The Inca Con: A Rex Dalton Thriller

by JC Ryan

  Digger was growling menacingly at the survivor who’d surrendered.

  “Call off your dog, man. He’s creeping me out.”

  Rex reckoned the man had been trying to escape his bonds, and that’s what had set Digger off. Rex made a hobble out of a string of interconnected zipties. No worries about the guy getting out of those – he’d be too busy carrying his wounded buddy.

  When Rex had hefted the unconscious man in a dead-man’s carry over the other’s shoulders, he said, “Let’s go.”

  They set off in single file, Digger first, then the prisoners, then Luciana, then Rex bringing up the rear. It was going to be a long and slow walk back to the village.

  ***

  LATE IN THE day on the second day after Rex and Luciana had ambushed the Shining Path insurgents, they arrived back at the village. The prisoners were in bad shape. Rex had seen no reason to relieve the able-bodied one of his burden, so he was tired and staggering under the dead weight of his companion by the time they got to the village. The wounded one was near death. Digger’s mauling hadn’t done him any good, but Rex’s kick had ruptured something inside him. Rex suspected internal bleeding and thought the thug would probably die before they got there. But to his surprise, the guy was still breathing, barely, when they reached the fortifications on the outskirts.

  Rex marched the prisoner to the square before he allowed him to roll the half-dead punk off his shoulders and sit down. On the way, they’d collected a gaggle of villagers, who were peppering Luciana with questions. But the biggest surprise was a new face, a handsome woman in her fifties, who came out of one of the houses closest to the square to see what was going on.

  “What is the meaning of this?” she asked, addressing Rex in a brusque tone.

  “This is what’s left of the group that attacked this village a few days ago,” he answered in a matching tone. “Who are you?”

  “I might ask you the same thing, but I suspect you are Ray Davis, in which case, I’m the doctor you requested.”

  Rex immediately dropped his guarded attitude, wondering quietly if he told her he was not Ray Davis if that would change her into something other than a doctor. He smiled. “In that case, I am Ray Davis. I suspect you must be Doctor Martinez, and I’ve brought you a new patient.”

  He stepped aside so she could see the two prisoners, one sitting wearily on the ground, dejected. And one lying in a motionless heap.

  “Good heavens, what happened to him?” the doctor asked. She made a cursory inspection of his mauled arm, which had stopped bleeding and crusted over. “Did that dog bite him?” She looked disapprovingly at Digger.

  Rex decided it was past time to set the record straight.

  “Look, Dr. Martinez. I don’t know how long you’ve been here, or whether my friends the Markses have told you about the events of the past few days…”

  “I just got here an hour ago,” she interrupted. “And I haven’t met anyone named Marks. These villagers don’t speak much Spanish, so I don’t know anything, except a very old man met me when I got here and brought me to this hut.” She indicated the house she’d come out of. “And brought me a severely ill child.”

  “Then let me back up and try to fill you in,” Rex answered. He succinctly recounted his discovery of the sick children and the Shining Path attack, his and Luciana’s trek to follow the survivors of the attack and their success, culminating in bringing the prisoners back. Because it wasn’t germane to the immediate necessities, he left out the scam and reverse scam. He didn’t know why the Markses hadn’t been notified the doctor had arrived, or why they hadn’t come out to greet his and Luciana’s arrival, but that wasn’t important at the moment, either.

  “So, as you can see,” he finished, “the new patient is this man. His needs are urgent, I assume. The wounds you see came from my dog, yes. And just so you know for future reference, that’s what happens to any person who points a gun at him or me or my friends. My dog attacked him while I was busy fighting off about five of his fellow gang members who were trying to kill me and my friend, Miss Mamami.

  “But, don’t let me keep you from doing your job. Treat the children first. That’s what I hired you to do. I suspect the villagers are going to find these men guilty of murder and attempted murder and extortion. I don’t know what the penalty is, but I doubt anyone will mourn if this man dies.”

  A wail from the second prisoner earned a glare from Rex.

  “What caused internal injuries, if your dog is responsible for his condition?” Dr. Martinez asked, ignoring the rest of Rex’s speech.

  “Well, ma’am, he was trying to kill my dog. So I kicked him. Meant to connect with his head, but he moved, so I nailed him in the liver.”

  Dr. Martinez’s jaw dropped.

  Rex was starting to enjoy the torment he was putting the doctor through.

  “Very well,” she said. “Bring him inside. I’ve already started an IV drip to rehydrate the little boy. I’ll check this man next.”

  Rex grudgingly helped the other prisoner and Pidro carry in the unconscious man and place him on a pallet on the floor.

  The doctor said, “If you can have these people supply a table of any kind, it will help me work better. And I thought you said there were several sick children.”

  “Yes, there are. I’ll get them here,” Rex answered.

  He went outside, motioning Pidro to follow. “The doctor needs a table, and some light. Can your people supply those things?”

  Pidro nodded.

  Rex continued. “Why haven’t the other children been brought here?”

  “My people fear the outsider. They wait to see if she cures my grandson.”

  “Do they trust me?” Rex asked.

  “Yes. You helped us repel the invaders.”

  “Then tell them that they can thank me by bringing their sick children to see the doctor. She can’t help them if she can’t see them and treat them.”

  Assured that Pidro would do as he’d asked, Rex turned his attention to the other two things on his mind.

  “Where are the Markses?”

  “They went to work at the site of the ancient ones,” Pidro confided. Forestalling Rex’s next question, he asked what he should do about the second prisoner. Rex had directed the guy to return to the square sit down, be quiet, and not make trouble if he knew what was good for him.

  “Whatever you want,” Rex said. “He is one of those who attacked the village. It is up to you to as leader to decide what to do with him.”

  In fact, it was probably up to Peruvian national authorities, but Rex was in a savage mood. Frontier justice, he’d decided, was the way to handle it, but he’d leave it up to the villagers.

  His next move was to get some decent food and some well-deserved sleep.

  Nineteen

  THE MARKSES RETURNED at dusk and their return woke Rex and Digger. Rex was disoriented for a moment, because the last thing he remembered was Luciana telling him she needed some rest. For some reason, he was surprised to find her missing. Then it occurred to him that the last time he slept, she was in her sleeping bag right next to his, with Digger ensconced in the middle like a black, furry chaperone.

  “Where’s Luciana?” he asked.

  “Sleeping in her own quarters, I assume,” Flo answered. “Welcome back. We saw the fruits of your labor in the square.”

  “Oh, the prisoner? I don’t know what the villagers intend for him. Did you meet the doctor?”

  “Yes, we did. Why didn’t you tell us there were sick children here?”

  “I promised Pidro I wouldn’t, when Alexandro was still here. Evidently, he had some hold over them and didn’t want outsiders to know. After that, things got busy, and I had it under control anyway. I guess I didn’t want you to worry.”

  Flo seemed disappointed, either in him or in his answer, but Rex had bigger fish to fry.

  “Have you talked to Pidro? Do you know what they’re planning for the prisoners?”

  “You know
we haven’t learned enough Quechuan to speak extensively with him. The doctor says there’s little chance the injured one will survive. She said you kicked him?”

  Flo’s expression expected Rex to elaborate, but all he said was he’d intervened to save Digger’s life, and she seemed satisfied with that. Before they could discuss the second prisoner’s fate any more, Luciana arrived. She looked fresh as a daisy, as if she’d had a bath and a full night’s sleep. Rex could hardly believe his eyes, and when she smiled at him, his heart skipped a beat.

  “Flo, can I help get dinner ready?” Luciana asked.

  “I’m fine, dear.”

  “Do you mind if I borrow Ray? I have some questions for him,” Luciana said.

  Barry entered the hut at that moment and greeted Rex and Luciana. “Ray, I just came from the square. Do you know what Pidro’s up to?”

  “No, and I can’t say I care, unless he’s about to turn the bastard loose. What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure, because it was all happening in Quechuan. But there are a bunch of villagers surrounding the prisoner and yelling at him, and Pidro is among them. I’ve only ever seen public executions in the movies, but I’d say what’s happening out there will soon be one of those.”

  “Okay, no worries I’ll go check it out.”

  Luciana said she’d go, too, and the two of them walked back to the square with Digger padding patiently on one side of Rex and Luciana on the other. She reached out and caught Rex’s hand.

  “I want to talk to you in private,” she said again. “Will you come to my place after dinner?”

  “Sure.”

  “Bring your sleeping bag.”

  Rex’s heart missed a beat, or it could’ve been two or more, but before he could respond, they’d arrived at the square. Barry’s account had been accurate. The only part of the public execution missing was that the thug hadn’t been tied to a stake with brush and firewood around him. The man was standing, shuffling in a circle to meet each shout by facing the shouter. He looked exhausted, and Rex wondered how long this had been going on and how much longer it would continue before the crowd was in such frenzy that they’d kill him.

  He and Luciana found Pidro and, with Digger, hurried to his side.

  “What’s going on?” Rex asked.

  “We are questioning this man,” Pidro answered.

  You could’ve fooled me. I usually question people in a different way. But I guess cultural differences can explain that.

  “He is being called to account for the raid on our village and other misdeeds that have happened here and near here in the past.”

  “Like what?” Rex asked.

  “We want to know if he and his group are responsible for our sick children.”

  Just then, Dr. Martinez materialized at Rex’s elbow, nudging Digger aside with her foot. Digger growled but gave way.

  “Doctor, just a gentle piece of advice. Do not antagonize my dog. He can be a bit short tempered if treated rudely,” Rex said mildly.

  “Or what? He’ll maul me like he did that poor man inside? And if I defend myself, you’ll kick me and lacerate my liver?”

  Rex had had enough of the doctor’s attitude. “Doctor, I get the impression you’ve made up your mind without having considered all the facts. So, I want you to listen carefully. That ‘poor man’, as you like to refer to him, was part of a group entering this village four nights ago with an automatic rifle, demanding a payoff not to kill everyone here. Then a few days later he returned with an army of his goons, attacked these defenseless and innocent people, and killed two old men trying to defend their homes.

  “After fending off that attack, Miss Mamami and I followed the remaining assailants and caught up with them. They’d regrouped and were on their way back here to launch another attack on the villagers. They were all armed with automatic rifles. We engaged with them in a gunfight and stopped them. During that gunfight I ordered my dog—by the way, his name is Digger—to do what he did.

  “Now take note, while Digger was doing as he was told, I killed five others. So, if you’ve got a beef, tell it to me and leave my dog out of it. He acted on my instructions, and also note, it was with his help that we prevented another attack on these people.”

  During Rex’s account of the events, the expressions on Dr. Martinez’s face shifted from surprise, then outrage, and finally it became apologetic. “I… I apologize. No one told me.”

  “As you mentioned, you don’t speak Quechuan, so they couldn’t have told you. If you want to know anything, just ask Miss Mamami or me instead of jumping to conclusions, Doctor. All is not as it may seem here.

  “Now, did you have something to tell me or ask me? If not, you might have noticed I’m a little busy right now.”

  “I wanted to tell you that the boy has symptoms of radiation poisoning. I need you to ask his grandfather where he could have come in contact with the cause, and for how long he’s been exposed.”

  It was Rex’s turn to drop his jaw.

  Radiation poisoning? What the hell? How the hell? And why is it only the children?

  Now he wanted to know if Shining Path was responsible for it, too. He led the doctor back to her quarters, with Luciana and Digger trailing. Once out of the noise of the crowd, he asked the doctor if she had any idea what substance might have caused it, mentioning that according to Pidro, only a few children had fallen ill.

  “I haven’t seen the others yet, but you were right about this one having Leishmaniasis. I’ve begun the proper antibiotic treatment through the IV drip. But the cluster of symptoms that led me to conclude the child has long-term radiation poisoning have nothing to do with Leishmaniasis. Whether it’s the same for the other sick children, I’ll know only after I can examine them. And only then can we begin to track down the cause. It will be something the others have also had contact with, that is, if they also have radiation poisoning.”

  “Tell me this, doctor. Will this kid and the others die?”

  “Again, I can’t say until I’ve examined the others. This one is very sick, but I may be able to save him. Unfortunately, he’ll be on thyroid medication for the rest of his life.”

  “Thyroid medication?” Luciana questioned.

  “The symptoms indicate severe thyroid deficiency, if not cancer. The only thing I can think of that can destroy such a young child’s thyroid function is exposure to radiation. That’s how I made my diagnosis. Do you have medical knowledge?”

  Rex left Luciana with the doctor and ran out to find Pidro again. Seeing him at the front of the crowd again, Rex strode through, weaving between the ranks of angry Quechua, who were now shaking their fists and shouting threats.

  This guy is going to be toast soon.

  He grabbed Pidro’s arm and swung him around to face him.

  “We need the other kids at the doctor’s hut immediately! Are their parents here?”

  “The fathers are, or probably are. The mothers care for the children.”

  “Well, get their attention and get them to bring their children to the doctor, right now.”

  Pidro looked a bit bewildered, as if he had no idea how to get anyone’s attention amid the chaos.

  Rex looked down and said to Digger, “Sound off,” hoping to quiet the crowd so Pidro could be heard. And just like the previous time, the ear-splitting howl had the desired effect.

  In the immediate silence that followed, Pidro said in rapid Quechuan that any man whose child was ill must take the child to the doctor right away.

  Six men peeled out of the crowd and ran in different directions. Before the crowd could work themselves up again, Rex walked up to the prisoner and got in his face.

  “Did you or any of your group give the children of this village anything to harm them?” His expression was so menacing that the man shrank what seemed to be at least four inches in the face of it.

  “No! I swear, we didn’t do anything to the kids.”

  Rex wasn’t convinced and called Digger over. Di
gger had an uncanny second sense about liars. He asked the man again, this time accompanied by Diggers bared teeth and low growl.

  “NO! I swear, we didn’t. What are you saying, man?”

  Rex looked at Digger. Digger looked back. He didn’t give any indication that he detected a lie.

  “All right. I’ll tell them,” Rex said. He returned to Pidro’s side. “It wasn’t them. It was something else that made the children sick.”

  Using the silence, Pidro shouted to the crowd to disperse. The village council would decide the fate of the man, who was sagging in relief. Rex didn’t know whether he should be relieved or not. Maybe this thug and his cohorts hadn’t hurt the kids, but he’d been involved in the raid, and the village was owed retribution for its two elders who’d died.

  There was no more to be done until the doctor had finished her examination of the rest of the kids. He returned to her hut and entered, finding the doctor and Luciana in animated conversation.

  “Excuse me, ladies. Am I interrupting?”

  Luciana gave him a heartwarming smile, but it was the doctor who answered. “I owe you an apology, Mr. Davis. Ms. Mamami has explained what you’ve done for the villagers, and I’m appalled by my bad manners toward a man who is nominally my employer. I apologize for my behavior. I am truly sorry about that.”

  Rex was relieved not to be at odds with the woman anymore. “Accepted. The villagers will be bringing the other children shortly. I think there are six more. Do you need more room? Anything I can help with?”

  “Not at the moment, Mr. Davis.”

  “Ray,” he answered automatically.

  She raised her eyebrows askance.

  “My name, you may call me Ray.”

  “Thanks, I will.”

  “Then can we bring you some dinner? I’d prefer you be here when they start bringing the children, if you don’t mind.”

  “Thank you. I would appreciate that.”

  Just then, the first of the other children arrived, a girl carried by a worried father, with a frantic mother in tow. Rex explained in Quechuan that the doctor was skilled and that Pidro’s grandson was already being helped. Sometime during all the chaotic events of the past hour or two, a table had been brought to the hut, and the doctor indicated the father should put his little girl down on it.