“They weren’t for me. They were trackingyourmen, but they had no official identification. One of them had a passport from the United States, and the other was from Lebanon.”
The words hit the Ghost hard, “Lebanon? As in the Middle East?”
Reynaldo nodded, saying, “Yeah, like that. I thought that was weird too, until I remembered you guys were from Qatar. It’s you, not me.”
The Ghost thought,Mossad or CIA. Somehow, as good as the Pasdaran had been, breaking him out and providing the infrastructure for this mission, the enemy had found them. Then another thought occurred,Reynaldo knows Cyrus and Omar used passports from Qatar. He’s a weak link.
The Ghost brushed a fork off the table, dropping it to the ground. He reached down to get it, and in so doing, pulled up his pantleg and withdrew the ice pick from his boot. He set the fork back on the table, holding his other hand underneath.
Reynaldo said, “I want nothing more to do with you or your team. No money is worth the hassle that’s coming for you. I don’t want to get roped into it when those women find you. They play for keeps.”
The Ghost said, “We paid you for a service in cash. And then you made us deliver your drugs as ‘extra payment.’ You got the drugs, or you wouldn’t be sitting here. You’re going to tell me where our shipment is, or those two females from a souvenir store will be the least of your worries.”
Reynaldo said, “Hey, calm down. I’m just saying I’m not going to help you retrieve it. We brought it into Buenos Aires; the rest is up to you.”
“Where is it?”
Reynaldo pointed across the plaza to the Recoleta Cemetery and said, “It’s in there.”
“The cemetery? Are you insane? Why?”
“I didn’t want anything more to do with your shipment. After yesterday, I’m now glad I made that decision. I wasn’t going to store it at any location Iowned, and I wasn’t going to store it at a location that someone else owned and have it discovered. Then you’d be demanding your money back. That cemetery is very secure, and nobody’s going digging through the tombs. I have a man who works maintenance there, and I use it from time to time, for transfers such as this.”
Reynaldo passed across a map of the cemetery, and the Ghost saw it was a rough rectangle, with lanes of tombs radiating away from the center like a spider’s web. In the northeast corner was a mark.
He pointed at the mark and said, “Here?”
Reynaldo nodded and passed across two other pieces of paper and a key. One was a printout of the family lineage of the tomb. The other was a maintenance pass. He said, “When you get inside, show them this pass. They know the company and won’t question you. It has the contract for all the maintenance on the grounds.”
“And this other thing?”
“It’s the name on the outside of the tomb. It’s bigger than most, with a ladder leading to a crypt below ground level. Just inside the cemetery entrance is a map with names. Locate this name, unlock the tomb, and get your shipment. Easy.”
The Ghost turned the key over in his hand, thinking. Reynaldo stood up, saying, “I wish you the best, but don’t call me again. My network is no longer available.”
The Ghost clenched his fist around the key and said, “You’re going to show me the shipment. Right now.”
Reynaldo smiled and said, “No, I’m not. You have your instructions, and I know the shipment is there. If your group wanted to force me, they should have sent someone a little more threatening. Thanks for lunch.”
The Ghost stood and Reynaldo said, “See you later.”
The Ghost pretended to retreat, sticking out his hand in a gesture of friendship, saying, “I wish you’d come with me to show me the location. We could use the help, and we’ve paid handsomely.”
Reynaldo slid his hand into the Ghost’s and sealed his fate.
He smiled and said, “Fuck off.”
The Ghost squeezed hard and rotated his wrist, eliciting a squeal. He pulled Reynaldo close, as if giving him a hug.
He placed the ice pick next to Reynaldo’s jugular and focused his rage, locking eyes with him and flooding Reynaldo with fear.
The Ghost whispered, “Careful when you move. I’m notthreateningenough to use this on purpose, but you might make me do it accidentally.”
Chapter 46
The Ghost saw Reynaldo’s eyes widen comically, and he knew what would come next: compliance. Like everyone else who had ever underestimated him, Reynaldo succumbed, saying, “Whoa, whoa, man, this isn’t necessary. I’ll come, I’ll come.”
The Ghost forced him out of the restaurant patio, moving awkwardly together, then released him, letting him walk alone across the field to the cemetery. The Ghost remained close enough to kill, but not so close as to look weird. For his part, Reynaldo seemed to believe that showing the Ghost the shipment would end their relationship. And it would have been, if he hadn’t known about the Qatari passports.
