Chad jiggled the handle of the door to the holding room and resisted the urge to try to break it down with his shoulder. He still had no idea why his name had produced a red flag worthy of detaining him, but he did know that every minute of delay put Natalie’s life in more danger.
The nine-by-nine holding room closed in on him. He had no way to communicate with the outside world and no way to leave. Crossing to the other side of the room, he stopped beneath the small window six feet above the floor. Even if he could open the window, the bars made escape impossible …
He pressed his fingers against his pulsating temples. He must be going crazy, coming up with scenarios to escape from his own country’s embassy.
The door opened behind him, and Chad spun around. A well-dressed officer entered the room and tossed a file folder and a pad of paper onto the wooden table. Tall, burly, and obviously American, the guy meant business.
“You’re Dr. Chad Talcott?”
“Yes.”
The door slammed shut behind him. “Sit down.”
Chad hesitated, then complied. There was something unnerving about being treated as a suspect on American soil. The United States Embassy was supposed to be his one place of refuge.
“I want to know what’s going on.” Chad leaned forward. “My friend, Natalie Sinclair, has been kidnapped.”
The man sat down across from him. “I’ve been made aware of your concerns for Miss Sinclair, but we have another problem to deal with first.”
“I don’t think you understand. Her life is in danger.”
“My name is Paul Hayes.” He opened the red file folder and leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. “Security is high across the city with the upcoming elections, and your name just came up with a red flag on our computers.”
“So I heard.” Chad shook his head. “What does that mean?”
“It means that the government here has placed you on their wanted list.”
Chad reached out to grab the stack of photos from the open file, but Mr. Hayes was too quick. He flipped the file shut. “Not yet. We’ll get to the photos, but first I want you to tell me why you’re living in this country.”
Chad combed his fingers through his hair. “I’m a doctor working with Volunteers for Hope International. You have my passport and work visa. You can check it out.”
“I already have.”
“Then why the twenty questions?”
“How long have you known Natalie Sinclair?”
Apparently the game wasn’t over. “I met her three days ago. She came by the clinic with a boy who had a head injury.”
Mr. Hayes glanced at the file. “And yet this says you arrived in the country September 13 of this year?”
“Yes.” Chad’s head began to throb as he searched for an explanation to this round of questioning.
“And you’re telling me that in all this time you didn’t run into her?” Mr. Hayes continued.
“Why would I?”
“In my experience people of the same nationality and language tend to run in the same social circles.”
Chad let out a long, slow breath. “It’s a big country. Besides, between twelve-hour shifts and emergency cases, I don’t exactly have time for afternoon tea.”
Mr. Hayes frowned but let the comment slide. “When you met her at the clinic, was this the first time the two of you had met?”
“We went to the same high school back in Oregon, but that was ten years ago. She was younger than I was, so we weren’t exactly friends. In fact, I didn’t even recognize her at first.”
Mr. Hayes thumped his notepad with his pen. “Is it true that Natalie has access to government aid funds?”
“I don’t know.” Chad fought the urge to knock the table over and give the guy a piece of his mind. If the other man didn’t have the advantage of six inches and fifty pounds and the authority to arrest him, he would do it. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Dr. Talcott. For now, I’m the one asking the questions.”
“Listen.” Chad stood, walked to the window, then turned to face his accuser. “I understand that you have some sort of procedure to follow, and that you have to follow that procedure to help ensure the safety of this country, but—”
“Dr. Talcott.” The man held up his hand. “I don’t believe you are grasping the seriousness of this situation.”
“I think I am. Are you aware that not only has Natalie been kidnapped, but we believe that the election has been rigged? Those photos, in the right hands, could help stop it and save the potentially hundreds of people being held in slave camps.”
Mr. Hayes flipped the folder back open. “What are you talking about?”
Chad grabbed the stack of photos and spread them out across the table. “These photos were taken in a village outside the city of Kasili by a fifteen-year-old boy named Joseph Komboli. He came to Natalie after watching his family being taken from their home by Ghost Soldiers. He also overheard two men talking about a fixed election.” Chad rested his palms on the table and gripped the edge. “With the phone lines down in Kasili, we’ve spent the past forty-eight hours trying to get here in order to alert somebody who will do something about it.”
“So despite the fact that you’ve only known the woman for three days, you left your job at the hospital and set off on some wild trek across the RD because of a handful of photos some boy claims he took?”
“If you’d look at the photos, I think you would understand why I’m here.” He took in a quick breath. “And if I’m right about the election, how do you think that will look in the midst of your peaceful UN election process?”
Paul picked up one of the photos and studied the image. “Who are these two men?”
“One is a senior military officer, which means there’s obviously a lot more going on behind this than a simple rendezvous in the jungle.”
“Who knows you have these photos?”
For the first time, Chad felt as if he had the man’s attention. “Patrick Seko, who runs a security task force for the president. Stephen Moyo, who works as a liaison between the RD government and nonprofit organizations working in the country. And Patrick’s fiancée, Rachel. Maybe more by now.”
Mr. Hayes rubbed his graying goatee and frowned. “I’ll be honest with you, Dr. Talcott. I’m having a hard time believing all of this.”
“Someone with a whole lot of clout wants these photos. Our plane went down, we were chased down the Congo River, and now Natalie’s missing. We also found out they have a reward out for our capture.” Chad’s head pounded, but he wasn’t done yet. “Look at those photos and you’ll see a village being ransacked. People were murdered, and the rest dragged away. You can’t just dismiss all this as coincidence.”
Mr. Hayes’ frown deepened. “I know about the reward to bring you both in, but the problem is that it doesn’t have anything to do with this stack of photos.”
“Then I don’t understand.” Chad sat back down in his chair. “I think it’s time you told me exactly what I’m being accused of.”
“It’s all right here. I have evidence of wire transfers to an undisclosed off-shore account with signatures on the bottom.” Mr. Hayes shoved a stack of documents across the table and cleared his throat. “You’re being accused of embezzling two and a half million dollars of aid money earmarked for the Republic of Dhambizao.”