Marked in Mexico

by Kim McMahill

“It does feel good to be taken care of. If Jack thinks it’s safe, I’m game for another day layover before we head out again.”

  “Every man’s dream come true¾to walk in on a slumber party and hear his name.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. Megan and Jessica lay in the tiny bed in old-lady night gowns, chatting like a couple of school girls. He almost hated to move on, but if they stayed too long they might put Isabel in danger. They couldn’t stay in Mexico forever and the only way out was probably through Villahermosa.

  “Jack, do you think it’s safe for us to stay another full day? One more day of food, rest, and chloroquine and I’ll bet Megan will be as good as new. She’s improved so much just in the day we’ve been here and I can’t tell you how much good today has done for my attitude, though Isabel’s pampering and hovering has made me miss my own mother.”

  All three were silent for a moment. Through divorce, disease and a car accident they shared a similar emptiness. Though he didn’t think it was a great idea to stay idle for so long, Jack couldn’t deny Megan and Jessica the brief respite from the nightmare they had been living ever since they were abducted.

  “One more day couldn’t hurt, but then we better move on. I’d hate to put our hostess in danger or take advantage of her generosity. Besides, I have an idea how you and I can move the outhouse tomorrow, so you’d better get some sleep.”

  Jack turned out the lights and crept back into the kitchen. He checked the door and noticed Isabel had already secured the lock. Returning to the bedroom, he lay down on the floor, burrowed his head in the clean feather pillow and got his first real night’s sleep in a very long time.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jessica thought she had died and gone to heaven. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d woke to the smell of brewing coffee. She carefully crawled over Megan, so not to wake her, and crept out of the room. She spied Isabel and Jack sitting on the front porch sipping coffee. She hated to interrupt, but then again, they couldn’t be talking about anything since neither spoke the other’s language.

  She poured herself a cup of coffee and tiptoed out of the house, sitting down next to Isabel. She cradled her cup between her hands and sipped, enjoying the morning air and the pleasant sound of birds chirping happily in the trees. The place was so peaceful it pushed the recent horrors into the furthest recesses of her mind.

  Jack had to fight the urge to laugh. He could only envision what this curvy, rich, city-girl usually slept in and doubted it looked anything like this. The full cotton nightgown reached Jessica’s ankles and the long sleeves gathered at the wrists. It was the closest thing to turtleneck sleepwear he had ever seen, but the bright embroidery work on the white fabric was lovely. She looked so young and princess-like in her flowing white gown, nothing like the frightened woman who could cold-cock a man with a cast iron pot.

  Isabel rose to go fix breakfast. Jessica tried to get up to help, but Isabel pushed her back into her seat. Jessica considered arguing, but since they didn’t speak each other’s language it seemed pointless, so she sat and enjoyed her coffee, while rubbing one of Isabel’s scruffy dogs behind the ears.

  Megan wandered out to the porch and took Isabel’s vacated place next to Jessica. Her long blond hair fell over her shoulders and nearly all the bruises had healed on her face. She was dressed in a nearly identical night gown, except the sleeves and hem rode up considerably on her taller frame, and Jack could no longer suppress his laughter.

  “What’s so funny? This is just like what I sleep in at home,” Jessica stated.

  “Me too. In fact, I wouldn’t wear anything else. Oh, except socks,” Megan added with complete seriousness.

  “Somehow I kind of doubt that.”

  Jessica shrugged her shoulders at Megan. “Let him have his fantasies.”

  Megan lifted her cup to her lips and took a long sip, trying to hide her grin from Jack. She glanced over at Jessica and recognized the identical pose on her and could only imagine the gesture made the two of them look even more comical.

  Jack watched as Megan and Jessica tried to contain their laughter. He wished this moment didn’t have to end. By this time tomorrow, they would be out in the jungle again, but they had to go. He only hoped this brief stop had given them back the strength and determination they would need to survive and find their way home.

  Megan looked much better. She hadn’t had anymore bouts of fever since they left the river and she had taken her second dose of medicine. Her color had improved and her strength was returning.

  After a frustrating attempt at dialog with Isabel, they were able to explain they wished to stay one more night and Isabel seemed happy to accommodate them. They ate breakfast and Jessica convinced Megan to sit on the porch and rest in the shade. Even though she looked better, Jessica knew the more rest and fluids Megan received, the stronger she would be after they left.

  Jessica watched Jack from the porch as he eyed the tilting outhouse. He placed a hand on it and pushed and it nearly fell over. Isabel rushed over and stood next to him. Though Jack wasn’t a particularly tall man, he towered over the short Lacandón Indian woman. He leaned down and pointed and gestured and Isabel nodded. After an elaborate round of charades, Isabel took off and Jack turned and motioned for Jessica to come join them.

  By the time Jessica reached Jack, Isabel had returned with a long length of rope. He gathered up three rounded poles that had been used at one time for the pig pen, but had long since fallen to the ground.

  “Here’s the plan,” he began. “I’ll tilt the front back and you and Isabel can put this pole under it. We’ll do the same with the back. Once that’s done we’ll tie this rope around it and I think we can roll it to the new hole. Using the third pole, we can keep moving the poles as the outhouse rolls over them, always ensuring at least two poles are under the structure.”

  The outhouse was light and they had no problem positioning the poles under it, but the stench was almost more than Jessica could stand. They tied the rope around the small building and Jack pulled while Jessica and Isabel pushed. Megan wandered over and would grab a pole as it came loose at the back and place it in the front. The process continued until they had managed to roll the building fifty feet to the new hole.

  Once the building was set and leveled, they filled in the old hole and almost instantly, the stench dissipated. Isabel hugged them and Jessica could see tears clouding the old woman’s eyes and one tear slipped down her weathered cheek before she could brush it away.

  Jessica was touched by the gratitude and wished she knew what had happened to her family, but the language barrier was too great, so she would probably never know. For now, all she could do was give Isabel a strong hug and hope the woman understood how much they appreciated her hospitality. In fact, Jessica was certain the old woman’s care had saved Megan’s life.

  Isabel forced Megan back into the shade while Jessica and Jack repaired the pig enclosure with the poles they had used to move the outhouse. They couldn’t find a hammer or nails, so they used strands stripped from vines to tie the poles to the posts. Jack found a jungle plant he knew most animals found distasteful and rubbed it on the vines binding the poles to keep the pigs from eating them.

  “Seems like we should get some kind of Boy Scout merit badge for this,” Jessica beamed.

  Jack loved it when she smiled, accentuating her dimples. She looked so young and innocent it almost made him forget about how much danger they faced. She could be so sexy at times, but at the moment, with her ponytail, deep dimples and violet-blue eyes gleaming with excitement, she looked like a little girl on Christmas morning. He was torn between pulling her to him and kissing her or patting her head and telling her to run along to the house before she got too much sun. Before he had to choose, Isabel called to them.

  They cleaned up and then joined her and Megan on the porch. Isabel had made a fresh pitcher of limeade and some shortbread-type cookies. The drink and the cookies were warm, but both were just as satisfy
ing.

  Jessica stretched out in the shade and enjoyed the tart drink. If it weren’t for the fact that they were on a run for their lives and would soon have to venture back into a dangerous world where they could trust no one, she would have loved this little detour. Isabel had been kind and caring when everything seemed so hopeless. She wished there was some way they could repay the kindness, but by the tears in Isabel’s eyes, readying the new outhouse had been a good start.

  Jessica had already learned Jack was not one to sit idle for long, so she wasn’t surprised when he gulped the drink, devoured the cookies and left them on the porch. He went inside the house and quickly returned with Isabel’s machete.

  “Carne,” Jack said as he pointed toward the jungle.

  Isabel nodded her head vigorously and smiled. She bustled into the house, returned with a small, military canteen full of water and handed it to Jack.

  He thanked her and explained to Jessica and Megan that he was going hunting. Jessica was too shocked to ask what poor creature he intended to hack to death with a machete and was unable to speak until Megan’s voice brought her back to reality.

  “Good luck, Jack. We could probably all use some protein.”

  Jessica jumped to her feet and raced after him.

  “Wait! Isabel has eggs. We don’t need meat. We have plenty of protein.”

  “I’m sure we’re eating her out of house and home. She’s been generous and I don’t want to leave her strapped for food when we go.”

  Jack watched as her violet-blue eyes clouded with tears. “What’s really the matter? You’re not a vegetarian are you?” She hadn’t complained about the pork tamales.

  “No, it’s just that every time you leave us I’m afraid you won’t come back. I panicked when Isabel tried to drag Megan off and you hadn’t returned yet. Don’t forget there are people out there trying to kill us. I watch lots of movies and one thing I’ve learned is that the group should always stay together.”

  “Actually, they probably only want to kill me. You’re more valuable alive than dead.”

  That was exactly what Jessica was afraid of and she couldn’t bear the thought. She whipped around to stalk off, afraid if she looked at him she would burst out crying, but Jack snagged her arm and pulled her to him.

  “I’ll be back in few hours. Don’t worry. I think you watch too much TV. We’ll have to find you a new hobby when we get out of this mess.” He brushed his lips gently over hers and released her.

  Jessica stood and watched Jack walk away until he was out of sight. She didn’t know why she felt so uneasy. He had always returned before and this time he wasn’t going back into the heart of danger as he had at other times. She wished she could be more like Megan. If Megan worried about Jack, she didn’t show it as much.

  For the next several hours, Megan and Jessica washed and repaired their clothes and shoes in order to be ready to leave in the morning. Isabel had some old men’s clothing Jessica assumed had been her husband’s. She had already given Jack a t-shirt, but little else worked. Her husband must have been about Jack’s height but stockier. Even with a belt, the pants were too big for Jessica to move in comfortably. Megan was able to wear a pair cinched with a belt and at Capri length, which would at least provide her with a little more protection from biting insects and they were considerably less torn up than the shorts she had been wearing ever since they were kidnapped.

  They stood in the small bedroom and crammed the few additional items they had acquired into the pillowcase-cum-backpack. Neither woman spoke. They were scared to leave, but knew they had to. Finding Isabel had been a godsend, but it was time to move on. They would never find their way back to America hiding at Isabel’s home and they feared they might bring danger to the kind woman.

  As they discussed what they could do for their host, Isabel burst through their door with all their clothes that had been hanging on the line. She tossed the bundle at Jessica and snatched the rug from the floor. She dug her stubby fingers into a wide crack between two boards and pulled a plank free. She frantically pulled two more up, leaving a narrow gap leading to an empty space below the house.

  “Las Culebras,” she hissed while pointing and tossing items into the space.

  Jessica and Megan needed no further explanation. They grabbed everything that might indicate their presence and leapt into the hole. They crouched down and the light instantly waned as Isabel quickly replaced the boards and scooted the rug over the hidden exit. Megan fumbled through the pack. Her fingers located the cool handle of the pistol and she slipped it out and brushed the weapon over Jessica’s arm to alert her to the find.

  Jessica was relieved they had something to defend themselves with, but then her thoughts quickly left the darkness and raced to Isabel and Jack. Surely Isabel had known what she was doing when she forced them into hiding, but what if she was in danger? They couldn’t sit in hiding and not help. And Jack, was he close by?

  The door opened and shut with a thud. Footsteps. Jessica couldn’t tell how many people had entered the house, but it sounded like a herd of elephants overhead. As the footfalls shook the wobbly floor she could hear Isabel’s voice mixed in with a jumble of male voices. The old woman didn’t sound frightened, but Jessica had no idea what was being said.

  She and Megan huddled together, trying not to breathe as the footsteps continued to roam the house. The door opened and shut again and the house fell silent. Through the slats, Jessica could see the broken silhouettes of the men’s legs, so at least they now knew there were only two.

  * * * *

  The dogs were barking as Jack neared Isabel’s home. He hadn’t heard a peep from the old dogs since they’d been there, so the sound made him nervous. Picking up his pace, he moved silently toward the pig shed. Once hidden behind the small structure, he crouched down and watched as two men dressed in black military uniforms stood in front of the house with Isabel. He saw no sign of Jessica or Megan, so figured they were in hiding and not already dead, believing what he had told Jessica earlier¾she was more valuable alive.

  Jack watched as Isabel talked to the two men. She didn’t appear to be afraid of the men as most people seemed to be. The volume of the voices grew and one of the men grabbed Isabel by the arm and the three of them began marching toward the trees. Jack was torn between trying to find Jessica and Megan and following Isabel.

  His indecision was short lived. He stalked after Isabel, following close enough to keep her in sight, but far enough away not to be detected. After fifteen minutes, they emerged at a garden plot. Jack squinted through the shadowy light and soon the plants’ identity became clear. It wasn’t the first patch of marijuana he’d stumbled across that day, but it was a big clue as to how Isabel survived out here alone. He suspected she was the gardener and the harvest bought her protection.

  The two men inspected the plants while Isabel looked on with her arms crossed and a defiant look on her face. At the edge of the plot, a section of the crop had been cut and harvested. One man pointed and yelled at Isabel. She shrugged her shoulders, shook her head and said something Jack couldn’t hear.

  One of the men grabbed her arm and dragged her to the missing plants and continued to scream at her. Isabel spit at him and the man’s face contorted with rage. He slapped Isabel so hard that she flew to the ground. He walked to her and kicked her in the ribs.

  Each man had an AK-47 slung across his shoulder and a pistol holstered at his side. Jack cursed himself for leaving the house without his gun, but at the time, he thought it would be better left with the women. Since neither man had a drawn weapon, he was certain he could drop both of them if he were armed before either could react. Jack still held the machete in his hand, but the large knife did little good against automatic rifles.

  Jack eased his way around the small clearing to get closer to the men. If he was going to have to face their guns with his machete, he needed to be as close as possible. The only advantage he had was surprise. He’d have to take them out qui
ckly and he wasn’t sure if he could do it. It had been many years since he’d been in a situation such as this and he hoped he hadn’t lost his touch.

  The man kicked Isabel again, but Jack was still too far away to do anything. He tried to reel in his rage. He had to focus and not let his emotions guide his actions. Jack moved faster, but worried he would be too late, again. The man reached down and yanked Isabel to her feet. He raised his hand to strike her, but the motion was stopped by the other man.

  The second man looked at his watch and said something about Americanos. He then turned to Isabel, pointed to the missing plants and continued to yell at her. She nodded her head and focused on the ground submissively and after several moments, the men walked away in the opposite direction as her house.

  Jack exhaled, but kept still. He waited until the men were out of sight and had time to put some distance between them. He hated that he hadn’t been able to stop her beating, but she didn’t appear as if she had been hurt too badly.

  Isabel brushed the debris from her skirt, tucked her wavy black hair back into its bun and placed a hand to her ribs. She winced, which made her leathery wrinkles more pronounced, then walked toward where the path led to her house.

  Jack stepped from of the trees and moved toward Isabel. A sound to his right caught his attention, and he whirled around ready to fight, but stopped short as Megan and Jessica emerged into the clearing.

  “I had a clear shot at one, but I didn’t think I could hit both before they got their guns out. I used to be a good shot, but I never practiced speed in getting off multiple rounds.” The pistol hung limply in Megan’s hand. “I would have tried if they touched her again.”

  “It was difficult to watch them hurt her, but probably best neither of us acted. If we had injured or killed those men, not only would we be in big trouble, but I’m sure their colleagues would have made Isabel pay with her life.” Jack took the gun from Megan’s hand and stowed it in his waistband.