Thirteen
Clarity´s hands slipped on the wet leaves of the climbing plant, and she landed on the ground in the lab´s garden a few seconds earlier than planned. she set her eyes on the fence in front of her, a few hundred feet away. Above her, she heard the sound of a menacing dog growl and the voice of Juarez swearing and pounding on the door of Ms. Avenworth´s office. She walked by the gardner of the lab lowering her cap, and the man continued to dig a hole for a new ficus beside him. She reached the fence and followed it to the guard´s cabin. Out in the distance, she recognized the silhouette of the van and LT waving at her.
“Buenos días,” said Clarity, “I forgot they were leaving, have a good day.” The guard looked at her annoyed but let her through. She started walking faster towards the van which was making a U-turn in the narrow road.
“Guardia, stop her!” Clarity turned her head and saw a German shepherd run at full speed towards her, Juarez behind it giving words of hunting encouragement. She increased her pace to a jog, then to a run, finally to a frantic run. She saw Lanai open the sliding door of the van and jumped inside with the vehicle rolling forward at a speed of about five miles an hour. She heard the dog growl behind her and closed the van´s door.
Clarity jumped in the front passenger seat and opened the window. Behind them, two police cars were screeching their tires on the lab´s parking lot asphalt and gathering speed towards the entrance. They drove for three miles on a narrow winding road and lost the police cars in a series of crossings. Clarity admired LT´s driving, although she wondered whether the car would sustain such an effort. They took route two hundred to a deviation at el Cayaco, which led them to the north west part of the city. They stopped at a drive through to eat a quick snack and parked on a beach until late in the afternoon. By early evening, they had returned the van to Trecker, recommending him to chang car plates.
“Where is this tree nursery?” asked LT.
“Calzada de la Cuesta,” said Clarity.
They borrowed some money from Trecker and rode a taxi to the Cayo Verde tree nursery. A man dressed in a worn out brown business suit blocked the entrance to the entrance. Fortunately, he spoke English.
“We´re closed,” said the man, showing a stopping gesture with his hand.
“We really like plants,” said Lanai cheerfully, “specially at night, because the plants return oxygen to us.”
“We´re friends of Ms. Avenworth is what she means,” said Clarity.
“Ah! friends of the woman with the most sensitive taste in Mexico. Welcome to Cayo Verde tree nursery, how can I help you?”
“Well, it´s really very simple,” said Lanai, “we´re really innocent although Mexican police officer Juarez thinks we´re guilty of a theft we didn´t commit. We´re trying to catch this thief called Miss Tik and avoid her henchman Cactus, and we need to know about this particular ingredient of a very special cocktail formula every one´s after, because apparently it must be worth a lot of money. I hope that explains to you why three people come to visit this place at night.”
“I see, you´re looking for Isaias El Curandero,” said the man.
“Who is he?” asked Clarity.
“A healer, he´s the provider of all special ingredients that Ms. Avenworth includes in her drinks.”
The man walked them inside the nursery amidst row after row of various plants and trees. After ten minutes, they reached a small hut made with lianas, large tree branches and wood. A cloud of dark smoke blew from the roof´s top.
“You can walk in, but I can´t guarantee you´ll meet him.”
“It´s his day off?” asked Lanai.
“Nobody knows exactly what he does, he hunts at night like the owl.”
“He´s in, judging by the cloud of smoke,” said Clarity. A burst of blue light coming from inside the hut answered the girl´s comment. Isaias El Curandero was home.