An Orchid To Die For (A Costa Rica Beach Cozy Mystery Book 4) by K.C. Ames

Author:K.C. Ames
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: 17th Street Books
Published: 2020-10-06T22:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

The Judicial Police station was bustling inside. It emanated a drab impersonal and unwelcoming aura. Not that Dana had a lot of experience in police stations, but most civilians don’t go there for fun, so there is that feel of despair in the air, which she didn’t like one bit.

She and Ramón walked up to the reception area, where there was a young woman with long, raven-black hair sitting there. Dana didn’t know if she was a policewoman or a civilian employee, but she seemed nice enough.

“How can I help you?” she asked with a smile.

“We’re here to visit a friend,” Ramón said.

Dana looked around. There were several men and women in police uniforms with their guns in their holsters and others dressed in regular clothing—business casual style—who were also armed, with their badges dangling from a chain around their neck. She recognized them as being the special agents of the OIJ, the Judicial Police—the equivalent of police detectives back in America. She knew this from her interactions with OIJ agents Jorge Picado and Gabriela Rojas, then she shuddered, thinking she might run into Picado and how he would probably hit the roof seeing her interfering in another of his cases. Not that she was interfering. She was just there to help Ramón save Doña Elsa’s orchids.

“What’s your friend’s name?” the young woman asked Ramón.

“Elsa Calderón.”

Dana had forgotten Elsa’s full name since everyone just referred to her as Doña Elsa.

The girl tapped on the computer. She kept her fingernails short, and they were painted in a dark brown color as she tapped away. Dana was impressed with her fast typing skills. Figured she must be a front desk-type receptionist. Most cops she had met typed in the hunt-and-peck mode.

She was typing away for a while. “There are visiting hours, right?” Ramón asked nervously.

“Sure thing,” the receptionist replied without looking up from her computer monitor.

After about a minute of looking at the computer, she turned her attention back to Ramón and Dana. “I’ll need your cédulas, please.”

The cédula was the Costa Rican national identification card that every Costa Rican citizen must carry. It’s like a Social Security number, but the cédula number isn’t kept securely like someone in the United States does with their Social Security Number card.

In Costa Rica, the cédula is used more like a driver’s license or a state-issued ID card, used just about anywhere an ID is needed, like writing a check or at the bank.

Since Dana was an expat, she didn’t have a cédula ID card issued, so she brought her US passport for identification.

The receptionist looked at Dana with raised eyebrows but then smiled as she took her passport and Ramón’s cédula.

“One moment, please,” she said, taking the IDs and turning her attention back to her computer. After another minute, she gave them back their IDs and asked them to take a seat in the waiting room until their name was called.

They thanked her and went to the so-called waiting room that the receptionist had pointed out to them.

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