two down from the mosque. Number 296.”
“Thanks. How’s everything?”
“The media still has cameras out front. Nothing else going on.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.” She closed the phone. “Drink up, Picasso; we’re going somewhere before we see about your driver’s license.”
“Okay, Rita.” He looked around. “Where’s all the lesbians?”
Nicki laughed. “They come out later. When the moon’s full.”
Alex scrunched his face, shook his head. “As if.”
Rita asked, “What do you know about a place called, Davey Jones’ Locker?”
Nicki bobbed her head. “Not much. Military and ex military play poker there. High stakes I hear.”
“Oh yeah? Maybe I’ll check it out one night.”
Alex looked at her, wondered if there was anything she couldn’t do. He sipped his coffee, studied her face. Glad she was his friend. Glanced around the empty bar. Listened to Nicki and Rita talking quietly. Turned on his stool when the door opened. Light filled the entrance. Two women in uniform entered, squinted, their eyes adjusting to the darker room. One of them focused on Alex and smiled. He watched them sit at a small table.
Rita frowned a little. “You shouldn’t stare at people.”
He looked at her closely. “They’re in the Navy.”
Rita glanced at both women quickly. “Yes.”
“One of them smiled at me.”
“Why not, you’re a nice looking kid.” Rita squinted.
Alex nodded, sipped his coffee. “Nothing could ever come of it anyway, Rita.”
Rita grinned, looked at his young dejected face. “Let’s go. I need to talk to a woman.”
Alex drove Rita to Rafa Zamani’s house. Rita made Alex wait in the truck. A woman younger than herself, early twenties perhaps, opened the door, her head uncovered. Rita expected the woman to be wearing a scarf on her head for some reason.
Both women stared at each other. Rita asked, “Are you Rafa Zamani?”
The woman looked frightened and suspicious at the same time. “Yes.”
“I’m Major Royale. The new Liaison Officer. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions.”
“About my husband?”
“Yes. I know some Army people talked to you already, but I need to ask a few more questions.”
She looked closely at the blonde military woman with hair as short as she’d ever seen on a woman. “No one has asked me any questions.”
Rita stared into Rafa’s dark eyes. “No Army men were here?”
She shook her head, looked up and down the street. “Come inside and talk.”
Rita entered the house, looked around the tidy living room. It looked modest, but nice. Very clean and looked after.
“What do want to ask me?”
“Was your husband involved in drugs of any kind?”
“He was involved in many things. I don’t know what, he never said.”
“Did you ever hear him talking to anyone about drugs, or anything else illegal?”
“Are you the woman who killed him? I heard it was a woman.”
“Yes.”
“My husband had little use for women.”
Rita glanced at her long heavy black hair. “I see. And you never knew what he was up to?”
“Once I heard him talking to someone. Someone named Mamoud. I remember because he doesn’t live here or attend the mosque.”
“Mamoud? Not Mohammed Mamoud?”
“I only know the last name.”
“What did they talk about?”
“I do not know. I heard my husband call him that.”
Rita nodded. “And you, Rafa, how are you holding up?”
She seemed surprised by the question. “I didn’t love my husband.”
“And what will you do now?”
“I’m leaving soon.”
“When?”
“As soon as I can sell the house.”
Rita thought for a moment. “Thank you, Rafa. I guess that’s all I need to know for now. Can I see you again if I have more questions?”
She nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know anything else.”
“Thanks for your time.” Rita walked out of the house and back to the truck. Told Alex to drive to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
That evening after supper, while Alex was walking the beach looking at Stella’s flower book, Rita made a call to General Arnold.
“Hi Rita. I was just wondering about you.”
“I heard a name today, General. Mamoud.”
He paused for a moment. “Mamoud? Are you certain?”
“Yes, sir. I assume he’s involved in the drug thing here. There’s something else bothering me too. Zamani’s wife had no one interview her. I thought that was odd.”
“You think someone in the Army is involved?”
“I don’t know, General, but I want to work on this apart from the Army. I need people I know and trust helping me.”
“Rita. You’re there to relax and eat fancy dinners and get fat, not go looking for Mamoud.”
“We’ve wanted this guy for a long time, sir.”
“I know. You sure it was Mamoud?”
“Yes, sir. It has to be him.”
“You get Dixie and Cathy on this with you. If things start to shake out, I’ll send in a squad of Badger Troop to assist you. Don’t you do this alone, Rita.”
“No, sir. I’ll have Dixie and Cathy assist me.”
“Keep me up to date. I won’t mention this conversation to anyone.”
“Thank you, General.”
