"That's good to hear. I'll tell Jeannie and Tony. They can tell Evan. Will you

be able to contact us while you are traveling?"

"I don't think so. The batteries on the satellite phone are fairly good, but the reception may not mesh with the satellite signals. I'll try. If you don't hear from me, just expect me at the trial. Okay?"

"Okay, son. God be with you."

"You called home?"

Scott jumped and turned quickly. Rosalie had entered their hut without him hearing her. He'd been careless. Anybody could've been listening in to either of his conversations. Yes, it was definitely time to go, before another stupid lapse got them both killed.

"Yeah. The trial date has been set for two months from today. I say we get the hell out of this place before we are trapped by the weather. Or found out."

Scott then noticed the serious -- no, more like frightened -- look on his partner's face.

"What happened? Why do you look like you just lost your best friend?"

"One of the camp guards asked me why you and I were taping patients at the southern Pantanal camp."

Rosalie sank onto the bed. All color had left her face, and she started to shiver.

Scott moved to the bed and pulled the coverlet up around the girl's shoulders. Then he moved to the windows to check outside. He saw nothing other than the heavy rain. Most sensible people would be inside. Satisfied there was no one outside listening, he returned to Rosalie.

Sitting on the bed next to her, he gathered her close to him, trying to absorb some of her shivers. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him we were recording native mythology and songs. That we were planning on writing a book about the tribes of the Pantanal after we got back to the States."

Scott grinned and gave her a quick hug. "Good story. Did he believe you?"

Rosalie stared up into Scott's eyes. Hers were darkened with terror.

"No. He smiled and said that he didn't care what we were doing, but that others were not so charitable, as he put it. He suggested we go away -- for our health."

Scott's grin vanished as quickly as it had come. "Right then. I've already packed the records. Throw together some stuff in your backpack. We'll leave now while the rain is the heaviest."

"Where we will go?"

"We'll steal a jeep and take it to Sam's village. We have to hope he can get us out of here before they realize where we've gone."

Rosalie shrugged off the blanket and began to pack her things. She turned to watch as he dialed the satellite up one more time.

"Who are you calling? The DEA?"

"No. My home. I have to let them know what's going on. I already called our DEA contact earlier to let him know I thought we'd be leaving soon. He told

me they can't get anyone to us anywhere between here and Brasilia, but that they would have the consulate in Brasilia prepared for our arrival."

"Great. This is what happened to Julio. They dropped him into this nest of

snakes and then left him to get himself out." Rosalie grasped her pack against

her chest. "We're not going to make it, are we?"

Scott held the phone to his ear and glanced over at the scared woman. "Hell yes, we're gonna make it. I was a Marine, and we Marines never say die."

He smiled at her for emphasis. Her lips turned up slightly and she bowed her head in acquiescence.

"Hello? Jeannie? You're back!"

"Scott? Yes. I just got here. Mama Chloe said you called awhile ago. Is something wrong?"

Jeannie's fear for him was palpable even over the phone.

"I just called to tell y'all, my partner and I are bugging out. Have Andrew

Carter put some pressure on the DEA to come get us. Right now we're out on a limb and the gators are snapping their jaws waiting for us to fall in."

"Scott! Be careful. I want you home -- we all want you home."

"I want to be there, darlin'. Tell Mama I love her. Hug Little Bits for me. I love

you, Jeannie."

"I love you, Scott. Now get your butt home where you belong." Jeannie's

sobs punctuated her words. "Don't you dare die on me. We haven't even started to live yet. You hear me?"

Scott closed his eyes in relief as tears streamed down his face.

"I hear you, love. I'm coming home. Bye."

Scott turned. Rosalie stood ready and waiting for him. She smiled as she

reached out and brushed a tear from his cheek.

"Your woman is finally ready for you?"

"Yes. Let's get out of here. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go

home."

'Manchac, Louisiana'

"Tony? Tell me I didn't hear what I just thought I heard."

Jeanette was so mad she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this way. Underlying the anger was pure, unadulterated fear for Scott and his partner.

"You heard correctly." Tony's voice was harsh with unspoken outrage. "Scott and his partner are on their own until they get to Brasilia. And after they get there, there is a question of whether the Ambassador is on the payroll of One World."

"Is this one of those Catch-22 situations?" Mama Chloe sat in her bent wood rocker, furiously rocking back and forth. "Is my boy gonna bust his ass getting to safety and then find that it ain't safe?"

"That's how it looks."

Tony slammed his fist into the mahogany woodwork.

"We've got to do something." Jeanette paced the small sitting room. "Call Andrew back. Maybe he knows someone in Washington who could get this Ambassador out of the way."

"Hell, if I have to," Tony growled. "I'll get some of my men together and fly down to Brazil and camp outside of the Embassy until Scott gets there."

"That's what the Customs and DEA people should be doing." Mama Chloe rocked faster. "What are we paying taxes for if our citizens can't be safe when they get to their own embassy?"

No one answered. There wasn't an answer.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX.

'Same day, One World Headquarters, Brasilia'

"Dr. Lopez, we have a problem."

Lopez looked up from the third quarter projections for the drug smuggling operations. He frowned. It must be a serious problem for Javier to interrupt him without knocking.

After marking his place, he closed the binder and shoved it aside. "What is it, Javier?"

"The San Jacinto chief of staff called. He suspects that two of the volunteer medical personnel, one doctor and one nurse, are DEA plants like that other doctor we eliminated several months ago. What do you want me to tell him to do?"

Lopez swept the contents of his desktop onto the floor with a vicious swipe of his arm. "'Diablo!' How did this happen? I thought we had Security checking on all the backgrounds of the volunteers?"

"We did. They are all who they say they are. Other than that, how can we find out if they have been approached by the DEA? I mean, what are the chances? We thought Julio was an isolated incident." Javier lifted his hands in supplication. "What more could we do?"

"You could have bought us an inside person at the DEA. The Colombians have inside people at the DEA. Why can't we?"

"These things take time, Dr. Lopez. We are working on it."

"I know. These things take time." Rubbing his eyes, he sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Eliminate them. Make sure they do not leave San Jacinto with any documentary evidence."

"What if they have already conveyed information to their superiors?"

"Without documentation and the witnesses who found the information, the DEA has nothing. The North Americans call it 'hearsay.' Thank God for all the protections in the American jurisprudence system." Lopez closed his eyes and waved his hand in the general direction of the doorway. "You have your orders. See to it. Oh, and don't waste any body parts. We can always find a use for their organs."

"Yes, doctor."

Lopez listened to Javier's footsteps retreat toward the door. Before the door closed, he called out, "What are the names of the soon-to-be departed?"

"Dr. Scott Fontenot from New Orleans and Rosalie Portero from Miami."

Lopez's eyes flew open. "You stupid bastard. I thought you checked their backgrounds?"

"We did." Javier choked out the words.

"Well, then why is it you didn't connect the Portero woman to Dr. Calabria, also from Miami? And this Fontenot with Rutherford's problems in New Orleans?"

"But doctor, we get a lot of volunteers from Miami, and we did not know of Dr. Rutherford's problems until that Bennie person called."

"I'll grant you the New Orleans excuse, but the Miami situation should have occurred to you. Don't make that kind of error again, Javier, or I'll find a Head of Security who can look at the larger picture. Do you understand me?"

"Yes. I will take care of the situation, and it won't happen again. I guarantee."

Lopez glared at Javier who swallowed hard, then left closing the door with a gentle click.