Deadly Journey (34 page)
Authors: Declan Conner
Shown the Door
Leandra looked at
me, aghast.
‘What’s happened to your face? Why are you
limping?’
‘Never mind that, who’s this?’
‘I thought you might need a priest for your
confession,’ she laughed, but I didn’t see the funny side. ‘Looking at you, I
should have brought a nurse.’
‘I’ll live, it was just a fight. Why would
I want to confess?’
The chair legs scraped on the floorboards
and the figure turned to face me. Though his head was bowed, I could still see
he was sporting a goatee beard. The priest lifted his face and looked me in the
eye. Far from having the warmth I’d expect from a priest, his cold,
black-as-coal eyes fixed me in a stare. I stepped back.
‘Pedro?’
‘Kurt,’ he acknowledged, with a slight nod
and resting a Bible on his knee. ‘I thought I’d seen the last of you. If it
were up to me I’d have left you here to rot.’
‘Whatever. Thanks for coming to Leandra’s
rescue.’
‘I don’t need your thanks. It’s what I’m
paid for.’
‘So why are you here? Why don’t you move
on? Leandra and I are doing just fine now on our own.’
Pedro stood and narrowed his eyes. ‘I’m
here to get you out, because Leandra here won’t go home until you’re safe.’
Leandra huffed. ‘Now, now, let’s not
measure wienies. Let’s just stick to the task.’
‘What do you mean ‘get me out’?’ I asked
Pedro.
‘We’re getting you out of here, right now.
We’re all just going to walk out of the front gate.’
‘Don’t be stupid, I can’t just walk out.
Besides, how do I know it’s not you who’s put a price on my head in here?’
‘What? When did that happen?’ Leandra
asked.
‘Someone put a hit out on me yesterday.
Pedro here would have a motive. Get rid of me and he could take you home.’
‘Well, that’s definite then, you can’t go
back in there,’ Leandra said. ‘But it isn’t Pedro who wants you dead. He’s been
with me the whole time, except—’
‘Can’t we try the warden again, or my
consul to get me transferred right now?’
Pedro interrupted. ‘To do what? To get you
transferred to the equivalent of an American Supermax prison? There’s still no
guarantee someone can’t get to you in there and there sure won’t be lax
security like there is here.’
There was a tap on the door and it opened.
Wisps of smoke drifted in the corridor, together with the pungent smell of
fabric burning. The guard stepped into the room, coughing.
‘
En este momento, tenemos un motín.
Tengo que le acompañará hasta la puerta
,’ said the guard in a splutter and
at too fast a speed to translate. There was clearly some urgency in the situation.
‘What’s he saying?’
Pedro gave the sign of the cross and leaned
forward to whisper. ‘He says there’s a riot and he needs to escort us to the
gate for you to escape, my son. Now drop to the freaking floor in pain.’
I didn’t buy the “escape” part of his
translation, but I didn’t need more than one cue. Clutching at my chest with
one hand, I dropped, grasping at Pedro’s gown with the other.
Pedro called out for help. ‘
Ayudar
!’
The guard knelt at my side. I heard a
sickening crunch and the guard fell over me. I scrambled from underneath his
body like a crab on all fours. Leandra held the door closed, her eyes flashing
in apparent panic.
‘You’ve not—?’ My eyes popped wide.
‘No he’s just knocked out. Quickly, give me
a hand,’ Pedro said.
Pedro pulled two handkerchiefs from his
pocket. One he stuffed in the guard’s mouth and the other he tied around the
guard’s head to keep it in place. He released my shackles with the guard’s
keys, re-fastening them on the guard’s ankles and wrists. Pedro slipped off his
priest’s hat and gown and passed them to me.
‘Put them on, hurry.’
As I slipped on the priest attire, Pedro
–
already wearing the same coloured shirt as the guard
–
removed the guard’s belt and put it around his waist.
Finally, he removed the guard’s name badge and pinned it to his shirt.
‘Quickly, let’s go. When we get to the gate
office, hand them this ticket.’
Pedro thrust a ticket into my hand together
with an identity card.
Leandra opened the door and peered outside.
‘We’re clear.’
Pedro tore his beard and moustache from his
face and discarded them on the floor. Craning his neck to listen, he removed
the guard’s baton from his belt, ran his fingers around his shirt collar, and
opened the door.
‘
Vamos
,’ he called out and waved his
baton at the door.
Once outside in the corridor, Pedro locked
the door and we headed for the exit. I didn’t dare to look back as the noise of
what sounded like a multitude of tin mugs rapping on cell bars and prisoners
chanting filled the air. My eyes smarted from the smoke drifting down the
corridor from the direction of the yard. Head bowed, I lifted my gaze to the
exit door. It felt as though I was on a treadmill with the motor running in
reverse. I lowered my head and ploughed on, conscious that as the priest in the
group, I’d developed a limp that wouldn’t have been apparent to the guards on
the way in to the interview room. My heart raced along with my body
temperature, the sweat dripping from my nose.
The door opened and I followed Leandra’s
ankles through and out onto a cobbled path. I heard a buzz and glanced upward
as the mesh gate opened automatically for Leandra to walk through. I was just
about to follow her when a voice called out.
‘
Detener
.’
I stopped as ordered and turned. Pedro
rolled his eyes.
‘Ticket,’ Pedro said in a hushed tone and
then bit his bottom lip.
Sighing, I handed my ticket to the guard at
the window, lowering my head, and then carried on walking through the gate.
Pedro walked ahead to the outer gate. The
buzzer operating the lock sounded and the door clicked ajar. Shivers ran
through my body. Any moment I expected a hand to grasp my shoulder. Pedro
opened the door and we walked through to the sound of a siren winding up and
growing louder. Pedro followed us through the door and snapped it closed.
‘Don’t run, just walk briskly,’ said Pedro.
‘Follow me.’
‘Do you think the siren is for us?’ I
asked.
‘Who cares? Ignore it and just keep
walking. Hopefully it’s for the riot,’ he said.
If I hadn’t glanced in a shop window and
seen a shadow of a man, I could have been forgiven for not noticing we were
being watched by someone sitting at a cafe on the opposite side of the road. He
stood as we turned to walk down a side street toward our getaway car.
Maybe I was being paranoid. All the same,
it was a great relief to be in the backseat, with Pedro stepping on the gas
pedal. As we drove away, I turned and looked through the back window. Black
smoke billowed over the prison walls, hanging in a thick cloud over the
vicinity of the yard.
‘Where are we going?’ I asked.
Pedro replied, ‘North, towards the border,
to that abandoned house. The last place they’ll be expecting you to travel is
towards the American border. I’ve arranged a switch of cars along the way. Then
we can make plans to get the hell out of Mexico and to get Leandra home.’ His
eyes met mine in the rear-view mirror. ‘For goodness sake, take off the
priest’s outfit and put it under the seat, or we may not make it out of town.’
As I disrobed, Leandra took the pins from
her bun, shook her hair loose, and turned to me. I felt an overwhelming urge to
take her in my arms. The sun streamed through the window behind her, and I
squinted. She took my hand and snuggled up beside me, resting her head on my
shoulder.
Leanrda said, ‘I think someone knows I have
the computer. When we went to pick up some clothes from the apartment
yesterday, someone had picked the lock.’
‘So what are you saying?’
‘I’m saying whoever shot Angelina, must
have made a connection to me and the computer, so we gave the motel a miss and
slept in the car last night. I hope you don’t mind, but I need to sleep.’
Leandra pushed herself even closer until
our bodies seemed to be joined as one and I placed my arm around her shoulder.
A single tear worked its way out of my eye.
Pedro reached over to the glove compartment
and opened it. ‘Here, take this. You might need it.’
He handed me a Glock and a spare ammunition
clip.
‘Listen, on the way north, Pedro, I need is
to stop to buy a pay-as-you-go cell phone.’
‘Why?’
‘Let’s just say I may have someone I can
call for help in an emergency.’
A Change of Direction
We stopped a few
a few times on the way to the abandoned house. The first time we changed our
beat-up Ford Pinto for a Toyota four-by four with tinted windows and a change
of clothes for me. Leandra stepped behind some bushes and changed into some
jeans.
We stood and watched as the Ford rolled
down the bank and into a river next to a bridge. The engine block dragged it
down at a tilt, the trunk taking a lifetime to sink, then it suddenly gave up
and disappeared.
The second time, we stopped for a
much-welcome coffee and a bite to eat. Pedro entered the coffee shop before us
and by the time we walked in, he had sat down on his own by the window. We sat
away from him. He ignored our presence, more concerned with staring out of the
window.
They say third time lucky, but it didn’t
feel that way as I searched the shelves for a cell phone. The hackles on my
neck stood on end as a police officer walked into the store and stood next to
me perusing the goods on the shelf. Picking up a cell phone, I walked briskly
to the cash desk, pulled out some pesos, paid the cashier and left.
Back at our SUV, Pedro said, ‘We’ve got a
tail.’
I eased onto the backseat and closed the
door. Looking around the parking lot, I glanced over at the patrol car parked
outside the store.
‘Probably waiting for back-up.’
‘Not the cops, idiot. We’ve had a tail for
the last twelve miles, but whoever it is, they’re hanging way back.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘No, but I work on the old adage.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Your first instincts are always correct.
Still, it could be someone simply heading in our direction, but then they
haven’t driven past us at any of the stops.’
Leandra was oblivious to our conversation,
curled up asleep next to me. With the engine already idling, Pedro eased on the
gas pedal and we headed out of the parking lot and onto the highway. My body
tingled when we picked up a sign for the border town Ciudad Juárez. I can’t say
I was happy to be driving toward the scene of my arrest. Pedro pulled over into
a gas station that had been closed the last time I had passed by and drove
around back of the store.
‘Wait here,’ he said and he switched off
the ignition.
‘I could use the bathroom,’ I said.
‘Me too,’ said Leandra, followed by a yawn,
and she stretched her arms.
Pedro sighed. ‘Okay, but when you’ve
finished wait in the vehicle, don’t go wandering around. We’re going to wait
here for twenty minutes while I keep an eye on the road.’
I picked up the cell phone package, walked
around the corner of the store, and entered the bathroom. I changed my clothes.
Ripping at the packaging, I removed the phone and operator card, plugging the
battery charger in the power socket.
After a tap on the door, Leandra called
out. ‘Kurt, it’s me.’ When I opened the door, she stepped inside. ‘Who are you
thinking of phoning?’ she asked.
‘I need to contact Rob and an old friend of
mine in America.’
‘Why? You’re free now. Anyway, isn’t that
dangerous? Can’t they trace our position through a cell phone call?’
‘It takes time to trace a call. We’ll be
long gone by the time they have a location. Besides, it’s not as though I’m
really free. I need to know how things are progressing before we get wherever
we’re going. I won’t be able to contact them once we get there. Incidentally,
where are we going?’
‘West, to the coast. Pedro says we can pick
up a photo for your false passport on the way. He’s arranged passage back to my
country and on to my hometown. He really isn’t happy about you coming with us.
What about you
–
are you happy to be coming with me?’
I already knew the answer. I’d been aware
of my feelings ever since we played hide and seek in the rainforest and I’d
landed on top of her. I’d been fighting my demons ever since. The search for
the right words to reply was lost on me. Pedro’s words rolled through my mind, ‘Your
first instincts are always correct.’ The divorce papers had tipped the scales.
Rob used a similar saying, ‘If you think it, it’s true.’ I knew the truth. Her
actions had gone way beyond loyalty to a friend.
Her eyes searched mine for an answer. The
impulse to take her into my arms overwhelmed me. I drew her toward me. We
gently kissed and then drew back. The answer to her question telegraphed
between our eyes and we embraced in a passionate meeting of our minds and moist
lips.
Leandra rested her head on my chest. ‘I’ll
take that as a “yes”, then, shall I?’
She already had my answer. I tapped her on
the shoulder. ‘Time we went back to the SUV. We’re not out of this yet.’
We parted. I picked up my clothes, the cell
phone and charger and followed Leandra back to the vehicle.
‘What kept you?’ Pedro asked.
‘Charging the phone.’
‘Yeah, well, don’t go making any calls
until we talk about it. We’re heading back the way we came for a mile. There’s
a back road we can take that’ll bring us out near the house.’ His eyes met mine
in the rear-view. ‘Why the smirk?’
‘Just happy to be free,’ I said.
When I glanced at Leandra, the glow on her
face matched mine. She entwined her arm with mine and held my hand, giving it a
gentle squeeze.
‘What about our tail?’ I asked.
‘A couple of vehicles passed by that could
have been them.’
‘Any ideas?’
Pedro shrugged. ‘I’m thinking it could be
anything from a covert government agency from either side trying to get hold of
the computer, to some low life who has found out about what the computer
contains and they need it destroyed. If you’d take my advice, that’s what we
should do
–
destroy it and toss it in a river. Leandra
here put the original hard drive and the pen drive in a safety deposit box down
in Panama. Carrying a copy isn’t the best of ideas. It makes us a target.’
‘Yeah, well, for now I’m just pleased we
have the laptop. It may contain information that will give me an alibi.’
‘Why do you need an alibi for the heist in
America? I phoned the DEA to tell them you had nothing to do with the heist.’
‘Yeah, right. Like they’re going to take
your word for it.’
‘They’ve taken notice in the past when I
used my code name.’
‘Code name?’
‘Black Llama.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘What! You
–
you mean you were my informant all along? Why didn’t you tell me
before? Why the need to torture me? What if I gave up your name?’ I had a
flashback to the torture room and broke out in a cold sweat. ‘You mean I put
myself through all that for nothing?’
‘It wouldn’t have mattered. The name
wouldn’t have had a connection back to me.’
‘I could have made a connection,’ Leandra
said. ‘We use Black Llama like the Americans would use black sheep of the
family, so there’s a connection to Bolivia.’
‘Whatever.’ Pedro sucked air through his
teeth. ‘It’s all in the past.’
My head sank into the headrest, with my
mind in a spin.
Squat’s farm appeared along the road. As we
drew closer, I shuddered as we passed the open gate. It looked deserted, with
no signs of life. Any chance of having someone questioned as to how Leila’s
family had met their demise was going to be no easy task. I shuddered at the
vision of Miguel’s decapitated head drifting through my mind. As we drove along
the road, I relived every tortured step of my escape from the hacienda. What I
would have given to have a four-by-four back then.
We drove on past the opening to Leila’s
homestead; the police tape still on the gated entrance was broken and flapping
in the breeze. The children’s screams and the sound of rapid gunfire swirled in
my head.
‘Kurt, you’re hurting my hand.
‘Sorry.’ I loosened my grip. ‘Pedro, can’t
you go any faster?’
‘No need, the house is up ahead.’
We pulled into the drive and drove around
back. Reliving the ordeals I had suffered was leading me to believe it was a
mistake to have returned. ‘Listen, Pedro, I understand your thinking on heading
for the border, But I was arrested only five miles from here. They may have
roadblocks ahead.’
‘Don’t worry, this is far as we go. We can
rest up here a while and then we’ll double back and head west. On the way, we
need to stop at a safe house to take your photograph to attach to your
passport. All we’ll need is to take your picture and you’re good to go.’
‘What nationality?’
‘Bolivian. And don’t worry, the name is
legit.’
Pedro dug into his pocket and handed me a
passport. I opened it to reveal a piece of folded paper. ‘What’s this?’
‘Your birth certificate.’
Andreas Jiménez de Silva. Date of birth:
5/5/1974 Place of birth: Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
‘I’ve lost five years, according to this.’
‘You should be so lucky,’ Pedro said. He
winked and smiled for the first time since I’d met him. ‘Commit the details to
memory.’
Trudging through the open patio door, I
headed for the bedroom and dropped my backside on the bed. Leandra followed,
clutching a laptop to her chest.
‘Who’s this Andreas?’ I asked. ‘Wouldn’t he
have family who’d denounce me?’
‘It’s my ex-boyfriend’s name, and he
doesn’t have any family living. It was all we could come up with when we met
Pedro’s contact at the embassy.’
My mouth gaped open. As if it wasn’t bad
enough to have worn a stiff’s clothes in prison, I was now sporting a dead
man’s name. I shook my head and slipped the passport in my back pocket. ‘I
guess I’ll have to live with it for now. Can’t say I’m happy about it being
your ex.’
‘Me either, but like you say, we’ll have to
live with it.’
I turned to Pedro. ‘Pedro, back at the
villa, you said that I was the target of the Cobra cartel. Did you get a name
of who had tipped them off I was there?’
‘No, we didn’t get that far. The guy we
tortured didn’t have as strong a heart as you. Whoever it was, they must have
some serious connections to offer them favours in return for taking you out.
I’m just pleased you acted on my message. Although I didn’t think that you’d
take Leandra with you. I thought maybe you’d arrange for a rescue team to free
her.’
‘So it was you who left the message on the
soap.’
‘Yeah, I had an idea you had the tracker
key, when the guard who took you back to the villa reported to me he’d lost
his. I thought the key would spur you into action. Lucky I kept watching you.’
‘Not so lucky for Perez.’
I turned to Leandra. ‘Is that the copy of
Perez’s computer?’ I asked.
‘Yes. I also have a pen drive copy for you
and the battery is fully charged.’
‘Do we have a mobile net connection?’
‘Yes, why?’
‘Pass it here. There’s something I want to
check on the Internet.’
Leandra sat beside me and placed the
computer on the mattress. When she pressed the ON button, flashing LED lights
sprang to life.
‘What about the money, Leandra? Do we still
have it to help us start a new life?’ I asked.
‘Some of it is in bags in the back of the
SUV. The rest is safe.’
‘Good.’
The signal was weak and it seemed to take
forever to connect to Google Maps. Once on the site, I tapped in the
coordinates for an area of the border I was familiar with and scrolled along
the border road.
‘What are you looking for?’ Pedro asked.
‘I’ll explain when I find it.’
Continuing to scroll, I found what I was
looking for and zoomed in on the target.
‘Bingo.’
‘What is it that’s so interesting?’ Pedro
asked.
