W. Griffin - The Hostage

The command to have the Naval Prefecture policemancome over worked its way down the hierarchy of police officers, and finally one of them walked quickly toward the policeman.

Munz walked toward the taxi. Castillo started after him, and then the driver, and that started the police officers moving. Munz sensed this. He turned and held out his hand to stop them, then pointed at Castillo and the driver, signaling them they should-or were permitted to-go with him.

The right rear door of the taxi was open.

Munz stuck his head inside, looked around for a moment, and then pulled it out. He signaled that it was permitted for the driver and Castillo to have a look.

Castillo was closest and went first.

There was the smell of blood and the buzzing of flies.

J. Winslow Masterson was leaning against the far door, half sitting up. His eyes and mouth were open. There was one entrance wound in his temple, and to judge from the now dried blood on his neck, another entrance wound under the hair behind his ear.

The taxi driver was slumped over the wheel. The silver gray hair at the back of his skull was heavily matted with blood, and the back of his jacket was black with dried blood.

Castillo pulled his head out of the cab, met the Alfa driver's eyes, and said, "Sonofabitch!"

He heard another squeal of tires near the opening of the building, and when he looked saw Alex Darby open the door of an embassy BMW and get out.

Several policemen tried to stop him.

"Pass him!" Colonel Munz shouted in a voice that would have done credit to a drill sergeant. Then he started walking toward him.

Castillo heard Darby ask, "It's him?"

"I'm afraid it is," Munz said.

"And he's dead?"

Munz nodded. "Shot twice in the head."

"Where's Mrs. Masterson?" Darby asked.

Christ, I didn't even think of her!

Munz gestured toward the German Hospital ambulance.

Darby started toward the ambulance. Munz caught up with him.

"Alex, I think she's drugged," Munz said.

"Dammit! Who authorized that?" Darby demanded furiously.

"According to the first policeman on the scene, she was drugged when he got here."

"Presumably, there's a doctor with her?" Darby said.

"I think there's three doctors," Munz said. "I called the German Hospital myself."

Darby went to the ambulance, a large Mercedes van, pulled the door open, and climbed inside.

Castillo became aware the driver was now standing beside him.

"Darby's in the ambulance with Mrs. Masterson," Castillo said. "I heard Munz tell him she's drugged, was drugged when the Navy cop got here."

"Shit!" the driver said. "I make it two shots to the heads."

"I saw only one entrance wound in the cabdriver's head," Castillo said.

"I think there's two," the driver said, not argumentatively.

Darby came out of the ambulance and walked with Munz toward the taxi.

"Alex," the driver said, "I'm sorry."

"We're all sorry, Paul," Darby said.

Darby walked to the taxicab, looked inside for a long moment, and then walked back to where Munz, the driver, and Castillo were standing.

"Alex," Munz said, "I think she should be taken to the hospital. They can't determine what they gave her here."

"They told me," Darby said. "But I think the ambassador would want to see her here. He's on the way."

"Of course," Munz said.

Darby looked at the driver.

"Paul?"

"It looks to me like an assassination," the driver said.

"You agree with that, Charley?" Darby asked.

"Could be. I don't know."

Another embassy BMW pulled up, and then a second. A tall, lithe, well-tailored man got out of the backseat, and another man got out of the front passenger seat.

That has to be the ambassador, Castillo decided. And the other guy his bodyguard.

"Well, here comes the ambassador," the driver confirmed.

Ken Lowery, the embassy security officer, and three other men got out of the second BMW. One of the men was a burly Scandinavian type with a nearly shaven head. Castillo decided he was one of the embassy's Marine guards.

Ambassador Silvio and Lowery walked past the outer line of Argentine police. No one tried to stop them.

They must recognize them.

All the others stopped at the line of policemen.

Silvio walked up to them.

"Good morning," he said. "Bring me up to speed."

"Jack is in the taxi, Mr. Ambassador," Darby said. "He has been shot twice in the head."

Silvio looked at Castillo but didn't say anything to him. "Excellency," Munz said, "permit me to be the first to express my most profound regrets."

"Thank you, Colonel," Silvio said in Spanish. "Does anyone know what's happened?"

Before anyone could form a reply, Silvio went on, "Mrs. Masterson?"

"She's in the German Hospital ambulance, Your Excellency," Munz said. "She has apparently been drugged. By the villains."

Silvio's eyebrows rose, but he didn't speak. He started for the ambulance. Munz, Darby, and Lowery walked after him. After a moment-what the hell, I'm supposed to find out what's going on-Castillo walked after them.

As they reached the ambulance, Silvio turned to Castillo.

"You're Mr. Castillo?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

Silvio knocked at the rear door of the ambulance, and then pulled it open and climbed in. There in the van were two men and a woman, all wearing thin blue hospital coats, all of which carried nameplates with their names, followed by "M.D."

Mrs. Elizabeth Masterson was sitting on a chair against the far interior wall of the roomy ambulance. There was a plastic oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, and a blood pressure device wrapped around one arm. The female doctor was taking her pulse.

Silvio went to Mrs. Masterson, dropped to his knees, and took her hand.

"Elizabeth," he said softly in English, "I am so very sorry."

She looked at him, visibly confused, and then looked away.

"She has apparently been drugged," the female doctor said.

"What are you doing about it?" Silvio asked.

"There's not much we can do until we know what drug was used. We suspect a couple, but can't be sure until we get a blood sample to the laboratory."

"Why hasn't she been taken to the hospital?" Silvio asked, and then, without waiting for a response, said, "Please take her there now."

He turned and looked at Lowery.

"Go with her, please, Mr. Lowery. Make sure she is all right."

"Yes, sir," Lowery said.

"Take as many people as you think will be necessary."

"Yes, sir."

As Silvio started to leave the ambulance, Munz shouted, in a parade-ground bellow, "Captain Jiminez!"

One of the men in civilian clothing in the knot of police officers came running over.

"Eight men, two cars," Munz ordered. "One car to precede the ambulance, one to trail. There will be Americans. Make sure of Senora Masterson's safety. Report when she is safely in the hospital. And do not allow the press anywhere near her or the medicos."

"Si, mi coronel." Captain Jiminez turned and ran off, shouting orders as he ran. Lowery ran after him.

"Thank you, Colonel," Silvio said to Munz. "Now, what do we know about what happened?"

"We were about to find out, Excellency, just before you arrived," Munz said. "If you will come with me, Excellency?"

Munz led them to the policeman from the Naval Prefecture.

"You were the first officer on the scene?" Munz asked.

"Si, mi coronel."

That cop's about to piss his pants. He's terrified of Munz.

Ambassador Silvio saw this, too. He smiled at the policeman and put out his hand.

"Good morning," he said, in what Castillo now recognized as a good porteno Spanish accent. "My name is Silvio. I'm the United States ambassador, and we're trying to find out what happened here."

"Si, senor."