Chapter 6 #2
Now they had fentanyl to deal with, a deadlier drug marketed to young people in the form of candy. It made his blood boil. Filled him with disgust for greedy and uncaring jerks like Hector Hernandez. Tightened his resolve to shut him down.
The sparkling turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay stretched out before them as they drove over the causeway. Finally they came to the narrow bridge accessing the private island. Diana drove forward and gave her name to the guard at the gatehouse. Rafe handed over his fake driver’s license.
The guard opened the gate and they drove down a street lined with sleek, tall royal palm trees. Well-manicured green lawns with trim, colorful landscaping hinted of the wealth behind the mansions.
Clusters of leafy trees peppered the island, sheltering the waterfront homes from view, but other houses stood proudly as sentinels of the island’s famous historical past, with elegant colonial Spanish or Venetian styles.
Courtyards, arches, clay barrel tile shingles—all of it looked elegant and wealthy.
Hernandez lived in one of the wealthier waterfront homes, shielded from view.
The secluded fifty-four-million-dollar mansion gave the man plenty of privacy.
The estate sat on a full acre of prime waterfront property.
Not only waterfront, but deep waterfront, which allowed Hernandez to dock his yacht out back.
A little over twelve thousand square feet, it had six bedrooms, a chef’s kitchen with a butler pantry for catering parties, a dining area to seat sixteen guests and, most impressive of all, a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the serene waters of Biscayne Bay.
He’d seen this house from the water while cruising in an unmarked police boat. The thicket of coconut palms shielded most of it from curious spectators.
As Diana pulled up before a gate with the initials HH carved into the ornate ironwork, he saw two armed guards peer at the car. Majestic coconut palms in the front yard cloaked the mansion in a barrier of green.
Sunlight winked off the blue barrel of a long gun one guard carried. Yeah, they’d have no problem putting a bullet or two into your knee if you tried to muscle your way inside or even were caught sneaking over the ten-foot-tall white stucco wall.
Once inside, Diana parked in the circular driveway. As they got out, two more muscular guards approached the vehicle, swaggering as if they owned the place.
Diana smiled and they nodded at her. “I’m here to plan for the wedding. Is Hector here?”
First name basis. Interesting. Is she that close to Paul’s uncle and isn’t only taking advantage of his hospitality for the wedding?
“No, Miss Lexington.”
She sighed. “Too bad. I wanted to talk to him about having the rehearsal dinner on the Old Glory.”
Diana turned with a smug smile. “That’s Hector’s multimillion-dollar yacht. He usually keeps it docked here.”
Rafe said nothing. Allison bit her lip as if biting back a reply. She handed over her cell phone to one guard. The man gave it to the other guard and began to frisk Rafe. They removed his cell phone from his belt and took the electronic tablet Rafe carried.
“Vendors who are not vetted previously are not permitted cell phones on property,” one stated.
The other guard examined the electronic tablet Rafe carried.
“I need this for work.” He showed them his notes on the tablet.
The guard grunted and palmed Rafe’s phone and returned his tablet. The goon had the nerve to take his cell phone and was clueless about the tablet’s video and phone abilities. Rafe simply watched the man tuck the phone into a bag, along with Allison’s phone.
They did not confiscate Diana’s.
No matter. He followed Diana and Allison on the stone path to the back of the estate, where a green lawn overlooked the sparkling turquoise bay waters.
The palm trees flanked the pool, allowing a splendid view of the nearby Miami cityscape.
Nearby, an infinity pool with a cascading waterfall and a hot tub had patio furniture arranged around it.
It was a clear, cool day in South Florida. With the stunning blue sky and the magnificent, sparkling waters of Biscayne Bay, you could stretch out by the pool and indulge in peaceful relaxation.
Except if you knew the real cost of buying this mansion—the lives taken by the owner’s profession. Not that Hernandez gave a damn.
Diana stood near the pool, looking around uncertainly.
Rafe began typing on his tablet, pausing to take covert photos. Hernandez’s guards failed to realize the tablet had an excellent camera. He swept the tablet around, getting several views, including the sleek black racing boat moored at the expansive dock.
Then he realized Diana hadn’t said a word. Instead, she kept staring at the view with a perturbed expression on her face. She went over to the dock and kept looking at the boat.
“Diana, we’re not holding the wedding on the dock. Can you join us?” Allison asked.
Diana held up a finger. “One minute.”
An armed guard, pistol hanging from his belt, hovered nearby. Diana went over to him.
“Where is Old Glory? Paul told me his uncle would have the yacht here for the season.”
The man shrugged. “Mr. Hector loaned it to a friend.”
“For how long? I wanted the boat for the rehearsal dinner.”
“Mr. Hector changed the plans. The rehearsal dinner won’t be held here. Your parents know and are making alternate plans.”
“Paul promised...” Diana turned away.
“Di, what’s wrong?” Allison asked. “So what if you can’t have the rehearsal dinner on the yacht? It’s better to have it somewhere else, like a restaurant. Less fuss.”
Busy taking photos of the water and the racing boat, Rafe almost missed the distress on Diana’s face.
“Paul promised me the yacht,” Diana said, biting her lower lip. “It would have looked so impressive with the wedding guests. He promised...”
As her voice trailed off, Rafe stepped up. He had to control the situation before he lost the opportunity. Clearly Diana was upset about the change in plans, but he sensed a larger issue here.
“Miss Lexington? Where is the wedding going to be held? Out here? Will there be a temporary deck for guests and dancing? Or do you plan to have chairs on the grass?” Rafe asked.
When she didn’t answer, he repeated the question in Spanish. Finally she looked up at him. Rafe’s pulse raced at the empty look in her eyes.
She had been bubbly and energetic driving through the gate. And now, on the grounds, Diana acted like a different woman.
Then she pushed back at her long hair and gestured to the pool.
“Out here, on the grounds. I think there is a contingency plan if it rains because the house has a large living room where we can set up chairs. Um, I guess the flowers and trees, whatever you think is best, but something that can be moved indoors.”
Perfect. Exactly what he’d wanted—access to the house’s interior. But he needed to know what else was bothering Diana.
His gaze flicked to the guard standing by the pool. “If you’re worried the racing boat won’t make a good backdrop for the wedding, I’m sure it can be moved.”
Diana started to speak, then shook her head. She motioned to her sister. “Let’s go inside the living area so you can see how much space there is and how we can arrange the furniture if we need to move the ceremony inside.”
They entered the house through French doors leading directly to the living room.
Though he was here to gather evidence, Rafe could not help but admire the Italian marble flooring, the stone fireplace, elegant silk furniture in subtle shades of ecru that did not contrast the splendid view from the windows, but enhanced it.
Then he remembered why he was there, and how many lives Hernandez and his drug operation had claimed, either through violence or overdoses.
Rafe asked questions about moving the furniture, how many guests and placement of floral arrangements and potted palms. While he talked, he moved around, taking photos with his electronic pad while writing on it.
“If it rains, we should decorate the entryway with flowers and potted trees, perhaps with fairy lights,” he told Diana.
She led him down a long hallway to the front of the house. An attractive brunette, a housekeeper, judging by the gray uniform and apron, set a crystal vase of fresh lilies on a hallway table. She saw them and frowned. Diana swallowed hard.
“Hello, Lucy,” Diana said.
The housekeeper glared and arranged the flowers.
“I love how you arranged the flowers,” Diana told her.
“There’s other things I’m better at arranging, puta.”
Allison gasped at the swear term. The woman mumbled something and ran upstairs.
Rafe blinked. Something was off about that one. “What’s her problem?” he asked.
“Nothing.” But Diana stared after the housekeeper and muttered, “I can’t believe Hector gave her a job here. She loves to make my life difficult.”
As they went into the foyer, his gaze focused on the stacks of boxes near the sweeping marble staircase.
Allison gave him a questioning look. He saw it on her face. She suspected those weren’t ordinary boxes.
Diana saw them looking at the boxes and shrugged. “Those will be gone soon. The wedding planner is picking them up. I don’t know why they’re still here.”
Each box was marked in a black permanent marker—Wedding Favors.
“If these are for the wedding, I’d like to see the colors so I can match the lights on the trees,” he said.
Rafe opened a box.
Damn. There inside were the same rainbow-colored candy Allison had had at the hospital. Though the candy at the hospital only had trace amounts of fentanyl, he suspected rainbow tablets containing pure fentanyl were mixed into the box.
Some wedding favors.
He’d barely had time to take one photo when Diana came toward him, scowling.
“Those are my favors for the wedding. Candy for all the guests. You’re not supposed to touch them.”
“Oh? Says who?”
“Hector bought them for us. It’s part of his wedding gift to us.”
Some gift. Drugs that could kill. Rafe knew these were not meant for the wedding, and he’d bet his salary they were destined for the speedboat outside.
Allison had seen inside the box and blood drained from her face. She knew. These were the same type of pills she’d inadvertently offered to his niece and her guests at the hospital.
Damn.
He had to know, at least to clear Allison in this. “Miss Lexington, do you have any extras of those candies I can take back to the landscaping shop to match the colors?”
Thankfully, Allison spoke up. “Di, you should have extras. These look like the same ones you gave me at the hospital. Remember? You insisted they were just candy.”
Blood drained from Diana’s face. “It has to be candy, Ally, it must be... I had opened a box and took a few of bags for you, and when Hector found out what box I opened, he got mad.”
How mad? He saw Diana touch her left cheek almost subconsciously. Did her heavy makeup hide a bruise? Hernandez was famous for his violent temper.
“Hector told me I can’t have any. He’s hiring someone to make the wedding favors with the candy, and he doesn’t want me worrying about little details like this.”
But she didn’t sound convinced. More like she parroted words she was supposed to believe.
Through the double glass doors, he saw a car pulled up on the circular drive. Rafe’s blood ran cold as he saw Hector Hernandez emerge from the black Mercedes-Benz.
This wasn’t good. He hoped Hernandez wouldn’t recognize him from the night the drug lord shot him and killed two of his men.
Because if Hernandez did...
Rafe was toast.