"Let me speak to him, Nick."

TSfo point. He's hearing, not listening."

Two thousand people, Nick, two thousand people ..."

I went over to them both and grabbed one end of the cot with both hands.

"Luz, we need blankets and water for your mum. Just pile them up in the storeroom for the journey."

I pulled the cot back so Carrie was within reach of the headset, and placed it over her head, repositioning the mike so it was near her mouth. Above us, George's face still dominated the screen as he waited for my answer.

"Hi, it's me."

The face on the screen was impa.s.sive, but I saw the lips move.

"I'll live ... all those people won't if you don't do something to call it off."

George's mouth worked for several seconds, but his expression remained set. He was arguing, rationalizing, probably commanding. The one thing he still wasn't doing was listening.

"Just once, just for once in my life ... I've never asked you for anything. Even the pa.s.sport wasn't a gift, it came with conditions. You have to stop it. Stop it now ... I looked at George, and his cold, unyielding face as he spoke. It was now Carrie's turn to listen. She slowly pulled the headset from her face, her eyes swollen with tears, and let it drop on her chest.

"Disconnect it ... get him out of here ... It's over ... Comms are closed."

I left them to it as George had already cut the com ms himself.

The box had closed down. That was because he'd be getting on to the missile crew using the relay.

Looking up at the ceiling, I followed the black wires from the dishes, down behind the plywood boards and out under the tables, looking like a plate of spaghetti as they jumbled themselves up with white wires and fought with each other on their way to feed the machines.

Sliding under the desk, I started to pull out anything that was attached to anything else as I shouted at Carrie. Where's the relay board? Do you know where the relay is?"

I got a weak reply. The blue box. It's near where you are somewhere."

Luz came back into the room and went to her mother.

Under the ma.s.s of wiring, books and stationery I found a dark blue and badly scratched alloy box, just over a foot square and four inches thick. There were three coaxial cables attached, two in, one out. I pulled out all three.

There was mumbling behind me. I turned just in time to see Luz heading for the living-room door.

"Stop! Stay where you are! Don't move!" I jumped to my feet and moved over and grabbed her.

"Where you going?"

"Just to get some clothes. I'm sorry ..." She looked over to her mother for support. I let go so she could be at her mother's side, and as I turned to follow her I noticed a small pool of blood that had started to seep under the door. I ran into the storeroom and grabbed the first thing I could find for the job, a half-empty fifty-pound plastic sack of rice that had been kicked over. I lugged it back and placed it like a sandbag against the bottom of the door.

"You can't go in there it's dangerous, there could be a fire. The oil lamps fell when the helicopters came, it's everywhere. I'll get your stuff for you in a second."

Getting back under the table, I ripped out every wire that was attached to anything, then listened to make sure it was still raining.

I'll get the clothes for you now, Luz, just stay here, OK?"

I nearly gagged when I opened the door and stepped over the rice bag. The smell of cordite had gone, replaced by death, a smell like a bad day in a butcher's shop. Once the door was closed I turned on the light. The four bodies lay amongst the splintered wood and smashed gla.s.s, their blood in thick, congealed pools on the floorboards.

I tried to avoid stepping in anything as I went and got a spare set of clothes for Luz and a sweat top for Carrie. Opening the door, I threw them out into the computer room.

"Get changed, help your mum. I'll stay in here."

Positioning my feet to avoid the blood, I started to pull a chest harness from under Green Guy. It must have been dragged from the table as he collapsed, and was dripping with blood. That didn't matter, what did was the mags inside.

I started to wrench off the other harnesses. They, too, were soaking, and some of the mags had been hit by rounds. The nylon had split open, exposing twisted metal and bits of bra.s.s.

Hefting three harnesses, all filled with fresh mags, I rescued my docs from the floor and collected two hundred and twelve bloodstained dollars from the five bodies. Feeling less naked, I secured them in my leg pocket before checking the bookshelf for mapping of Chepo and the Bayano.

I found what I was looking for, and she was right: it was to the east of Chepo.

There was no time to ponder, we had to leave. The weather might clear at any minute. If the Peace Corps couldn't do anything for her, they could at least get her to the city.

I ran through on to the veranda, and out into the wonderful heli-repelling rain.

As soon as I got to the Land Cruiser I dumped the kit in the foot well then jammed the M-16 down between the pa.s.senger seat and the door before I closed it.

I didn't know why, I just didn't want Luz seeing it.

I went round to the other side and checked the fuel. I had about half a tank. I grabbed the torch and headed for the Mazda. When I lifted the squeaking tailgate, the light beam fell on the now bloodstained bedsheet covering Aaron. I could also see the jerry-cans secured at the rear and jumped in beside him, my boots slipping in a pool of his blood. The sickly, sweet smell was as bad as it was in the house. I rested my hand on his stomach to steady myself, and discovered he was still soft. I dragged out one of the heavy containers and slammed the tailgate shut.

I unscrewed the Land Cruiser's fuel cap and pulled back the nozzle of the jerry can The pressure inside was released with a hiss. I hurriedly poured the fuel into the tank, splashing it down the side of the wagon, drenching my hands.

As soon as the jerry-can was empty I closed the fuel cap and threw the metal container into the foot well on top of the harnesses. I thought I might be needing it later.

THIRTY-NINE.

Having made sure that mud had replaced Aaron's blood on my Timberlands, I walked back towards the glare of the computer room and checked that the rice bag was still doing its job.

Carrie was smoking, and as I got closer I didn't need a sniffer dog to tell me what. Luz was sitting on the floor beside the cot, stroking her mother's brow and watching the smoke ooze from her nostrils. If she disapproved, she wasn't showing it.

Carrie's flooded eyes stared up in a daze at the motionless fan as her daughter carried on gently ma.s.saging her sweating forehead. I squatted at her feet and gave them another pinch. The blood flow was still there.

As I stood up my gaze switched to Luz. Tour mum tell you where it was?" The question about the giggle weed was irrelevant and I didn't know why I'd asked it just something to say, I supposed. Her head didn't move but her eyes swivelled up at me.

"As if ... but it's OK, today."

Carrie tried to let out a bit of a laugh, but it sounded more like coughing.

I bent down and retrieved one of the crepe bandages from the floor and put it into my pocket. Time to go."

She gave a nod as Carrie took another deep drag of the joint.

"Come on, then, let's get your mother out of here."

We both had our hands on the cot, Luz at the feet end, facing me.

"Ready? One, two, three. Up, up, up."

I steered us while she shuffled backwards, ploughing through the littered storeroom floor. We squelched through the mud and slid her once more into the back of the wagon, head first. I sent Luz back into the storeroom for the blankets and Evian while I used the bandage to secure the cot legs at the head end to anchorage points to stop it sliding around on the journey. Carrie turned her head towards me, sounding drowsy on her c.o.c.ktail of dihy-drocodeine, aspirin and giggle weed "Nick, Nick ..."

I was busy tying off in the dull interior lighting.

What am I going to do now?"

I knew what she was getting at, but this wasn't the time. 'You're going to Chepo and then you'll both be in Boston before you know it."

"No, no. Aaron what am I going to do?"

I was reprieved by Luz returning with water and an armful of blanket, which she helped me arrange over Carrie.

I jumped off the tailgate back into the mud and went round and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Luz, you've got to keep an eye on your mum make sure she doesn't slide about too much, OK?"

She nodded earnestly, kneeling over her as I started up and turned the Land Cruiser in a wide arc before heading on to the track. The main beams swept over the Mazda. Carrie eventually saw it in the red glow of our tail-lights as we crept past.

"Stop, stop, Nick stop ..."

I put my foot gently on the brake and turned in my seat. Her head was up, neck straining to look out of the gap at the rear. Luz moved to support her. What's up, Mom? What's wrong?"

Carrie just kept on staring at the Mazda as she answered her daughter.

"It's OK, baby I was just thinking about something. Later." She pulled Luz close and gave her a hug.

I waited for a while as the rain fell, more gently now, and the engine ticked over.

"OK to go?"

"Yes," she said.

"We're done here."

The journey to Chepo was slow and difficult as I tried to avoid as many potholes and ruts as I could. I really wished there had been time to look for another gollock. Going back into the jungle without one reminded me too much of Tuesday.

By the time we came out into the dead valley the rain had eased a bit further and the wipers were just on intermittent. I looked up over the wheel, knowing I wouldn't be able to see, but hoping all the same that the cloud cover was still low. If not, there'd be a heli or two revving up soon.

Once we hit the road, which looked more like a river in places, we were making no more than about ten Ks an hour. My nostrils were hit by the smell of cannabis again, and glancing round, I saw Luz kneeling by her mother with the joint just an inch from Carrie's lips, trying hard to get it back into her mouth between jolts. I fished in my pocket for the dihydrocodeine.

"Here, give your mum another of these with some water. Show the doctors or whoever the bottle. She's had four in total and an aspirin. Got that?"

Eventually the fortified police station came into view and I called for directions. Where's the clinic? Which way do I go?"

Luz was the one on top of this now: her mother was well and truly gone.

"It's kinda behind the store."

That I did know. We pa.s.sed the restaurant and the jaguar wasn't even curious as we drove on into the dark side of town.

I flicked my wrist to have a check of Baby-G. It was just before midnight. Only ten hours in which to do what I had to do.

I took a right just before the breeze block store.

"Luz, this the right way? Am I OK?".

'Yep it's just up here, see?"

Her hand pa.s.sed my face from behind and pointed. About three buildings down was another breeze block structure with a tin roof and the circular Peace Corps sign stars and stripes, only instead of the stars a dove or two. I really couldn't see in this light.

I pulled up outside and Luz jumped out of the back. I could tell it wasn't a medical clinic at all: there was a painted wooden plaque below more doves which read, "American Peace Corps Community Environmental Education Project'.

Luz was already banging on the front door as I looked back at Carrie.

"We're here, Carrie, we're here."

I got no response. She was definitely waltzing with the pixies, but at least the pain was subdued.

The door-banging got a result. As I climbed out of the Land Cruiser, heading for the tailgate, a woman in her mid-twenties with long brown sleep-hair appeared on the threshold, wearing a tracksuit. Her eyes darted about rapidly as she took in the scene.

What's wrong, Luz?"

Luz launched into a frenzied explanation as I got into the rear and undid the security bandage.

"We're here, Carrie," I said.

She murmured to herself as the young woman came to the rear, now wide awake.

"Carrie, it's Janet can you hear me? It's Janet, can you hear me?"

There was no time for h.e.l.los.

"Got trauma care? It's an open fractured femur, left leg."

Janet held out her arms and began to ease the cot out of the wagon. I grabbed the other end and between us we lugged Carrie inside.

The office was barely furnished, just a couple of desks, cork boards, a phone and wall clock. What I'd seen so far was doing nothing to make me feel happier about their level of expertise.

"Can you treat her? If you can't, you need to get her into the city."