Passage by Night - Jack Higgins [38]
13
From the Jaws of the Tyrant
As they turned onto the waterfront, a thin fog rolled in from the harbour, pushed by the wind. Although there were lights in many windows, the streets were deserted and when Manning braked to a halt a few yards from Bayo's place, he was conscious of the extreme quiet.
'Are you sure your friends will be here?' Orlov asked.
'They'd better be. I don't know where else to start looking,' Manning said. 'You stay here. I'll see how things are.'
He approached the hotel and peered in through the window. Bayo stood behind the bar reading a newspaper and three old men played cards in the corner. Otherwise, the place was deserted.
He moved back to Orlov who waited beside the jeep. 'No sign of them. Let's hope they're here somewhere.'
They moved along a narrow alley at the side of the building and turned into a cobbled yard. The back door wasn't locked and they stepped into a large, whitewashed kitchen. A small black-and-white puppy who had been sleeping in a basket in the corner rushed forward and started yapping furiously. As Manning bent to down to pat him, the door to the bar opened and Bayo came in.
'Here, what do you want?' he demanded angrily and then he recognized Manning.
He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, crossing himself hurriedly. 'Holy Mother aid me.'
'You've got nothing to worry about,' Manning said in English. 'I only want to know what's happened to Papa Melos and Anna.'
Bayo was quite obviously terrified. 'If Rojas finds I've helped you, he'll take a week over killing me.'
'If you're smart, he won't need to know.'
The Cuban made an obvious effort to pull himself together, crossed the room and opened another door. 'In here.'
Papa Melos lay on a bed against the wall, eyes closed, mouth slightly open. There was an empty bottle of rum on the bed, and another had spilled half its contents across the floor so that the whole place stank of liquor.
Orlov bent down, rolled back one of the old man's eyelids and felt his pulse. He turned and shook his head. 'He'll be like this for hours.'
Manning kicked the empty rum bottle across the floor and turned to Bayo. 'How long's he been like this?'
'Several hours. He tried to see Colonel Rojas again about his boat, but they wouldn't let him through the gates. Then he found they'd moved it out into the harbour and put a guard on board. That was when he came back and started on the rum.'
'What about the girl?'
'She did her best to stop him, but he wouldn't listen.'
'Where is she now?'
'She went to Colonel Rojas to beg him to return the boat to her father.'
'He wouldn't cut his own mother down if she were hanging,' Manning said.
'Who knows, Senor?' Bayo shrugged. 'She is pretty and the colonel's weakness for young girls is well known.'
Manning's throat turned dry. He moistened his lips and said, 'Where does he live? At the fortress?'
Bayo shook his head. 'He has a hacienda about a quarter of a mile out of town. Very fine, senor. Set in a walled garden.'
'What about guards?'
'There is one on the gate, three inside. And the colonel's aide, Lieutenant Motilina, he lives at the house also. He is personally responsible for his security.'
Manning stood there thinking about it and Orlov said, 'You are thinking of paying this place a visit?'
Manning nodded. 'I'll take the jeep. If I'm not back in an hour I suggest you steal a boat from the harbour and get the hell out of here.'
'When we go, we go together,' Orlov said. 'Besides, I should enjoy meeting Rojas again.'
'Then we'd better take the old man with us,' Manning said. 'From now on, we're going to have to move fast. I wouldn't like to have to leave him behind.' He turned to Bayo. 'We have a jeep outside.'
'I will carry him for you, senor.'
Bayo hoisted the old man across his shoulders