The Evening News (58 page)

"Silence
!”

Miguel used his foot again, this time to kick her stomach
.”
From now on, you will speak only when questioned
.”

From beside her, she heard Nicky stir and say, "What's happened? Where
are we
?
”

She sensed in his voice the same panic she had experienced
herself
It was Angus who answered softly, "It looks to me, old son, as if we've
been kidnapped by some pretty nasty people. But keep your cool! Be
strong! Your Dad'll find us
.”

Jessica, still fighting pain from the savage kick, felt a hand placed on
her arm and heard Nicky's voice say gently, "Mom, are you okay
?
”

Tears sprang to her eyes at the thought that Nicky's concern should be
for her. Turning her head, she tried to nod reassuringly, only to see
Nicky being kicked viciously too. In a moment of horror she thought: What
was all this doing to him?
Miguel shouted, "That silence rule means you too, idiot boy! Remember
it
!”

"Oh, he'll remember
.”

It was Angus, his voice dry and cracked, but he
managed to impart contempt
.”
Who could forget a piece of human offal, so
brave he'll kick a helpless woman and a boy
?
”

The old man was struggling
to rise
.
Jessica breathed, "Angus, don't
!”

She knew that nothing at this moment
could improve their situation; hard words would make it worse
.
Angus had trouble balancing and rising to his feet. In the meantime
Miguel looked around him and seized part of a tree branch lying on the
floor. He crossed to Angus and belabored him savagely about the head and
shoulders. The old man fell back, one eye closed where the wood had
struck him, grunting with the pain.

"All of you will use that as a lesson
!”

Miguel barked
.”
Keep silent
!”

He
turned to Baudelio
.”
Get them ready to go
.”

Socorro had returned carrying a water jug in a wicker cover and a length
of coarse rope
.”
They should have water first
,”
Baudelio said. He added with a hint of
petulance, "That is, if you want them kept alive
.”

"First tie their hands
,”
Miguel ordered
.”
I want no more trouble
.”

Scowling, he left the hut. Outside, as the sun ascended, the humid heat
was overpowering.

Jessica was growing increasingly puzzled about their location
.
A few minutes ago she, Nicky and Angus had been moved from what Jessica
now realized was a crudely constructed hut and were in the grimy back
portion of an open truck, along with a miscellaneous cargo of crates
,
boxes and sacks. After being marched out of the hut with their hands tied
behind them, the three were partially lifted, partially shoved roughly
over the truck's tailgate by several pairs of hands. Then a half
-
dozen
motley-dressed men, who could have been farmhands except they carried
guns, had boarded also, followed by the man Jessica labeled mentally
"Cutface
,”
and another man whom she remembered vaguely having seen
before. After that the tailgate was raised and fastened
.
While it was all happening she had concentrated on their surroundings
,
trying to see as much as she could, but it hadn't helped. There were no
other buildings in view, nothing but dense woodland all around, and the
dirt track to the hut could scarcely be called a road. She attempted to
see the t
ruck's li
cense plate, but if there was one the lowered tailgate
covered it
.
Physically, Jessica felt better for having received water. Before leaving
the hut, Nicky and Angus had been given water too, by a sour-faced woman
whom Jessica also remembered seeing briefly before-she believed during
her initial struggle with Cutface
.
Trying to appeal as one woman to another, Jessica whispered softly
between mouthfuls fed to her from a battered tin
cup
.”
Thank you for the water. Please
!
-will you tell me where we are and why
?
”

The response was harsh and unexpected. Putting down the cup, the woman
administered two hard slaps, forehand and backhand, to Jessica's face
,
each time sending her reeling sideways. The woman hissed, "You heard the
order.
Silencio
!
Speak again and you will go without water for a day
.”

After that, Jessica stayed silent. So did Nicky and Angus
.
The same woman was now in the front seat of the truck, next to the driver
who had just started the engine. Also in front was the man who had kicked
Jessica and Nicky and beaten Angus. Jessica had heard one of the others
call him Miguel and he appeared to be in charge. The truck began to move
,
bouncing unevenly over rugged ground
.
The heat was even more intense than in the hut. Perspiration streamed
from everyone. So where were they? Jessica's notion about being in the
general area of New York State seemed less plausible every minute
.
Nowhere she could think of would be as hot at this time of year. Unless
. .
.
Was it possible, Jessica wondered, that she and the others had been
unconscious, drugged, much longer than she first believed? And if so
,
could they have been taken to someplace much farther away, farther south
,
like Georgia or Arkansas? The more she thought about the type of country
they were in, the more it resembled the remoter parts of those states
,
and it would be hot there too. The prospect dismayed her because, if
true, the hope of imminent rescue had just receded
.
Still seeking clues, she began listening to snatches of speech between
the men with the guns. She recognized the language as Spanish and while
Jessica didn't speak it, she knew a smattering of words
.
. .
.”
iMaldito camianl
Me hac
e dafio en la espalda. 'Por que
no te acuestas encima de la mujer? Ella es una buena almohada
.”
. . . Some raucous laughter . .
.”
No, espera
re hasta que termine el vidje.
Entonces, efla debe tener cuidadol
”
. .
.”
Los Sinchis, esos cabre
nes, torturaron a mi hermano antes de matarlo
.”
. .
.”
El rio no puede flegar tan pronto como yo desearia que llegara. La Selva ve y oye todo
.”
. . .

Hearing them, she supposed they were recent immigrants; so many Hispanics
nowadays were flooding into the United States. Abruptly she remembered
the man who first accosted her in the Larchmont supermarket. He spoke
English with a Spanish accent. Was there a connection? She couldn't think
of one
.
The thought of Larchmont, though, reminded her of Crawf. What torment he
must be going through! There was something that Angus had said to Nicky
in the hut
.”
Your Dadllfind us
.”
For sure, by now, Crawf would be moving
heaven and earth in the search for them, and he had plenty of influence
,
lots of friends in high places who would help. But would they have any
idea of where to look? Somehow she must discover where they were and
devise a way to get word back to Crawf
.
Something else Angus had said to Nicky was that they had been kidnapped
.
Jessica hadn't thought that through before
there hadn't been time--but she
supposed Angus was right. But why kidnapped? For money? Wasn't that the
usual reason? Well, sure the Sloanes had money, but not in huge amounts
,
not the kind Crawf sometimes talked about as "industrial or Wall Street
money
.”

And how incredible, Jessica thought, that only last evening -if it was
last evening; she was losing track of time-Crawf had spoken of the
possibility of being kidnapped himself . .
.
Her thoughts were distracted by the sight of Nicky. Since the truck began
moving, Nicky had had trouble keeping his body upright and now, because
of his tied hands, had slid down horizontally so that with every bump his
head was hitting the floor
.
Jessica, frantic and unable to help, was about to break silence and
appeal to Cutface when she saw one of the gun-toting men take notice of
Nicky's plight and move toward him. Partially lifting Nicky, the man
moved the boy so his back was against a sack and his feet touching a box
,
ensuring that he wouldn't slip again. Jessica tried to thank the man with
her eyes and a half smile. In return he gave the slightest of nods. It
was small reassurance, she thought, but at least there was someone among
these brutal people who had feelings.
T
he man continued to sit near Nicky. He mumbled some words which Ni
c
ky
,
having recently begun Spanish lessons at school, seemed to understand
.
As the journey continued, there were two more exchanges between the man
and the boy
.
After about twenty minutes, at a point where the track they had been
driving on disappeared and there were only trees, the truck stopped
.
Jessica, Nicky and Angus were again partially shoved and lifted off the
truck. When they were standing, Miguel came around from the front and
announced curtly, "From here we walk
.”

Gustavo and two other armed men led the way through thick foliage over
an uneven, barely discernible trail. Leaves and branches pressed in on
either side and though the trees overhead provided shade, the incredible
heat persisted amid a constant buzz of insects
.
At moments, the three captives were close together. At one point Nicky
said in a low voice, "This leads to a river, Mom. Then we're going in a
boat
.”

Jessica whispered back, "Did that man tell you
?
”

"Yes
.”

Soon after, Jessica heard Angus murmur, "I'm proud of you, Nicky. You're
being brave
.”

It was the first time Jessica had heard Angus's voice since leaving the
hut. She was relieved the old man was at least coping, though she dreaded
the effect of this awful experience on him and, for that matter, on Nicky
too. Jessica still kept wondering about rescue. What were their chances?
When and how would help arrive?
Nicky awaited an opportunity, then answered Angus softly, "It's the way
you told me, Gramps. When you're really scared, hang on
.”

With sudden emotion Jessica remembered the conversation at breakfast-the
four of them, including Crawf, talking about that bombing raid on Germany
. . . Schweinfurt? . . . What Nicky had said just now was almost exactly
Angus's words then. And how long ago was that breakfast? . . . Today;
yesterday; the day before? . . . Again she realized she had lost all
reckoning of time.
A little later, Nicky asked, "Gramps, how about you
?
”

"There's life in this old dog
.”

Another pause, then, "Jessie -how is it
with you
?
”