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and easy, not start unpacking boxes to hide it. In, out, done, that’s the way. A day later same thing, in, out, done. You need padlocks on your doors. I can do them. There’s dry rot in your bathroom. What’s in the bag?”
    â€œLunch. Let’s make some sandwiches.”
    A few minutes later, at the table with ham and cheese sandwiches, beer for him, she told him what she had. “Nicholson’s a creep. Forget him for now. According to the letter Binnie’s mother wrote, her sister, Anaia Santos, married an American, Lawrence somebody. I want his name. And the father was a businessman, name Augustus Santos. Sometimes a grandfather has more regard for a grandchild than for the child who strayed off base. Company, business, how influential is he, the usual background. I want to get in touch with him, but I don’t want to go in cold. And finally, what happened to the kidnapping charge? Why didn’t Domonic Guteriez pursue it? You’d think with a rich American sports figure, he’d be hot after big money. Why wasn’t he?”
    As she listed her Christmas order, Bailey grew more and more disgruntled. “What’s Belize? Besides a name. Never heard of it. You want me to go traipsing off to a foreign country God only knows where it is, and what language, or if they shoot Americans on sight. Come on, Barbara.”
    â€œIt’s a tiny country in the Caribbean, nestled in the armpit of the Yucatán. English language. Gained independence a few years ago. Before that governed by British Honduras, British law system, no doubt. Two traffic lights in the whole country, which is sixty-eight miles wide and under two hundred miles from north to south. Exporter of sugar, mahogany until they cut down all the trees. One of the major marijuana growers until Reagan sent in planes to spray the fields last year. They’re still doing it. With marijuana on the decline, down to less than two hundred tons apparently—” She stopped when Bailey snorted, then continued, “They could be looking for another way to bring in the big bucks. Could be the reason the DEA got interested in Binnie, if they know there’s a connection. What more do you want? If Santos is a prominent businessman, in a country that size he shouldn’t be hard to find.”
    Bailey’s gloom did not lighten. “And the sister married an American. Whoopie! When?”
    â€œBinnie thinks she’s twenty-one, but she may be younger, and the sister was already married when Shala sailed out with her lover. Start there, around twenty to twenty-two years ago—1960 on. There should be a record of the piracy and murder of the crew and others.”
    She gave him the address Martin had provided. “They’ll be ready at ten in the morning, straight out to Tawna and James Gresham’s house at Turner’s Point. You know where it is?”
    He nodded. “I’ll get word to them to meet me at long-term parking at the airport and go from there. In case a neighbor spots me at the house.”
    And that was why she wanted Bailey, she thought. He took account of things like that and she had not. “Right. You said you had other work going on. Can you get to this right away, like yesterday, in fact?”
    â€œYeah. You realize you’re just like your old man? He always wants things yesterday,” he said morosely, then grinned. “This is more fun. Watching you tangle it up with INS and the Drug Enforcement Agency is a hoot. If the IRS and or the FBI get involved, I’ll give you some pointers on skipping out of the country, up to Canada, and on to Finland or someplace like that.”
    â€œThanks,” she said. “I’ll keep it in mind. I’ll go out to Turner’s Point on Sunday and talk to them, but Binnie doesn’t know any more than what her mother told her.” She hesitated a moment, then added, “Bailey, Martin can pay. And Dad isn’t to