Piranha (The Falau Files Book 4) Read online

  Falau’s left hand snapped up pushing the gun away and wrapping it around the boy’s right arm. He pulled up keeping his forearm underneath and broke the elbow swiftly causing the boy to drop the gun and yell in pain. Falau spun the boy around and grabbed him by the back of the hair and rammed his face into the tree three times. Dropping the boy to the ground he placed a knee in his back as he faced down and Falau reached under his chin and pulled his head back.

  “This is for all the people you let die.” Falau whispered into his ear as he pulled back with all his strength snapping the neck of the young guard.

  Chapter 14

  LESS THAN TWENTY FOUR hours later Falau rounded the street corner and entered Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City. The plaza was wide open in the center and had shops that around the outside of the open area. Mariachi bands made their way around playing their songs with a smile and a hat flipped upside down looking for tips. The sound of the music from the various bands bounced off the walls of the buildings lining the outside of the plaza causing a confusing mix of similar sounds that were unmatched.

  Falau roamed the plaza and kept his eyes sharp for his contact. The various shops that lined the plaza had their goods placed outside the front doors tempting the tourists to come in and spend their hard earned Euro or dollars. The restaurants and bars followed the lead of the shops placing tables on the plaza letting their patrons listen to the music while having a drink or meal. Free entertainment for the restaurants and bars.

  Dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a t-shirt Falau walked the plaza with his 9MM strapped to his ankle. His eyes washed over the patrons as he passed. Attempting to not be too obvious that he was looking for someone he held his phone to his ear pretending that he was talking with someone and looking for directions to where they were.

  Ten yards ahead Falau saw the familiar face of Tyler sitting at a brightly colored table and chair. He was dressed in a suit and had his legs crossed. He sipped from a small cup that signified it to be espresso. In his other hand he held the local newspaper flexed open, so he could read it while having his drink.

  “Don’t you look like you’re at home on a Sunday.” said Falau in a teasing manner. “I didn’t know you could read Spanish.”

  “I can’t.” said Tyler with a smile “I just like looking at the pictures.”

  Falau let out a laugh and sat himself at the table across from his friend.

  “Señor, café?” asked a young waitress approaching the table and looking at Falau with a smile.

  “Sí. Gracias.” replied the big man returning the smile to the waitress and feeling a slight spark between them that he quickly dismissed to male ego.

  “Not bad, Falau. You will be fluent in no time.” quipped Tyler.

  “Well, I do like to watched the telenovelas on the Spanish station.” replied Falau with a smile. “No, no, it has nothing to do with what the women look like.”

  Tyler and Falau joined in a laugh as the coffee arrived at the table without a smile or sound from the waitress who now had her sights set on a table filled with a group of eight that was sure to provide a larger tip for her efforts.

  “So tell me about your trip.” asked Tyler placing the newspaper down on the table and picking up his espresso for another sip.

  Falau placed his coffee back on the table and leaned back in his chair staring at his friend. His lips tightened, and his eyes went distant remembering what he had seen in the jungle just the day before. Searching for the right words he shook his head and looked down to the table. “It’s worse than you thought.”

  “How much worse?”

  “The guy should be picked up. He has a list of crimes that are well within the parameters of... incitement.” said Falau growing frustrated with having to talk in code due to their public setting.

  Tyler paused at the harshening tone of Falau and read his emotions. Drinking the rest of the espresso in one gulp he placed the cup back on the table. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  “A walk?” questioned Falau furrowing his forehead. “You want to go for a walk?”

  Tyler stood up from his seat and slid the chair back under the table. “Ya, a walk. It aides in the digestion process. It’s good for you. We can walk and talk at the same time.”

  Falau took a first and last gulp of his coffee and stood up next to his friend who placed some money on the table and started to walk to the street.

  Out of the plaza the two took a right hand turn onto Calle República de Honduras. The street was alive with activity due to the area being an avenue of the tourists.

  Tyler strolled and didn’t speak for several minutes. Stopping at several shops he looked in the windows and inspected the apparel kept outside. He flashed the occasional shopkeeper who was quick to come out and engage the well-dressed man.

  Looking over a row of overcoats he finally broke his silence confident that they were not being followed or listened to. “You think what you saw is worthy of a visit to the bosses?”

  Falau processed what he was saying as it came out of context to the situation. “Ya... I think they would like to know. It could be very important to a lot of people.”

  Tyler nodded his head looking at the price tag on the London Fog overcoat he was sure was a counterfeit. “Less than half the price of the real thing. Probably will last half the time as well.”

  “My friend the fashion king!” said Falau smirking at his friend and holding no interest in the coat his friend was looking at.

  “I think we could find someone to talk to at the cigar bar across the street. People are friendly here. Maybe they would like to hear your story of your travels over a nice Cuban cigar.” said Tyler raising his eyes and eyebrows to Falau who understood the signal clearly.

  “That sounds great. I haven’t had a good cigar in years. No better time than with an old friend and making new friends.”

  The shopkeeper hopped out of his store pulling the jacket down from the rack holding it up to Tyler showing him how well it would fit. A back and forth engaged with Tyler and the shopkeeper in Spanish that left Falau oblivious to what they were saying. Picking out certain words did not help him in understanding the overall conversation. Falau saw a glaring weakness in his skills with his lack of basic knowledge of well-known languages. He knew it would only be a matter of time before that weakness would come back to harm him.

  Tyler shook the hand of the shopkeeper and stepped away. “Let’s go.”

  Falau followed Tyler up the street and crossed against the traffic jaywalking to get to the cigar bar. Opening the door a plume of smoke hit Falau in the face hard. The mixtures of smells from the different cigars created a scent that was harsh and unlikeable. He was sure each of the cigars alone would have been fine but as a group they fought each other in an unwinnable war to control the room.

  Tyler headed to the bar and spoke to the man across the counter and in a hushed tone. The man nodded his head and gave Falau a stern look. Reaching under the bar he handed Tyler two cigars and walked away.

  Tyler walked back to Falau handing him the large cigar. “Got you a Plascencia Reseda Organic. A good one for a rookie like you.” Tyler clipped the end of the cigar with a small handheld device that looked like a little guillotine. He handed him the cigar and did the same to his own. “You puff it quickly to get it started then just take it into your mouth. Don’t inhale or you’re going to get sick.”

  “I have smoked a cigar before.” said Falau rolling his eyes at his friend. “Probably nothing this good, but I have smoked one.”

  “Well, you have never smoked something like this. Stick with me kid and in a year you will be enjoying a Bolivar, one of the best that they make.”

  “Never pegged you for a smoker.” said Falau starting to puff at the cigar trying to get it started.

  “I am not. I smoke cigars. We are different.” said Tyler holding the cigar out in front of him and letting out a smoke ring. “It’s a different kind of thing. Not everyday. Just once in awhile to accent th
e situation. It’s basically the same thing as a good glass of wine with a meal.”

  Falau did not respond as a wave of shame flowed over him like a tidal wave. It had been years since he had a drink to just enjoy with a meal and not for the purpose of getting rid of the flashbacks and nightmares. The words from Tyler made him long for a simpler time where he could be like that, but he knew that those days were gone no matter what he did.

  Emerging from the back room the man that had helped Tyler at the bar walked over and whispered into his ear. Falau attempted to extend his hand to introduce himself, but the man did not make eye contact. He turned away and went back behind the bar.

  “Meeting time.” said Tyler. “Let’s go to the bathroom.”

  Chapter 15

  TYLER LED THE WAY TO the back of the shop and pushed the door to the bathroom open. Going inside he checked the two stalls finding they were empty.

  “Come on in here with me.” said Tyler holding the door to the stall open.

  “I think the stalls are meant for one at a time.” said Falau attempting to make light of the situation but causing Tyler to roll his eyes.

  “No time for that Falau. Let’s move!”

  “Got it.” said Falau pushing past Tyler and leaning against the wall. Tyler closed the door to the stall and Locked it.

  “Keep an eye out if anyone comes in. Just watch the top of the door.” said Tyler as he squatted down.

  Watching the door the temptation to watch Tyler as well kept overcoming the big man. His friend reached behind the toilet and the sound of metal turning squeaked through the air. A piece of metal hit the ground and then the original sound started again. Three times over the same noises happened until Tyler stood back up and let out a sigh.

  “OK you’re going to go first then I will follow. Just move quick and we will be fine.” said Tyler in a firm tone.

  Falau looked to Tyler and then at the toilet and then back to Tyler. “Go where? In there?” he asked looking at the toilet.”

  “Falau, sometimes you can be so slow on the uptake.” said Tyler reaching down and pulling the toilet up from the floor two feet. The toilet slid up the wall staying in the same position. The prize underneath it was a hole that had the top of a ladder sticking slightly above the lip.

  Falau dropped to his stomach, disgusted by what the bathroom floor must have seen over the years. He slid back letting his legs drop into the hole and then moving to his waist. His feet dangled, and he found the rungs of the ladder and slid his feet into position. Pushing back he grabbed the top of the ladder and found his way down the thirty plus rungs to the floor.

  As soon as he dropped below the lip of the hole he could feel Tyler’s feet just above him and then all went dark as the toilet was pulled back down into position as Tyler dropped down.

  The darkness was a complete, reminded him of the darkness of the jungle at night. He felt the floor beneath his foot expecting another step and his knees gave a slight buckle and he took a half step back to stop Tyler from coming down on top of him. The floor was soft under his feet and Falau recognized at once it was dirt. Experience had told him the judges were fond of tunnels to bring people to them for discussions.

  Tyler’s face appeared in a flash as he pulled a small flashlight that cast a wide beam from his pocket. He handed Falau one that looked exactly the same. “Just press the button on the back.”

  “Very cool.” said Falau inspecting the little flashlight and then pressing the back causing it to come to life with a strong beam. “Did you make this in your lab.”

  Tyler started to walk and then stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “No. Four of them for .99 cents at the dollar store. Kids use them during Halloween.”

  Falau tilted his head to the side and nodded it thinking that the simple explanation given by Tyler was one that should have been more obvious to him.

  “Follow me.” said Tyler as he set off into the tunnel. The tunnel was not cramped or difficult to move in. It was designed more like a hallway with a ceiling over seven feet tall and a width greater than four feet. Periodically there were support beams holding up the earth. Every thirty to forty feet there was an offshoot, sometimes on the left other times on the right. Tyler took them like a man who was sure where he was going but after the first dozen turns Falau was sure he could not find his way out without the help of Tyler.

  Getting the sense that he was descending Falau watched the angle of the ceilings he moved. The layers of dirt changed the deeper he got. Whoever designed the tunnel did not want people to realize they were headed down. The walls and dirt gave that away. Falau assessed that he was probably still under the cigar bar but who knows how far down. He could feel a slight breeze hitting him and was sure there was some kind of force ventilation pushing from the bottom.

  Stopping, Tyler turned to Falau and held the light under his face so that Falau could see him. “This is it. No need to wait at the bottom this time. You’re one of us. Let’s go.”

  Tyler reached over to the wall and pulled a rope ladder out from under a covering of dirt used to disguise it. Balancing himself he worked his way up the ladder and pushed a wooden covering away letting in a box shaped ray of light come flowing into the tunnel. Falau was on Tyler’s heels and soon stood beside him as he placed the covering back over the hole to the tunnel.

  The room was simple and understated. It had no doors or windows. The walls were colored a generic white that was flat with no finish to it. The room was shaped like a square appearing to be as wide as it was long. Falau felt like it was the size of a store at a strip mall that the kids would frequent holding all the latest styles. Not the big anchor stores but rather the stylish boutiques. In the center of the room sat two high back chairs that faced the far wall were a balcony was ten feet off the ground with an empty chair.

  “Let’s take a seat.” said Tyler taking the first step to the center of the room.

  Falau followed and the two men sat in the high back chairs. The lights slowly dimmed over the next five minutes like sunset. The men could still see but the ability to make out anything in detail was lost. Falau thought about when he was a child playing baseball and the sun set leaving twilight and the teams trying to squeeze one more inning in.

  A distorted voice manipulated by electronics came through speakers on the back of the high back chairs. The voice resembled the disguised voices that were used when a person wanted to keep their anonymity on the nightly news.

  “Welcome Mr. McGonigal and Mr. Falau.” said the voice causing Falau to look behind him first then up to the balcony seeing one of the judges sitting in the chair. The judge was in the standard clothing that they wore every time he had seen them. A plain black judge’s robe that was oversized and reached to the ground. The arms were long and went beyond the hands. A hood draped over the judge’s head showing only a black and white mask that looked like a face that could carry a variety of expressions. This time Falau felt the mask looked quizzical like it was wanting to know more.

  “Thank you judge. Mr. Falau is back with his findings.” answered Tyler.

  “Please, Mr. Falau, tell us what you have learned about Lawrence Whitmore and his mining operation.” said the judge not moving a muscle in his seat.

  “I got down to Guyana and made contact with the local Priest Father Locke. He has a history working for the mine as a child and is committed to fighting the conditions that Whitmore has been putting his workers in. The priest knows nothing of us as I told him I was with the military looking to put a road in. He didn’t believe me.”

  “No? You think he knows more than he let on?”

  “I think he knows nothing of us, but I believe he has been approached many times about people wanting to get to Whitmore. People want the mining operation and think that if they can get the priest on board then they will have a better chance at convincing the workers to turn on him.”

  “So tell me what crimes you feel he is committing.” asked the judge cutting Falau off.
/>   “Murder for one. He has the children work with mercury despite the government putting strict guidelines against it. He knows the mercury kills the children and is contaminating the water supply. Some have birth defects that are out of proportion to the rest of the country. He beats them and over works them. The only pay they get is a roof over their heads and some food. They are easily slave labor for him. He thinks he has saved them, but the workers fear him and his guards. When he learned that I had been there and talked with the workers one night he took them one by one and used a branding iron on them. He branded his initials into the back of each worker showing his ownership of them. Not one man, woman, or child was spared.”

  “Do you feel we should intervene in this situation?”

  “Yes. I would be willing to do the mission.”

  “I only asked if you felt we should intervene. It was our understanding that he rarely leaves his home and that extraction could be extremely risky considering the number of guards he has.”

  “Not for someone with some skill. We can’t just leave those people down there being treated like this.”

  “I will take all your information under consideration and report to the other judges and we will make a decision from there. Good day.”

  Tyler started to stand from his chair only to be stopped by Falau’s voice.

  “Wait. This isn’t going to be solved now? We need to take action fast. The longer we take the more lives will be lost. Whitmore has no soul and will do anything he needs to so he can keep his pans filled with gold.”

  “I understand your desire to help Mr. Falau, but this is a decision that has to be made by all the judges not just me. If one person makes the call alone it is not justice but vigilantism. We then become no better than the criminal.”

  “How long will it take? Do I get to take the case? I want to volunteer for it. Let me go back down and start working on this so I can be ready to go when you guys say yes.”

  “Mr. Falau, you need to listen to me very clearly. Your future with the system depends on it.” echoed the voice of the judge as his volume got turned up. “You will return home and stay there until instructed to do otherwise. The System will decide what happens next. Should you take matters into your own hands you will become an enemy of the System. We do not want that. We value your work and look forward to a long relationship with you. You have completed your mission and your work is done. Good day!”