Iris Johansen - Stalemate

Soldono was leaning against a tree and straightened when she came down the path an hour later. "I was getting worried."

"So was I." She started down the trail. "He didn't want to believe me. I was too convincing before."

"But he finally did?"

"After telling me that if I didn't leave Colombia by the end of the week, I'd go home in a casket."

"But he didn't give you the reconstruction?"

"On the contrary, he threw it at me."

"You don't have it with you."

"I hid it on the way back. I couldn't chance Montalvo catching me and taking it away. I'll pick it up on the way to meet Diaz." She paused. "I'm going to need your help there too. Phone Venable and tell him to have one of his men pick me up here at ten tonight and drive me to the hill outside of Diaz's village. I'll make my own way from there."

"He's already consented to giving you the helicopter escort. He might not want to-"

"Just ask him."

"What about Montalvo? He's no dummy. Won't he know you're up to something?"

"I'll be visible during the early evening and he won't expect me to stick around later." She added grimly, "He knows I'm mad as hell with him and our relationship has been very cool." She looked up at the sky and started to trot. "It's beginning to turn light. We have to get back to the compound…"

11:55 P.M.

Nekmon phoned Diaz at the church a few minutes before midnight. "She's coming. She's down from the hill and just came out of the forest."

"Alone?"

"Yes, absolutely." Nekmon paused. "She's not carrying anything."

"She said she wouldn't bring it to the church. She'd just better have it close by." He turned to Joe Quinn. "She's coming to rescue you. Isn't that sweet? What devotion. I do love to see a woman protect her man. Too bad she believes she's trading you in for a new model."

"You're lying."

"I have a few doubts myself but since I have little faith in the human race, I think it likely she's as faithless as most women. Montalvo had the reputation for being very good with the ladies when he was in the rebel army. Sex is sex."

"Shut up, Diaz."

"Ugly." He backhanded him across the face. "Will you never learn? I really should take you back to the castle instead of proceeding with the current plan. I didn't get my fill of you."

Joe's eyes were blazing in his bleeding face. "Do it. Let's go."

"So that I won't get my chance at Eve Duncan? She really doesn't deserve you. How can I convince you of that?"

"You can't."

"Nevertheless, I'll try. Disillusionment can be a torture in itself, I've discovered. Women are instinctively self-serving, Quinn. They try to mask it by preaching fairness and goodness but it's always to make their own position in life more secure. Christian behavior dictates that they be treated with kindness and tolerance. It doesn't matter how they interfere with a man's drive to better himself. It's always best to use them and then walk away. You'll know better next time."

Joe didn't answer.

"Providing you go on living after tonight." Diaz moved over to the window. He could see the woman walking swiftly through the cemetery. She should be here in a few minutes.

She was passing his mother's tomb now. Do you see her, Mother? She's another one like you. So sure she's right. Despising me for being evil and yet she excuses her own sins. It's going to be a pleasure killing her. Just as it was a pleasure killing you.

Eve stood before the church door, hesitating. "Diaz."

"Come in," he called. "We're waiting for you."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said. "Come out into the open and bring Joe with you."

"You don't trust me?" he asked mockingly. "I don't know why. Haven't I done everything you've asked?"

"You're entirely too fond of torture. What's to stop you from grabbing me as soon as I walk through those doors and trying to make me tell you where I placed the skull?"

"An excellent idea."

"Come out here."

"Did it occur to you that I could have had a sniper behind every tombstone in the cemetery to pick you off?"

"As you must know, Venable's helicopter pilot did a sweep before I left the forest." She held up a small radio receiver. "He said that there were possibly two men in the forest but none in the cemetery."

He chuckled. "There are three in the forest. And any one of them could have killed you before you reached here."

"But that wouldn't have served you. What about the skull?"

"Yes, what about the skull? Where is it?"

"Bring Joe out and we'll talk about it."

He turned and said over his shoulder, "Come along, Quinn. The lady has a desire to see your handsome face."

A moment later he appeared in the doorway. "Here we are. Now tell me where the skull is."

He looked no different from the newspaper photo she had seen of him. A little heavier, a little older, perhaps. "I'm not going to-" She inhaled sharply as she saw Joe with hands bound behind his back, behind Diaz. "My God. What did you do to him?"

"Nothing much. I had no time," Diaz said. "He was unconscious at first and then I had to be careful to make sure I had something to trade you."

The bruises on Joe's swollen face made him almost unrec-ognizable. "It must have been a real thrill beating up on an unarmed man."

"You shouldn't have interfered, Eve," Joe said. "Why the hell did you?"

"If you don't know the answer to that, then there's no use talking to you." She turned to Diaz. "The helicopter is going to land in four minutes. When Joe's on board, I'll tell you where to find the skull."

"Not good enough. I want it in my hands before I release you."

She had thought that was the way it was going to play out. "I'll stay behind."

"No!" Joe took a step forward. "Hell, no."

"Don't worry, I'm not sacrificing my life for you," she said. "He's not going to kill me. If he did, Armandariz would hear about it and begin to suspect that what Montalvo said was really true."

"No!"Joe said.

"This is no longer up to you, Joe." She turned back to Diaz. "I mean it, no skull until you get Joe on that helicopter."

"You're willing to trade your life for his?"

"You heard what I told Joe. You're not stupid enough to kill me and risk what you've been bargaining for." She looked up at the sky. "I hear the helicopter. He should be landing soon." Her glance shifted to Diaz. "Well?"

He shrugged. "I'll let Quinn go as long as I have you. If you try to cheat me, I won't hesitate to cut your throat."

"I won't go." Joe's eyes were blazing. "What do you think I am, Eve? When did you decide I was namby-pamby enough to let you run over me? There's no way that-" He broke off as Diaz's fist crashed into his stomach with brutal force.

His knees buckled and he would have fallen to the ground if Eve hadn't sprung forward and caught him. She was brought down to the ground with him by the heavy weight of his body. She glared at Diaz. "You bastard."

"I was tired of arguments. I'd already made my decision."

Her arms tightened protectively around him. The blow had knocked the breath from his body and he was struggling for air. "He's wounded and helpless. Cut him loose."

"When he's tucked into the helicopter. He's not that helpless. Some men never give up. He killed three of my men before they took him." Diaz raised his eyes to the sky to watch the blue-white light of the helicopter spear the ground. "Ah, here it comes."

The wind from the rotors was blowing her hair across her face as the helicopter descended. Just a few minutes more and it would be down and Joe would be safe.

Hurry. Please, hurry.

Joe was struggling, trying to sit up and get away from her. She could feel the anger and outrage in every muscle of his body. Who could blame him? She had damaged his independence and his pride and that was unbearable for him. "I had to do it," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Joe."