their legs, wake up better, and present a more business attitude verbally. They were both naked. At least that was like normal business ... for them.
"You really are okay?" The voice wasn't that of Ms. Benson but Mr. Cornell.
"Yes, sir. We really are. Got shoved a little but that's all," Marie assured him.
"We got a call from Clyde Martin," came Ms. Benson's voice. "He told us that and that you'd probably be in bed for most of the day after last night." There was a pause. "Of course," she went on, "you two being in bed for an extended time wouldn't surprise us any." Marie and Cindy could hear a lot of laughter in the background. "By the way, all the partners and as many of the office that could squeeze into the conference room are here and the few others are in the doorway. You two scared us."
"Sorry, ma'am," Cindy offered. "It was kind of one of those spur-of-the-moment things."
"I'm tempted to say not one of your best decisions," Mr. Cornell add, "but it's hard to argue with success."
"What should we do?" Marie asked. "We probably need to meet with Mr. Martin and the police some. What about flights returning?"
"Don't you dare," came the simultaneous voices of Mr. Cornell and Ms. Benson. Ms. Benson finished, "Stay there. You've earned it. Besides, you can interface with Clyde Martin for us. We've got some ideas for how he can best conclude this mess and save the resort's reputation."
"I have to ask," came Sara's voice, "is the resort really ...?"
"YES!" Marie and Cindy responded in unison emphatically.
* * * *
"That was a great dinner. We really enjoyed it with you, guys," Marie said and Cindy nodded in agreement.