* * *
Evita and Miguel dropped the two off at a sidewalk cafe along El Prado, where Don had arranged to meet them—he said that Hyadeans were becoming a familiar enough sight in the capital. Don was already waiting at a corner table inside, sipping a Cinzano. He was small and dapper in a dark business suit, with a white handkerchief folded in the breast pocket, and a pencil-line mustache. Cade ordered coffee; Hudro, a Coke. Don’s manner was nervous and fastidious. After preliminaries, he began, “Baxter’s company imports agricultural machinery.”
“I know,” Cade said. “We met at a party I held about a month ago—”
Don held up a hand. “Please, it is best if I don’t know your backgrounds.” Cade nodded for him to continue. “Currently, he is experimenting with fitting his machines with Hyadean low-level Artificial Intelligence control units so they will be able to operate semiautonomously. The units come in at Xuchimbo, and we ship them out from here. Briefly, we have a consignment going out tonight to Auckland via Papeete, in Tahiti. I can get you listed as a Hyadean technical adviser traveling out there to instruct on the equipment, and Mr. Cade as a member of the flight crew. The controls are not strict for people leaving Bolivia. It’s the contents of the shipments that they check. They’re worried about Hyadean weapons and munitions getting out of the country.”
“What about entry to New Zealand?” Cade queried.
“Neville knows people at the Immigration Department. You’ll be brought in as political refugees. Low-key, no questions.”
Cade recalled what Marie had said about AANS support being widespread, and how they had obtained false papers before traveling to St. Louis. He turned his head toward Hudro in an unspoken question, but there was really nothing to deliberate. At that moment, the wail came of approaching sirens. Traffic on El Prado pulled sluggishly aside as two police cars sped past with lights flashing and turned the block. More sounded distantly, coming from the other direction. Evidently, whatever was going on was quite close.
Don turned his head back and licked his lips. “Something’s happening. Maybe it would be better if you lie low in the city for the afternoon. I know somebody who has an apartment you can use. When it gets dark, we’ll send a car to bring you to the airport.”
Cade looked at Hudro again. This wasn’t something for them to judge. “How do we get there?” Cade asked Don.
“I’ll take you now. It’s not very far, but uphill. Everywhere from here in La Paz is uphill.”
“Yes, we heard.” Cade looked around. “First, we need to say goodbye to the people who brought us. Can we call them?” Don signaled a waiter and asked for a table phone.
“Maybe see Australia after all very soon now,” Hudro said.
“One day at a time,” Cade told him. Just one agonizing afternoon to get through. Then they might be finally out of it.
The phone arrived. Cade called the van, while Don sat back to sip his drink. The phone seemed to ring for an unnaturally long time. Then Evita’s voice said, “Hello?”
“It’s us,” Cade said. “Okay, we’re done. I guess we can—”
“Hello?” Evita said again.
“Can you hear me?”
“Yes, I hear.”
Only then did Cade register the fear in her voice. “Is everything okay? You—”
“No! Not okay. You must—” There was what sounded like a slap, followed by a cry of pain. Cade stared at the phone in his hand, for an instant mystified, and then horrified.
“What’s up?” Don demanded.
Cade turned the phone off and stood up suddenly. “Move!” he snapped. “We have to get out of here!”
* * *
Don fished a key from a niche above the door, let them in and then left, saying he would be back later. The apartment was small, plain, modestly furnished, but clean. A man’s coats hung on hooks inside the front door, and a couple of soccer posters brightened the kitchen, along with a corkboard showing postcards, local business cards, and family snaps. A corner of the bedroom had been made into a religious shrine with a Sacred Heart statue, flowers, and a candle in a red glass. Cade and Hudro ate a lunch of tortillas and rice that they had picked up on the way, and settled down to wait.