Chapter 3

Wednesday 8:00 am Day 5

"Detective, wake up." Jesus spoke softly. Bobby didn't respond. Jesus went to one of the cabinets and retrieved an ammonia capsule. He walked over to Bobby and broke the capsule under Bobby's nose.

Bobby woke up with his back on fire. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore. The muscles in his arms, back and legs were screaming. He throat was parched and his nose and eyes were burning from what smelled like ammonia. He threw his head away from the offending odor and fought back the tears threatening his eyes. He struggled to find his footing and relieve the stress on his badly bruised and bleeding wrists.

"Detective, you must drink." Jesus lifted a glass of water with a straw to Bobby's lips. Bobby wanted the water but shook his head. Death by dehydration sounded better than what Suarez had in mind.

"Detective, you must drink. You are dehydrated." Bobby shook his head and turned his face away from Jesus.

Jesus sighed and walked out the door. He came back with several men, a bag and an IV pole.

"Sorry I cannot let you die. Your host would be very unhappy. You are his favorite toy."

Jesus lowered the bar, causing Bobby's legs to sag. Two of the men stepped up and released the leg irons, then the handcuffs. Bobby fell to the ground, grateful he was no longer hanging from the bar. The men lifted Bobby up by the shoulders and dragged him over to the stainless steel table. Bobby weakly struggled to get away. The men tightened their grasp and roughly pulled Bobby up.

Two more men join in and they lifted Bobby on to the table and placed him lying on his back. The cool surface of the table helped the fire in his back; at the same time, it caused the wounds to open. Bobby groaned and bit his tongue to keep from screaming.

The men chuckled as they added restraints to Bobby feet, hips and chest. Jesus pulled out two stainless steel arm boards below each of Bobby's shoulders. He locked Bobby's right arm into the arm board manacle.

Jesus reached into the bag and took out the items he needed. He applied a tourniquet to Bobby's arm and thumped the largest vein he could find. After swabbing the area with alcohol, he inserted an IV needle and quickly taped it in place and removed the tourniquet. He locked the manacle to Bobby's left arm.

One of the men handed him an IV line attached to a saline bag. Jesus inserted the IV line and hung the bag. The IV line and pole were place far enough away from Bobby's fingers so the he could not reach them. Jesus pulled out a syringe and emptied it into a port attached to the IV line.

Jesus went to one of the cabinets and removed a light blanket and pillow. He gently placed the pillow under Bobby's head and covered him with the blanket. "Don't worry. It is a mild sedative. Now, you will rest, detective, and get the water and nutrients you need."

Jesus ordered two of the men to stay in Spanish. They quietly stood watch as Bobby passed out.

Bobby woke when Jesus came in to replace the bag. He felt groggy and the hard cold table was causing him to shiver. "This is the last bag. Afterwards the host has something pleasurable in mind for you." Jesus administered another sedative and Bobby was asleep before Jesus closed the door.

While Bobby slept, Jesus gave him a shave, dressed and cleaned his wounds. Bobby groaned but did not wake up. With the help of the men guarding Bobby, Jesus dressed him in a navy blue t-shirt and khaki shorts. More men came in with a stretcher and moved Bobby to a cell with a bed large enough to support his body. They laid him on bed and covered him.

Thursday 8:00 am Day 6

Bobby woke to sunlight on his face. He groaned and rubbed his chin. For a brief second he thought he was somewhere else safe. He opened his eyes to find himself in a large jail cell. Someone had cleaned him up and dressed him.

The walls of his cell were white, with sunlight streaming in the window through bars. The cell contained a large bed, a sink, toilet, a small table bolted to the wall with a chair. Bobby stumbled out of bed, feeling the pain from the wounds on his back. His right hand and knee were swollen and bruised, throbbing with pain. The skin around his wrists and ankles was raw and angry. Bobby tested his range of motion and found his muscles bruised and tender, but he felt mostly intact. The t-shirt and shorts felt light and silky against his skin, for which he was grateful.

Holding the table for support, he made his way to the toilet. Wavering on unsteady legs, he relieved himself without making a mess. He looked through the bars on the window and saw a manicured lawn with a walking path and fountain. Past the large grounds, he saw a twelve-foot wall.

He heard the squeak of the lock and the steel door open. Bobby spun around to see Jesus in the open doorway smiling. "I am glad to see you're up. You are looking much better. Mr. Suarez has asked that you join him." Bobby shook his head. He wanted nothing to do with Suarez, pleasant or not.

"You have a choice, detective. You can join Mr. Suarez outside or you can join Mr. Suarez and the flagrum back in your special room." Bobby nodded and followed Jesus out of the room, where they met up with three other men. One man led off with Bobby limping behind. The other two followed closely behind Bobby. Jesus trailed behind, lost in his own thoughts.

Bobby noticed there were several cells such as his as he walked past. He thought he heard muffled cries coming from one of the rooms. There was also another special room like his.

As they entered the living areas of the compound, Bobby found the décor and rooms tasteful and pleasant. His eyes lingered over the paintings, beautiful and unfamiliar, perhaps created by local talent. Someone in the compound had an eye for art. He did see armed guards that maintained a distance from him.

Jesus followed Bobby, watching him observe his surroundings. Since they kidnapped Bobby, he had been mostly drugged or in pain, hiding all of his fear and suffering behind a stoic mask. Jesus had Bobby under surveillance for several weeks before his ordered kidnapping. In his surveillance arsenal were specialized listening devices and money to delve into research about Bobby's work and social life. A few dollars here and there he was able to get a copy of his work file, psychological assessments as well as school records. Suarez wanted to know everything about Bobby.

Bobby's psych profiles reported a driven man more likely to blame himself for any transgression rather than the guilty party. In the past he ignored his own safety to help and protect others; therefore he was not a danger to the department, only to himself. The recommendation was that he worked best alone but could be trusted to work with a team.

The psychiatrist believed Bobby would reach an early burn out. "Robert believes he is directly responsible for everything and failure is not an option. This stress can lead to a volatile situation in which Robert will seek unnecessary endangering activities. I recommend he return for counseling at any sign of overt aggression, acting out or placing himself in unnecessary danger. "

One day Jesus lucked out and saw Frank, Bobby's brother, asking Bobby for money. Bobby gave Frank the money in his wallet and asked him to go with him to see their mother. Frank begged off saying he had to go pay someone he owed money and would go next time.

Jesus trailed Frank to the track where he started up a conversation with him. After several drinks, Jesus had a good idea of what Bobby's childhood was like. Jesus read between the lines of Frank's grandiose version of how he protected his ungrateful sorry brother. Frank laughed about the times he wasn't home and Bobby ended up in the hospital because he was mouthing off to dad. Another time he came home and mom was chasing Bobby about the house, beating him with a broom because "they" had possessed him. Jesus wondered how Bobby survived childhood.

Jesus found Bobby to be stubborn yet a kind reserved individual obsessed with his job. Bobby was a man tasked with hiding his personal demons, anger and empathy. Jesus was impressed to see the lumbering giant possessed grace and speed contrary to his size and demeanor. Then there was the devotion to his mentally ill mother. He found that to be Bobby's most endearing quality.

Jesus knew Mr. Suarez would find breaking Bobby a difficult challenge. He wondered if Mr. Suarez even came close to matching Bobby's intelligence and stubbornness. He feared Mr. Suarez would lose this battle and take out his anger on the rest of his people. A small, unselfish part wanted to see Bobby defeat Mr. Suarez at his own game. Fear was what drove Jesus Fonseca to follow orders and be good at his job. As he learned from Mr. Suarez, fear is a great incentive.

They stepped outside onto the grounds facing the ocean. Bobby scanned the area, drinking in all the blues the Caribbean had to offer. He knew his hunch was correct; he was on the Caribbean side of Quintana Roo. He didn't care if his captors knew he enjoyed the beauty.