then asked Rudy, “Is he a relative?”
“No, not really. I have called him Uncle all my life. He was one of only a few that I could call family after my parents drowned.”
Miller’s right eyebrow raised as he said, “Yeah, with that kind of family around you sure don’t’ need any enemies.”
Rudy took a long look at Miller and then said, “Yes, you’re right, I’m beginning to see a side of Uncle Juan that I’ve never seen before. He’s ready to sacrifice me for any reason available as long as it permits him to continue to control the family fortune. Or...is he implicated in some way with the whole pretense?”
Miller wondered what Rudy was implying but he said nothing. He patiently waited for any other pieces of information to come to light from Rudy’s thinking out loud.
Rudy closed his eyes for a moment and said, “I’m very tired and need sleep. My head’s swimming with all the accusations and lies. I can’t figure out some of the pieces to this puzzle. If you have what you came for, then perhaps you will permit me to go back to bed.”
Levy and Miller both silently nodded their heads in agreement. Levy said, “Mr. Rodriguez, we warn you not leave the city, we may need to talk to you again. Do you understand?”
Rudy nodded his head in the affirmative and said, “I’m sure when you talk to Roberto it will clear up everything.” The two detectives did not respond.
Levy ordered the other officers to wrap up their duties and leave. Rudy followed them to the door and locked it after they had gone. Rudy was grateful that the ordeal was coming to a close. Perhaps he should have called the police after the intruders tried to kill him. Perhaps he should have told the truth to the police detectives this morning. The life long deception was wearing on Rudy’s nerves. He wanted to have a clean break from his past. At the present, life seems so complicated. In less than 39 hours he would become one of the world’s richest men. He would then concentrate on his hunt to find the answers to what had happened to his parents’ yacht. He thought of Pamela. She should be warned about the police coming to question her. Rudy found the telephone book and searched for her name. Bean P. I., MD, that’s it. He dialed her number with anticipation, happy he would be hearing her voice again.
“Doctor Bean’s residence,” the woman on the phone answered. It was not Pamela’s voice.
“I’d like to speak to Pamela,” Rudy said.
“I’m sorry sir, she’s not available at the moment,” the woman said.
This is Rudy Rodriguez, and it’s very important that I speak with her,” he said.
“Is this a medical emergency?” she asked.
“No...no, it’s personal.” Rudy replied. “But, it is important that I talk to her before she goes to the hospital this evening.”
“I’ll be sure she gets your message, Mr. Rodriguez. Is there a number where she can return your call?’ The woman asked.
“Yes, please tell her to call The Ritz Hotel and ask for my suite,” Rudy answered.
“Yes sir,” the woman said and hung up on the phone. Rudy was disappointed that he did not get to hear Pamela’s voice. Perhaps he should go to her house and wait for her, he thought. No that would not do. He thought about how he would feel if Pamela camped out on his doorstep until he returned from some errand. He turned from the telephone table and aimlessly meandered to the rear bedroom. He closed the bedroom door behind him and removed his trousers as he made his way to the large inviting bed. Nude, he crawled between the cool sheets and laid flat on his stomach. Again, his thoughts were about Pamela and moments later he was fast asleep.
The pounding on the door seemed to go on non-stop. “Mr. Rodriguez...Mr. Rodriguez, open up,” came the call from the hotel corridor. Rudy opened his eyes and looked around the room. It looked vaguely familiar. Where am I? he thought. What’s all the uproar about? The pounding from the front door continued. He looked at the clock on the night stand, 10:30 A.M. Someone was calling his name at the door and interrupting his sleep. Rudy dragged himself out of bed and pulled on his trousers as he staggered to the front door. He surely must be damned and would spend the rest of eternity wandering through purgatory without enough sleep. “Okay...okay, I’m coming. I hope this isn’t complimentary room service,” he shouted to the person pounding on the door. He unbolted the lock and swung the door wide open. Two strapping men in dark suits stood before him. A deep voice asked “Are you Mr. Rodriguez?”
“Yes I am,” Rudy replied.
“Mr. Rodriguez, you’re wanted at police headquarters to answer some questions,” the bigger of the two men said in the same deep, no nonsense voice.
“But I just answered all their questions,” Rudy protested.
“So I’ve been told, but the chief wants to ask you some more questions down at headquarters. Get your shoes and shirt on and we’ll escort you to the station.”
Without waiting for Rudy’s invitation the two large men pushed passed Rudy and into the hotel suite. “We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way, it’s up to you,” the big man said without humor. Rudy nodded his head to confirm he understood.
“I’ll be ready in a minute,” he said and turned and walked into the bedroom. The two men followed. Rudy slid into a pair of loafers and a fresh white silk shirt. He stopped at the dresser and collected his wallet, money clip and hotel room card key and slipped them into his trouser pocket. Rudy checked his reflection in the mirror and ran his fingers through his straight dark hair. The three of them walked to the open door. One of the men pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his jacket pocket and dangled them for Rudy to see. “I’m supposed to cuff you for the ride, but I’m going to let you walk down to the car without the cuffs on. You make any funny moves and I swear I’ll drop you in your tracks. Do you understand?” To make his point, he held his jacket open for Rudy to see his shoulder holster and automatic pistol.
Rudy nodded his head and said, “Yes, I understand.” He was going to complain to someone about the way he was being threatened. Maybe he would get a chance to tell his guy’s boss about the police brutality he was being subjected to. Instinctively he knew this was not the time to say anything, it would only make things worse for himself. The threesome quietly made their way down in the elevator and through the parking garage to the sleek, black Lincoln.
The large man opened the rear door and again dangled the handcuffs in Rudy’s face. “Okay sport, your hands behind your back,” he said to Rudy with a smirk. For a moment Rudy paused wanting to express his anguish about being handcuffed for the ride. In that moment the second man grabbed Rudy by both elbows from behind and forced him face down against the car. The handcuffs tightened around Rudy’s wrists and he was shoved face down into the backseat of the car. The doors slammed shut and the car squealed away from the parking lot. The men sat in silence in the front seat while Rudy laid in the back seat as the car swerved from side to side speeding around city traffic. After a few minutes the car slowed down and the ride mellowed out. The mid-morning sun, shining through the car windows, warmed the side of Rudy’s face. He thought of his home in Spain and how the warming sun always made him happy. The sun’s warmth, combined with the gentle swaying motion of the Towncar was more than Rudy could fend off. He closed his eyes and fantasized about his greatest bull fights. He was the best and the bravest of all matadors. He was as skilled at winning all of his matches with the bulls as he was in his affairs with beautiful women. Within a moment he was fast asleep.
Rudy
