Shadow of the Jaguar (Peter Craig 1970s Mystery & Adventure) by Kenneth Benton

Author:Kenneth Benton [Benton, Kenneth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, mystery and detective
Published: 1975-05-06T04:00:00+00:00

10

Thursday Afternoon

The plan to move the volunteers to the refuge had been postponed, and they were given lunch in the students’ dining room. Some of the anger and frustration at being confined had passed, but they were still in no mood to be friendly with the remaining six members of Miguel’s cell who, they had decided, were stool-pigeons.

‘Why d’you think they’ve been put together with us?’ shouted the Australian. ‘I’ll tell you why. Their job is to listen to what we say among ourselves and spill it all to Miguel. That’s so, Helmut Springer, you rotten Kraut, isn’t it?’

Springer said, ‘No, it isn’t. I don’t care whether you believe us or not, but all we were planning to do was give help to some political refugees who are on the run in Brazil.’

‘But you agreed to hold us as hostages, didn’t you? Marisa blurted that out this morning.’

Helmut cast a withering glance at the weeping Italian girl. ‘Yes. We did. But it seems we were only a screen for the real plot. I don’t understand what’s going on any more than you do. All I know is that Lopez and that capitalist swine Santa Cruz are involved, and I wouldn’t work with them even if they asked me.’

There was a growl of disbelief from the others. ‘You keep yourself and your Commie friends away from us, that’s all I say,’ said the Australian.

The door opened and Miguel came in. Half a dozen volunteers jumped from their benches and advanced on him, shouting, but the guards pushed them back with their rifle butts.

‘If you misbehave you won’t get food,’ said Miguel. ‘Now listen, all of you. You will be well cared for, and released as soon as our ultimatum to the Peruvian Government is accepted. And I can assure you it will be.’

Someone shouted ‘How d’you know this? They’ve probably got troops coming up the valley already.’

Miguel smiled. ‘They wouldn’t get far, because the road from Tambo has been blocked. In addition, they’ll have another reason for doing what we say, and one that’ll carry a lot more weight than the fate of a couple of dozen volunteers. In any case, we’re going to move you to a place of safety, so that if there is any attempt at armed action you won’t be in danger. Two trucks are waiting outside. You will go in one and the Military Police prisoners in the other. And don’t think you’ll have any chance of escape. Your baggage has been packed for you and is in the truck. All except shoes, which you’ll collect later, together with those you’re wearing now. Take them off and leave them here when you go out.’

‘You think we can’t run without them?’ asked one of the volunteers scornfully.

‘Not unless you want to get frost-bite,’ answered Miguel. ‘You’re going to the silver mine, where you’ll be quite comfortable and well fed. You’ll get your shoes back when you arrive there. If you try to escape from the mine’—he shrugged his shoulders—’you’ll be shot.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.