Trace returned to the hotel. In the lobby, two men in casual clothing nudged each other as Trace entered. He noticed they appeared relieved. He assumed they were supposed to keep an eye on him, but they lost him. Their jobs were likely on the line.
Trace returned to his room. He wasted two hours watching TV before leaving his room and the hotel. He meandered around Suva, in and out of shops, only looking and not buying. He thought of it as an exercise for the men following him. He was about to lull them into a false sense of security.
He dined out. It was a very expensive restaurant. He amused himself, knowing he ran up the expense account of the two following him.
Not far from the restaurant was a theater. He purchased a ticket and watched a movie, Unforgiven. His followers sat close by.
He walked along the docks after the movie. His followers separated, but both kept an eye on him.
He returned to the hotel.
He lay on the top of his bed with his clothes on. He thought that it was most likely the men following him were not police, but in all likelihood, members of the drug trafficking organization that Patterson belonged to.
“What made them suspicious enough to follow me?” Trace murmured. Then he thought, ‘If they think I have him, why not just go on The Tramp Islander and get him? They could tip off the police, who are corrupt anyway. But if that would happen, Patterson might spill the beans on the whole operation. Maybe he knows too much. And not all of the police are corrupt. It would be too risky to turn him over. They want him their self, but why not just go and get him?’
‘I’ll call Pete at his place,’ Trace thought, ‘I have an idea.’
Trace picked up the phone. ‘No,’ he thought, ‘Someone could be listening. The phone or the room could be bugged.’ He set the phone back down.
He left his room and rode the elevator to the lobby. He looked for a phone booth and stepped inside it. He called Sneaky Pete’s.’
“Hello, Sneaky’s Pete’s.”
“Pete, this is Trace Troy.”
“What’s up, Trace?”
“I need a favor.”
“Sure, let me call in somebody to cover for me.”
“I don’t need you to go anyplace, just stay there.”
“Sure, I can do that, but how can I help?”
“I need two guys, slimy-looking guys.”
“That’s my clientele,” Pete said seriously.
“I’m going to walk in your place and go to the bar. I need two of your finest to be waiting for me. Two guys will follow me in. You have to make sure there’s no place at the bar for them to sit. They’ll have to sit at a table. Can you do that?” Trace asked.
“I’ve got it,” Pete replied. “No problem.”
“The guys you pick should be smart enough to pull something off, but slimy looking.”
“There’s two guys here right now who fill the bill.”
“I’ll pay them one hundred dollars each to engage me in a secret conversation that can be heard by the next table.”
“What do you want them to say?”
“I just want them to play along with me. Remember, they have to be smart enough to do that.”
“What?” Pete asked.
“I’m going to pretend to be a drug trafficker. All they have to do is pretend to be guys who can provide drugs for me to transport. Do you think your guys can pull it off?”
“I know them well. They can do it with flair.”
“Look, I don’t want this oversold.”
“These guys have been around. They know what to do and how to make it sound all legit.”
“Pete, a man’s life depends on this.”
“I didn’t think you would call for something that wasn’t serious. When will this happen?”
Trace looked at this watch. “Thirty minutes.”
“I’ll get them ready.”
“See ya soon, Pete. Thanks.”
Pete hung up.
Trace called a cab. He waited for the cab in front of the hotel. Two men followed him from the hotel. One lit a cigarette and looked at his watch as if waiting for someone. The other crossed the street and got into a car and waited.
The cab arrived, and Trace climbed in.
“Sneaky Pete’s,” Trace said.
“You betcha,” the driver said.
The cab turned around in the street and headed toward Sneaky Pete’s. Trace glanced out the rear window. A car with the two men followed.
The cab arrived at Sneaky Pete’s.
“That will be nine-fifty,” the driver said.
“You got a family?” Trace said.
“Wife, three kids,” the driver said.
Trace handed him a hundred-dollar bill. “Treat the wife and kids to something special. And wait for me. If I’m not out in an hour, I’ll be finding another way back to the hotel.”
“That kind of money, I can wait until morning.”
Trace climbed from the cab and walked into Sneaky Pete’s.
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