Blood Covenant (16 page)

THIRTY-ONE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 5:15 P.M.
AMERICAN EMBASSY, RD

Paul watched Leah from behind the glass pane of the conference-room door. She sat at the end of the long table, her hands tapping against the surface as she stared straight ahead. He’d only had to deal with a handful of civilian cases where American expats had experienced extreme personal trauma, but every time he’d prayed it would be the last. It was every embassy worker’s worst nightmare to have to send home a dead body. He was already sending home six.

Mercy stepped in beside him, her gaze studying the young woman as well. “I feel so sorry for the girl. She seems so young and vulnerable.”

“How old is she?”

“Twenty-two?”

Paul slid his thumb down the cold Coke in his hand. “My baby sister’s not too much older. They probably have a lot in common. Young, full of energy, ready to save the world …”

“I guess this is hitting a little too close to home.”

“Way too close. If my sister asked my advice about coming here, I would have said no in a heartbeat. What kind of parents let their kid come over here?”

Mercy’s expression darkened. “Tragedy can strike no matter where you live, from New York to Bogama.”

“Maybe.”

Paul walked into the room ahead of Mercy. Leah looked up at them. Her eyes were red. She was probably exhausted. Probably didn’t want to sleep after what she’d seen.

Paul slid the Coke onto the table in front of her. “Thirsty?”

“Thanks.” Leah took the offered drink, but didn’t open it. Instead, she simply started running her finger round the rim.

He sat down across from her before dumping his pad of paper and pen onto the table. Mercy would take notes, but he always liked to write down his own impressions. “My name is Paul Hayes.”

She glanced up again briefly. “It’s … It’s nice to meet you.”

“Mercy will be taking notes on what happened so I can file a complete report to my superiors. Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

“First, let me say how sorry I am that you had to witness such a terrible tragedy. I know how hard it is to lose people you care about.”

“Thank you.”

There was no inflection in her voice. No emotion except for the red splotches on her face that showed she’d been crying. Once they were done here, he’d call in a friend he knew who specialized in counseling trauma victims. This girl was going to need all the help she could get.

“How are you feeling?”

Leah’s gaze moved to her clinched fists, then back to the wall again. “Somebody gave me something for my headache, so I’m better now.”

Hives had broken out across her neck. Another sign of trauma. This girl was far too young to have to deal with what had happened out there.

“How long have you been in the country?”

“Five months.”

“You’re young.”

She looked up and caught his gaze for the first time. “Twenty-two. I graduated from nursing school last summer.”

“My sister, Lilly, graduated from college a couple years ago.”

“What does she do now?”

“She manages a boutique in Denver and designs clothes on the side. She hopes to have her own line of clothing one day.”

“Sounds safe.”

“It is.” Paul tapped his pencil on the table. “Tell me what brought you here.”

“To the RD?”

Paul nodded, hoping he wasn’t moving too fast. He’d never been good at engaging in small talk or being sympathetic. Or so Maggie had recently told him.

“I … I decided I wanted to do something important with my life.” She stared at her chipped fingernail polish, then started picking at her thumbnail. “I looked at the Peace Corp, Mercy Ships, and even the military, but ended up signing with Volunteers for Hope for a year.”

“Where were you headed when the rebels attacked?”

“We were to drive from the capital through Mbali and Kingani to the camp.”

“Any military escorts?”

“Normally, no, but with the fighting going on in the north, we had one armed man for every truck.” Her eyes filled with tears. “But that wasn’t enough.”

“And what was your specific assignment?”

“We were supposed to deliver medical supplies and food, then stay on to help run the camp.”

“Who was on your team?”

“We … we had several nurses, a laboratory tech, a mental health officer, and a couple doctors.”

“What exactly were you transporting?”

“We had forty-foot trailers full of everything you could think of. Besides medical supplies, there were plastic pipes and faucets for water wells, canvas tents, generators, high-protein foods for children, and basic ration packets that contained things like rice, beans, and sugar. There was also a bunch of electronic equipment like radios and a satellite phone.”

“Most of those items were probably in the top ten on the rebels’ wish list.” Paul felt his stomach burn. Something didn’t add up. Who had authorized sending a convoy into rebel territory without adequate military support? And how had the rebels known the convoy’s route and schedule? He worked to push away his own personal feelings. “What happened next? How did the rebels gain control of the vehicles?”

She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment as if she wanted to shut out the memories. “We were up north, about an hour or so out of Bomaja, when they appeared out of nowhere. We’d been driving nine, maybe ten, hours and everyone was tired. I remember cresting this hill …” Her voice broke. “Then we stopped.”

“What happened next?”

“I … I’m not sure.”

Tears poured down her cheeks and her breathing quickened. Paul squirmed in his chair and pulled on his buttoned collar, trying to form his next question.

Mercy dug in her purse and pulled out a tissue to hand to Leah. “Take your time.”

Paul swallowed hard. “She’s right, Leah. Whenever you’re ready, go ahead.”

Leah blew her nose, then wadded up the tissue in her hand. Mercy handed her another one.

“It all happened so fast.” Leah breathed deeply. “I was riding in the last truck. The other trucks stopped ahead of us. Our driver radioed the truck ahead to see what was wrong, but there was no answer, so he climbed down from the cab. The next thing I knew …” She shook her head, her hands trembling.

Paul leaned forward. “Leah?”

“There … there were men with huge guns everywhere. They started shooting at us. The driver fell … there was blood … I saw Tommy get hit in the stomach. There was nothing I could do. They … they just kept shooting and shooting. I started to run. Someone screamed. The trees swallowed me, but I had to see what was happening. As I turned around, I saw the trucks speed over the next hill.” Leah’s gaze dropped. “All that was left was the dead bodies of my friends.”

“How did they miss you?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I should be dead like them.”

Mercy reached out and squeezed Leah’s hand. “No. Don’t ever believe that.”

“Did they
let
you escape?” Paul asked.

“I don’t think so. One of the other guys in my truck tried to fight back. He managed to knock the gun from one of the rebel’s hands. Another one overpowered him before he was able to grab the gun. I guess it was enough of a distraction for me to get away.”

“What happened next?”

“I hid in the bushes along the side of the road. Thirty minutes passed, maybe an hour, I don’t know. I finally forced myself to get up, but I was so terrified they’d realize they’d missed someone, that they’d come back and kill me like the rest.”

“But they didn’t.”

“No.”

“So what did you do next?”

“I went to see if anybody was alive, but they … they were all dead. I didn’t want to leave them lying there on the road, but I knew I had to go get help. I dragged their bodies into the bushes one at a time, Sheila, Tommy, Raúl … all of them. They needed to be protected and it was the only way I knew how. Eventually, I heard a car coming down the road. It was a couple who lived up north. They were leaving because of the fighting in the region and offered to give me a ride to the capital.” She shook her head and shivered. “I never told them what happened.”

“I’m so sorry.” Mercy clasped the young girl’s hand. “So sorry.”

Her eyes flooded with tears again. “Maybe I should have tried to bring them with me, but the car was small and I didn’t know what to do — ”

“It’s okay.” Paul cleared his throat. “You did everything you could, and we’ve got someone taking care of them right now. We’ll make sure that they are all sent home to their families so they can have proper burials.”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Paul shook his head. “It never is.”

“I’d like to talk to my family.”

“Of course.” Paul leaned back in his chair. “I’ll have Mercy show you where you can call them in a few minutes, but I do have one other question. We’ve been trying to get a hold of Digane Olam in Kingani. Do you know if there was any communication with the refugee camp?”

“When our driver checked in with the office in Kingani to give them an update of our arrival time, Mr. Olam mentioned that he hadn’t heard from the camp since last night.”

Paul smacked the table. While the government denied that the rebels were a threat, American citizens and hundreds of Zambizans were being slaughtered. He had no doubt that the rebels knew about the camp, and it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that rebels had used refugee camps as places not only to raid food and supplies, but to run guns and drugs, putting both aid workers and civilians at risk.

Paul leaned back in his chair. “Take Leah to call her parents, then I want you to try to get Olam on the phone again.”

“Yes, sir.”

He glanced at Leah and saw his sister Lilly again. It was time to put a stop to this.

THIRTY-TWO

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 6:04 P.M.
KINGANI REFUGEE CAMP

Paige dug into the thick slice of pumpkin pie sitting in front of her and took a big bite. For as long as she could remember, her mother had skipped the convenience of store-bought desserts and created holiday meals by scratch. And while she might be accused by some of being partial, in her opinion, nobody made a better Christmas dinner with all the trimmings than her mother. The past hour held all the evidence anyone would ever need.

She swiped a dollop of whipped cream with her finger and stuck it into her mouth. “This is fantastic, Mom.”

“You say that every year.”

“Only because it’s true.” Paige dabbed her mouth with a napkin before taking another bite. Dorothy had been right. There was no place like home.

Christmas lights twinkled in the background on the eight-foot fresh pine tree that was framed by the tall window of her parents’ Nashville home. Everything about the two-story house was familiar, because her mom had changed little in the past thirty years, which was fine with Paige. Family — and coming home for Christmas — had always been the one constant in the busy world they lived in.

Her mother had always managed to create the perfect setting for every occasion. Easter egg hunts with her cousins on the back lawn, her sweet-sixteen party, a high school graduation tea with her best friends … She, on the other hand, had been born without skills to make a crème brûlée or even a made-from-scratch pumpkin pie, for that matter, and had always felt much more at home in the emergency room than in the kitchen. Which was why she loved spending the holidays at home.

“Paige?”

Paige opened her eyes and smiled. Nick stood over her, with that lopsided grin he always wore and that stray lock of hair she was always tempted to reach up and touch … The foggy dream cleared as the white plastic walls of the medical tent closed in on her. She’d just crash-landed back in Oz.

She glanced at her watch, then jumped up from her chair. “I must have fallen asleep. I only meant to close my eyes for a minute.”

“When is the last time you had a good night’s sleep?”

“It doesn’t matter. I — ”

“Wait a minute.” He grabbed her arm, stopping her from charging across the room. “At least you had a smile on your face. What were you dreaming about?”

Paige let out a long sigh, wishing she could capture the moment again. “I’m not sure what triggered it, but Christmas at my parents’ home.”

The reminder of her parents started her worrying again. No doubt they’d heard what was happening in the country, though information would no doubt be scarce. She’d purposely told them she’d call when she could, so they wouldn’t worry. They knew that the phone service was far from reliable, even in the capital. But none of those excuses would stop them from worrying.

“What’s your favorite part of the holiday season?”

She blinked. “My favorite part? My mom’s homemade pumpkin pie.” If she tried hard enough, she could almost smell the cinnamon. “Besides the fact that we’re together as a family, the taste of nutmeg and cinnamon makes me feel like a kid again, with no worries beyond skinned knees and wondering if Billy Patterson is going to steal my lunch because he loves my mother’s cookies.”

Nick laughed. “At least it wasn’t a nightmare.”

She looked up and caught his gaze. “No, that’s what today is.”

“More bad news?”

She crossed her arms and tried to make sense of everything that was happening, but couldn’t. Where were the baskets of fish and loaves of bread she’d prayed for? “Dayo and I have diagnosed Jodi with the measles.”

“Measles?” She’d obviously caught Nick off guard. “How in the world did she pick that up? Wouldn’t she have been immunized for that as a child?”

“Even if you’re immunized, you can still get them. Brandon told me they’ve been traveling the past couple weeks throughout West Africa, plus they spent several days up north at the game park, which would have given her plenty of time to be exposed. And because she’s not the only one infected I’m guessing she picked it up after she arrived in the country.”

“Then brought it to the camp.”

Paige nodded. “Exactly. Though at the moment, the source isn’t my main concern.”

“What is?” He followed her to her desk. “I mean, having the measles isn’t that bad, is it? I thought most people were immune to the disease nowadays.”

“There was a short period of time back in the sixties when some of those who received the vaccinations didn’t become immune. Jodi fits right into that category.”

“So she was never immune to the disease to begin with.” Nick shook his head. “Maybe we’ll still get lucky after all. With any luck, it won’t spread much beyond these four walls.”

“It’s not a matter of luck.” Paige lowered her chin and stared at the floor, wishing she could have stayed lost in her dream. But that would do little to move the massive mountain they were all facing. “I’m hoping that will be the case, but there are no guarantees. I’ve sent for everyone who was up on the mountain so I can examine them. I’m also making sure that the leaders of the different sections of the camp are aware of the symptoms so they can spread the word and be on the lookout.”

“How serious is this?”

“Typically, the CDC reports less than a hundred cases of measles a year, but it’s a whole different scenario here. Less than fifty percent of these people have been vaccinated in this part of the country.” Paige wiped away the beads of perspiration from her forehead. Maybe along with a quick cure for measles she should pray for a drop in the soaring temperatures. “Which means that without any intervention, we could be looking at a significant number of deaths before the disease runs its course.”

“How many?”

“Usually the death rate is low, but combined with a serious cholera epidemic and other health problems we find here, the fatality rate can easily jump to twenty-five percent. But even without any deaths, the disease can cause a number of serious side effects.”

“Like?”

“Blindness, encephalitis, diarrhea, pneumonia …”

The situation was becoming clear to both of them. “All made worse when we’re looking at dealing with this in the confines of a refugee camp.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

“So in a best-case scenario, what would you be doing right now?”

“Taz is setting up a separate isolation tent for those infected. As with the cholera, that will help slow down the spread, but there are still few guarantees at this point.”

“And next?”

“Well, while there have been numerous questions raised as to the effectiveness of an emergency vaccination campaign during an outbreak, I’ve seen enough evidence to support the fact that it can reduce both the number of actual cases and the deaths.” Her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands. “The problem is, at this point, we both know this is impossible.”

The determined look on Nick’s face showed he wasn’t ready to give up on the idea. “Take the rebels out of the equation. How long would it take to procure enough vaccines for this camp?”

Paige shrugged, wishing the scenario were possible. “VHI was already planning a vaccination campaign in the north in the next few weeks, so getting our hands on the vaccines that are currently in the capital would be fairly simple, but that isn’t the biggest hurdle.”

Nick’s gaze narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Even without the rebels, there are a number of logistical issues involved that makes the situation complex.”

“Like?”

“You don’t give up, do you?”

“Nope.”

Paige smiled at his persistence, something they obviously had in common. “Some vaccines, like this one, require the use of a cold chain, because they have to be kept at a constant temperature. This necessitates the use of generator-powered refrigerators and ice to insure the vaccine’s viability and makes transporting them challenging. We would also need extra teams and coordinators to help administer the shots, as well as equipment like syringes, vaccination cards, and tally sheets.”

“Wow.”

“The bottom line is that without the vaccine — and additional supplies to deal with the cholera — the crisis we are facing is only going to continue to get worse.”

“Then there’s no getting around it anymore.” Nick folded his arms across his chest. “Someone’s going to have to leave the camp.”

The thought sent shivers up Paige’s spine. “I’ve thought about that, but the rebels have made it quite clear that they’re not playing games. How can I ask anyone to risk his life like that?”

“Do you have another suggestion?”

She glanced at Jodi and shook her head. “I think we’re out of options.”