Kingston Kidnappings (What Happens In Vegas Book 3) by Matt Lincoln (classic books for 10 year olds txt) 📕

but unlike the one in Jamaica, this one had air conditioning. It was fortunate that it did because the small airport was much busier than I’d anticipated it would be.

“That’s odd,” I remarked as we made our way through the throngs of people. “Bermuda is a popular tourist destination, but the majority of its tourist traffic typically comes from cruise ships, not planes. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the airport this busy.”

“Is there something going on?” Charlie asked.

“Not that I’m aware of,” I responded, though the closer we got to the entrance of the airport, the more I could hear the roar of the crowd outside. “A lot of people fly down around Christmas time since the tropical climate never really gets cold, but I don’t-”

I stopped talking as I suddenly remembered something.

“What day is it?” I asked.

“Saturday,” Charlie responded immediately. “June twentieth, why?”

“It’s Hero’s Weekend,” I groaned, dread pooling in my stomach. “It’s the middle of Carnival!” This wasn’t good. Not for us, at least. It meant the streets would be significantly more crowded. If a chase broke out, our chances of catching the suspect were greatly decreased. If a fight broke out, the odds of there being civilian casualties were much higher.

“Let’s find the cops who are supposed to be meeting us,” Charlie suggested.

Nelson had arranged for some local officers to guide us to the hotel. With the entire country out on the street celebrating, we’d need their help even more now.

The airport wasn’t very big, so we were able to get out onto the street fairly quickly. The crowd wasn’t any less dense out here, though. In fact, the street outside the airport was even more chaotic than the inside was as tourists and locals alike crowded around and prepared to head to the center of the city of Devonshire to participate in the festivities.

“I think that’s them!” Charlie yelled over the thrum of the crowd as he pointed toward a pair of police officers who were leaning against a railing a few feet away.

“I hope so!” I called back. I didn’t like being caught in this rush of people. It was impossible to stay alert when there was a constant stream of people moving around you. It was a security nightmare.

“Hello!” one of the police officers greeted us cheerfully as we approached. He and the other officer were both fresh-faced young men.

“Hello,” I smiled at him. “I’m Agent Patel, and this is Agent Hills. Are you here to meet us?”

“Yes!” The officer confirmed energetically. “Welcome to Bermuda! You came at a great time.”

“Unfortunately, we’re not here for the party,” Charlie chimed in.

“Of course,” the officer nodded. “We’ve been made aware of the situation. I am Officer Tucker, and this is Officer Joseph. We’ll be escorting you to the hotel and providing assistance in the arrest of Usain Davis.”

“I’m glad we’re all on the same page,” I responded. “We should head down right away. We have reason to believe that he’s already been made aware that we’re after him.”

“Let’s go then,” Tucker nodded. He led us to a car parked on the other side of the railing. As he did, Joseph barked orders at the crowd to move aside and make way.

“Perhaps you can enjoy the festival once the arrest is finished,” Tucker chirped as Joseph finished clearing a path and climbed into the car. “It would be a shame to come all the way here and not participate. It goes all weekend long, you know.”

“We’ll see,” I smiled politely at him. In truth, I would have loved to take some time to explore and enjoy the Carnival, but I seriously doubted we’d have the free time to do so. Even if we found Davis right away, we’d still need to conduct the interrogation and tie up any other loose ends.

I gazed wistfully out the window of the car as we drove through the city. The streets were packed with people decked out in bright, neon colors. Feathers, beads, and flowers adorned everything from storefronts to the people dancing and singing in the street. Even from inside the car, I could hear music being blasted through speakers and played live as street performers banged on drums. We were forced to slow down even further as we approached the center of the city and the crowd became thicker. Up ahead, I could see a parade of dancers wearing magnificent, if revealing, costumes trimmed with feathers and sequins.

“We’ll have to go around,” Tucker sighed as the car was forced to a crawl.

“The hotel is only two blocks away, but at this rate, it will take us an hour to get there.”

“Let’s just walk,” Charlie grumbled. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was becoming impatient with our slow progress.

“Are you sure?” Tucker asked. “If we find Davis, it will be a struggle to get him back to the car through all of these people.”

“You go with them,” Joseph spoke up for the first time. “I’ll get the car there as quickly as possible.”

“Alright,” Tucker shrugged. “Let’s go then.”

As soon as I opened the door, I was hit by a wall of sound. It was so loud that I could scarcely hear Tucker as he instructed us to follow him. It was stressful, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. I’d been to Carnival a few times as a child, and the jovial, friendly atmosphere sank into my bones and lifted my spirits.

We weaved our way through the thick crowd and toward the hotel. The entryway doors were propped open, and even from a distance, I could tell that the lobby was packed.

“There are a lot of people coming in and out of the hotel,” Charlie remarked with dismay as we stepped through the entrance. The lobby inside seemed just as crowded as the street just beyond the door.

“It’s not surprising,” I remarked as I moved to stand just to the side of the entrance where I’d have a good vantage