Jason shrugged. His own hair was dark and clipped short and he didn’t wear glasses. “I don’t know what to tell you. It isn’t me.”
“I’m not sure I’d have made it to El Mirador without his help,” Lorraine told her father.
Thomas leveled his gaze on Jason. “Like I said, lucky for you Lieutenant Jacinto believes you.”
Jason sighed with relief.
“I’ve been able to convince them to let you go back to your hotel room for the night, but they might want to question you again in the morning.”
“Of course. I’ll do anything I can to clear my name,” Jason said eagerly.
“I’ll be here if you need me,” Thomas added.
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate your help more than I can say.”
“Jason won’t disappoint you,” Lorraine said with confidence. “He’ll do whatever he’s supposed to do.”
“Well, for tonight you’re free to go back to the hotel,” Thomas reminded him.
“Thank you again,” Jason said.
Jason, Lorraine and her father left the police station together. The police had repacked his bag and returned it. Her father insisted on walking Jason to his hotel and stopped to talk to the proprietor, an old man who greeted Thomas warmly.
Although Lorraine couldn’t understand what was being said, the gist of the conversation was obvious. The man in the hotel was to keep an eye on Jason.
Thomas didn’t refer to her role in this fiasco until they were almost back at the house. “Why’d you lie about being Jason’s wife?” he asked her point-blank.
“I…I didn’t know what else to do.” She knew she’d displeased him, but that couldn’t be avoided. “I certainly hadn’t planned on doing it,” she qualified. “But when he said I was his wife…” Lorraine gave a helpless shrug. “Anyway, I know Jason’s innocent.”
“You’re that sure?”
“Yes, positive,” she replied without further thought. “Yes,” she said again for emphasis.
Her father was about to say something else, then stopped abruptly. “Antonio,” he called as a youngster ran toward him with an older boy she didn’t recognize.
Antonio had been one of the children playing in the yard at the house, she recalled. Something was clearly wrong, because the boy burst into a torrent of Spanish almost as if he couldn’t get the words out fast enough.
Her father listened and his body language confirmed her guess. He turned, gripping her arms tightly. “We have to get you out of here.”
“Get me out?” Lorraine was nearly too stunned to speak.
“One of the policemen searched your suitcase while we were at the station.”
“But that’s not legal!” she cried in outrage.
“Raine,” he said, shaking her hard. “They found the artifact.”
Five
Jack sat on board Scotch on Water watching the sun sink into a friendly pink sky. This was his favorite time of day. Soon the moon would rise over the water, its reflection silver-bright. He propped his feet on the side of the boat and held a bottle of his favorite Mexican beer. A clear sky, a beer in his hand and his mind free of worries. Life didn’t get any better than this.
With nothing more than the sunset to distract him, Jack let his thoughts wander back to his friend Thomas Dancy. When Thomas had learned of his daughter’s visit, he’d raced back to the school, promising he’d see Jack later. Jack hadn’t even known Dancy had a daughter. Her visit sure wasn’t expected if Dancy’s reaction was anything to go by. He hadn’t heard from his friend since, but he would; Dancy was a man of his word. Jack had delayed having dinner, preferring to let Azucena spoil him with one of her specialties. Man, could she cook! His mouth watered just thinking about what she could do with a fresh fish, a couple of tomatoes, peppers and a few spices. Her tortillas hot from the grill were the best he’d ever tasted. If she was feeling up to it, he’d ask her for a haircut, too. He should shave before dinner, he mused, rubbing his hand down his face. The stubble scraped his palm.
He’d enjoyed seeing Thomas again, even if their visit was cut short. He’d forgotten how much he liked Dancy’s company. Jack had laughed more in the half hour he’d spent with Thomas than he had in weeks. He’d make a point of sticking around until the kid was born. He wanted to be sure he saw lots of Antonio and Hector, too. Those two were pure fun. It didn’t hurt that they worshiped him, either.
His evening plans might have fallen through, but the afternoon hadn’t been wasted. He’d filled the boat’s 480-gallon fuel tanks with diesel and paid for his supplies. They’d be loaded on board first thing in the morning. Given the option of heading toward Florida or Belize, he’d decided to return to the Central American country and would set his course southward as soon as the mood struck him.
“Jack!”
The urgency of the voice caught him off guard. He dropped his feet and stood, tensing with sudden wariness. Then he leaned over the boat’s side, peering toward the dock.
Thomas ran along the waterfront, tugging a blonde in a white pantsuit by the hand. Jack noticed that the woman was having trouble keeping up. Briefly he wondered if she was Dancy’s daughter. Her purse swung wildly at her side and threatened to slip off her shoulder. Both were breathless and appeared to be arguing. As they drew closer, Jack was able to make out their words.