On A Wing And A Prayer Part 41

She sat there pondering her fate, wondering how the h.e.l.l she was going to get out of this one, when a pet.i.te young girl slipped quietly into the cell carrying a tray laden with soup and a roll. She approached Ca.s.s cautiously, and placed the tray on the floor beside the beaten woman. As she started to leave, Ca.s.s quickly detained her.

"Wait!" she said insistently.

The young girl stopped in her tracks, but kept her back to Ca.s.s, obviously afraid of retribution if Ca.s.s' captors found her talking to the prisoner.

"Please, come back," Ca.s.s asked, extending one hand toward the girl. "I won't hurt you... I promise," she added.

The girl looked at Ca.s.s, her brow drawn together in confusion. Ca.s.s restated her plea in Spanish. "Por favor vuelve. You not te voy a hacer dano...lo prometo."

Immediately recognizing her native tongue, the girl half turned toward Ca.s.s, and slowly made her way back to the center of the room, keeping one eye on Ca.s.s, and the other on the entrance to the cell. Finally, when she had reached Ca.s.s, she bent down next to the tray and started fussing with the food there in an attempt to make the captors believe her movements were necessary.

Ca.s.s caught on immediately to what the girl was doing. Trying not to make it obvious, she began talking. "Por favor. Donde estoy? Necesito irme de aqui. Necesito encontrar my avion. Me ayudas?" she pleaded. ["Please. Where am I? I need to get out of here. I need to find my plane. Will you help me?"]

The young girl raised her eyes to meet Ca.s.s' face. The girl was stunningly beautiful. Appearing to be no older than 15 or 16, she had skin the color of coffee with cream and large dark brown eyes that seemed to fill her entire face. Her face was framed by a mane of long black curly locks. When their eyes met, something pa.s.sed between them ... an understanding, a sense of camaraderie.

Ca.s.s held her eyes, waiting for an answer, but none was forthcoming. A frightened look flashed across the girl's face as a voice came from outside the cell door. Quickly, she rose to her feet, and darted out of the room, pausing long enough to give Ca.s.s one more sympathetic look.

As soon as the girl left, the cell door was slammed shut with a loud clang. The unkempt guard on the other side spit tobacco on the floor and grinned, exposing stained, decaying teeth.

Come, Gringa. Eso es todo lo que te tienes hasta la cena," he said, chuckling as he walked away. ["Eat up, Gringa. That's all you get until dinner,"]

Ca.s.s looked at the soup and roll that had been left for her and pushed them away, not wanting to add further to her stomach upset.

Ca.s.s paced back and forth across her cell, trying desperately to come up with a way to escape, but to no avail. She had inspected every square inch of the room, looking for a weak spot... a loose bar on the window... a loose brick in the outside wall... anything that would give her hope. After several hours of investigating, she came to the conclusion that the only way out was through the door, which had been heavily guarded since she arrived.

She had no contact with anyone since the peasant girl had left that morning. Not even the guards were paying her any attention, even though she repeatedly asked them where she was. Jason hadn't made another appearance since that morning either.

She was beginning to wonder just how long she would be stuck in this h.e.l.lhole when Jason finally showed up. After entering the cell, he had the guard lock the door behind him so that Ca.s.s couldn't escape. He was obviously afraid of the tall pilot, since he carried a gun into the cell with him, keeping it trained on Ca.s.s at all times.

"Well, Ca.s.s, have you had enough time to think over your predicament? I would rather not have to force you to fly the plane out, but I will if necessary. Your cooperation will help a.s.sure your own long-term safety, you know. If you were smart, you'd change your mind and do what you could to see that we transport the goods safely and expediently," he informed her.

Ca.s.s looked at the man with disgust clearly written across her features. "And just where are these drugs destined to end up, Jason ... in some school yard?" she asked pointedly as she leaned her back against the wall, crossing her arms in front of her.

"What happens to the drugs after I deliver them is no concern of mine," he stated plainly. "All I need to do is make the drop, then I wash my hands of the whole mess" he replied.

"You disgust me, Jason," Ca.s.s said with a sneer. Pus.h.i.+ng herself off the wall, she walked to the far corner and looked out the small barred window, her back to the armed man.

Jason just shook his head from side to side. "What am I going to do with you, Ca.s.s?? he asked. "You WILL fly the plane out, you know. One way or another, you WILL fly it out. It's up to you just how uncomfortable you want to be while you're doing it," he added.

Still looking out the window, she replied, "I won't help you destroy innocent lives, Jason ... especially the lives of children."

"Well then, your life will be destroyed instead," he said as he came up behind her and pistol-whipped her across the back of the head, causing her to fall lifelessly to the floor of the cell.

By the time the plane landed in Bogota, eight hours after she had left Maine, Rox was exhausted. The one hour layover in Miami hadn't helped much to ease her foul mood, nor did the loud, sa.s.sy little brat that sat in the seat in front of her on her connecting flight to Bogota. She was ready to spit nails when she finally collected her bag and headed toward the exit at Bogota's public airport. A short time later, she had secured a hotel room and was sitting on the bed, gathering her thoughts and compiling a plan for finding Ca.s.s.

She decided that her first line of attack should be with the local police, so without further ado, she headed out the door, hailed down a taxicab, and was on her way to the police station. When she arrived, she asked for a closed-door session with the chief of police. Drawing curious glances from the officers at the front desk, she realized that they didn't know much English. Frustrated, she paced back and forth in front of the desk, racking her brain for several moments, trying desperately to figure out how she was going to make them understand. The looks on their faces made it clear that they thought this yellow haired gringa was insane.

Finally, Rox had a thought. Approaching the desk once more, she said two words, "Carlos Santonio." Within seconds, the policemen had drawn their guns and backed her up against the wall, frisking her for weapons. Then without ceremony, the escorted her to the holding cell and threw her inside, locking the door behind her.

"Hey! Let me out of here!" she yelled through the bars as the police officers walked away. "d.a.m.n it! I said let me out of here! Aarrgghh!" she screamed as they ignored her request.

Rox paced back and forth for several minutes, furious for being treated like a common criminal, until finally, an official looking man in a business suit approached her cell. "Good afternoon, Senorita. I am police chief Juan Pena," he said in introduction.

"Thank G.o.d!" Roxanne exclaimed. "There's been some kind of mistake. You see, I haven't done anything wrong. Your men threw me in here without cause," she added.

"Not entirely without cause, Senorita," the police chief replied. "It appears that you have connections to the drug lord, Carlos Santonio, no?" he asked.

"Yes.... I mean no.... I mean, yes, I mentioned him to your officers, but that doesn't mean I'm involved with him. Senor Pena, I'm innocent. I am here looking for information..." she began.

"Just what kind of information, may I ask?" he said, interrupting her speech.

"Information about a plane that was hijacked in San Diego yesterday... I need..." Rox started to explain.

"So! You are connected to the hijacking, huh? Are you the contact?... the middle man so to speak? Being involved in drugs is a serious crime Miss...." the police chief said.

"Ward... my name is Roxanne Ward, and no, I'm not connected to the hijacking ... and I've never done drugs!" Roxanne began to pace again, frustrated that she couldn't get her point across to this man. "d.a.m.n it! I had nothing to do with the hijacking. I'm looking for Ca.s.sidy Conway. She was piloting the plane," Rox explained.

Police Chief Pena's eyes narrowed. "Senorita Conway, huh? That is very interesting," he said, started to pace himself. Suddenly he stopped and looked at Rox. "You know your government believes she is in on the hijacking, don't you?" he asked.

"I know they do," Rox replied, "but it's not true," Rox exclaimed.

"I see," said Pena still pacing. Finally, he stopped directly in front of her. Placing one hand on his hip and tracing his bushy mustache with the other hand, he said, "Well, Miss Ward, we will have to check out your story before we can release you. It is very important that we cooperate with the US government on drug dealers."

"I'm NOT a drug dealer!" she exclaimed again in frustration, hands on her hips.

"We shall see, Miss Ward ... we shall see. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable. It will take a while to check out your story," he informed her as he started to walk away.

Roxanne was beside herself with disbelief. "I.... I....," she stammered, unable to voice her frustration. "Can I at least make a phone call while I wait?" she asked.

Pena stopped and looked at his prisoner. "One call," he said, as he approached her cell and unlocked the door. "Follow me."

Roxanne followed Chief Pena down the hall to a small room containing a table, two chairs, and a telephone The door was left ajar, and a guard posted while she made her call.

"Nikki, please be there!" she said under her breath as she charged the call to her home number.

After several rings, the phone was answered by a groggy voice. "h.e.l.lo?" it said.

"Jerri? Jerri, is Nikki home?" Rox asked.

"Rox? What time is it?" asked Jerri sleepily. She was working the midnight to noon s.h.i.+ft and had set her alarm for 11 p.m. It didn't feel that late.

Rox glanced at her watch, "It's almost 9:30 p.m. Jerri.... Jerri, I'm in trouble... is Nikki home?" she asked again.

Jerri immediately sat up in bed as Rox's words registered. "No, Nikki's gone to the movies with her mother and sister ... what do you mean, you're in trouble? Rox, talk to me," she demanded.

"I'm in Bogota, Jer ..." Rox began.

"Whoa... whoa.... whoa... wait a minute. Bogota -- as in Colombia?" asked the dazed paramedic.

"Yes. Look, Jer. I'm in jail and I really need ...." Rox continued.

"Jail!!! Roxanne, what the f.u.c.k are you doing in jail??!!" Jerri exclaimed.

"d.a.m.n it Jer... listen to me! I came here looking for Ca.s.s. I mentioned a drug lord's name, and was immediately arrested. Now they think I'm involved in the hijacking and drug dealing. It's such a mess!" she cried.

"Okay ... okay, calm down," Jerri said as she ran her hand through her short brown hair. "What do you need me to do, Rox?" she asked.

"Call my lawyer for me Jer. I don't have her number or I would have made the call myself. Her name is Jeanette Campbell ... she's in the book. She needs to call the Chief of Police here in Bogota. His name is Chief Juan Pena. He's got to understand that I'm not a drug dealer!" Rox said desperately.

"All right, Rox. I'll take care of it. Honey, please be careful. I want you to come straight home as soon as they release you, okay?" Jerri demanded.

"No, Jer. I came here to find Ca.s.s. I know she's here somewhere. I'm not leaving until I find her. Didn't Nikki tell you where I was?" Rox asked.

"To tell you the truth, Nik and I haven't spent a waking moment together since I went to work yesterday morning," Jerri said. "This d.a.m.ned work schedule keeps us apart too much!" she complained. "In any case, Rox, please be careful."

"I will Jerri. Thanks so much for making this call. I'll call again soon to let you know how things are going," she said. "Kiss Nikki for me, okay?"

"Okay, Rox. Please be careful. I'll talk to you soon," Jerri said as she hung up the phone.

Moments later, Rox was escorted back to her cell.

Ca.s.s woke to find her head resting in someone's lap. She immediately thought she was dreaming about Rox again. "Rox?" she whispered as she opened her eyes and saw the slight, brown-eyed peasant girl that had brought her food earlier that day.

Ca.s.s smiled to put the girl at ease. "Hola!" she said. ["Hi!.]

The girl smiled back and ran a cool damp cloth over Ca.s.s' forehead.

"Gracias," Ca.s.s said. "Como te llamas?" she added. ["Thank you. What is your name?"]

"Ana," the girl replied.

"Gracias, Ana," Ca.s.s said again. "Ana, donde estoy?" ["Thank you, Ana. Ana, where am I?"]

The girl leaned in close. "No tengo permiso para decir. Me van a dar si supieran que he hablado," she said fearfully. ["I am not allowed to say. They will beat me if they knew I told you."]

Ca.s.s just nodded in understanding, confident that sooner or later, she could win the girl's trust.

Suddenly, a gruff voice came from the doorway. "Ana! Bastante! Ella es una prisionera, no es una huesped mimada. Sal de ahi ahora mismo!" ["Ana! Enough. She is a prisoner, not a pampered guest. Come out of there at once!"]

Ana immediately scurried to her feet. Looking back at Ca.s.s, she said, "Yo te he traido algo de cena. Esta bueno. You misma lo hice." Then she was gone. ["I have brought you some dinner. It is good. I made it myself."]

Ca.s.s watched the child leave then hungrily dove into the food she had brought. She was famished, having not eaten her soup and roll earlier. It truly was good fare, and she ate every bit of it, satisfying the ache in the pit of her stomach before settling herself against the post in the center of the room once again. Her head was pounding from being pistol whipped, as she closed her eyes and willed the pain to go away.

"Well, Ca.s.s. Have you changed your mind about cooperating?" came Jason's voice from the door.

Ca.s.s looked over and saw Jason's silhouette outlined against the light in the hallway. "I need something for this headache," she said, "... and I need to use the bathroom," she added, before once again, closing her eyes against the pain.

She heard the door open and an object drop to the floor before closing again. "Here is your bathroom," Jason chuckled, indicating the bucket he had just thrown into the room. "As for the headache ... live with it! It's your fault you have it anyway. All you had to do was cooperate, Ca.s.s. Expect to live in perpetual pain until you do." With that, he was gone.

Midnight found Rox still pacing back and forth in her cell. What's taking my lawyer so long? she asked herself as she wore yet another groove across the floor. Ca.s.s, please be all right. I need you. I love you. If anyone is listening up there, please keep her safe, Rox begged to the powers that be. Finally around 2:00 a.m., Rox gave up and laid down on the thin mattress thrown on the floor in the corner of the room. Within moments, she was fast asleep.

Ca.s.s' eyes drifted closed as her chin suddenly dropped to her chest, snapping her awake once more. Shaking her head from side to side, she repositioned herself against the pole, trying with all her will to stay awake. Her thoughts began to wander. Rox, she thought. Rox, I love you. I will make it through this h.e.l.l ... I have to. I need to see you again. I need to touch you, even if you don't return that love.

Rising to her feet, she began to pace, stumbling blindly in the darkness from tiredness and pain. She had no idea what time it was, but judging by the position of the moon, she guessed it to be after midnight. Finally, realizing she might find refuge in sleep, she curled up on the straw mattress in the corner of the room and allowed herself to fall asleep.

CHAPTER x.x.xVI.

EARLY THE NEXT morning, Rox was awakened by the sound of a key turning in the lock on her cell door.

"Good Morning, Senorita!" Chief Pena said cheerfully. "You are being released."

"I am?" Rox asked, still groggy from sleep.

"Yes. You should have told me last night that you were here doing research on your next book. I am a big fan of yours, Senorita. I have read all about your aliens. Miss Campbell called me early this morning and let me in on your secret research. Tell me, Senorita Ward, will there be a police chief in your next book?" he inquired hopefully.

It took a moment, but Rox finally caught on to what the police chief was implying. Thank you, Jeanette! she said to herself as she stroked his ego. "Errr... As a matter of fact, yes. You see, my next book will be about aliens landing in South America, and ...."

Rox spent the next half hour explaining how in her new book, a heroic South American police chief saved the world from invading aliens. By the time she left the police station, she had fully exonerated herself and had received a personal dinner invitation from the chief himself.

Ca.s.s' headache was back in full force when she awoke the next morning. Sitting up on the straw bed, she dropped her head into her hands and moaned.

You know, Ca.s.s... the last time you woke up with a headache like this, you had drank too much the night before. Enforcer pointed out.

Who drank too much the night before? Ca.s.s asked incredulously.

Errr.... Okay, it was me. I drank too much the night before -- are you happy now? the alter ego replied sarcastically.

What I wouldn't give if this truly WERE a hangover, Ca.s.s replied.

Amen to that! Enforcer replied. What are we going to do, Ca.s.s?