Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
The resort had three restaurants and several bars serving food.
Violet and Max joined Katrina and Rodrigo in the least formal of the restaurants.
The Terrace was a massive open-walled gazebo extension off the main building.
The gazebo was painted pristine white, with large fans spinning gently in the vaulted ceiling.
If you didn't want to dine under the structure, you could sit at one of the many tables spanning the patio area that led down to the beach.
A waitress led them to a large round table at the edge of the patio.
Like everything else in sight, it'd been painted white.
The wicker chairs around it came with white cushions, and a white umbrella kept the heat at bay.
On the water, a small sailboat, white sails billowing, seemed to glide across the horizon, breaking the vast expanse of blue.
A couple wearing swimsuits walked barefoot in the white sand, hand in hand, oblivious to anything but each other.
So much blue and white. The resort had a color scheme. And it was boring.
"Would it kill them to throw in some purple or orange?" Violet muttered to herself.
"I can see why people come here to get married," Katrina said as she opened her menu. "It's like you're in a different world. It's almost impossible not to relax."
"Speak for yourself," Violet muttered. She was still tense from having to pick the right clothes to wear to dinner.
The hotel had a dress code for evening meals.
Some restaurants called for more formal attire, while The Terrace asked for resort casual.
Violet had been forced to look it all up and had come to the conclusion that formal was something you'd wear to a wedding, and resort casual was more like office wear during the summer.
Which meant she was in one of the more casual dresses Katrina had bought for her.
Yes.
A dress.
If the criminals she'd hunted back in Glasgow could have seen her, they would have laughed their arses off. She felt self-conscious and she wasn't sure where to put her hands. The dress didn't have pockets, so that was out. Who in their right mind wanted a dress without pockets?
The blue fabric, with delicate white flowers, nipped in at her waist, accentuating her small breasts, before flaring out at her hips and coming to rest below her knees.
Looking around at what the other guests wore, she thought the dress was probably on the conservative side of things, but she still felt like she was naked.
A woman walked past wearing silky patterned pants and a layered top. It looked elegant and comfortable. But most of all, it was pants.
Violet leaned into Katrina. "Why didn't I get trousers like that?" She pointed to the woman.
"Because I couldn't find any in your size and I had a limited amount of time to shop."
Violet wasn't sure she bought the excuse but before she could launch into a more in-depth interrogation, Rodrigo put a large piece of paper in the middle of the table.
"I got this map from reception," he said. "It shows the layout of the resort and island."
Sure enough, it was one of those colorful, hand-drawn maps that were handed out to tourists like candy. It wasn't to scale, and the activities were illustrated by cartoon drawings, but it gave them an idea of the resort layout.
Rodrigo pointed to a section marked private on the other side of the island, behind the executive golf course. "As far as I can tell, this is where our guy's house is located."
"Notice how all of the resort paths skirt the area," Katrina said. "Plus, the bulk of the tourist activities are located on this side of the golf course. There's no way you could casually wander anywhere near the private residence."
"We need to check out the golf course," Violet said. "See if it's possible to get access while playing a game."
"That's what we thought," Rodrigo said. "We're booked for some time on the course tomorrow morning. In the meantime, you two have a kayaking session, so we're thinking you could paddle around the island and check out the house from the water. It's sure to have a sea view."
Violet started. "Wait, what? We have a kayaking session?" She confronted Max. "Since when?"
He had the grace to look sheepish. "It's part of the package I bought. Sorry."
And the hits just kept coming. She was about to ask what else was in the package when Rodrigo spoke up.
"Anyway," he said. "You can check out access to Damien's house from the water tomorrow."
"If it's possible to paddle all the way around the island," Violet said. "They could have put up barriers to isolate that stretch of beach."
"Only way to find out is to get out there," Rodrigo said. "You okay with kayaking?"
"In what way? As in, do I want to do it? Because, no, I don't." Violet gave Max a death glare and was pleased when he shifted his chair further away from her.
"No," Rodrigo said. "As in, have you ever done it before?"
"How hard can it be?" she said. "You get in a boat. You paddle. And you don't even have to wear a swimsuit to do it, shorts and a T will do. There was a park in Glasgow we used to go to as kids that had little paddle boats on a manmade pond. I did that, I can do this."
"I bet there weren't any waves or sharks in your little manmade pond," Max said, proving he wasn't as intimidated as he should have been. She'd have to work on that. "This will be a bit different, but don't worry. I'll take care of you."
Oh, he was begging for her to drown him during their precious kayaking session.
Someone cleared their throat, and they looked up to find their waitress waiting for them.
The young woman noticed the map and smiled enthusiastically.
"You have to try snorkeling. The water is crystal clear, and you see the most amazing sea life.
" Her accent was pure American. Somewhere in the Midwest, Violet would bet.
Although, she was still having trouble pinpointing some of the regional accents.
Max gestured to the server. "See? Sea life. Not a puddle in Glasgow."
Bloody comedian.
"You're a long way from home," Katrina said to the waitress.
She grinned. "I'm working my way around the world. As soon as I get enough money from this job, I'm on my way to Brazil."
"How exciting," Katrina said.
They gave the woman their orders and watched her hurry away. That's when Rodrigo stiffened.
"What is it?" Violet asked, being professional enough not to turn around to see where he was looking.
Rodrigo's face remained carefully blank. "If I'm not mistaken, that's Juan Flores sitting over there in the corner."
"You're kidding." Now Violet really wanted to look.
"Who's Juan Flores?" Max asked, with that same eager tone he always got when he was curious.
"He heads up one of the smaller South American cartels," Rodrigo said.
"When I say smaller, I mean he isn't as big as the Sinaloa cartel, but he's still a serious player.
His territory includes part of the border where three countries meet, which means he controls all of the drug trade that passes through his territory. "
Violet surreptitiously angled her body to get a peek at the crime boss. He sat at a large, round table, filled with what looked like family members. As she watched, someone stood and toasted a smiling young couple.
"Looks like they're here for a wedding," she said.
"Seems like." Rodrigo reached for the jug of iced water in the middle of their table. "Don't recognize the happy couple as being family though."
Now, that surprised Violet. "You know him that well?"
"Spent a lot of time studying the guy when I was working a job in Paraguay. But that was some years ago now." His gaze swept the room as he offered to top up Max’s glass. All the while, he smiled like they were having an intimate dinner and weren't concerned with anything going on around them.
"Do you think he's Damien's partner?" Katrina asked, careful to appear relaxed.
Max shook his head. "Like I said with the last crime guy you spotted, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure the partner doesn't stay on the resort when he comes for the meetings."
"Not even as a guest at Damien's private residence?" Katrina said.
Max looked taken aback. "I never even considered that as a possibility." He sighed. "And I have no way of checking the theory out either."
"That's two mobsters we've seen so far," Violet said. "Would be a helluva coincidence if they'd just happened to book weddings here on the same weekend. And I don't believe in coincidence."
Katrina suddenly smiled and placed a hand on Violet's arm.
"Tell me about the flowers for your wedding.” The change of subject meant someone was coming.
“You must have some wonderful plans for those.
I can't wait to hear what you've chosen.
" She glanced behind Violet, as though suddenly noticing the waitress approach.
"We'll get back to this. Right now, our food is here. "
As the waitress served their dishes, Rodrigo smiled at her. "Looks like it's busy tonight," he said.
"Oh, this is about usual," she said. "The resort is always full."
"You must do a lot of weddings, then." Katrina leaned forward, leaning her folded arms on the table. "How many do you normally do a day?"