Читать книгу Rita Royale 2 (The Beach House) - Terry JD Anderson - Страница 7

First thing in the morning Rita let Alex drive her in his new truck to the Army base; Alex dressed in jeans and t-shirt, Rita in her black uniform. She thought he did okay behind the wheel. A little fast maybe. Alex waited in an office with a female corporal, while Rita and Colonel Robinson talked in his office.

“Damn close call yesterday, Rita.”

“Yes, Colonel. Too close. Did you arrest the security guard who was supposed to be at the school?”

“We will when we find him. He hasn’t shown up at his house.”

“Why would drug dealers want to blow up a school?”

He shook his head. “No idea. Maybe the two are not connected. We’re still trying to identify the dead bombers.”

“Seems to me its bad for business blowing up kids.”

“I think so too. Maybe we’ll know the names soon.”

“And this guy Zamani, the leader who came to my house on the beach. What’s the deal with him?”

“I’m told he was a kind of head man in the mosque. Not an Imam, but one of the head guys.”

“Maybe the drugs on the pier belonged to him.”

“I have Lieutenant Sweet and Sergeant Lewis investigating. So far no one’s talking.”

“Did Zamani have a wife?”

He nodded. “A woman named, Rafa.”

Rita thought about this. “And the three on the pier and the one in the boat, anything on them?”

“Nothing so far. They weren’t local Muslims. That much is known.”

Rita stood to her feet. “If you find out more, you can reach me on my cell.”

“Will do, Major. I must say, you’ve opened up a can of something around here.”

“Seems like it.”

“I’ll keep some MPs watching your house.”

“Thank you, Colonel.”

Rita walked into the outer office, spotted Alex chatting up the brunette corporal. He stood to his feet when he saw her. She motioned for him to follow and they were soon back inside the pickup truck.”

“That woman was nice.”

Rita grinned. “Pretty too.”

He looked at her. “How come you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“I’m not ready. I guess I still miss my wife too much for that.”

“Was she nice?”

Rita nodded. “Yes, she was nice. Let’s go to Kats Klub now.”

He nodded, started the truck. “Am I allowed inside a lesbian bar?”

“I guess if you’re going to work there you’re allowed inside.”

Alex drove toward Sidney and the lesbian bar, while Rita dialed a number on her cell phone.

“Hi Dixie. See if you can find out the address of a woman named Rafa Zamani. She’s the wife of one of the dead guys who attacked my house.”

“Yes, Major. Didn’t the Colonel have the address?”

“Let’s just keep this within Badger Troop. Let’s leave the colonel and the Army out of this.”

“Yes, Ma’am. I understand.”

“Any other calls for me?”

“The mayor called. She wanted to thank you for what you did at the school. Lunch tomorrow okay?”

“Yes. Tomorrow would be good. Anything else?”

“Some media people want to speak with you too.”

“When?”

“They’re hanging around out front of the office right now. I don’t think they know where you live though.”

Rita blew out her breath. “If I know the media, they probably know where I live. I won’t be in the office today. I have a few things that need taking care of. Call me back when you find that address.”

“Yes, Major.”

Alex glanced at Rita. “Doesn’t that colonel out rank you?”

Rita looked at him sitting comfortably behind the wheel. “No. I’m Badger Troop.”

“What about a general?”

“Army general?”

He nodded.

“An Army general doesn’t out rank me either. Only a Badger Troop general out ranks me. Some changes went into effect a few months ago. Badger Troop is now totally separate and apart from the Army. A special independent branch of the military. There’s separate male and female units now too. Base Kamloops and Base Killdeer are the only all female Badger Troop bases in Canada at the moment though.”

He glanced at her face. He liked her face. “Why doesn’t everyone want to be in Badger Troop then?”

“Its not for everyone. And I’m told more than half of those who do make it to boot camp drop out within the first few days of training. Its a little different now than when I trained. Its harder.” Rita grinned. “It was hard enough then.”

“Can you help me get into Badger Troop boot camp?”

She looked at him, his eager young face. “Sure. I’ll help you.”

The truck pulled up to the curb in front of Kats Klub, Alex a little nervous, but said nothing. Rita led them inside the unlocked doors and walked to the bar.

“Hi Rita.”

“Hi Nicki. This is Alex. He’s a good painter of flowers.”

Nicki looked at him. She knew who he was. “So you’re good at painting flowers?”

Alex glanced at Rita, then back to the bartender. “Any kind you want.”

She smiled, looked at Rita, back to the kid. “When can you start?”

He shrugged. “Tomorrow morning?” He needed Stella’s book before starting this job.

“Okay. Be here at eight and you and I will get whatever supplies you need.”

“I know a good place to buy spray paint.”

She was sure he did. “Okay. Be here at eight tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Call me, Nicki. Ma’am sounds old to me.”

Alex nodded, studied the owner. She wasn’t as pretty as Rita. He guessed she must still be a lesbian though.

“You two want something to drink? Coffee?”

Rita nodded. “A coffee sounds good. I’m waiting for a call.”

“How about you, Alex?” asked Nicki.

“Coffee too.”

She looked at him. “Wouldn’t you rather have a glass of juice?”

“No, coffee’s good.”

She smiled. “Okay. Two coffees coming right up.”

Rita looked at him, said nothing, watched Nicki pour two cups full of the steaming dark liquid.

Alex asked, “Nicki, do only women come in here?”

She grinned. “You’re here.”

“Besides me though.”

“Only women are allowed. But sometimes we allow handsome young men like yourself to have a coffee.”

He smiled, he liked being called handsome.

Nicki placed cream and sugar on the bar close to the cups. “I heard about that thing at the school. My word, Rita. If you hadn’t been there, who knows what may have happened.”

“I know. I don’t know what’s going on around here.”

“I haven’t heard anything.”

Rita’s phone rang. She fished in her jacket pocket and removed it, looked at the number. “Hello Dixie.”

“Major. I have that address.”

“Hang on a minute, Dixie. Do you have a pen and paper, Nicki?” She nodded, placed both on the bar. Rita said, “Go ahead.”

“She lives in a house two down from the mosque. Number 296.”

“Thanks. How’s everything?”

“The media still has cameras out front. Nothing else going on.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.” She closed the phone. “Drink up, Picasso; we’re going somewhere before we see about your driver’s license.”

“Okay, Rita.” He looked around. “Where’s all the lesbians?”

Nicki laughed. “They come out later. When the moon’s full.”

Alex scrunched his face, shook his head. “As if.”

Rita asked, “What do you know about a place called, Davey Jones’ Locker?”

Nicki bobbed her head. “Not much. Military and ex military play poker there. High stakes I hear.”

“Oh yeah? Maybe I’ll check it out one night.”

Alex looked at her, wondered if there was anything she couldn’t do. He sipped his coffee, studied her face. Glad she was his friend. Glanced around the empty bar. Listened to Nicki and Rita talking quietly. Turned on his stool when the door opened. Light filled the entrance. Two women in uniform entered, squinted, their eyes adjusting to the darker room. One of them focused on Alex and smiled. He watched them sit at a small table.

Rita frowned a little. “You shouldn’t stare at people.”

He looked at her closely. “They’re in the Navy.”

Rita glanced at both women quickly. “Yes.”

“One of them smiled at me.”

“Why not, you’re a nice looking kid.” Rita squinted.

Alex nodded, sipped his coffee. “Nothing could ever come of it anyway, Rita.”

Rita grinned, looked at his young dejected face. “Let’s go. I need to talk to a woman.”

Alex drove Rita to Rafa Zamani’s house. Rita made Alex wait in the truck. A woman younger than herself, early twenties perhaps, opened the door, her head uncovered. Rita expected the woman to be wearing a scarf on her head for some reason.

Both women stared at each other. Rita asked, “Are you Rafa Zamani?”

The woman looked frightened and suspicious at the same time. “Yes.”

“I’m Major Royale. The new Liaison Officer. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions.”

“About my husband?”

“Yes. I know some Army people talked to you already, but I need to ask a few more questions.”

She looked closely at the blonde military woman with hair as short as she’d ever seen on a woman. “No one has asked me any questions.”

Rita stared into Rafa’s dark eyes. “No Army men were here?”

She shook her head, looked up and down the street. “Come inside and talk.”

Rita entered the house, looked around the tidy living room. It looked modest, but nice. Very clean and looked after.

“What do want to ask me?”

“Was your husband involved in drugs of any kind?”

“He was involved in many things. I don’t know what, he never said.”

“Did you ever hear him talking to anyone about drugs, or anything else illegal?”

“Are you the woman who killed him? I heard it was a woman.”

“Yes.”

“My husband had little use for women.”

Rita glanced at her long heavy black hair. “I see. And you never knew what he was up to?”

“Once I heard him talking to someone. Someone named Mamoud. I remember because he doesn’t live here or attend the mosque.”

“Mamoud? Not Mohammed Mamoud?”

“I only know the last name.”

“What did they talk about?”

“I do not know. I heard my husband call him that.”

Rita nodded. “And you, Rafa, how are you holding up?”

She seemed surprised by the question. “I didn’t love my husband.”

“And what will you do now?”

“I’m leaving soon.”

“When?”

“As soon as I can sell the house.”

Rita thought for a moment. “Thank you, Rafa. I guess that’s all I need to know for now. Can I see you again if I have more questions?”

She nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know anything else.”

“Thanks for your time.” Rita walked out of the house and back to the truck. Told Alex to drive to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

That evening after supper, while Alex was walking the beach looking at Stella’s flower book, Rita made a call to General Arnold.

“Hi Rita. I was just wondering about you.”

“I heard a name today, General. Mamoud.”

He paused for a moment. “Mamoud? Are you certain?”

“Yes, sir. I assume he’s involved in the drug thing here. There’s something else bothering me too. Zamani’s wife had no one interview her. I thought that was odd.”

“You think someone in the Army is involved?”

“I don’t know, General, but I want to work on this apart from the Army. I need people I know and trust helping me.”

“Rita. You’re there to relax and eat fancy dinners and get fat, not go looking for Mamoud.”

“We’ve wanted this guy for a long time, sir.”

“I know. You sure it was Mamoud?”

“Yes, sir. It has to be him.”

“You get Dixie and Cathy on this with you. If things start to shake out, I’ll send in a squad of Badger Troop to assist you. Don’t you do this alone, Rita.”

“No, sir. I’ll have Dixie and Cathy assist me.”

“Keep me up to date. I won’t mention this conversation to anyone.”

“Thank you, General.”