When Scott and Benny walked out of Walmart, he was car-rying a plastic shopping bag and they were wearing new clothes. Benny had bought jeans and a black Polo shirt, and Scott had abandoned the denim work shirt for a brown Har-ley-Davidson T-shirt. They had changed in the bathrooms and tossed the old clothes in the trash. Scott kept the hat.
They stepped away from the door and stood on the sidewalk. Scott opened the plastic bag and handed Benny a bottle of water. He twisted the cap off a second bottle and took a long drink. The cold water felt good going down. Then he handed her a candy bar and took a second one for himself. They were extra large 3 Musketeers bars, loaded with fat and carbohydrates. Neither of them had eaten since last night, and they were both starving.
After gobbling down a candy bar and taking another long pull of water, Benny said, "I have to call my uncle and ask him to take Rosalita out of school right away."
Scott nodded as he chewed the last of his 3 Musketeers bar. In addition to the clothes, water, and candy bars, they had also bought a prepaid cell phone. Scott tore the phone from its hard plastic packaging and pressed the power but-ton. As the phone powered up, he handed it to Benny.
It was dangerous for either of them to call anyone, espe-cially since they had no way of knowing whose phones were being monitored; and if the people chasing them had proven anything, it was that they had access to some very high-level technology and resources. But there was no way to stop Benny from doing everything she could to keep her daughter safe. Not that Scott would even want to try. He knew he would do anything to protect his own children, consequenc-es be damned. "Keep it short," he said.
Benny nodded as she punched in the country code for Mexico and a telephone number.
* * * *
Father Rodrigo was steering his truck with one hand and holding his mobile phone with the other when the phone rang. He stared down at it in surprise. He had just tried for the third time to reach his niece, but his calls went straight to her voicemail without even ringing. He was pretty sure that meant either the phone had been switched off or the battery was dead.
A horn blew and when he looked up he realized he had drifted into the oncoming lane. He jerked the wheel and got the old girl back on course.
His phone rang again. This time he raised the phone so he could see both it and the road at the same time. The caller ID showed the incoming call was from a blocked number. That was very unusual and he considered not answering it, but maybe it was one of his parishioners in some kind of trouble. Though if it were, given his present circumstances, he couldn't offer much in the way of help. But perhaps he could offer some human comfort or spiritual guidance.
Rodrigo thumbed the ANSWER button. "This is Father Rodrigo," he said.
"Tío."
Thank God. It was Benetta. Rodrigo was so glad to hear her voice he let go of the steering wheel entirely and crossed himself. The truck pulled hard to the left, but he got it back under control before he hit anything. "Sobrina, where are you?"
"I'm...across the river."
"With the American?"
"Yes."
"What's happened?"
"Nothing," she said. "Nothing has happened, but I need you to get Rosalita."
"Isn't she in school?"
"I need you to take her out of school."
"Benetta, listen to me. You're in danger."
"I know. That's why I need you to-"
"Two men came to the church looking for you and Agent Greene."
"Who?" she asked, an edge of panic in her voice.
"Los Zetas."
"What did they want?"
"To know where you and-"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. I left before...before I had to answer their questions."
She was quiet for several seconds. Then she said, "Now they'll be after you too."
"Why are they looking for you?"
"Can you get Rosalita for me?"
"Of course, I can," Rodrigo said. "But we can't go back to the church."
"I'll meet you."
"Where?" he asked.
"I...don't know." Now she sounded desperate.
"Do you remember where I used to take you when you were a little girl," he said, "the place where we got those cookies you loved so much?"
"The market?"
"So you do remember."
"Of course, I remember," she said, sounding like she was about to cry. "They were the best cookies in the world."
"We'll meet you there."
"I don't know how long it will take me to get there."
"It doesn't matter," Rodrigo said. "She'll be safe with me."
"I know that."
"We'll see you there."
"Thank you, tío. I love you."
"I love you too, sobrina."
Rodrigo turned at the next corner and headed toward Rosalita's school.
* * * *
Benny ended the call with her uncle and turned to Scott. The conversation had been in Spanish. Scott hadn't understood any of it, but he understood the pain in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.
They were still standing outside Walmart.
"Tío is getting Rosalita from school," Benny said.
"There's more."
She stared at him. Then took a deep breath. "Two men came to the church looking for us."
"Who?"
She didn't answer.
"Who?" he said again.
"Los Zetas."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Take a guess."
Benny looked away without answering.
"You said none of this was Los Zetas-not Ortiz, not the video, not Mike's death. None of it. That's what you said."
She turned back to face him. There were tears in her eyes. "And I told you the truth."
"Then why is Los Zetas looking for us at your uncle's church?"
"The Nuevo Laredo plaza belongs to them."
"I understand that," Scott said. He understood it well. The decades of internecine fighting between the cartels, and the ten-plus years of open warfare between the cartels and the Mexican government were all about who controlled the key crossing points on the border and the shipment corridors leading through them, what the cartels called the plazas, and the Nuevo Laredo plaza was one of the most valuable. "But what does that have to do with you?"
"I told you I don't know," Benny said. "All I know is that I have to meet my uncle and get Rosalita."
Scott realized there was no sense pressing her. Not right now. Because no matter what else Officer Benetta Alvarez might be, she was a mother first, trying to protect her child. He nodded. "I agree. We need to get her to a safe place right away."
"I don't know a place like that," she said.
"Can your uncle drive her across the border?"
Benny shook her head. "The Americans will only allow children to cross the border if they are with their parents."
"Do they even check that?"
"Yes," she said. "And most of the time very carefully."
"I've seen thousands of refugee children on the news come across without their parents," Scott said. "Whole train loads of them."
"That's only when your politicians want to make a point."
"So you're going back across and get her?"
"I have to," Benny said.
Scott touched the flash drive hanging beneath his T-shirt. He had no idea what to do next. There was no one else he trusted with the video now that Glenn was dead. Maybe it could wait. "I'll go with you," he said.
Benny shook her head. "You don't have to do that."
"I know I don't," he said. "But I want to help."
She nodded. "Thank you."
"The police are looking for us, so the bridge is out," Scott said. "And I'm not shooting my way through that tun-nel again."
"I know a way."
"The last time you said that we almost got killed."
"This way is safer," Benny said and tried to smile. "I promise."