Payne put on a golf shirt and shorts, then headed into the living room, where he fully expected to find Jones and Maria flirting, fighting or both. But neither of them was there. Instead, Maria was taking a much-needed nap in the bedroom and Jones was admiring the ocean view from their private terrace. Payne grabbed a bottle of water, then joined him outside.
‘Nice view,’ he said as he pushed a teak chair against the patio wall. From there, he could see the Caribbean and the interior of the suite. ‘But not as nice as Pittsburgh.’
Jones laughed. ‘Apples and oranges.’
Payne nodded in agreement. Both views were spectacular, but in completely different ways. ‘Speaking of fruit, I’m starving. We might need to get room service.’
‘When aren’t you starving?’
‘Good point.’ Blessed with a freakishly high metabolism, Payne had to consume more than 8,000 calories a day, or else he lost weight. ‘How long has she been sleeping?’
‘Four hours or so. Pretty much the entire time you were in the bathroom. I swear, you are such a princess when it comes to hotels. Did you enjoy the guava shampoo and papaya soap? What about the towels? Did they meet your impeccably high standards?’
‘First off, I was in there for ten minutes, not four hours.’
‘Bullshit.’
‘Second, I thoroughly enjoyed the bathroom accoutrements. Thank you for asking.’
Jones stared at him. ‘As God is my witness, if you ever say “accoutrements” again, I’m going to punch you in the face. That word is way too fancy for an American.’
Payne laughed. ‘You’re probably right.’
‘I know I’m right.’
Payne cracked open the bottle and took a long swig. ‘Anyway, while I was in the bathroom, I was pondering the circumstances of Hamilton’s disappearance, and I realized something important.’
‘That water is a valuable resource and shouldn’t be wasted in a four-hour shower?’
‘No, I thought of someone we should call.’
‘The African village that won’t have anything to drink because of you?’
Payne ignored him. ‘Don Stillwagon.’
Jones paused in thought. It was a name he hadn’t heard in a very long time. ‘Stillwagon? Why should we call Stillwagon? Isn’t he in Eastern Europe?’
Payne shook his head. ‘Stillwagon’s in Mexico.’
‘Really? Doing what?’
‘K&R.’
‘No shit. I haven’t talked to him in years.’
‘Me, neither. That’s why I didn’t think of him at first. The last I heard he was working for an insurance company in Mexico City.’
‘That’s a thousand miles away.’
‘True, but it’s still Mexico. He has to know some of the players who work around here. And even if he doesn’t, he’ll know a lot more about K&R than us.’
Jones nodded in agreement. ‘Do you have his number?’
‘Probably. If not, I’m sure I can get it. That is, if you think it’s worth my time. Remember, you’re running the show down here, not me. I don’t want to step on any toes.’
‘Hell yeah, it’s worth your time. What else are you going to do tonight? I mean, besides ordering room service ten times and watching pay-per-view.’
Payne laughed. ‘Actually, I’m glad you just said that. I’ve been meaning to tell you something all day. The head of security gave me a movie that you have to see. Go get your computer. It’s one you should watch without Maria. I don’t think she’d approve.’
Jones glanced inside the suite. Thankfully, she was still sleeping in the other room. ‘Why? How perverted is it?’
‘Just get your laptop. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.’
48
Jones set up his computer on the private terrace. He angled the screen away from the sliding glass door — just in case she woke up in the middle of the viewing — then grabbed the DVD from Payne. The label read ‘Mariachi Maria’. Based on the title alone, he would have assumed it was a Mexican adult film, but the grin on Payne’s face suggested otherwise. So did Payne’s presence. In all their years of friendship, they had never hung out and watched porn together.
Not knowing what to expect, Jones was temporarily confused when the video opened to show the driveway in front of the Fiesta Americana. A Town Car pulled under the covered entryway and was quickly surrounded by bellboys and valets. The driver hopped out of the car and started blowing kisses to everyone, as if he were a bullfighter who’d just entered the ring. A few seconds later, a mariachi band appeared out of nowhere. Five musicians in all, dressed in silver-studded charro outfits with wide-brimmed hats. The movie had no sound, but it was obvious that the band had started to play, because everyone was clapping in unison.
Jones glanced at Payne. ‘Worst. Porn. Ever. Why am I watching this?’
Payne laughed. ‘Just keep watching.’
‘If the band gets naked, you owe me a new computer because I’m going to throw this one over the railing. I’m pretty sure I can reach the ocean from here.’
‘Trust me, it gets better.’
‘It would have to get better. It can’t get worse.’
Suddenly, the driver started snapping his fingers and dancing in the middle of the driveway. He didn’t care who was watching. This was his moment to shine, and he performed without shame. He just danced, danced, danced around the front of the car. Then he danced, danced, danced towards the passenger-side door. The driver was so theatrical, so over the top, that Jones couldn’t help but smile. The whole scene was just too funny.
And then it happened.
The moment Payne had been waiting for.
Mariachi Maria stepped out of the car.
The instant Jones saw her, his eyes doubled in size — and so did his smile. He quickly covered his mouth with both hands, trying to hold in the laughter for as long as possible, because he knew when he let it out he would wake her in the other room. Not that he really cared. The truth was there was no way in hell that he would be able to keep this from Maria for long. His desire to share it with her was far too great. And not in a negative way. He didn’t want to tease her about her dancing — at least not much. Instead, he wanted to point at the screen and say, that’s the Maria I remember. The fun-loving girl who smiled and laughed and loved life. Not the grumpy one who has been picking fights with everyone in sight.
That was the Maria he had fallen for.
The one he missed.
‘Holy crap!’ Payne blurted as he pointed at the screen.
Jones laughed. ‘I know! Isn’t this great? I want five copies—’
‘No! Go back!’ He started hitting keys on the laptop, trying to figure out its controls in the darkness of the patio. ‘How do you stop this thing?’
Jones stared at him. ‘Why? What’s wrong?’
‘Stop the damn movie and go back.’
‘Back? To where?’
‘Twenty seconds or so. I think I saw something.’
Jones clicked ‘pause’, then ‘rewind’. The footage inched back in time, slowly crawling towards the segment Payne wanted to see. ‘Want to tell me what I’m looking for?’
Payne ignored him and focused on the screen. ‘OK … stop!’