Law of the Lion

Nine

The trip back to Mexico City in the back of the troop carrier under the watchful eyes of four young federales was uneventful. In the small neat office they were hustled into, Carter guessed things were going to be a lot more exciting.

In the office the Killmaster and Zachary faced a heavily mustached man with graying sideburns, bright red suspenders, and a military identity tag with the name CAPITAN MOISES AL–VARADO H. Carter decided to try the usual innocent, outraged approach.

"All right Captain Alvarado, let's get on with it. Why were we brought here, manhandled, and placed under arrest? Those bandits were throwing heavy weapons at us. Our rights…"

"Just shut up, Senor Carter, eh? Am I such a fool to you? We find you and your friends heavily armed and engaged in a lethal exchange of fire with some other equally armed foreigners and you have the nerve to ask why we brought you here? As you say in your country, 'Gimme a break! " The captain glared almost in amazement at both Carter and Zachary. "And that, as we say in this country, is only the tail of the iguana. What you are really here for, in addition to a possible charge of armed insurrection, is because I have this strange awareness and suspicion of other activities in which you may be involved." There was not a trace of humor in Alvarado's obsidian eyes. "Unless I miss my guess, senores, you two are going to stonewall and be cute and as a result, something's going to happen to you that I assure you is rare in the history of our country." He waited a moment for emphasis, then leaned closer. "You're both going to get your asses booted out of Mexico, and none of your influence or string-pulling is going to make any difference."

Captain Alvarado began to toy with a pencil. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you're going to tell me what the hell's going on, why you both come into my country with a virtual arsenal and begin poking around on a venture without having the common courtesy to check in with our intelligence people in the first place. That's not only an arrogant thing to do, it's a dumb thing to do."

The Mexican intelligence officer impressed Carter as being an honest man, trying to do a straightforward job. "Let's start with you, Mr. Zachary. It is Mister, isn't it? No military titles or diplomatic stuff. "

"Actually," Zachary said, "it's Doctor. I never got very far in the military, but I did pick up a Ph.D. as I suspect you already know."

"Very good," Alvarado said. "From small truths come great confidences. What was your mission regarding Abdul Samadhi?"

Zachary shook his head. "This is the part you're going to have trouble with, Captain Alvarado. I had no mission as such with Samadhi. I was trailing him to see where he went and with whom he'd make contact."

"Why were you doing this?"

Zachary spread his palms. "It gets even worse from here on. I have no idea why I was trailing him. I can speculate, but that's as far as it goes."

"What about you. Senor Carter? What was your interest in the PLO?"

"I was hoping to learn why he's here myself."

Alvarado nodded without comment. "When did you first learn they were in Mexico?"

"Very early this morning," Carter said.

"Later this afternoon," Zachary said.

"I am fortunate that my position here is professional, not political," Captain Alvarado sighed "I have experience in the gathering of intelligence reports, the following of leads, the piecing together of seemingly unrelated bits of information."

Carter did not like the way this was beginning to sound.

Alvarado was now clearly struggling to keep his voice level. "You are both here before me as fellow professionals. You are both telling me you are interested in a man you are both following without knowing why."

Carter decided there was no way out of enraging the captain, but he hoped to give just enough information to secure their immediate release. "I know how suspicious it sounds," the Killmaster said. "But as you noted yourself, you have to take this all in context. Dr. Zachary is looking desperately for information that will clear his agency from some rather severe and damaging circumstantial evidence." Without mentioning specific names or events, Carter filled Alvarado in on the missing corpse at Covington.

It was difficult to see if Alvarado bought any of this or not. He remained as stoic as some of the Aztec faces on the large murals at the university. "And you, Senor Carter?"

"I am in your country," the Killmaster said, "trying to determine the source, nature, and immediate intent of an organization that appears not to be political but which has a definite military character." Carter spoke a few words on his need to be as discreet as possible about the more specific nature of his mission.

Alvarado smiled for the first time. "Would you say. Senor Carter, that if you were allowed to remain in our country unhindered and you developed all the information you needed, that you would be willing to share the more important aspects of your information?"

Carter did not want to appear too eager. "I need to be discreet, but yes. I would certainly be willing to brief you on the aspects that apply to your country."

Alvarado reached into a drawer and came forth with a large manila file, bulging with papers. He dropped it on the desk with such a crash that Zachary blinked. "This entire folder contains the equivalents of promises from other countries and agencies to share with us." Leafing through the folder at random, he began to name off countries. "England wanted our cooperation on this. Cuba on this one. Ah, here is one from West Germany, and this is from Bulgaria, and this, señores, is from your old friends, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. And this is from the United States."

"Okay," Zachary said, "you can drop the other shoe, although I think we both get your point."

"Excellent," Captain Alvarado said, "because a point needs to be made. All these memos and promises are worthless. I have found out more from reading newspapers than from the men and women who have sat where you two are now sitting, giving me their solemn words."

Carter wanted to ask how many of these persons were still alive, but those implications would only serve to enhance Alvarado's impatience with them.

"Let's return to you for a moment, señor Carter. In this venture you are now investigating for your country, please be good enough to tell me which country seems to be in a position to benefit."

"That's not how it works," Carter explained. "No one country is gaining anything, but individuals from a number of countries are apparently being stung for sums of money or other items of great worth."

"I'm beginning to get some ideas, senores," Captain Alvarado said. "Mr. Carter, have you any interst in rare books?"

Carter followed the captain's thinking. "Only in the abstract sense," he said. "I have books I value and some of them are first editions, but I wouldn't go out of my way to pick up a rare volume."

"And you. Senor Zachary, your organization has some animosity toward the PLO?"

"When they use terrorism and stealth, take hostages, and refuse to approach the negotiating table."

"Admirable," Captain Alvarado said, his voice rising, the cords in his neck becoming more apparent. "I have two men of great honor here, who are morally opposed to terrorism, ventures by stealth, and unlicensed incursions."

Here it comes, Carter thought.

Looking thoughtfully at Carter and Zachary. Alvarado then turned his attention toward the young man who'd been in charge of the company that captured them. Any moment now, he's going to be asked to leave the room, Carter speculated. Then the dramatic intensity would increase and later, the young lieutenant would be handed an envelope with cash. No explanation necessary.

Alvarado really began to pour it on, citing the number of unsolved violent deaths that had occurred in Mexico since their arrival. "The fact is that you both take this high-minded posture and yet it is very likely that you are responsible for these mysterious deaths." His dark eyes scanned them. "I do not delude myself. You are both at this very moment calculating how much it is going to take to buy me off. I am aware of the reputation of the Latin American civil servant in that regard. The word is mordida. Oh, yes. I've heard it called propina, but whether you call it graft or a tip, it still comes to the same thing, and as far as I'm concerned, it does not apply here. But do you gentlemen get my intent?"

He nodded to the young lieutenant. "Please listen to this carefully, compadre. I want you to be very clear on all this." Then he pointed a well-manicured hand toward Zachary and Carter. "Just as you are looking at me and wondering how much money it will take to bribe me, I am looking at you and wondering what kind of morals and ethics the two of you have."

"All right." Zachary said, "you're honest and you're not looking for a bribe. What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for what we all in this profession look for. I want information. Pure and simple. No mordida. No propina. No donations to the state police retirement fund or whatever other imaginative twist you wish to give it. I want information."

There was a long silence.

"To give you a frame of reference," Alvarado said. "I tell you now that it is already a foregone conclusion that you are going to leave Mexico. Based on the information you give me, your departure will have options. If your information is false, I will see to it that your departure is from a courtroom and that you will be denied bail. If you give me good information, you will be given a ride back to your hotel, and you will have, shall we say thirty-six hours before I come looking for you. Your choice, senores. A prison breakfast, and detention until you appear before the magistrate, or a voluntary retirement from the Republic of Mexico."

Nick Carter smiled. "If an exchange of funds for the privilege of staying in your country cannot be arranged, we have very little other choice left."

Alvarado took his win graciously. "We have reached that plateau. No funds will be exchanged. You have a limited time — a very limited time left in Mexico." He pointedly addressed the lieutenant. "And you? You understand the ethics of this?"

If the young officer was disappointed that any possibility of the exchange of money was now out of the picture, he managed to hide it. Carter was impressed with both of them. Mexico often got a bad rap on its public officials.

Captain Alvarado returned his focus to Carter and Zachary. "Let's begin, senores, with you telling me what you know about an individual named Piet Bezeidenhout."

"Bingo," Zachary said, smiling in triumph. "All of a sudden. Captain Alvarado, I think I have a high regard for you."

The Killmaster smiled as well. He knew exactly what Sam Zachary was thinking.