Carlos let the curtain fall back across the window and took another swig from the room mini liquor bottle, finishing it and cracking another. He checked his laptop again and found the money was still where he'd sent it and nobody had been poking around the account. It was almost too hard to believe he'd gotten away with it. Sixty-seven million dollars! He checked the street outside the villa again, satisfied that the cars were not sinister nor the several men he'd seen walking past on the seawall. He sipped from the tiny bottle and turned back to the room. The woman lay naked on the lounge across the room, reading a pocket book and sipping a tall orange coloured drink through a foot long straw.

This was part of what he'd imagined but the image of Raoul and his employer kept filling his mind, preventing him from truly enjoying his unimaginable wealth and potential power. He studied her creamy caramel skin and the long shining hair that splayed across her chest. She was just the first of many, he thought. An image of his family replaced the fantasy and he winced uncomfortably at their likely fate for his transgression. He looked at the woman again and she saw him and smiled a slow, lazy smile, setting the book aside and beckoning him.

He finished the mini bottle and set it on the table, walking across the room. Carlos Huentos no longer had a family.

*****

Raoul listened to his man explain where they found the car and about the gringo who used a laptop computer in the electronics shop near the library grounds. The fact that the satchel of guns was missing and the money from the glove compartment made him curse aloud at the room. He'd hoped they would be unable to move for lack of funds but obviously they had been a little smarter than he'd given them credit for.

"Where are the woman and children?"

"In the dormitory, hefi. Do you want her here?"

"No. Bring me instead the gringo, Darcy."

"Si." The man hurried off, returning ten minutes later with Darcy, twisting his Panama in his hands, and wearing a confused smile.

"You know your friends left our little family."

"What do you mean, left?"

"They have gone and left you behind."

"Gone where?"

"A very important question... one I will expect you to answer."

"How can I, I don't even know what happened."

"How very unfortunate for you." Raoul gestured to one of his men and Darcy was ushered unceremoniously from the room. He rubbed his chin and steeled himself for his report to his employer.

*****

The basket chair was gone and in its place was a wide lounge with an inflatable mattress and reclining, king-like, with his trusty manservant close by, Benito Vazquez ate pineapple cubes from a large bowl perched on his lap. Raoul dipped his head as he took a seat at the foot of the lounge. Thorn stood impassively, watching him.

"Report."

"I have the Huentos family here and I am interrogating the gringo Darcy."

"What of the others and the vehicle?"

"Aaah... they did not go to the Huentos home as expected and we have found the car abandoned on the grounds of the National Library."

Benito chewed slowly as he considered Raoul's words. "You have lost them."

"Only temporarily, hefi. I have my men scouring the city. They cannot escape. They have no money—he pushed the funds and the guns from the car out of his mind in case Benito could read it—and no place to hide."

"And Carlos?"

"I will get what I can from the wife. She is cooperating without a fuss, which leads me to believe she really knows nothing."

"Your threat to kill them then?"

"I uh- I think Carlos doesn't care any more, hefi. He is now wealthy beyond caring."

"Your interrogation of the gringo, what do you expect from that?"

Raoul began to sweat. Nothing he'd said so far was positive and his personal safety was becoming precarious. "Sadly, hefi, very little. The man is quite content to be here and has no knowledge of what happened with his companions."

Benito set the pineapple bowl on the floor and shifted his bulk on the mattress. "I am not impressed with your lack of results, Raoul. "What assurance can you give me to alter that opinion?"

"My pledge as a loyal employee, hefi, to find the gringos and Carlos Huentos or accept whatever- whatever justice you- you deem... just." His mouth felt brittle and flaky and he found he couldn't swallow.

"That goes without saying, Raoul." The statement hit him like an arrow to the heart. "Thorn will administer a little incentive for your enthusiastic pursuit of my goal." Benito shifted his head slightly and the big Guaicuru native stepped forward.

"Hefi! I beg you! I will find them, I will!" He staggered to his feet as Thorn took him by the arm and steered him from the room.

"I know." Benito picked up the pineapple bowl and selected a juicy cube, biting down as Raoul's scream echoed through the villa.

*****

Terry listened to the arguing and bickering and then ordered them all to shut the hell up. Four jaws dropped as they listened to his emphatic decision.

"I am the only one here who was never after the money for himself; I didn't even care if I got a share... then. I will hold the van keys and the guns along with the money. I will allot fair expenses and I will find my own accommodation. You can split up any way you want. When we have a place to stay—or not—we will meet back here at seven o'clock tonight... no excuses."

"Wait just a minute," Hoyte started.

"No! That's the way it's going to be, no questions. Somebody has to take charge and I'm the only one any of you can trust." He stared at them, daring a contradiction. "Okay, that's settled. We started with ten thousand pesos. Seventeen hundred went for the van and twenty-five went for food. That leaves eighty-two hundred and seventy-five. So, everybody gets five hundred for accommodation and whatever else and the rest stays with me."

"Where are you keeping this fund?" Hoyte asked.

"Well there's only two places I can keep it, Hoyte, in the van somewhere or on me somewhere. Don't worry, it'll be safe."

"I found a place I'm going to look at Ebony said, circling an ad in the paper.

"Uh- you want to be a couple again, old girl?" Wilfred asked, red in the face.

"For appearances, sure."

Elora looked at Hoyte and raised her eyebrows. "Well, laddie, I guess it's yew and me."

"Deal."

*****

He moved through the airport toward the taxi rank with determination. His jaw was set and his fists were lightly clenched. The small boy with his bags had to run, dragging the wheel-less luggage awkwardly. His sunglasses were mirrored and he drew suspicious stares from the airport police lounging outside the concourse. The first taxi in line flipped up its flag and the driver leaped out to open the door. The boy staggered to the curb with the bag and stood by the window hopefully. The man reached out and handed him a few bills then ordered the driver to the Costa de Playa Hotel. He settled back and took out a sheaf of papers and began reading as the cab bounced through the busy streets with unerring precision.

The desk clerk applied his most gracious smile welcoming the very business-like gringo, filling out his reservation card and presenting him with his key. A snap of the fingers brought another boy charging to the counter for the bags and the man headed for the elevator.

When he was alone in the room, Christopher Ditchburn stripped down to his shorts and made himself comfortable on the bed, the phone book open on his lap and a bottle of tequila from the bar cabinet. He opened his papers that he'd read earlier and began searching the book's pages.

Two hours later he slammed the book shut and tossed it aside, stretching both arms high above his head. The calls had netted very little but not completely a waste of time. He learned about a woman that Carlos Huentos had been seeing and had managed to track down an address. He would clean up, have dinner and then take a cab to the address and see what developed. He glanced at his nose in the mirror and frowned.

*****

Raoul's men stood back as he paced in front of them, his hand wrapped in a bloody bandage. No one wanted to ask but they all wanted to know what happened because if it could happen to Raoul none of them were safe.

"What have you found?" His voice scratched from the screaming that had torn it when Thorn cut off his thumb by jamming it in the hinge of an iron gate on the patio.

"We learned where Huentos' mistress lives but he is not with her any more; she cursed him and swore she knew nothing about his whereabouts."

"That's it? All this time, all the connections we have in this city and that's all you have!" The men moved as one a little further away from their chief. "What has his wife said?"

"Nothing, hefi, she watched her youngest die and could tell us nothing."

"Get rid of her and the other child. What about Darcy?"

"He knew nothing, hefi. The women were upset when they found out we'd removed his manhood. He was popular with them."

Raoul glared at the man and pointed with his bandaged hand. "Do I care about his popularity? Is that what determines our progress?"

"No, hefi, of course not." The man looked to his companions but they had stepped away. "I was just saying..."

"Tell everyone you question what has been done so far. I want them to respond from terror!" He checked his watch and wiped his forehead. "Find out where Carlos is and find out where the other gringos are and have good news for me when you return tonight or I will have you hunted down and skinned alive." He spun on his heel and headed for the dormitory.

The men hurried to their vehicles and left the compound in a noisy, dust spewing, spinning of tires.

*****

The women were caring and tender when Darcy was released from the hospital; his stay had been only long enough to stitch, sterilize and receive a prescription for painkillers. His bills were waived when the hospital learned whom he worked for and Darcy was given another round of attention from the medical staff, which apparently led to a speedier recovery than expected. The first thing he asked after the women had made him comfortable in their quarters was to make a private phone call and they all cooed and patted him with assurance, arranging things so that he wouldn't have to move from his bed.

"Hazy? I have news... not all good I'm afraid." Darcy told his partner what had happened and agreed that it had been something they'd discussed but certainly not in the manner it was accomplished. Assurances were made that nothing between them changed and that the money was still a goal in play. Darcy agreed and vowed to proceed as soon as able. "Love you."

"Me too. Be careful and don't lose any more parts."

*****

The car drove slowly down the drive from the villa. The woman behind the wheel glanced at the envelope on the seat beside her and smiled, tapping the wheel with exuberance. She could see in the mirror the figure of the man at the villa window watching her departure. One night was all he wanted and his generosity was exceptional; I will tell my girl friends, she thought, steering the car down out of the hills to the city below.

Carlos watched the car until the taillights disappeared. He finished his drink and stared vacantly across the night sky. Somehow the evening had left him with an unsatisfied feeling. The woman had been fine but not exceptional and certainly not cheap. Be cause of the money he had expected more for some reason, as though in itself it could make things larger than life. He could have anything he wanted and he had taken things he dreamed he always wanted... the big car. The villa. Expensive booze, food and women.

He realized it hadn't given him the excitement he'd expected. Carlos Huentos was bored with his wealth already. He wondered what his family was doing now without him. He thought perhaps he should send them some money. And his old mistress; they had shared many good times together. He sighed aloud in the empty room and cursed his weakness. This was his dream, his sixty-seven million dollar dream!

He picked up the phone and called down to the village in the valley below his villa, telling the manager of the small bed and breakfast that he required another woman.

*****

Chris watched the light in the window of the house from his rental car. If this was Carlos' mistress he certainly wasn't with her tonight. He wondered if it was a wasted effort. If he had the money there would be an entirely new set of people in his life, nobody from the past. He climbed out of the car and walked across to the steps leading up to the front door.

"I do not recognize him," the man said.

Another agreed and used his night vision binoculars to study Christopher. "A gringo for sure but not one of ours."

"Let us wait and see where he goes. We can always get the woman afterwards."

Chris knocked on the apartment door and stood back so she could see him through the spy hole. When it opened he was a bit surprised by her appearance. He'd imagined something quite different from the young beauty that stood in a summer robe, giving him a curious look. Was it his bent nose? He touched it defensively.

"Si, senor?"

"I'm here to ask after Carlos Huentos," he said in passable Spanish.

"He is not here."

"I know, but I would like to ask where he is."

"I have no idea; he left without a word and I haven't heard for weeks now."

"May I come in?"

"Why, senor?"

"I'd just like to ask you some questions that might give me some idea how to find him."

"I already told you, senor, I do not know—"

Chris pushed the door back and shoved her into the room, closing it behind him and standing in front of it.

"You will answer my questions, senorita."

She retreated to her sofa and sat, gathering her robe about her. "Ask your questions and leave."

He chose a chair no too close to her and she relaxed slightly. "First off, what is your name?"

"Anita Guerraro. And yours?" She said archly.

He smiled and nodded. "Christopher Ditchburn." A flicker behind her eyes caught his attention and he leaned forward. "You've heard that name haven't you?"

"No I- no."

"Don't spoil this visit with lies, Anita. I am not normally a violent man but I can be."

"Carlos mentioned you once or twice," she volunteered immediately. "He said he was doing business with a grin- a man who wanted to move a great sum of money."

"Where is he, Anita?"

"I swear on my life, senor, I do not know."

"Are there any places he might have gone, places you went together maybe?"

She looked away for second and then back. "We just went to dinners here and there, and of course hotel rooms."

"No holidays, no trips anywhere special?"

"No-o-o..."

"Where, Anita?"

She wet her lips and clutched at her robe. "The was a small village near Mendoza that he mentioned once. He said something about a winery that his father had worked at one time."

"Why does that seem special to you?"

"He said it was a nice memory from his childhood, he thought about going back some time."

"Did you?"

"No."

"Where is this village, Anita?"

She stood and took a book down from a shelf over the sofa and opened it to a map of Argentina, pointing to the city of Mendoza and then to the area nearby that was all agricultural. Chris marked it with his pen, leaving a dent in the page.

"I never knew the name, only that its main industry was the winery."

"Do you know the name of the winery?"

"No."

Chris tore the page out of the book and tucked it in his pocket. "The money, Anita."

"I swear, senor, I never saw any money. He left me right afterwards." She bit her lip and stared at him.

"Afterwards?"

"He lied to me, senor. He said he was getting this huge amount of money and that we would go away together. On the day he said he was getting it I was supposed to make arrangements for a car and have all my bags packed." She looked down and squeezed her fingers together. "He never came back."

He stared at her and wondered why Carlos would dump such a beauty unless he felt his break had to be one hundred percent. If that were the case, would this village really be of any interest. He had no choice; he'd have to check it out. He stood and held out his hand. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"I want to thank you for your help. If I find him I promise not to forget your assistance." He dropped her hand, gave her a small salute and left.

Anita blinked at the closed door and was still staring at it several minutes later when it flew open, slamming against the wall and two of Raoul's men barged into the room.