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Giant Cave into a tourist attraction, and something like this could kill the project before it’s even off the ground. Between boat and gear rental, not to mention the jobs that would be created because of it and the collateral impact it could have on places like restaurants and hotels both here and in Caye Caulker, the initiative would generate a lot of revenue every year, and the people who have already invested in making it happen are not happy.”
    Gabe finally had an idea where all of this was going. He took advantage of Suarez’s short breathing stop to jump into the conversation.
    “Let me guess: this is where I come in,” he said.
    “Correct, Mr. Robles.”
    “Okay, but I really have no idea what you guys expect me to do about all this.”
    “You know the area, you know Giant Cave, you have a boat, and you have been out there fishing for everything from sharks to goliath groupers for almost a decade, Robles. You have the equipment and the know-how. Also, the locals know you and won’t think twice about seeing you out there. If we brought someone in, some stranger, locals would probably be suspicious and keep an eye on him, especially if he’s out there without a group of drunken tourists in his boat. The tourist and fishing and diving guide community is not that big, Robles, and anything that breaks its pattern will be immediately spotted and scrutinized. That goes against everything that we want to accomplish. Basically, what we want from you is to make this problem go away. You’re a local. You can make it happen without anyone getting suspicious and trying to get his or her nose into your business. Oh, and we’d appreciate if you could do it quickly.”
    Suarez’s pudgy, goateed face now struck Gabe as somewhat evil. He turned to his right and looked at Rebeca. Now that he had all the information he needed, he recognized her for what she really was: smart bait. He felt tricked. He felt like getting up and walking out without another word. Then he thought about the money and calmed down a bit. They had brought him here to discuss a job, and that was exactly what they were offering him. He hadn’t expected the gig to include going out and trying to catch and kill a gigantic octopus that, as far as anyone knew, had developed a taste for human flesh, but a job was a job, and the fact that this was something a bunch of concerned rich people wanted taken care of quickly and quietly probably meant there was serious money involved. Maybe the kind of money that would make him stop worrying about making enough for rent, gas, and food for a few months. Gabe took a deep breath and spoke.
    “You have yourself a fisherman, Mr. Suarez, but first we need to discuss payment and...a few other things that are troubling me a bit.”
    “I’m glad to hear that. Payment is easy: we don’t know what you might need to acquire to pull this off, so we’re giving you five thousand dollars now, and once you can prove to us that thing is no longer an issue and we can continue without development plans, you’ll get another seven thousand.”
    It was more money than Gabe had allowed himself to wish for. He struggled to keep from giggling like a little child when he heard the sum. A total of $12,000 in his bank account meant a year of peace of mind, a bit longer if he didn’t go crazy buying crap he didn’t need.
    ‘That sounds great, Mr. Suarez.”
    “Glad to hear that, Robles. Now, what else is bothering you?”
    “Well, you brought me here and made me sign a document stating I wouldn’t mention a word of this to anyone. However, you also mentioned there was a whole crew with Ayres when he and his divers died in Giant Cave. Where are those crewmembers now? If the press gets wind of this, how will you know who gave them the information?”
    “That’s actually a very good question, Robles,” Suarez said before stopping for a second and inhaling half the air in the office through his mouth. “The members of Ayres’ crew