Just Needs Killin by Jinx Schwartz Read Free Book Online

deciding Dawg was undignified, named him Raymond Johnson. As in “You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me Johnny, or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me RayJay, or you can call me RJ, or you can call me RJJ, or you can call me RJJ Jr., but you doesn’t have to call me Johnson.” Jan was a big fan of that annoying repetitive skit on the old Redd Foxx Show.
    Jan also named Po Thang after we'd spotted him on the roadside several times before snagging him. The poor thing was indeed a pitiful sight back then.
    But on this morning after I picked him up from exile, his pure joy when we arrived back at the marina and he leaped into Se Vende's bow, gladdened my heart and made me forget, for just a moment, this fresh hell Jan and I were into.
     
    For the next few days I scanned the Net, searching for news of a murder in Baja, and found nothing. Then again, the Mexican press is pretty much in league with the tourist bureau, and a beheading at a large luxury resort just ain't good for business. In fact, since the new president took over, even cartel violence has all but disappeared from the headlines.  Either The Prez has made some kind of deal with the drug lords, or they finally killed off or terrorized every journalist brave enough to report cartel mayhem.
    Days passed without further incident, so Jan and I began to relax a bit. We talked daily, speculating on the what ifs and whys, and hoping Ishikawa was planted next to Jimmy Hoffa.
    But why? "What I don't get is why Ishikawa was at the fish camp in the first place. I'm finding it hard to believe he only brought the family for whale viewing. And if it really was just a family outing, why pick your camp? Chino doesn't run tours, he's a scientist. How did Ishikawa even contact you in the first place?"
    "Lemme think."
    "I smell smoke."
    "Smart ass. We got an email from a Japanese eco-group saying they wanted to expose Japanese industrialists first hand to whale preservation. Chino didn't really want to get involved, because you know how he feels about a country that kills whales. However, the idea of educating a man who might make a difference was appealing. And, they said that man was willing to pay big time, and we needed the money for the summer expedition."
    "Have you checked out this Japanese whale hugger group?"
    "Yes. They're legit."
    "You say Mrs. Ishikawa and the kids are still at the camp?"
    "They have another two weeks."
    "Have you asked her where her husband is?"
    "No."
    "Do it and call me back, okay?"
    "She's out with Chino right now, but when they get back I'll figure out a way to ask."
    "How about, 'By the way, ma'am, are you aware your husband was beheaded and his body stuffed in a trash bag and hauled off by thugs?' "
    "I think I can be a mite more subtle than that." 

CHAPTER TEN
     
    "Po Thang, Po Thang, go channel seventeen."
    Po Thang practically levitated from a deep slumber. He'd never received a radio call before.
    As he ran in excited circles around my legs, I grabbed the mic and switched channels. In my best answering machine voice I said, "Hi. Po Thang can't come to the phone right now, but your message is very important to us. So leave one."
    "Cute. Okay, here is the message," I recognized the voice as belonging to Denny, a single-hander who had one of those coveted slips at the main dock. "Tell him the local heat is asking around about his boat mate. And they've commandeered a panga and are loading up to head his way. He might want to take a pee, if you know what I mean."
    "Holy…Got it. Gone."
    I dropped the mic like a hot tamale, and grabbed my bright orange ditch bag. If you live on a boat, you never know when you are going to have to abandon ship, and my large waterproof satchel contains an EPIRB (emergency position-indicating rescue beacon), a strobe light, flashlight, whistle, a signal mirror, first aid kit, a knife, bottled water, sunblock, a handheld watermaker, a flare gun with extra shells, lots of power bars,