“Perfect!” said Jack, while scanning the addresses that Laura had written in her notebook. “Let’s go! Find that van and I bet we find Vicki and Katie!”

Leitch sat on the park bench and warily watched the faces of various people as they passed him. He didn’t think any looked like police officers. He was right.

Leitch stood when Ray arrived, and the men walked while Leitch divulged what he knew about the police wiretap.

“Does it really matter, ol’ chap?” asked Ray. “We have never spoken of any illegalities on the phone. Why are you so worried?”

“I didn’t think you wanted anyone to know that you were here. Obviously the police are aware of your presence!”

Ray smiled, then patted Leitch on his back and said, “You gringos ... you really do worry too much. They were bound to find out sooner or later. We will buy them. Do not worry.”

“It is not as easy in this country,” said Leitch. “Some can be bought, but it is much more difficult. Bribery ... killing those in the judiciary ... it is not the same as in your country.”

“Still, they must be reasonable,” said Ray. “My brother has an expression. Silver or lead. Reasonable men will take the silver. If not, they will die. Either way, it is not a problem.”

Leitch felt less anxious as he walked with Ray back to the parking lot — until he discovered he had been duped.

Jack peered through the window of the premises. It was a small unit in the middle of a commercial mall where the businesses appeared to be wholesale outlets. The door was locked and there was nobody around. It was a few minutes past six o’clock and the other businesses were also closed for the day.

“This place is like the last,” said Laura. “What’s inside? Half a dozen chairs and a coffee machine? From the outside, you wouldn’t even know this was a coffee shop.”

“It’s not,” said Jack. “It’s a laundromat. Got any dirty fifties on you?”

“Not on my salary. No back rooms?”

“They wouldn’t be here,” replied Jack.

“Four down, two to go,” said Laura. “Want to grab a burger first?”

Jack shook his head.

Damien lay down on the back seat while Lance and Whiskey Jake sat up front and drove through Damien’s gate. Several minutes passed before Lance indicated that they were not being followed. Neither Lance nor Whiskey Jake had been informed about what they were doing. Damien’s instructions were brief and Lance drove as directed.

Rush hour traffic was over by the time they arrived at Wet Willy’s. The automatic car wash was closed and looked to be deserted, but Lance knew otherwise. He spotted a striker sitting low in the seat of a parked car at the front of the business. Two more of Rellik’s men sat in a truck at the back. Security remained where they were while the three bosses were ushered in a rear door.

The lights were on inside, but tarps hung from both doors, giving the appearance that the business was in darkness.

Rellik nodded to them as they entered and gestured to the two men who were tied spread-eagled and face-down between the inside rails of the car wash. Both men were naked except for the band of duct tape wrapped around their mouths.

“This how you wanted ’em?” asked Rellik.

Damien nodded.

Both men turned their heads and stared up at them. Lance recognized Leitch. His face was thin and pointed, making his wide eyes look almost comical. His hands were tied close to the soles of the feet of the man in front of him. Lance didn’t recognize this man, whose dark eyes stared up at him.

“Leitch dancing with the Indos?” asked Whiskey Jake.

Damien shook his head, then looked at Rellik and said, “Show them.”

“Found this in his Mercedes,” said Rellik, while handing Lance and Whiskey Jake a Colombian passport. The meaning became startlingly clear.

“This ... Ramon. He’s Carlos’s brother!” said Lance.

Damien nodded. “They call him Ray.”

“Dealing with The Toad,” said Whiskey Jake.

“Probably,” said Damien. “We do know he was dealing with Leisure Suit Larry here!”

Leitch mumbled something inaudible while pleading with his eyes.

Damien turned his attention back to Rellik and said, “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but right now all I want is my wife and daughter back. They do any talking?”

Rellik prodded Leitch in the ass with the toe of his boot and said, “Larry says that Ray is just a client. Says he didn’t know that he had anything to do with us.”

“Liar!” screamed Damien, stepping between the rails and kicking Leitch hard in the groin.

Leitch’s body arched and bucked against his restraints. Despite his gag, his scream and whimpering echoed through the room.

Damien savagely kicked Leitch again and saw Ray looking back over his shoulder. Leitch’s body became a quivering mass after the third kick.

Damien continued to stare into Ray’s eyes, then walked up and ripped the tape from his mouth.

“Where are they?” Damien asked. “My wife and daughter — what have you done with them?”

Most men would have told, but Ray was no stranger to torture ... only he had always been the one to inflict the pain. He knew his life would be worthless once he talked.

“I — I don’t know,” he said. “I had nothing to do with it.”

Damien looked at Rellik and said, “Get on with it!”

Rellik grinned down at the two victims and said, “Gentlemen, let me introduce you to the talking stick!”

Ray gasped when he saw Rellik pick up a length of broken broom handle with a spiral of barbed wire wrapped around the end. He held the stick close to Ray’s face and slowly examined it.

“Please ... no ... sir,” pleaded Ray. The reason for his nakedness and face-down position had become evident to him.

Rellik stepped between Ray’s legs and slowly twisted the end of the stick between his buttocks. The barbs drew thin red lines of blood.

“Please, no!” screamed Ray. “You must believe me! My brother is the boss. He controls everything. Everything! It was his men ... I don’t know where they took your family. Please, call him. He will pay big money for me. Big money...”

Damien held up his hand, gesturing for Rellik to stop, then held out the cellphone that Carlos had supplied him earlier. “His number,” said Damien. “Give me his number and I will hold the phone so you can talk to him!”

Jack scanned the warehouses in the industrial area that Laura was driving through. It would be dusk in another hour, but there were still a few trucks moving about.

“This looks good,” said Laura. “Independent warehouses. Trucks and vans coming and going.”

Jack saw the address they were looking for. He also noticed something else. “Keep driving! Don’t slow down or look!”

“Someone eyeballing us?” asked Laura, as she drove right past.

“There’s a guy sitting in that pickup out front.”

Laura caught sight of the truck in her rear-view mirror. It was backed into a parking stall. “People getting off work. Maybe waiting for someone,” she offered.

“Or standing six,” said Jack.

“Did you get a plate?”

“No front plate. Find a place to park where we can watch. This could be it.”

Laura parked where they could watch the warehouse through binoculars. The pickup truck remained out front.

Jack received a call on his cell and handed the binoculars to Laura.

“Hey, Johnny Canuck! How you all doin’ up there?”

“Jim-Bo! How are you? Heard you were out of the country.”

“Just got in. Tried to do a sting on the head honcho of a Colombian cartel. Didn’t go well.”