Murder in Cuba Page 3

  That's weird, Kelly thought. I have no idea why that would be important to him unless he wants to try and show the Bartolo Company that he's a better fisherman than Jack, and that he, rather than Jack, would be a better person to have as a business partner.

  Just then Dudley and his noisy group rounded the corner, and he began yelling at Guido in a loud voice for him to get his group some cold beer and that he wanted it immediately. When the guide turned towards the small room that held the refrigerator containing cold water and beer, she saw Guido roll his eyes heavenward.

  Don't think I'd want to be a guide if I had to deal with people like Dudley and Philip. Jack and Mike must seem like a slice of heaven if the typical clients are anything like that group and Philip. The next few days should be very interesting.

  CHAPTER 5

  “Have a wonderful time today, and here’s hoping you get a grand slam,” Kelly said as Mike got ready for his first day of fishing. “Do you have everything you need?”

  “Yeah, but I can't find that special chapstick I brought that has a 30 SPF rating. Jack said he'd heard the sun was brutal out on the water, and since we'll be in it all day, he told me I need to cover every part of my body. He even brought a special thing for me to wear that's kind of like a hooded mask we wear under our hats.”

  “Better you than me. I intend to do nothing more than eat some Cuban food, take a dip in the Caribbean Sea just so I can say I did, and maybe get a massage. See you tonight, love.” She gave him a kiss and opened the door for him, since his hands were full of fishing gear.

  An hour later the phone rang, and it was Carola asking Kelly to join her for breakfast, if she hadn't already eaten. Kelly told her she'd meet her in the main dining room which served a large breakfast buffet. As soon as she walked into the dining room, she easily spotted the beautiful Chilean woman sitting at a corner table, smiling and waving her over.

  “I thought you'd probably like some coffee, so I had the server bring some. I've never had coffee quite like this. It's frothy, and it almost has a chocolate taste. I wondered if the server had misunderstood me and brought hot chocolate instead, but she assures me it’s coffee. It's very good, it's just different.”

  “I couldn't agree more with you,” Kelly said after her first sip. “I read a little bit about Cuban food before I came, but I must have missed the section on coffee.”

  “Jack told me you own a coffee shop in Cedar Bay, Oregon. I thought you might be interested in the food they have here at the hotel. If you try something you like, since you don't speak Spanish, and it's my native tongue, I might be able to get some information about it for you.”

  “That would be wonderful. I was concerned about how I could get the recipe for a dish if I liked it, given the fact I don’t speak Spanish.”

  “I’d be happy to help you. The people here at the resort seem to be very accommodating. Are you ready to make the rounds of the different food stations?”

  “Absolutely. My stomach just woke up and says it has to try something different than what we usually have in the States.”

  A few minutes later they both sat down, plates laden with sausages, meatballs, different kinds of homemade breads, and a few things that hadn't been labeled. As Kelly picked up her fork she said, “Carola, I understand you handle the business side of Jack's fishing guide business. Tell me what you do, and how a Chilean woman happened to marry a fishing guide from Northern California.”

  “I met Jack when he was guiding for a group he’d brought to Chile. He’d taken them to a bar for a beer after they’d been out on the river all day. I happened to go there after work with a friend. I worked for a travel company that arranged fishing tours for groups from all over the world. Jack’s Spanish was so-so,” she said wiggling her flattened hand back and forth. “He was trying to tell the bartender he wanted six very cold beers. He had the word ‘cervaza’ down, but the very cold part was beyond his limited Spanish.

  “I heard him try to order and realized the bartender couldn't figure out what he was saying, so I walked over and told the bartender what he wanted. As they say, the rest is history. He came back to the little town where I lived two more times, and when he got ready to leave with his group the last time he asked me to marry him. We got married in Chile, and I moved to Northern California.”

  “Wasn't that hard, I mean you must have had a lot of family there.”

  “Yes, it was very hard, but what works so well is he goes back to Chile several times a year to act as a fishing guide for different groups and naturally, I travel with him, and I get to see my family. I make all of the travel arrangements for the groups that hire Jack, and since Spanish is my first language I can really help when we encounter problems such as a client needing emergency medical attention or whatever. I do the bookwork for his company, but that’s really easy, because it’s what I did before I met Jack.

  “I’ve helped Jack expand his guiding services to the point where he's now considered to be one of the best fly fishing guides in the United States. I'm lucky I like to travel, because we go all over the world. It's really fun, and most of the people we meet are very nice. Actually, more than fifty percent of our clients are repeat customers. It's fun to keep up with what's happening in their lives and feeling like you're going to spend time with old friends. I love my new life with Jack. He’s such a wonderful caring man."

  Kelly had been eating the whole time Carola had been talking. “I'm so glad to hear that. Mike told me Jack has never been happier, and I guess he and Jack go way back to a time before either one of them had met either one of us. Let me change the subject. I wonder if there’s any way I could get the recipe for these meatballs. I think the sign on them said albondigas in sauce. I'll go look and tell you specifically."

  She stood up and walked over to the central hot food station. She’d brought a piece of paper and a pen with her, so she could write down the names of any dishes that particularly appealed to her. She was writing the specific name of the dish down when she became aware of a conversation taking place behind her. Eavesdropping came as natural to her as eating, and she couldn't resist spending a few moments seemingly writing down the names of several dishes as the two women behind her carried on a conversation.

  “I've never heard such a loud and angry argument. They must be English, because Dudley is such an English name. Evidently she’d unpacked for him while he'd gone to the marina for his fishing group’s orientation after they’d arrived. From what I could hear, she'd found a receipt for a hotel in London in his suitcase on a date when he told her he'd been off guiding a group of fishermen in Scotland."

  “So they were in the room next to you, and you could hear everything they were saying through the wall between the two rooms. What else did they say?”

  “She was ranting and raving and screaming at him. She told him that was the final straw, and she'd suspected for a long time he was having an affair. She said she was leaving him when this trip was over, and he'd have to find someone else to pay his bills and support him. Then she told him she was pretty sure she knew who the woman was.”

  “He told her he hadn't loved her for a long time, and that the only reason he'd stayed with her was because she was wealthy, but here's the part that kind of freaked me out. She yelled at him that he'd better watch it, because he was worth a lot more to her dead than alive, since she wouldn’t have to spend any more money on him.”

  “Wow! Did you call security or anything?”

  “No. I mean it would have been my word against theirs, and from what I hear, the English don't usually like to air their dirty laundry out for all to see, if you know what I mean.”

  “Did you get a chance to see her?”

  “Well, I'm not real proud of this, and I probably wouldn't admit it to anyone but you, but I heard the door slam and footsteps going down the stairs. I opened my door ever so slightly, and I saw a woman walking onto the path from the steps. I couldn't see her face, but I saw her blond hair. She was fairly tall an
d slender. That's all I know.”

  “I'll definitely be on the lookout for a tall slender woman with blond hair. Since almost all of the people here at the resort are from South America and Europe, there can't be many women who fit that description. I think I’ll go over to the omelet station and have them make one for me. Any time there's a line that long I figure it means there's good food. Want to join me?”

  “Definitely. I can't let you eat alone,” she said laughing.

  Kelly walked back to the table and saw Carola smiling broadly at her as she approached.

  “Kelly, this is going to be such fun. I was able to make an appointment with the chef during his quiet time this afternoon between lunch and dinner. We're to meet him at 3:30. He doesn’t speak English, so I'll have to interpret for you. I see that you brought some paper. Make sure you have plenty for our meeting. You were over there a long time. Did you get the names of some other dishes you're interested in?”

  “Yes, but that's not the only information I got. Since Jack wasn’t very thrilled with Dudley Samms, let me tell you about a conversation I overheard.” She told Carola about the conversation that had evidently taken place between Dudley and his wife the evening before.

  “Wow,” Carola said. “I remember when we were at the rooftop restaurant in Havana and Dudley was so rude to Jack there was a blond woman sitting at his table. It must have been his wife. Now I'm curious. If I recognize a tall blond woman who looks English, I'll see if I can start a conversation with her about what it's like to be married to a fishing guide.”

  CHAPTER 6

  After they’d finished eating, Carola said, “Since we won't have time for a swim in the Caribbean this afternoon because of our meeting with the chef, are you game for doing it now?"

  “I'm game, but I want you to remember one thing. You're twenty years younger than I am, so please don’t comment on my sagging body parts. I'm way past the bikini years.”

  “Kelly, you look wonderful. Don't sell yourself short, but I do want to remind you that this is a clothing optional beach, and European women seem in some ways to have a much healthier outlook towards aging bodies than American women do. I don't want you to be shocked by anything you might see.”

  “I promise you I won't embarrass you by pointing or staring, but I have to admit I've never been to a clothing optional beach. Kind of makes me uncomfortable, but then again, I come from the small town of Cedar Bay where if anyone went topless they'd be arrested, and while I think I'm quite open to things, I'd sure as heck hope that the arresting officer wasn't my husband,” Kelly said laughing.

  Carola smiled as she said, “Meet you in twenty minutes at the stairs that lead to the beach.”

  *****

  “I don't know when I've felt so invigorated,” Kelly said as the two women left the water and walked towards the lounge chairs that had been set up on the beach for the resort guests. “The water temperature is so different from the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. It almost feels like the temperature of my skin. I love it that the chaises aren't all piled close together but spaced far enough apart that I feel like the sand and the water are exclusive to us. I’m surprised I don't see any lifeguards. There are lifeguard towers, just no lifeguards."

  “I've traveled enough to know that Americans seem hung up on safety. Maybe it's because they're so afraid of being sued. I noticed there aren’t any handrails on most of the stairs I've been on, so I can't say I'm particularly surprised there aren't any lifeguards.

  “Why don't we meet for lunch in about forty-five minutes? I can hear music coming from the restaurant, so it must be open. Kelly, look, there's a tall slender blond woman walking towards the restaurant. She looks like the woman I saw in Havana. Let's go eat now. I'd like to go over and introduce myself to her. I'm kind of curious about her based on what you overheard. We can shower after lunch and before our meeting with the chef. Would that be okay with you?”

  “Yes, I'm just as curious as you are, but she might feel uncomfortable if we both descend on her. Why don't we get a table and see where she’s sitting. If it looks like it's a natural thing, you could go over and strike up a conversation with her.”

  They sat down and Carola told the server in fluent Spanish that they would both like a mojito. Kelly loved to watch Carola speak to the servers. It was like watching a movie. People who spoke the language seemed to use every part of their body when they were speaking. It wasn't just the mouth moving. Arm movements, eye movements, body language, hands gesturing, head nodding - everything accentuated what was being said.

  “Carola, you know I don't speak the language, but I thought I heard you say the word 'mojito.' Did you order mojitos for us?"

  “Of course. I overheard someone say that the bartender here makes the best mojito in all of Cuba. Since we’re here I thought we should try one.”

  “I don't think I've ever had a drink this early in the day, but what the heck, I’m on vacation. I just hope I don't fall asleep when I'm talking to the chef, or rather when you're talking to him.”

  “Kelly, the one thing I've learned in all of the traveling I've done with Jack is to do what the locals are doing, and the people here at the resort are drinking mojitos with their lunch. Consider it part of adapting to the culture.”

  “I'll take your word for it,” she said as the server placed a mojito in front of each of them. Kelly looked at it for a moment, picked it up, and said, “Salud. I seem to remember that word means health in Spanish or close to it and is used in toasts.” She took a sip of her mojito. “Carola, I had my doubts a few moments ago, but this is really delicious. Wouldn't want to serve one at Kelly's Koffee Shop and anyway, I don't have a liquor license, but I definitely am going to enjoy this one.”

  “Kelly, the woman we think is Dudley's wife is sitting over there in the corner by herself. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

  *****

  “Pardon me, but I believe I saw you in Havana night before last. Aren’t you Dudley Samms’ wife?” Carola said as she sat down across from the woman.

  “Yes, I’m Patricia Samms, and you are?” the woman asked.

  “My name is Carola. I'm Jack Trout’s wife. I'm always eager to meet the wife of a fishing guide. It seems we have so much in common even if we do live in different parts of the world. Have you been involved in this for very long?”

  “I've been married to Dudley for fifteen years, and in many ways it feels like a lifetime. Actually, I don't think Dudley will be in business much longer. It's time he went on to something else.”

  “Really? Like what?”

  “I don't know exactly. I'm not sure anyone does. I hope you'll excuse me,” she said standing up. “I really came in here just to get some cold water. I'm going to spend the afternoon at the beach. I love the ocean, and living in England I don't have too many chances to swim in water this warm. It was nice talking to you.”

  Kelly saw Carola approaching their table and when she sat down she asked, “Well? Did you learn anything?”

  “The only thing I learned was that was the weirdest conversation I've ever had. I honestly can't make any sense of it.”

  “You've definitely aroused my curiosity. What did she say?”

  When Carola finished relating the contents of the short conversation she’d had with Patricia Samms, Kelly said, “I agree with you. That sounds like the strangest conversation I've ever heard of too.”

  They finished eating their lunch and agreed to meet at the restaurant at 3:30. “Kelly, be sure and bring the names of the dishes you're interested in getting the recipes for. I have no idea what the resort's policy is on something like this, but I seem to remember reading that the resort recently hired a famous Cuban chef to update their menu. If the chef brought his own recipes and dishes to the resort, I would think he could share them with you. We'll have to see. Should be interesting. See you later.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Promptly at 3:30 that afternoon Kelly met Carola at the entrance to the restaurant. A young woman w
alked over to them and asked Carola if they were the women who were meeting with Chef Fuentos. She replied yes, and the young woman indicated they were to follow her. They walked through the empty restaurant, and the woman stopped in front of a door marked “Chef Fuentos.” She knocked, and a moment later it was opened by a large Cuban man wearing the traditional chef’s uniform consisting of a white toque (a chef’s hat), a white double-breasted jacket, and checkered pants. He smiled broadly and said, “Buenas tardes,” then he spoke rapidly in Spanish to Carola and closed the door behind them.

  Carola turned to Kelly and said, “Chef Fuentos welcomes you and would like to help you as best he can. He speaks almost no English, so I’ll be translating for him. What would you like to know?”

  “I’m very interested in the history of Cuban food. Could he tell me what some of the influences have been?”

  The chef and Carola spoke back and forth for several minutes while Carola took notes and then said, “Rather than translate everything as he’s saying it, I think it would be much easier if I sum up what he says.”

  “I’m fine with however you want to do this. Please, make it as easy as possible for both of you. I just wish I spoke Spanish, so this wouldn’t be necessary. I’d like you to thank him again for agreeing to meet with me.”

  Carola translated what Kelly had said, and the chef smiled broadly as he began to speak in rapid Spanish. A few minutes later Carola said, “Kelly, here’s pretty much what he told me about the history of the food. He says it’s a blend of several kinds of cuisines including Spanish, since they colonized Cuba, African, because so many Africans were brought to Cuba as slaves, French from the French colonists that came to Cuba from Haiti, and the Native American Tainos.”

  “Excuse me,” Kelly interrupted, “I’ve never heard of the Tainos. Who were they?”

  Another exchange took place between the chef and Carola, and then she said, “They were a tribe in the Caribbean and in Florida. Don’t forget that Cuba’s only about ninety miles from the tip of Florida, so there has always been a lot of interaction between the two countries.”