EIGHTEEN
Tuesday, 4:19 a.m. San Sebastian,
Spain
The helicopter set Maria and Aideen down south
of the city. It landed atop a hillock along a
deserted twist in the Rio Urumea, the river that
ran through the city. A rental car, reserved by a
local police officer who worked with Interpol, was
waiting for them near the road. So was the police
officer, thick-mustachioed Jorge Sorel.
During the helicopter trip, Maria had
studied a map she'd brought with her. She knew the
route to the radio station and Aideen could tell that she
was anxious to get there. Unfortunately, as Maria
lit a cigarette, Jorge told her there was no
reason to go.
"What do you mean?" she demanded. "Someone attacked
the staff a little over an hour ago," he said.
"Someone?" Maria said. "Who?" "We don't know
yet," admitted the officer. "Professionals?"
she said impatiently. "Very possibly," he
acknowledged. "The attackers seemed to know exactly
what they were doing. There were numerous broken limbs and
everyone had a broken jaw."
200 OP-CENTER
"What did they want?" Maria asked.
Jorge shook his head. "Again, we can't even begin
to speculate. The only reason we went up there was
because the station suddenly went off the air."
Maria swore angrily. "This is
maravilloso,
was she said. "Marvelous. Are there
any
leads?"
Jorge was still shaking his head. " "The victims were
unable to speak and now the doctors have them
sedated. We assume the attackers were looking for
whoever provided them with the audiotape."
"The idiots," Maria snarled. "Didn't they
anticipate that? Didn't they take
precautions?"
"Yes," said Jorge. "The irony is they were very
well prepared. The station has always been a target
for malcontents. Their politics, you know-very
antigovemment. The facility is surrounded with
barbed wire and is constructed like a bunker. It even
has a metal door. The employees keep guns
inside. But deterrents only sway the timid
hearted. And these attackers were not timid."
"Constable," Aideen said patiently, "do you have any
idea who it was that provided the tape?"
Jorge snuck an uncomfortable look at Maria.
"I'm afraid the answer is once again no," he
said. "We have two patrols going through the surrounding
villages. They're looking for groups of people who
may be searching for the person or persons who
provided the tape. But we came to this relatively
late. So far, we've found no one."
"The attackers would probably separate once they
left here," Maria said. "They wouldn't want
to risk everyone getting caught. They also
wouldn't stay to BALANCE OF POWER 201
gether after they found whoever they were looking for," Maria
said. She drew on her cigarette and exhaled through
her nose. She regarded Jorge intently. "Are
you sure that's all you can tell us?"
"I'm sure," he replied. His gaze was equally
intent.
" "What are the chances that the person who had the
tape was from this area?" Aideen asked.
"Very good," said Maria. "Whoever planned this would have
wanted someone who knew the waters where the yacht was
destroyed. Someone who knew the town and the people at the
station." She looked at Jorge. "Give me a
place to start looking."
Jorge shrugged. "The town is small. Everyone
knows it. For someone who knows the waters, talk to the
fishermen."
Maria looked at her watch. "They'll be going out
in about an hour. We can talk to them at the docks."
She pulled hard on her cigarette. "Who blesses
the waters for the fishermen?"
"That would be Father Norberto Alcazar," Jorge
said. "He will only do it for the old families, not the
companies."
"Where is he?"
"You will probably find him at the Jesuit church
in the hills south of Cuesta de Aldapeta,"
Jorge said. "That's on the west side of the river just
outside of San Sebastian."
Maria thanked him. She took one last drag from
her cigarette, then she dropped it and crushed it
hard under her heel. She let out the smoke as she
walked toward the car. Aideen followed her.
"Father Alcazar is a very pleasant man," Jorge
said
202 OP-CENTER
after them. "But he may not be forthcoming about his flock.
He is very protective of them."
"Let's hope that he wants to protect one of them
from being murdered," Maria said.
"You have a point," Jorge said. "Call on your
cell phone when you are ready. The helicopter will
come back for you here. The airport is small and
has been reserved for military business-as a
precaution."
Maria acknowledged brusquely as she got behind the
wheel of the car and started it up. Dirt and clods of
grass spit behind them as the car tore away from the
foot of the hillock.
"You're not happy," Aideen said as she
took the map from her backpack and unfolded it.
She also had a loaded .38 in the backpack which
Maria had given her during the flight.
"I wanted to kick him," Maria grumbled. "They
only went up there because the station went off the air. The
police should have
known
that someone would go after the radio crew."
"Maybe the police wanted the station to be
attacked," Aideen said. "It's the same way with
gang wars. The authorities stand back and let the
bad guys kill each other."
"It's more likely that they were told to stay out of it,"
Maria said. "The men who were killed on the yacht were
influential businessmen. They headed devoted
familias-
employees who will do anything for them, including
murder. The police are paid to stay out of such things."
"Do you think the constable-was
BALANCE OF POWER 203
"I don't know," Maria admitted. "But I can't
be sure. One can never be sure in Spain."
Aideen thought back to what Martha had said about the
police in Madrid cooperating with the street
extortionists.
That might be diplomacy,
she thought,
but it stinks.
She was forced to wonder if even the government police
in Madrid were giving the investigation of Martha's
assassination their all.
"That's one of the reasons I left Interpol,"
Maria went on as she headed north along the river.
"Dealing with these people is more frustrating than it's
worth."
"But you came back," Aideen said. "For Luis?"
"No," Maria replied. "I came back for the
same reason I left. Because there is so much
corruption the rest of us can't afford to give up.
Eve
n to manage my small theater in Barcelona,
I had to pay fees to the police, to the sanitation
workers, to everyone but the postal workers. I had to pay
them to make sure that they did the jobs they were already
paid to do."
"So the government workers have their cushion and the
industrial workers belong to families," Aideen
said. "Independent workers end up paying extortion
to one or fighting the strength of the other."
Maria nodded. "And that is why I'm here. It's like
love," she said. "You can't give up because
it doesn't work the first time. You learn the rules, you
learn about yourself, and you get back in the arena for
another run at the bull."
The first pale red light of dawn began to brighten the
skies. The hilltops started to take shape against the
lighter sky. As she glanced eastward, Aideen
thought how funny it was that she liked and admired
Maria.
204 OP-CENTER
The woman was no less confident and aggressive
than Martha had been. But except for when she'd had
to face Darrell back at the airport, there was
something selfless about Maria. And Aideen could hardly
blame Maria for throwing a little attitude
Darrell's way. Regardless of who was right and who was
wrong, seeing him again had to be rough.
They reached the outskirts of San Sebastian in
less than thirty minutes and crossed the bridge
at Maria Cristina. Then they headed southwest
toward the church. They stopped to ask a shepherd for
directions and were at the church just as the rim of the sun
flared over the hill.
The small stone church was open. There were two
parishioners inside, a pair of fishermen, but not the
priest.
"Sometimes he goes to the bay with his brother," one of the
fishermen told the women. The men told them where
Adolfo lived and the route Father Alcazar usually
took to get there. They got back in the car and headed
north, Maria opening the window, lighting another
cigarette, and puffing on it furiously.
"I hope this doesn't bother you," Maria said of the
cigarette. "They say that the smoke is bad for
others but I can assure you that it saves lives."
"How do you figure that?" Aideen asked.
"It keeps me from getting too angry," Maria
replied. She did not appear to be joking.
They found Calle Okendo and drove two blocks
to the southeast. The street was narrow; when they reached the
two-story apartment building Maria had to park half
on the sidewalk. Otherwise there wouldn't
BALANCE OF POWER 205
have been room for another vehicle to get by.
Aideen put her .38 into the pocket of her
windbreaker before she slid from the car. Maria tossed
her cigarette away and slid her gun into the rear
waistband of her jeans.
The downstairs door did not have a lock on it and
they entered. The dark stairwell smelled of a
century of fishermen and dust, which tickled
Aideen's nose. The steps creaked like dry old
trees in a wind and listed toward the dirty white
wall. There were two apartments on the second
floor. The door to one of them was slightly ajar.
Maria gave it a push with her toe. It groaned as
it opened.
They found Father Alcazar. He was kneeling beside the
naked body of a man and weeping openly. His back
was toward them. Maria stepped in and Aideen
followed. If the priest heard them he made no
indication of it.
"Father Alcazar?" Maria said softly.
The priest turned his head around. His red eyes were
startling against his pale pink face. His collar was
dark where it was stained with tears. He turned back
to the body and then rose slowly. Backlit by the sharp
morning light his black robe looked flat, like a
silhouette. He walked toward them as though he were
in a trance. Then he removed a jacket from a
hook behind the door, went back to the dead man, and
laid it across his body.
As he did, Aideen had a chance to study the body.
The victim had been tortured, though not out of
vengeance. There were no burn or knife marks on his
torso. His eyes, ears, breast, and groin
appeared to be intact; only his limbs had been
worked over. He'd
206 OP-CENTER
been tortured for information. And his windpipe had been
smashed; to kill him slowly, as opposed to a blow
to the head. Aideen had seen this before, in Mexico.
It wasn't pretty, but it was prettier than what
the drug lords did to people they tortured for betraying
them. Strangely enough, it never stopped other people from
betraying the Mexican
senorios,
as they called them. The dead men and women always
believed that they were the ones who would never be caught.
The priest turned back toward the women. "I am
Father Alcazar," he said.
Maria stepped toward him. "My name is Maria,"
she said. "I'm with Interpol."
Aideen wasn't surprised that Maria had told
him who she really was. The killings were escalating.
This wasn't the time to go undercover.
"Did you know this man?" Maria asked.
The priest nodded. "He was my brother."
"I see," Maria said. "I'm sorry we couldn't
have gotten here sooner."
Norberto Alcazar gestured weakly behind
him as fresh tears spilled from his eyes. "I tried
to help him. I should have tried harder. But
Adolfo-he knew what he had gotten himself
into.""
Maria stepped up to the priest. She stood as tall
as he did and looked flush into his bloodshot
eyes. " "Father, please-help us. What
had
Adolfo gotten himself into?"
"I don't know," the priest said. "When I arrived
here he was hurt and talking wildly."
"He was still alive?" Maria asked. "You've got
to
BALANCE OF POWER 207
try to remember. Father, what he said! Words, names,
places-anything."
"Something about the city," Norberto said. "About a
church. He said a place or a name-Amadori."
Maria's eyes burned into his. "General
Amadori?"
"It could be," Norberto said. "He ... he did
say something about a general. I don't know. It was
difficult to understand."
"Of course," Maria said. "Father, I know this is
difficult. But it's important. Do you
have any idea who might have done this?"
He shook his head. "Adolfo was going to the radio
station last night," he sobbed. "That is all I
know. I do not know what business he had there other
than to deliver a tape recording. I came back
this morning on my way to bless the waters. I wanted
to see if he was all right. I found him like this."
"You saw no one coming or leaving?"
"No one."
Maria regarded him for a moment lon
ger. Her brow was
deeply knit, her eyes smouldering. " "One
question more. Father. Can you tell us where to find the
Ramirez boatworks?"
"Ramirez," the priest said. He took a long
tremulous breath. "Dolfo mentioned him. My
brother said that Ramirez and his friends were responsible
for killing an American."
"Yes," said Maria. She cocked a thumb over
her shoulder. "They killed this woman's partner."
"Oh-I'm so sorry," Norberto said to Aideen.
His eyes returned to Maria. "But Ramirez is
dead. My brother-saw to that."
208 OP-CENTER
"I know," Maria said.
"What do you want with his people?"
"To talk to them," Maria said. "To see if they were
involved in this." She nodded toward Adolfo.
"To see if we can prevent more murders, stop the
fighting from escalating."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"If we get to them in time," Maria said. "If we
learn what they know about Amadori and his people. But
please, Father. We must hurry. Do you know where the
factory is?"
Norberto took another deep breath. "It's
northeast along the shore. Let me come with you."
"No," said Maria.
"This is my parish-was
"That's right," she said, "and your parish desperately
needs your help. I don't. If the people panic,
if their fear frightens away tourists, think what will
happen to the region."
Norberto bowed his forehead into his hand.
"This is a lot to ask of you now, I know," Maria
said. "But you have to do this. I'm going to go to the factory
to talk with the workers. If what I think is happening
is
happening, then I know who the enemy is. And maybe
it's not too late to stop him."
Norberto looked up. He pointed behind
him without turning. " "Dolfo thought he knew who
the enemy was. He paid for that belief with his life.
Perhaps with his soul."
Maria locked her eyes on his and held them.
"Thousands of others may join him if I don't
hurry.
BALANCE OF POWER 209
I'll phone the local police from the car. They'll
take care of your brother.""
"I'll stay with him until then."
"Of course," Maria said, turning toward Aideen.
"And I will pray for you both."
"Thank you," Maria said. She stopped and turned
back. "While you're at it. Father, pray for the one
who needs it most. Pray for Spain."
Less than two minutes later they were back in the
car and heading northeast across the river.
"Are you really just going to talk to the factory
Clancy, Tom - Ballance of Power Page 20
