Lisbon, Portela Airport
We passed the Castelo de São Jorge on the way to the airport. It was an ancient Moorish Castle that dominated the landscape. I love all things historical and wished I could tour the place with Deb and Moira.
Deb and Moira!
My heart suddenly ached for my little girl and the woman I … I love. I looked out the window of the car and thought about them, hoping they were okay, wondering where they would be. Small signs of economic distress looked back: abandoned cars fully picked over; stray dogs; trash piled up but ransacked.
Angus' voice brought me back to the moment as he talked on his cell.
“Aye, I dinnae care what the cost. I want the bugger fully fueled by the time we get there.” I saw him glance at the dashboard clock. “Fifteen minutes out, so ye’d better be getting on it.” He clicked off with a snort.
We drove in silence for a bit. Then he spoke. “Have you any idea where we’d be finding this man?”
“I uhm, …” find Walters? I saw Angus glance at me quickly.
“I know it’s been a bit of a rush, lad. If it's any comfort to ye I feel like I've been caught in a mixer, too.” He half laughed as he swerved to avoid a slowing truck.
“Yeah. A mixer. That’d about describe it.” I thought back over the past months: Susan’s death. Rogers. FinCEN. Walters. Maine. The ship.
We slowed to a stop as an accident came into view. A produce truck had dropped cabbages all over and people were scrambling from cars on both sides of the road to grab them. Angus looked around nervously.
I watched him, then looked at his phone resting in the center console - an iPhone.
An iPhone!
“Can I use your phone for a moment?”
“Of course ye can.”
I scanned the menu, scrolled by swiping my fingers – there. I found the feature I’d read about. “Thank God.”
“What?” asked Angus.
“Nothing. No, not nothing. Something. Something cool. Something big.”
“Would ye make some sense?” he demanded as we started moving again. The cabbages were all gone.
I turned in my seat and faced him. “Do you trust me?”
He nodded his large head slowly. “Aye, I do.”
I dialed the number from memory.
“Hello?” The familiar southern girl drawl answered.
“Dolores?”
Angus jerked the wheel and stared at me.
“Jake, what the FUCK? You drop off the edge of the goddamned world and suddenly call me from … ” she paused “… a god damn iPhone in Lisbon Portugal? What the…”
Angus must have heard her rant because he began to smirk even though I could tell he was trying not to.
I cut her off. “Listen, girlfriend. It’s nice hearing your voice too. I haven’t got much time to reminisce …”
“REMINISCE?! YOU SON OF …”
“DOLORES!”
I could hear her angry breathing, but she didn't hang up.
Good.
“Dolores, I’ll explain later. Promise. But I really, really need a favor. Its important.” I paused. I could hear her breathing.
She’s thinking.
“It will help me keep Moira safe.”
“Don’t think for one second I’d help you, you rat bastard! But for Moira I’d …”
“Great. Can you use your ‘super-powers’ and track someone’s iPhone using the ‘Find my Phone’ app if they haven't okayed us using it?”
“Hell, that’s all? Piece of cake!”
I gave her Walters’ number and waited. Faster than I’d like she gave me his location.
“Thanks, Do!” Then I hung up on her before she could ask what I was doing. There’d be hell to pay when I saw her next.
I looked down at Angus phone, went back to that same feature and disabled it. For good measure I turned the phone off.
Angus glanced over at me and tried not to smile.
“She sounds lovely.”
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