Third Half (30 page)

             
"Todd, I . . .I didn't know it would be you," she whispered, as
emotions nearly robbed her of her voice.

             
"They made me an offer I couldn't refuse,"  Todd told her. 
"Shall we join our friend?"  He motioned to the woman waiting across
the street.  "I assume she will again be the bearer of our instructions."

             
"Todd, before we go over, I want to . . .I mean . . ."

             
"Hey kid, just hang in there.  We'll get Jack, wherever he is," 
he assured her, misunderstanding what she had been about to say. 
"Come on."  He firmly grasped her hand as they crossed the street.

             
The warmth of his touch seemed to fill her with renewed
strength as they faced the auburn-haired Juanita and her men.

             
"I see you both have made it," the woman said as though she
had some doubts that they would.

             
"I didn't think we were given a choice," Liane responded
acidly, then felt Todd squeeze her hand as if in silent warning.

             
"We'd like to see Spence before we go,"  Todd said.

             
Juanita shook her head with a sardonic grin.  "You have no
bargaining power, Mr. Marshal.  No, if you hope to see your friend,
you will do exactly as I say."

             
"Okay, we've come here for instructions.  What are they?" 
Todd's eyes narrowed as he waited for the answer.

             
"Sister Mary Catherine will do just as her brother would have
done.  We have a shipment of goods to be taken to the United States. 
As usual, she will say they are to be sold by her church to raise funds
for books and other supplies for the mission school near Pucallpa."

             
"My men will escort you to the airport where you will load the
goods onto your plane,"  the woman continued.   "From there you will fly them to Los Angeles and deliver them to the same small shop
where you did on your previous trips.  Do you understand?"

             
Liane was puzzled.  She knew Todd's plane had crashed, yet
Juanita had distinctly said
his
plane.  And if they were going to L.A.,
what of her brother? 

             
"But when will you release my brother?"  She voiced that
question aloud, unable to hide her confusion.

             
The woman looked at her impatiently.  "He will be released as
soon as you have made your return trip and our people have made
certain our order is complete."

             
Liane remembered the weapons Todd had mentioned.   Now
she understood the importance of completing their trip.  She wondered
why there was suddenly no mention of the gold and silver statues her
brother had hidden.  Earlier, everyone seemed interested in knowing
where they were.

             
"You will do your Kitty Katt act," the woman was issuing the
their orders.  "This time it will be in the nightclub in Los Angeles. 
Just as your brother would have done.  There, a message will be
passed to you by the same means as I passed my message to you here. 
It will tell you where you must go to pick up the weapons."

             
"Where will I drop them when we return?"  Todd asked.

             
The auburn-haired woman smiled.  "You will have one extra
passenger with you."  She looked to the men with her.  "Eduardo
will
be going along.  He will give you the directions when you return."

             
Liane wasn't pleased with the turn of events, and from the look
on Todd's face, neither was he.  The situation was becoming more
confusing by the minute.

             
"When do we leave?"  Todd asked.

             
"Dawn tomorrow.  That will give you the entire evening to
load the plane and get some rest.  You have a long flight ahead of you
and we wouldn't want anything to go wrong this time."

             
"Okay, then we'll go to the plane tonight,"  Todd agreed.

             
"Eduardo will meet our men and bring in the crates.  That will
give you time to make certain there will be no questions asked by the
guard. 

             
"On the way to the airport, you will have time to fill Sister
Mary Catherine in on the usual procedure."  The woman turned to her
men.  "Eduardo, go now and do as ordered."  Then she looked back to
Todd and Liane.  "Adios."

             
"I won't say its been a pleasure doing business with you." 
Liane spat.

             
The woman only laughed.  "That is all right.  Our paths will
not cross again.  After this, our business will be concluded."

             
"I hope you don't mind if I don't wish you the best," Liane
countered again, but Todd took her arm and pulled her away.

             
"That's about enough," he scolded.  "Do you want to make
things worse?"

             
"I can't stand her!" Liane turned to glare back at the lovely
Juanita, but the woman had already gone.

             
"Just be glad we have a few minutes alone.  We have
something to do."

             
"We also have to talk.  I have a lot of questions.  Like where
did you get a plane?  Your plane crashed."

             
"One of them. I have others.  That's where I went when I left
the ranch at Tingo Maria."

             
"When you were brought a message by the little boy?  Did you
know he left another one for me, too?  In my bag?  That's how I knew
to come here."

             
"I see."  Todd frowned, rubbing his beard.  "He wouldn't tell
me anything. Just gave me the note and your bag, then took off again."

             
"I hope he'll be okay.  He's so young and helpless."

             
"Helpless!"  Todd laughed as he opened the door to the
waiting taxi.  "His father is the rebel leader.  He uses the boy as a spy. 
He comes to the city for information."

             
"That must be when he visits the orphanage," she said as she
slid across the back seat.  "I can't imagine what information he gathers
from there."

             
"Is that how you knew him?"

             
She nodded.  "Yes, he thought I looked like Father John. 
That's when I became fairly certain that Jack was impersonating a
priest.  I still had no idea why."

             
"Now you know.  And you'll be taking his place on perhaps
the most dangerous trip of all."

             
"Returning with the guns."

             
"Yes."  Todd nodded, running his fingers roughly through his
brown hair, his expression weary.  He was silent for a long time
before going on.  "M.C., I think you should stay in the States when we
go back . . .Wait!"  He held up his hand when he saw she was about to
protest.  "Hear me out!  Something isn't right about all this.  Yet, I
can't put my finger on what it is."

             
"I'm in this now, and I'm staying in.  But maybe if we put our
heads together we can come up with an answer.  There were some
things I didn't quite understand.  Like, why they need me?  They could
dress any one of their men, even Eduardo, up like a priest to make the
trip back."

             
"Yeah, except they need an American."

             
"I'm sure they could have gotten someone."

             
"But not someone they'd be sure wouldn't cross them.  Or
someone they wouldn't have to pay again."

             
"That's right, you said the money Jack sent me was your pay." 
She watched as he nodded.  "I can see them not wanting to pay again,
but you could still just as easily cross them, keep the money, and
fence their stuff.  You'd probably make out pretty well."

             
"I suspect that was why they sent me back for the other plane
alone.  Testing me, to see if I'd return."

             
"You could have skipped out, played it safe.  Why didn't you?"

             
He turned thunderous brown eyes on her.  "Why the hell do
you think?  Jack is my partner and friend.  I went into this with him
and I'll do my damnedest to get out of it with him, too!  That was our
job,"  he said more softly, reaching out and cupping her face with one
calloused hand.

             
Liane looked away as conflicting emotions threatened to
overwhelm her.  Most of all she was sorry she had said what she had. 
"And will you . . .find him?  I mean," she said through trembling lips.

             
"Like I said, I'm going to try."

             
"Todd."  She turned to face him again.  "We don't even know
if he's still alive."

             
"I know,"  he replied grimly as he exhaled a long deep breath,
leaning his head back against the seat.   "But until we know otherwise,
I'll play it like he is."

             
"
We
will," she corrected.  "Now, I think you better explain the
rest of my part in this."

             
"Basically, you're simply a cover in case any custom's officials
catch up to us."

             
"Have they ever?"

             
Todd laughed.  "Not really, except there's one man at the
airport where we're going.  You may remember my speaking to him
the other night.  He's a friendly guy; always comes over and talks. 
He's only checked things once.  Father John had a way of putting his
mind as ease."

             
"Jack always did have a good rapport with people."

             
"You'll have to do just as well if he comes over and asks any
questions tonight,"  Todd warned her.  "Just remember it's his people
we're trying to help.  As long as he thinks that, he'll be most obliging."

             
"I suppose that's the real shame of all this."  She frowned. 
"We're supposed to be helping these people with books and other
supplies.  Instead, we're giving them war and death."

             
Todd turned to her.  "It's been going on here far too long, M.C. 
But maybe we are doing something else about it."

             
She had no time to ask what he meant as their taxi drew to a
halt in front of the small air strip.  She saw a door open to the office
and a man in a blue uniform step outside.

             
"Ah, buenos nochas,"  the man waved when he saw Todd. 
"Who is this you have with you?"

             
"Sister Mary Catherine,"  Todd introduced her.   "She's from
the mission school near Pucallpa."

             
"Where is Father John?"  The elderly man said as they walked
closer.  "He promised me a book the last time I spoke to him."

             
"I'm sure he'll see that you get it the next time he's along," 
Liane replied.  "Would you believe he's been asked to fly to Rome?  I
believe it was in honor of everything he's done for your people here."

             
"Maybe he will be made a Bishop," the man said with a wide
toothless grin.  "He is a very good man.  He understands that we are
proud people.  By taking our wares to your country and selling them,
he is allowing us to earn what he brings back with him."