by Glenn Ball
Even as they were about their business what sounded like a gentle footfall just outside the cave crept into their silent vigil. There was no way to know what had made the almost imperceptible sound. Maybe it was one of their pursuers, or maybe just another rabbit, or a cougar. No matter what the risks were, Susanna could not stay still and wait for the answer to come to them. She stealthily peered through the bushes that enclosed the entrance to see what was moving about outside. As she took in what the brush would permit her eyes to see she noted nothing that looked like human movement, nor even any large animal roaming about. After a couple of minutes her vigilance was rewarded with the answer: a large leaf that floated to the ground was followed immediately by another, both landing with enough force on the dry brush beneath them to sound like a soft footfall.
She crept back to Pedro and gave him the reassuring report. Their spirits were momentarily lifted, but only for a moment. Even as she finished explaining what she had seen there was the sound of something moving in the brush outside, something heavy.
********
Skip’s mouth was moving, but Sky still could not make out the words. Something about “bow”.
The raft jerked, bumped by something behind Sky. Skip’s eyes were wide, his hand halfway lifted trying to point, his forefinger still hanging downward.
Suddenly there was a man standing over Sky. Men were pulling him onto a boat and wrapping him in thick blankets.
********
Pedro and Susanna hardly had time to react to the heavy footsteps that they heard when a whipping swoosh told them that the tree outside now held something captive in one of Pedro’s snares.
“You catch rabbit, I catch man.” Pedro’s hint of a smile took some of the edge off of their predicament, helping to calm Susanna’s nerves. They were probably only moments from an attack that could result in death for the both of them nevertheless he maintained a sense of humor. The attitude was contagious.
“I cook rabbit, you cook man.” She replied, as she threw some dirt on the fire to help hide it while he kicked the hot stones into their strategic positions.
As he did so there were more steps outside rushing toward the cave. This time there was no snare triggered. The steps were quickly followed by another. Both men stopped to snoop around the cave, obviously convinced that Pedro and Susanna must be close.
Susanna could hear their heavy breathing as they passed close to the brush that hid the entrance. Beyond them she could hear a man shouting in Spanish, “Get me down from here! Hey David, stop right there and get me down!” Even as he shouted there was another whipping sound and another man shouting in surprise as a tree branch slung him high into the air.
As both men hollered curses in Spanish the two near the cave began moving the branches at the mouth driven by curious persistence. The next moment the head of the first poked through like a baby being born. In his exuberance he plunged headlong into the cave only to find himself entangled in the hammock that Pedro had set up like a net. The other man had lagged a moment to shout directions to those following behind them, alerting them to the cave’s secret entrance.
The second man then followed the first into the cave and was bewildered by the darkness and the missing comrade. He turned on his flashlight and as he did the comrade asked him to help him out of the net. Susanna and Pedro watched from the shadows at the wall as the man snickered at his comrade while he inspected the cave with his headlamp.
They both caught their breath as his light landed on them much like a prison spotlight. The escapees at long last had been found. Their pursuer’s eyes glowed with wicked satisfaction when he saw them. He didn’t waste a moment charging directly toward them with a machete in one hand and a pistol in the other. No doubt he was going to get a huge reward for being the one to get them. As he rushed toward them, his eyes fixed on the prize, his foot caught on one of the hot rocks in the darkness below. In his eagerness he had neglected to check his footing with his headlamp, and it wasn’t until he was falling that he realized his error. Dropping his machete with his right hand he tried in vain to catch himself. His hand landed on another hot rock and failed to stop his fall, his face falling full force into the needles laden with poison. The needles drove right through his left cheek, his tongue in mid-scream and his left eye.
In a flash Susanna had picked up the pistol and in her next movement shot the man in the net who fell limp. With machete in hand Pedro followed her out of the cave. As they stepped into the light, they could hear two men calling to each other. They seemed to be coming from the right-hand side.
Susanna turned to Pedro and told him, “I have an idea. Follow me.” Making a wide circle to the left they snuck around the entryway to their cave hoping to avoid their pursuers. Passing behind some shrubbery they saw two men come up under the two men caught in the tree snares.
Both men were yelling and cursing in Spanish. “Get me down from here p*to!” shouted David. His voice was hoarse from screaming, as he pleaded swinging in uncontrollable circles head down, one leg hanging uncomfortably free. The other tried to call out in a calmer voice, but his face was frantic. “Sácame de este arbol!” he gritted through his teeth.
“Si Señor” said the closest as he reached down to cut the line. But as he bent over a shot rang out and he dropped to the ground dead. He had been shot through the head.
Pedro marveled at Susanna’s aim as they turned to run. The last man of the crew was already in hot pursuit. The screams of the two hanging men faded to the background as they sprinted as fast as they could, Susanna leading the way. Having gotten the jump on the man they were just out of range of his pistol and hoped to keep it that way.
Susanna had picked the trail to the river as their route of escape. Pedro understood completely. It would give them noise and a way to hide their trail once they reached the river. They were well on their way to the river and their pursuer had even fallen back out of sight when Susanna unexplainably doubled back in the direction from which they had come, keeping her feet within the same footprints.
Pedro had tried to argue and prevent her error when she adamantly directed him to follow her and to keep his feet within his same footprints as she had done. Once they had backtracked some ten feet they had come out of tall moist grass and were once again on dry hard ground. There she changed direction, going around the tall grass. Once hidden behind a tree they stopped.
Moments afterward their pursuer came sprinting with his eyes glued to the trail. Plowing into the thick grass he was quickly up to his waist and losing no time high stepping through the field to catch his helpless victims. Seeing their pursuer heading off in the wrong direction Pedro again marveled at Susanna’s ingenuity. But he had only perceived part of her plan.
The man had hardly gone twenty meters when he unexplainably stopped. Susanna noting Pedro’s curious reaction had her finger to her lips to keep him from accidentally forgetting himself. As they observed the man pointed his gun at the ground and hopped like someone skipping rope. He let out a yell as he grabbed first one leg, then the other, then came up holding his forearm. Pedro could see blood dripping off the arm.
“Come on” she whispered to him. Creeping below the level of high grass she led Pedro toward the river completely out of sight of the man now engrossed in his own problems with rattlesnakes.
CHAPTER 33
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
With her heart resolute in her new purpose, Alicia slowly rose to her feet. Still lightheaded she tipped sideways, nearly falling. With her head reeling her heart stopped at the sight of the Santa Muerte extending her horrid arms to clench Alicia as the Santa Muerte had done when Alicia was merely a child outside the market.
Instantly her mind sought for reality. It could not be the Santa Muerte. The instinctive train of thought that followed was that Antonio had found her. Every muscle in her body tensed. If this was Antonio, or one of his henchmen, she would be better off dead. His treatment of her betrayal would make the Santa Muerte l
ook like a welcoming friend.
********
Having taken off once again Antonio’s jet was rising above the clouds. Antonio drummed his fingers on the armrest as he dialed another number. Normally the elation of being lifted high above the cares of the world would put Antonio at ease, but not today. There was too much to oversee.
********
Mario could still see the hanger behind him in the rearview mirror, but the leather bag was packed with money and stashed safely in the trunk. The large metal containers had been moved onto the plane while he watched. The guy with the turban turned over the money when all was completed, and Mario had been on his way.
Sweat rolled down his temple as he pulled onto the highway. It had been hot and heavy work, but the sweat was more from tension than from the heat. He nearly jumped out of his skin when his cell phone rapped out a tune on the console next to him.
“Hello?” There was a moment of unnerving silence.
Click; now he could hear a roar in the background. “Mario…is it done?”
Mario always felt his skin crawl when he had to talk directly to Antonio. He supposed that was what had put him on edge. That and facing off with terrorists. Calm yourself Mario, everything went fine.
“Yeah, boss. They got the goods, and ours is in the bag.”
“Excellent. You know where to go from here right.”
“Yeah boss. I’m heading there now.” Mario wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to see the road. The roar on the other end of the phone suddenly went silent. Antonio always was abrupt. A sigh escaped his lips as Mario set the cell phone back on the console.
********
Antonio was already punching the numbers for the next phone call. His forehead was scrunched in concentration. Just five more calls to make, and then he could focus on Alicia.
********
It is astounding how fast the mind works when death is at an arm’s reach. Alicia’s eyes gravitated to the abyss under the hood like stars being drawn into a black hole. Even as the icy fingers clamped her forearms her eyes searched for an answer to the mystery: who was this grabbing her? Was she to be a prisoner once again?
Even as the hooded figure steadied her, keeping her from falling, he was leading her out of the chapel. Flickering candles drowned her confused thoughts in incense. Shadows and echoes of murmurs fluttered like bats in the high arched ceiling above her as the chapel became a blur. She felt nauseous, the room spinning about her.
The hood turned to study her. She could feel his eyes pour over her. The stained-glass painting of an emaciated Jesus was casting a blood red glow over his face.
“Don’t be afraid.” His voice was tender as he put an arm behind her to steady her.
It was not Antonio.
“You must be hungry. You will feel better after we get you some soup in the kitchen.”
Her fear melted away. As the tension in her muscles eased her nausea and dizziness eased as well.
Minutes later Alicia sat alone in the dining hall eating chicken soup with vegetables. Soup had never tasted so good. She had been famished.
The priest who had helped her said he would be back in a few minutes. He had apologized for scaring her. He and the other priests here often use the robe of a monk to identify with their order he had said.
When he did return, he had a full set of clothes with him, including a pair of jeans and a blouse. In no time she looked like a completely different person, no longer the starving outcast.
********
Joseph Sanchez had many men at his disposal. But for tasks like this he relied only on the crooked cops secretly loyal to his criminal activities. He could afford no slipups from some honorable policeman who had a conscience.
Harold and Andrew had been two of his most reliable cronies. They had had their hands dirty for years, and they knew how well it paid. Besides greatly exceeding their income for straight policework, their extracurricular activities sometimes came with side benefits as well. Harold smiled at his watch his last victim had been willing to “lose” as a tradeoff for his life.
This assignment promised another type of reward. As their eyes kept being drawn back to the sensuous photo of Alicia, he and Andrew reminisced of the many women they had taken into custody over the years, and the sexual favors they had been able to get from them.
“We are going to have a lot of fun with this one!” Andrew was salivating as he voiced his thoughts.
They were assigned the neighborhood near the Catholic church.
********
The priest was no longer in his monk robe as he accompanied Alicia to his parishioner’s house. The parishioner had agreed to take her in for a few days. He and his wife lived just a few blocks from the church, so Alicia and the priest were walking there, enjoying the cool of the evening.
Alicia felt better than she had in a long time. She had eaten, she was decently dressed, and she was about to have shelter without strings attached. The homes in this neighborhood appeared nice to Alicia. Passing by an open garage she could see two men working on a car together. They were laughing and drinking beer. Just down the street there was a group of teenagers playing basketball on the curve. She could hear their sneakers scuffling on the pavement as she and the priest walked past.
There were birds in the trees and the smell of flowers in the air. An American flag flapped in the breeze.
The priest understood some Spanish and tried to make conversation with her. She kept her answers curt, feeling strangely embarrassed talking to a man.
An explosion shook her like a heart attack. It was just behind them. Hearing the series of bullets that followed she crouched next to a car with her arms about her head. Under her fingers she could see that the priest was still standing, totally vulnerable to the attack.
“Those are firecrackers. No need to fear. They won’t hurt you.” Removing a hand from her eyes she looked up at him. His inclination to laugh was subdued by concern for her. The look on his face was that of a deepened realization of her trauma. Reaching a hand to help her up he explained: “Memorial Day is in a few days. It’s a holiday. But if you really want to see fireworks just wait till our Independence Day.”
Feeling a little silly for overreacting she stood up, seeing the kids lighting another set of firecrackers in their driveway.
“You see…you are perfectly safe.” Looking back at him her eyes were wide with terror. His befuddled face was a blur to her. Her gaze was captured by the police car coming up the street.
********
Harold and Andrew could not believe their luck. Driving up the residential street some firecrackers had attracted their attention. For a moment they laughed at a pretty young lady that ducked behind a car, as if the firecrackers were bullets.
“Hey, that’s our woman! That’s her!” Andrew blurted out.
He pulled the car right up beside her.
The arrest went fast and without incident. The priest looked even more surprised and confused at her arrest than he had when she spotted the police car.
She wanted to run, but where to?
It took less than a minute to handcuff her, read her rites and stuff her in the squad car.
The priest and kids with the firecrackers stood agape as the car drove off.
********
The handcuffs bit into her skin as the policeman pushed her roughly through the door of the police station. No matter how hard she tried to escape her past, it held her prisoner like the chains of Antonio’s torture dungeon.
The station smelled old, with the stench of body odor and overtones of Pine-sol that had been used to remove vomit and manure. There was a tremendous raucous in the station. It was packed with people of all walks of life.
Alicia’s ears hurt as the cop who held her prisoner shouted behind her, “Hey, look who we captured…the suspect in that murder case.” Suddenly the station became as quiet as a theatre at the opening act. All eyes turned toward Alicia. Cops frowned accusingly at her, as did a number o
f men in suits. Prostitutes looked on knowingly. She felt fear as her eyes caught those of a group of dark-eyed men covered in tattoos. They were murmuring amongst themselves, scheming something.
Her wrists hurt as she was held on display for men to gawk at. There must have been a hundred faces glaring at her. Always the accused, always the prisoner, when would she ever be free? When would the sins of Antonio cease to haunt her?
“Cristo, ayúdame!” The words had barely crossed her mind when she was pushed into a dank hallway and escorted to a dark holding cell. When the door clanged shut behind her it reverberated off the concrete walls, the echo accentuating her isolation.
********
The edge of Antonio’s mouth upturned ever so slightly, forming a smirk. It was the smile of a conqueror.
“This is good news indeed Jorge. Did Sanchez put her in solitaire as per our instructions?”
“Yes, she is locked away all alone. Nobody will be able to hear a thing.” The gleeful snicker in Jorge’s voice caught Antonio by surprise. He was not accustomed to hearing Jorge laugh, ever.
“Okay Jorge. Everything is going according to plan. Call me back as soon as it is done.”
“Sure will.”
Antonio too was laughing when they hung up. “Alicia, now you will get yours! How many times have I warned you? I always keep my promises!” Antonio was laughing so hard he even surprised himself.
CHAPTER 34
Beyond Reach
Adam awoke with a start. A glimmer of light snuck in through the curtains. It had been hours since he’d spoken with the general. When he’d fallen asleep, his smart phone was still in his hand.
His finger punched the redial to Sky’s satellite phone as if by reflex, no answer. Standing and stretching his arms over his head Adam tried to shake the grogginess from his overworked bones. He rubbed his eyes. “Alertness is survival!” he reprimanded himself, as if the weariness normal to all humanity was his shiftiest enemy.