Raven Series Part #13 | Jump to Raven # 1 Don Pedro and I zip-tied the unconscious Bonetta to the angle iron supporting the compressor frame. The walls were double thick, but to be sure nobody could hear him, I fired up the compressor. It wouldn’t hurt to top off the high-pressure air reservoir. There’d… Continue reading A Personal Matter
Three Knocks on the Wrong Door
Raven Series #12 | Jump to Raven # 1 All three of us—Bonetta, Don Pedro, and I—heard the knocks at the same time. In the hallway, a voice slurred: “You in there, Baby? Sorry I’m late.” Don Pedro looked at me, the question plain on his face. It was the first time he’d looked away… Continue reading Three Knocks on the Wrong Door
Smoothies and Shrimp Cocktails
Raven Series #11 | Jump to Raven # 1 The three of us crowded into the single room. “Let me show you this,” El Cangrejo said, handing me a wallet. “My name is Ray Bonetta. El Cangrejo is part of my cover.” Bonetta sat in a wooden chair by the window facing the hostel courtyard.… Continue reading Smoothies and Shrimp Cocktails
Two Empty Hands
Raven Series # 10 | Jump to Raven # 1 His machete gleaming in the moonlight, Don Pedro stepped from behind a tree. He nodded his head toward the far side of the street. I turned. We walked away from the hostel in silence. After a block or two, he leaned toward me and asked, … Continue reading Two Empty Hands
Unofficial Lockers
Raven Series #9 | Jump to Raven # 1 The cashier shook his head. No lockers. I would have believed him, but I believed Raven more. She had told me there were lockers at the bus station, so there had to be. For that reason, I pressed the cashier. “There are no lockers? No way… Continue reading Unofficial Lockers
Whispering Shadows
Raven Series #8 | Jump to Raven # 1 The whisper came from the shadows. “Don Cuervo?” I flinched. But I recognized the voice. “Buenas noches, Ramón.” Hidden in the shadows in a narrow alley, the boy was invisible to the people passing on the street. “Buenas noches, Don Cuervo,” Ramón said. “My father, he wants… Continue reading Whispering Shadows
Sopa de Lima
Raven Series Part #7 | Jump to Raven # 1 I didn’t sacrifice a chicken. Instead, I ducked through a couple alleys to my favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant and for some sopa de lima, a delicious chicken soup spiced with cloves, cinnamon, oregano, and because this is the Yucatán, habaneros. A healthy dose of lime juice is added… Continue reading Sopa de Lima
Looking for Pantas
Raven Series # 6 | Jump to Raven # 1 A ratty looking gringo I’d never seen before sauntered into the dive shop. Outside, Ramón stood in the shade by his licuado cart. He was watching through the window. “I’m looking for Pantas,” the stranger said. “I don’t know anyone named Pantas.” “She said you’d say that.”… Continue reading Looking for Pantas
A Ticket and a Maze
Raven Series Part #5 | Jump to Raven # 1 “Dad, you should really listen more,” Raven said, gliding through the door of the dive shop with a mango licuado in one hand and an envelope in the other. “Is that right, Kid?” “Yes. Both Santa Sofía and I think so.” “Oh, you do? Why am I… Continue reading A Ticket and a Maze
Rolling the Dice with Santa Sofía
Raven Series Part # 4 | Jump to Raven # 1 “Pato is crazy,” Raven said. She swallowed the last of her licuado. “That’s why I gave him the data to hide in the first place. So it’s not surprising we can’t find him.” “Otro, por favor,” she said to Ramón, the boy who ran the licuado cart,… Continue reading Rolling the Dice with Santa Sofía