Terror made their eyes wide, their faces gaunt.

'Now he's dead,' Buchanan said.

Their fearful expressions intensified.

'That puts the two of you in an awkward position,' Buchanan said. He took out his gun and used his other hand to ungag the first man.

'I figured,' the man said. 'That's why you sent the man and woman away. You didn't want them to see you kill us.'

Buchanan picked up a blanket from a corner of the van.

'Sure,' the man said in despair. 'A blanket can make a not-bad silencer.'

Buchanan pulled the blanket over the man and his partner. 'I wouldn't want you to get pneumonia.'

'What?' The man looked surprised.

'If our positions were reversed,' Buchanan said, 'what would you do to me?

The man didn't answer.

'We're alike, yet we're not,' Buchanan said. 'Both of us have killed. The difference is, I'm not a killer.'

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Is the distinction too subtle for you to grasp? I'll make it plain. I'm not going to kill you.'

The man looked simultaneously troubled and bewildered, as if mercy were not a familiar concept.

'Provided you follow the ground rules,' Buchanan said.

'What kind of.?'

'First of all, you're going to stay tied up until sunset,' Buchanan said. 'You'll be fed, given water, and allowed to use the toilet. But you'll remain in the van. Is that clear?'

The man frowned and nodded.

'Second, when you're released, you will not harm Pedro and Anita Mendez. They know nothing about me. They know nothing about their daughter. They're totally ignorant about any of this. If you torture them or use any other means to interrogate them, I'll get angry. You do not want me to be angry. If anything happens to them, I'll make your worst fears seem an understatement. You can hide. You can switch identities. It won't do you any good. I make a specialty of finding people. For the rest of your life, you'll keep looking behind you. Clear?'

The man swallowed. 'Yes.'

Buchanan got out of the van, left the doors open, and gestured for Pedro and Anita to come over.

Pedro started to say something in Spanish.

Buchanan stopped him. 'No. We have to speak English. I want to make sure that these men understand every word.'

Pedro looked confused.

'You're going to have a busy day watching them,' Buchanan said. 'I want you to find a place where this van won't be conspicuous. Maybe in back of one of your garages.' He explained his conversation with the prisoners. 'Let them go at sunset.'

'But.'

'Don't worry,' Buchanan said. 'They won't bother you. In fact, they'll be leaving town. Won't you?' he asked the first man.

The first man swallowed again and nodded.

'Exactly. Now all I need is for you to tell me if you have a check-in schedule,' Buchanan said. 'Is there anybody you have to phone at a specific time to let your employer know there hasn't been trouble?'

'No,' the man said.

'You're sure? You're negotiating for your life. Be very careful.'

'We're supposed to phone only if we have a question or something to report,' the man said.

'Then let's wrap this up.' Buchanan's legs were rubbery from pain and fatigue. He turned to Pedro and Anita. 'I need something to eat. I need a place to sleep.'

'We'd be honored to have you as a guest,' Anita said.

'Thanks, but I'd prefer that you don't have any idea where I am.'

'We'd never tell.'

'Of course not,' Buchanan said, not bothering to correct her, knowing that Pedro and his wife didn't have the faintest idea of how vulnerable they would be to torture. 'The less you know about any of this, the better, though. As long as these men realize you can't tell them anything, you're safe. Just keep the bargain I made. Release them at sunset. Meanwhile, on our way into town, I need to pick up my car. My bag's in the trunk.'

'What happens later? After you rest?' Pedro asked.

'I'm leaving San Antonio.'

'To where?'

Buchanan didn't answer.

'Are you going to Philadelphia? To find the people who hired these men? The people you spoke to on the phone?'

Buchanan still didn't answer.

'What happened at Juana's house?'

'Nothing,' Buchanan said. 'Pedro, drive the van while I stay in back and watch these men. Anita, follow in the jeep.'

'But what about Juana?'

'You have my word. I'll never give up.'

19.