The Witness
\ ˈge-(ˌ)kō \
plural geckos also geckoes
: any of numerous small chiefly tropical and nocturnal insectivorous lizards (family Gekkonidae)
The gecko was high on the wall. Just below the ceiling line. It was motionless. Totally still. As they often are.
It could not be seen easily. The hotel room wall was painted a dark beige colour and, although it didn’t match exactly, the Gecko blended in better than it would on the other walls, all of which were white.
The couple hadn’t noticed the Gecko at all since they arrived last evening. They never looked up.
The Gecko had been undisturbed as the couple had slept most of the day recovering from the long journey.
This evening, they had showered, dressed and prepared for an evening out. They had been in good spirits. Laughing and joking and flirting. Both fiddled with the wedding bands on their hands. Even after some weeks they still hadn’t got used to them.
The Gecko remained still.
it was many hours before the couple returned. In the early hours. They burst through the door in a panic.
Even then the Gecko did not move.
“Oh my God. That was terrible.” The woman was beside herself.
“The noise. Those guns. I never knew guns made such noise. And the smoke and the smell…….” She sobbed. Her words blurring as her chest heaved.. “…….the smell of the blood. It was…. “She dry heaved … It was overpowering. There was so much of it.
Why did you take me there Jose? Why?”
She sank onto the sofa ,, her hands placed either side of her head as she rocked back and forth.
“Oh my God……..my God…..” Her voice trailed. “The screams Jose, the screams and the panic. How many died? It was awful. And we were there. Through it all. Oh my God Jose. what are we going to do”
The Gecko never stirred.
The Man, Jose, was white faced. He had entered the room and simply leant against the wall opposite the Gecko.
He just shook his head as if to knock himself back to some sort of life to think straight.
The Gecko remained motionless.
Jose moved across to the bar area. He stretched out for the bottle of Tequila he’d requested when booking the room He unscrewed the cap and poured a large shot into a glass and knocked it back in one. He poured more, then turned to the woman and offered it out to her. She was still cradling her head and looking at the carpet.
“Drink this,” he said.
she shook her head and closed her eyes in a blunt refusal. “No.”
He swallowed it instead. In one gulp again. He turned to the bar, placed the glass down and was stretching towards the bottle again when he stopped then placed both hands on the bar edge. His eyes closed and he bowed his head almost as if praying.
“We were there Jose” he heard her words. She spoke quietly this time.
“You heard what they said. ”Kill the witnesses.” Those poor girls. They were just having party. They must have seen and they died. How did we get out? Who were those men? Why didn’t they kill us? we were there too.”
The man spoke. “They tried. They fired and missed as we ran out. We were lucky. They got held up in following us so we got out and away.”
“Should we go to the police?”
“No,” his answer was so quick and so emphatic she was startled and looked up.
“No”, he said more calmly.”That will not help. We will leave. Now. we will get away. We must pack.”
“But the Police can protect …..”
“No Chantelle, they cannot. They will not. We must leave now.
We will get to the airport and take a plane out.”
He moved across to her and squatted taking her hands from her head and holding them in his.
In his heavily accented French he said, “Come, Chantelle. We must get ready. We should hurry.”
Taking a deep breath she said nothing and their foreheads came to rest against each other.
She asked, almost whispered, “Why did you take me there Jose” Why?”
“I am sorry cherie. I have been gone a long time and I was told that it was safe here now. That the cartels no longer operated in a big way around here. It is ten years since I left for France. I …I thought the town was now peaceful and not in the wars. My cousin told me that bar was now for tourists and safe. He lied”
The Gecko blinked.
“Is that who they were? Mexican Drug cartels?”
“Almost certainly. We were caught in the middle.”
“Oh God Jose, we weren’t the only ones. How many do you think died in there?”
“Many,” was all he could reply.
“Oh mon Dieu. The noise Jose, the smell, of fear and blood, Jose” She shivered. “I will never forget it. I slipped in the blood Jose, there was so much of it. The Blood. It stank.……..” she sobbed as her voice trailed away and he held her for quite some time.
An observer may, just, have thought the Gecko twitched his head.
The couple had separated themselves and Jose had just got to his feet when the door opened. Three men entered.
They had obviously been provided with a key card. Although she couldn’t see them, Jose was standing in direct line to the door, she knew they had entered as Jose spun around to face them. They were dark skinned, short, muscular, detached. Each was glassy eyed.
“Oh my God,” she uttered.
The Gecko did not move.
“Jose? What do they want?”
Jose, hadn’t time to answer. He had rushed to the bar, grabbed the Tequila bottle and smashed it on the counter top just as the first knife went in. The second and third wounds were, really, quite unnecessary.
The three men turned their attention to Chantelle.
“Jose” She screamed. “Jose. Jose answer me.”
She had stood and was screaming. The man nearest reached out and touched her arm with his knife. She screamed again and spun away. She felt them close. She was looking up towards the Geckos position near the ceiling.
“Jose,” she screamed, “Jose.” The men silently filed past her and out of the room.
Chantelle stood rooted. Still staring up at the wall with sightless eyes.
If she had been capable of seeing him, it was too late.
The eye witness, the Gecko, had gone.