Chapter 20
Shit, had I just volunteered to go on vacation with Ranger or in the wind?
As that thought crossed my mind, I saw Ranger's lip quirk up as though he was thinking of smiling. What was going through his mind that he thought was amusing?
"Babe get what you can on this woman. I'm going to see what I can find out about who I should be looking for and then arrange our vacation"
He gently closed my mouth as he passed me on his way out of his office. I walked back to my workroom, finding Les sat at the table pretending to read something. As he looked up I could tell from his expression that he was still annoyed.
"I'm sorry Beautiful. I volunteered to go instead of Ranger, but he wouldn't let me"
"Who?"
"Our handler, Lieutenant Director Nicholas Marin"
"Okay, so why else don't you like him?"
"Never worked with him before"
"Have any of the other teams?"
"I don't know. Why are you asking?"
"Well, it seems there might be a conflict in the intel"
I had Les's attention now, his eyes had lost their anger and he was almost smiling. What was it with these almost smiles?
"What have you found out?"
"A possible for Fábrega. But if I'm right then someone is feeding false intel"
"I really don't follow you. We don't have that much intel on him"
"Only what someone is going to tell Ranger"
"Tell Ranger?"
"If he's supposed to find Fábrega in Bogota then he'd need something to identify Fábrega with"
I watched as that amazing smile spread across his face. He was working out what I was saying and knew I had a story to tell. To be honest I couldn't wait to tell Les everything I'd uncovered.
"Okay I'll tell you what I know"
I went through the story once again but this time I was holding the information in front of me. When it came to the child that was born Les was as surprised as Ranger.
"So, I want you to chase up where Aran Fábrega worked and where the mine is where he died"
"I take it we're keeping this info in house?"
"Yeah, though that decision is ultimately Rangers"
I wanted to find out as much about Alejandra Fábrega as I could but was now wary of using an online search engine. I knew they could be changed, and I also knew that an alert could be set up if anyone ran a search. I was also considering if she would actually use that name. So instead I input the name Alejandra Henao, hoping that she'd kept a name she was familiar with. Nothing, hell I was so disappointed, I knew I was on the right track so how could I find out more?
"Les have you found anything"
"Gold"
Wow I had no idea that Colombia mined for gold, then turning over a page that Les had printed earlier, was amazed at what else was mined in the country. Gold, silver, platinum, emeralds, coal and all sorts of minerals that I hadn't heard of. "Les did they close that mine down?" "Seems that way, at the time a lot of the tunnels were destroyed and I'm thinking maybe whoever owned it didn't think it was viable enough to spend the money on reopening it" "So it's somewhere that needs looking at?"
"Yeah, but if we're keeping everything quiet we'd need to send our own team down there"
I didn't like the idea of that at all. If we were right, then there would be a lot of men around there that wouldn't want strangers hanging around. "Can we do it without actually walking into there? You know photos from a plane or satellite images?" "You're worried, aren't you?"
"Yes. I hate the idea of someone walking around that place, it could be dangerous"
"Beautiful that's what we do. In fact, surveillance is a breeze. No one will even know we were there"
I knew when I was beaten so took the photos from Les and sat down to look at them. I agreed that I couldn't read what was underneath them but did recognize that most were the names of the people we were looking for. I recognized the name Fábrega and found myself looking at the man who had died in that accident. As I looked closer, I realized the photo must have been taken by maybe a friend because sat on either side of Aran were two women. The older one was probably his wife Anaya and the younger one must be his daughter Alejandra.
"Les can you get this photo any clearer?"
"I'll give it a go, but I think it's a copy of a photograph"
I kept looking at the photo of the young girl trying to discern any obvious features. She had long dark straight hair, which a lot of Latino women had. No doubt if the photo were in color, she'd have brown eyes as well. She'd be maybe early teens when this was taken, I wondered how she had changed as she'd matured into a woman. The problem was how to find her, and did she actually have anything to do with the drugs coming into the country and threatening Albertelli.
Les had left the room so I assumed he was trying to improve the image we had. I kept looking at the photo trying to see beyond it, maybe she wore a piece of jewelry that was important or even kept something of her mothers. Did she try to leave home and further her education or had she stayed with her mother after her father had died. No for some reason I didn't think she had but why would she seek out Serrano? I'd found a link to him but there had to be something stronger. That he was her mothers first husbands friend just wasn't working for me. Had Serrano caused the split in her first marriage, maybe. But why would Alejandra be upset with that? I checked back at Anaya's medical record. She'd only been 56 years old when she had died, so what had she died from? The cause of death recorded was pneumonia. Had Anaya contracted the HIV virus from Brayan Henao and did that mean their daughter was also a carrier? Mother-to-child transmission, in the absence of any intervention, ranged from 15% to 45%. Maybe. I put my head onto the table trying to decide if I was clutching at straws rather than following threads. I was seriously beginning to doubt what I was following. There were so many things that just didn't make sense.
I woke with a start totally disorientated and then felt an arm tighten around me. I was totally surrounded by warmth around me. Ranger was holding me with my back against his chest and it was then I realized that I was in bed on seven. Once I realized that, I could hear a voice close to my ear, whispering to me.
"Babe, you're okay, just a dream"
I couldn't remember dreaming but maybe that's what had caused me to wake up.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I can't remember anything"
"You were moving a lot and murmuring"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you"
"You didn't. It's my time to get up anyway. Go back to sleep"
"Are you going to the gym?"
"Yes. I'll be back up here for breakfast with you"
"Okay"
I was still half asleep so wasn't too aware that Ranger left the bed and then the apartment, I was soon fast asleep again. It was the feel of soft kisses over my face that brought me awake this time and as I reached up I could feel wet hair next to me.
"Time to wake up Babe"
"I'm nice and warm here"
"So you don't want the pancakes Ella brought up for breakfast?"
"That's low"
I heard him laughing as he left the room so got up to visit the bathroom before putting on a robe. As I was tying the belt, I looked down at what I was wearing suddenly wondering how I was wearing a pair of pink silky shorts and one of Ranger's T-shirts. As I sat down at the table and started serving some pancakes onto my plate, I just looked at Ranger, maybe he could answer the question I had.
"How did I end up in bed?"
"You fell asleep in the workroom so I brought you up here"
"I was trying to figure things out"
"Maybe we don't have all of the pieces yet to get the full picture. Sometimes things start to fall into place when we have more information"
"I suppose you're right"
"We leave mid afternoon for our flight"
"Flight?"
"To Bogota"
I know I was probably staring at him, I mean it was only yesterday evening that we'd talked about it. I should have known better though. This was Ranger and he made things happen.
"Clothes, I don't have any clothes"
"Ella's sorting everything out. We can't take anything that would lead back to this case so make sure you memorize what's important"
"Okay, Les was going to try and improve the quality of a photograph for me"
"Good. You also need to get acquainted with our cover id's. They're in my office"
I was slowly eating my way through the pile of pancakes on my plate, spreading maple syrup on each one as I came to it. I was hearing what he was saying but until my stomach was full the full impact of what he was saying wasn't really sinking in. As I finished the last bite on my plate, I saw Ranger watching me, as if he was waiting for questions.
"So, these id's?"
"You're Mrs. Sara Pardo"
"I recognize that name. You used it when we were looking for Scrogg. Does that mean?"
"Yes Babe, we're going as husband and wife.
The last time I'd pretended to be Ranger's wife was when we'd been on Hawaii. It had been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I felt that I could leave everyone and everything behind in Trenton and live a whole week in denial. Denial that what Ranger and I shared whilst there wasn't an illusion. The whole idyllic week had come to a resounding end when Joe had turned up. The way they fought each other had been horrifying, there was so much anger as they hit and punched. In the end Joe was unconscious and Ranger wasn't much better. After I made sure that both Ranger and Joe were being seeing to at the local hospital I ran. Then once back in Trenton my denial at what had happened between Ranger and I took over. I never spoke to anyone about what happened that week, not that there wasn't a lot of speculation. The mark on my ring finger didn't help, a white band where a ring had been. I felt Ranger tilt my head up with a finger under my chin.
"What's making you look so sad?"
"I was thinking about Hawaii"
"That was one of my most memorable and enjoyable times with you"
"I messed up"
"No, Morelli did"
"I didn't talk to anyone about it"
"Maybe we should have done"
"I don't know that I was ready for that. So I just pushed it to the back of my head"
"So remember it now, but not that last day"
"How did you feel when we got back?"
"Probably the same as you. You aroused ideas in my head that I wasn't ready for either"
"But you are now?"
"Definitely Babe. Are you?"
"Yes"
As I gave my response I leaned forward and touched my lips to his, then melted against him as the kiss deepened. I felt so elated, so in love with this man, and now all my dreams had come true. I was one hell of a lucky girl. We pulled away as Ranger pulled out his phone and read a message.
"I have to go down to the office and talk with Marin"
I didn't see anything of Ranger until the afternoon. I was worried about his conversation with Marin. Worried that this was a trap. But why would anyone want to get at Ranger? Or did they see it as an opportunity to set up the demise of someone they thought was Fábrega? Or maybe I was just being too paranoid and us going to Bogota would all be above board and we'd find the man that was calling himself Fábrega.
I made sure to read through all of the papers I had on this job and memorized the photo of the young girl that Les had made a little bit clearer. At lunchtime I headed up to seven for some lunch and to find out what Ella had provided for me for the trip. I had the id for Sara Pardo in my hand as I walked in but stopped suddenly at the sight of the man stood in the kitchen. He was wearing blue jeans that fit to the contours of his hips and ass with a pale grey shirt over a white T-shirt. The shirt was loose with only a middle button fastened. But it was the change in his looks that astounded me. Gone was his beautiful long black hair and he now had short spiky hair that had a hint of highlights through it. He hadn't shaved this morning so was sporting a growth of hair on his face. All the blue tinted glasses did was to make him look totally handsome in a totally different way.
"What is it Babe?"
"I love the look"
"I needed to look like the photo from my id, which hopefully is very different from my usual look"
"My photo looks the same as me"
"I couldn't let you lose the curls, but maybe if you tie your hair up, they won't be as obvious"
"I checked the weather for while we're there. It's warmer than here but not hot and the nights can be chilly"
"I've put together an itinerary of what we'll be doing"
"What did Marin say?"
"He's given me an address to check out and thinks that Fábrega will be in the city"
"Any idea where he got the information from?"
"No, he wouldn't say"
"Did he have a description?"
"Only a vague one. Latino man, mid thirties. Well built about my height with shoulder length dark hair"
"Ranger what does he want you to do"
"Eliminate him"
I knew I was just looking at him, but I was so busy trying to figure out what he'd said. I was still so worried that Ranger was being set up, or that an innocent man might die. Is that what someone wanted? For everyone to think that he was dead.
"Babe. I'm sorry but that's what is expected of me. I know how much you hate the idea of a person being killed. That's why I said there are things that I do that I'm not proud of"
I looked at Ranger and could see that his expression had changed, the blank face was now firmly in place. Did he think I would love him any less because he did what he was ordered to do? I knew he had a dark past but wasn't aware that it preyed on him so much. I suppose taking a life always had the effect of darkening your soul, I knew, because I felt it when I'd had to kill someone. I walked up to him and removed the glasses then held my hands on either side of his face,
"I wasn't thinking about that, I know you have to do things because of your government work, I know that it makes you feel unworthy, but it shouldn't. You're a good man and I know you. I still love you very much"
I finished by showing him how I felt by taking his mouth to mine. I felt him relax against me as he held me tightly to him and deepened the kiss. I just hoped that what I'd said had placated his fears. As we pulled apart for air, I knew he needed to know why I was worried.
"I'm worried that this is a set up"
"Why would it be a set up?"
"So that everyone would think Fábrega was dead when he isn't"
"I would never kill an innocent man, if it isn't Fábrega then we come home and continue to look for him"
I knew we had to follow this up, maybe I had been totally wrong with my ideas about Fábrega being a woman. I mean these people who worked for the government had been doing this for years. They'd be better at it than me in finding someone, wouldn't they?
Two hours later we were about to board our flight. I was so nervous going through security, but no one seemed to be at all interested in us. Ranger had booked us first class seats, so I was already excited about that. I'd never flown first class before. I was wearing designer jeans and a sweater with some beautiful Christain Louboutin Turela Booties, in olive suede. I had a matching suede jacket, tinted glasses and felt like a million dollars. Everything that Ella had packed for me were designer labels. I just couldn't figure out why and the idea of paying her for them made me not want to wear them, well almost. As we settled into the large comfy leather seats our cabin crew handed us each a glass of champagne. Ranger bent his arm around mine so that we were face to face as we tried to drink it. I was sure I was trying very hard not to laugh and spill it.
"To us, Sara and Marc Pardo"
"To us"
As I said it I looked down at the rings on my finger. They were the same ones that Ranger had presented me with in Hawaii and even now I thought they were beautiful. I just found it hard to believe that he'd kept them all this time. He was even wearing the same one that he'd had in Hawaii. I'd been tempted to ask about them but then decided that the fact that he had kept them was more important. I just hoped that they weren't rings he gave to any woman he went undercover with. As I looked up, I knew that he was watching me and maybe he guessed what I'd been thinking about.
"These are only for you. I bought them before Hawaii. For some reason I could never get rid of them so kept them"
"They are beautiful rings"
"For my beautiful woman"
I knew that the plane was moving toward the runway so braced myself as I felt the engines get louder readying for that sudden burst of acceleration. As the plane started to move Ranger took my face in his hands and totally distracted me by kissing me. He did a good job as well because as I came up for air the engines had quietened down and we were already beginning to level out. I opened the book that Ella had left out for me and started to look through it. The guide book on Colombia was full of facts and information. Population was 46.3 million, languages Spanish (official), plus various indigenous languages. Currency was the Colombian peso (C$ or COP$) and the Capital Bogotá had a population of 7.6 million. The country was featured as an adrenaline junkie dream venue. Hell, I hoped Ranger didn't have anything like that planned out. No, he wouldn't, this was a working vacation, plus we'd have to be very aware of our surroundings. As I looked through the book Ranger passed a piece of paper to me. It was the itinerary for what we would be doing for the four days that we were here.
Start in La Candelaria, with a snack at La Puerta Falsa, a look at Plaza de Bolívar and a visit to the sculptures of chubby bodies at the Museo Botero.
Lunch at Prudencia, then Museo del Oro.
Dinner of Colombian food in Zona G, before drinking in Zona Rosa or Parque 93.
Second day. Monserrate for massive capital views.
At night, Andrés Carne de Res, a 23km taxi ride north in Chía.
Third day a day trip to the salt cathedral at Zipaquirá.
Fourth day brunch in Usaquén before heading to the city for a tour on two wheels with Bogotá Bike Tours.
Afterward, a hot cup of canelazo (made with aguardiente, sugarcane, cinnamon and lime) in a cafe in La Candelaria.
Meal at an innovative Colombian restaurant in Chapinero Alto.
"I like the look of this, it looks like a civilized way to visit the city""What were you expecting?"
"Well, it says here in this book that you can go rock climbing, trekking and swimming, rafting, caving and let's not forget bungee jumping" I smiled sweetly as I went through the list of some of the more adventurous activities I'd come across. "Babe, I'm pretty sure we'll find enough adventure with where we're going"
"Do we have, err, have any backup?"
"Of course. Two men I know who retired from the Colombian army. They're good and they're loyal to me"
"I believe you. So, when will we look for Fábrega" "Caleb and Gael are already doing some surveillance, I'll catch up with them when you're safely tucked up in bed"
"You're going to leave me alone in the hotel?"
"No" That seemed to be the last of the conversation as at that moment we were served with a light meal. I was impressed that there was proper cutlery and plates but wasn't too sure what I was eating. It tasted good for airplane food, slightly spicy chicken on rice followed by a chocolate cheesecake then coffee with cheese and biscuits. I was quiet as I focused on my food then afterwards felt sleepy. I pushed up the armrest between us and with my legs over Rangers curled up into his side. I felt his arm holding me to him and a hand cradling my head. My stomach was full, and I was with Ranger, so I was relaxed enough to fall asleep.
I hadn't been aware that I'd been moved. My head was resting on Ranger's shoulder, but my seat belt was on and the arm rest was down. As I looked toward the window, I was shocked that we seemed to have landed. How the hell did I manage to miss that? Not that I was complaining. I sat up and looked across at Ranger who was busy putting away a pad that he'd been reading from. He must have been aware that I was watching because he turned to me. "You ready for this?"
"Yeah I am"
"Good, stay close"
Being first class we were the first to leave the plane and fortunately among the first to go through passport control. We'd only brought carryon bags so were soon passing out of the doors of the terminal. Ranger never faltered as he moved across to where the taxis were waiting. I was surprised though when he moved down the waiting cars and opened the back door to one, guiding me into the back seat first. The driving was fast as we moved along the streets and into Bogota and it wasn't long before we were pulling in front of a hotel. I wasn't too sure about it as we got out of the taxi, the frontage was close to the street and it didn't seem that up market to me. Once inside I immediately changed my mind. It was a beautiful place inside, small but elegant and serene. The suite of rooms we had were bright and sunny with every amenity we could wish for. I watched as Ranger placed a black bag onto the rack, fascinated as he started to remove guns and ammunition from it. Of course, one went on his ankle and another in the back of his jeans.
"Where did that come from?"
"The car, Gael was driving it"
I hadn't taken any notice of the driver, how bad was that?
"You ready to do some sightseeing?"
"Sure"