The Evening News (78 page)

“
Pretty strong stuff, Sergio
.”

"Only because of your finite viewpoint, Harry. Americans see democracy
as a remedy for all ills-to be taken three times daily like prescription
medicine. It works for them. Ergol-it should work for the world. What
America na1vely forgets is that for democracy to function, most of a
populace must have something personally that is worth preserving
.
Generally speaking, most Latin Americans don't. Of course, the next
question is--why
?
”

"So I'll buy it. Why
?
”

"The areas of the world in deepest trouble, including ours, have two main
groups of people-the reasonably educated and affluent on the one hand;
on the other, the ignorant and hopeless poor who are largely
unemployable. The first group breeds only moderately, the second breeds
like flies, inexorably growing larger--a human time bomb ready to destroy
the first
.”

Sergio gestured airily behind him
.”
Go outside and see it
happening
.”

"And you have a solution
?
”

"America could have. Not by distributing arms or money, but by flooding
the world with birth-control teaching teams, sent out the way Kennedy
dispatched the Peace Corps. Oh, it would take several generations, but
curbing population growth could save the world
.”

Partridge queried, "Aren't you forgetting something
?
”

"If you mean the Catholic church, I remind you I am a Catholic myself
.
I also have many Catholic friends-of stature, educated and with money
.
Strangely, almost all have small families. I have asked myself. Have they
curbed their sexual passions? Knowing both the men and women, I am sure
that they have not. Indeed, some speak out frankly, disavowing church
dogma on birth control-which is man-made dogma, incidentally
.”

He added
,
"With American leadership, voices in opposition to that dogma could grow
and grow
.”

"Speaking of speaking out
,”
Partridge said
.”
Would you be willing to
repeat most of what we've talked about on camera
?
”

Sergio threw up his hands
.”
Well, my dear Harry, why not? Perhaps the
greatest thing America instilled in me was a passion for free speech. I
have been speaking freely here on radio, though at times I wonder how
long they will let me go on. Neither the government nor Sendero like what
I say and both have guns and bullets. But one cannot live forever, so
yes, Harry, I will do it for you
.”

Beneath the gross fat, Partridge acknowledged mentally, was a person of
principle and courage.

Before reaching Peru, Partridge had already decided there was only one
way to go about locating the kidnap victims. That was to act as a TV news
correspondent would in normal circumstances-meeting known contacts
,
seeking out new ones, searching for news, traveling where he could
,
questioning, questioning, and all the while hoping some fragment of
information would emerge, providing a clue, a lead to where the captives
might be held
.
After that, of course, would come the greater problem of how to rescue
them. But that would have to be faced when the time arrived.
Unless some lucky, sudden breakthrough happened, Partridge expected the
process to be demanding, slow and tedious
.
Continuing the TV correspondent routine, he next visited Entel Peru-the
national telecommunications company with headquarters in downtown Lima
.
Entel would be CBA's base for communication with New York, including
satellite transmissions. When crews from other U.S. networks arrived, as
seemed likely in a day or two, they would use the same facilities
.
Victor Velasco was the busy, harried international manager of Entel whom
Fernandez
Pabur had already contacted. In his forties, with graying hair and
a permanently worried expression, Velasco was clearly preoccupied with
other problems as he told Partridge, "It has been difficult to find space
,
but we have a booth for your editor, his equipment, and we've run in two
phone lines. Your people will need security passes . .
.”

Partridge was aware that in places like Peru, where politicians and
military leaders strutted and got rich, it was lowprofile managers like
Velasco-conscientious, overworked and underpaid-who really kept the country
running. Back
in his hotel suite, Partridge h
ad put a thousand dollars in
an envelope which he produced and discreetly handed over
.”
A small thank-you for your trouble, Sefior Velasco. We'll be seeing you
again before we leave
.”

For a moment Velasco looked embarrassed and Partridge wondered if he might
refuse. Then, glancing in the envelope and seeing U.S. currency, Velasco
nodded and put it in a pocket
.”
Thank you. And if there's anything else
"There will be
,”
Partridge said
.”
That's the only thing I'm sure of
.”

"What took you so long, Harry
?
”

Manuel Le6n Seminario inquired when
Partridge phoned from the hotel shortly after 5 P.m., having just returned
from Entel Peru
.”
I've been expecting you since our little talk
.”

"I had a couple of
things to do in New York
.”

Partridge was reminded of his
phone conversation ten days earlier with
the Escena magazine owner-editor; it had been at a time when Peru involvement in the Sloane family kidnapping was a possibility, though not a certainty as now. He asked, "I was wondering, Manuel, if you've a dinner engagement tonight
.”

"I have indeed. I shall be dining at La Pizzeria at eight o'clock and my
guest will be one Harry Partridge
.”

It was now 8:15 and they were sipping Pisco sours, the popular Peruvian
cocktail, piquant and delicious. La Pizzeria was a combination of bistro
and traditional restaurant where the movers and shakers of Lima were
often to be seen
.
The magazine chief, slightly built and dapper, with a neatly trimmed
Vandyke beard, was wearing high-fashion Cartier spectacles and a Brioni
suit. He had brought with him to the table a slim burgundy leather
briefcase. . Partridge had already reported why he was in Peru. He added, "I've been hearing that things around here are pretty bad
.”

Seminario sighed
.”
It is true, they are. But then, our life has always
been a mixture. We . . . how did Milton put it? . . . 'Can make a heav
e
n
of hell, a hell of heav
e
n.' Yet we limefios are survivors, something I try
to reflect with Escena's covers
.”

He reached for the briefcase and opened
it
.”
Consider these two
our current edition and the artwork for next week
.
Together, I believe they say something
.”

Partridge looked at the printed magazine first. Its cover was a color
photograph of a tall downtown building's flat roof. The roof contained
a mess of debris, obviously from an explosion. Central in the picture was
a dead woman, on her back. She appeared to have been young; her face, not
badly damaged, might have been beautiful. But her stomach had been blown
away, with bloody entrails strewn around the body. Despite his
familiarity with scenes of war, Partridge shuddered
.”
I'll save you reading the story inside, Harry. A business convention was
in session across the street. Sendero Luminoso, in which the woman was
an activist, decided to mortar the convention center. Fortunately for the
convention, but not the woman, the mortar was homemade and exploded
before she could fire it
.”

Partridge glanced at the picture, then away
.”
Sendero is increasingly
active in Lima, I believe
.”

"Exceedingly so. Their people move around freely and this bombing, which
went wrong, was an exception. Most are successful. Nevertheless, consider
next week's cover
.”

The editor passed across the artwork
.
It was sex and cheesecake, only a hairbreadth away from pornography. A slim
young girl, perhaps nineteen and scantily clad in the briefest of
swimsuits, was leaning against a silken pillow, her head thrown back, blond
hair tumbled, lips parted, eyes closed, legs partially spread
.”
Life goes on and there are always two sides, even in Peru
,”
the magazine
man said "Speaking of which, let us order dinner, then I will make
suggestions, Harry, to ensure that your life goes on too
.”

The food was Italian and excellent, the service faultless. Near the end of
the meal, Seminario leaned back
.”
One thing you must realize is that Sendero Luminoso may already know of
your presence here; their spies are everywhere. But even if not, they will
learn of it shortly, probably after your CBA broadcast tomorrow, which will
be repeated widely. So beginning at once, you must have a bodyguard
accompany you, particularly if you go out at night
.”

Partridge rep
iled
.”
That seems to have happened already
.”

Ferna
ndez Pabur
had insisted on collecting Partridge from the hotel and bringing him here
.
Accompanying them in the Ford station wagon had been a silent, burly man
who looked like a heavyweight boxer. Judging by a bulge under his jacket
,
he was armed. At their destination, the new man alighted first,
Fernandez
and Partridge remaining inside the vehicle until signaled to come out
.
Partridge had not asked questions, but Fernandez told him, "We will wait
while you have dinner
.”

Presumably the retinue was still outside. , "Good
,”
Seminario acknowledged
.
”
Your man knows what he is doing. Are you carrying a gun yourself
?
”

Partridge shook his head
.”
You must. Many of us do. And to quote American Express, 'Don't leave home
without it.' Another thing: Do not go
to Ayacucho, a Sendero stronghold. Sendero would learn of your being there and you would be committing suicide
.”

"At some point I may have to go
.”

"You mean if 1, or others trying to help you, learn where your friends
are being held. In that case you will have to ensure surprise by going
in fast and getting out the same way. There will be no other way and you
will have to use a charter airplane. Some pilots here will do that if you
pay them enough risk money
.”

When they had finished talking, most other diners were gone and the
restaurant was preparing to close
.
Outside, Fernan
dez and the bodyguard were waiting
.
In the station wagon returning to Cesar's Hotel, Partridge asked
Fern
a
ndez, "Can you get me a gun
?
”

"Of course. Do you have a preference
?
”

Partridge considered. The nature of his work had made him knowledgeable
about guns and he had learned to use them
.”
I'd like a nine-millimeter
Browning; also a silencer
.”