She wondered what kind of a woman would give up a man like him. Did his pleasant façade hide some deep, dark buried secret?
“If it’s any comfort,” he said, “the inspector acted suspicious with me when he came by the clinic this afternoon. Maybe it’s the way he says things. He has a squint that would do Inspector Clouseau proud.”
Elena laughed. “You’re right. He does look like a Latin version of Peter Sellers.”
They both laughed, and Elena felt better. Maybe the whole world wasn’t conspiring against her. Maybe she was being paranoid.
“What did he ask you?” Elena said.
“My role and how I got there, our relationship. I told him about the little kid that came running into the clinic with the doctor.”
“What little kid?”
“A skinny kid in shorts. You know, one of the kids that hang out on corners.”
“You mean a child was with the doctor when he came into the clinic to get you?”
“Right, why?”
“Because there was a child at the Archaeological Park this morning, running away from the Temple, running like his life depended on it. I called to him but he kept running like he didn’t hear me. I didn’t think twice about it until now. But that child may have discovered the murder before I did and ran to town to get the doctor.”
“He looked pretty frightened when he came into the clinic. He went back out to the site with us. After that he disappeared.”
“I wonder what that child saw.”
“The doctor called him Flaco. He might know where the kid lives. I’ll ask him. Hold on, the road gets worse after we make this turn.”
The rough road wasn’t anything new for Elena who had been in places as remote as the headwaters of the steamy Amazon rainforest and the high peaks of the Andes. Their progress was slow as the Jeep lurched over large rocks jutting through the road surface. She gripped the window brace.
As they bounced along, it dawned on her that Dominic’s presence provided a protective barrier between her and her fears, like a seawall breaking a rough tide.
“Why do you go into the villages?” she asked. “Are you a doctor?” She was curious and a straight question was the best way she knew to get information.
“No, not a doctor. I was an Episcopal priest. Before that I worked in the pharmaceutical industry. As a priest, I got interested in mission work and before I knew it I was asked to come here. I like the people, and they seem to trust me.”
“I’ve never met an Episcopal priest before.”
“Well, I’m no longer one. I resigned and doubt I’ll ever go back.”
Silence stretched between them. He didn’t offer any more information, and Elena didn’t ask since it was clear it wasn’t something he wanted to talk about.
They passed banana trees growing wild, mixed with scrub palms. The dense jungle hugged them close. The first little shanty appeared. The village was nothing but a few shacks huddled on a hillside.
“Does this place have a name?” asked Elena.
“San Lucas,” said Dominic, stopping the Jeep. He hopped out and came around to help Elena. A toddler wearing only a torn t-shirt stood looking at them, thumb in his mouth, big brown eyes assessing the Jeep and its occupants.
Dominic picked up the little guy and asked him where his mama was. The child stared at him with those big brown eyes and smiled, pointing overhead. A parrot squawked at them from a perch in the tree.
“Yes, I see the parrot,” said Dominic, “but he is not your mama.”
The child solemnly stared at Dominic.
“This is Eduardo,” Dominic said. “I have never heard him speak. It’s his mama we’ve come to check on.”
The child put his thin arm on Dominic’s shoulder, and they started toward the house.
“Angelina, are you here? It’s Dominic, come to see you.”
A girl appeared at the door with an enormous belly.
She looked too young and vulnerable, Elena thought, to be carrying such a burden, and this was her second child. Her heart went out to her. They chatted in Spanish heavy with Mayan dialect. Dominic must have spent a lot of time with the villagers to have been able to acquire such an impressive indio vocabulary. One word caught her ear. Fantasma. Ghost. Then as she listened she realized they were discussing the murder at the ruins, and she marveled how fast bad news traveled.
The young mother’s eyes were wide and wary. “Everyone is afraid,” she said. “People say that a ghost killed the stranger. Que Dios le bendiga.” She crossed herself. “The ghost of the murdered man will come looking for us. They say it is not good to disturb the ruins, like the foreigners have done, that the ghosts will take their revenge and steal children from the villagers.”
Dominic tried to allay her fears. “Angelina, don’t worry. There are no ghosts. No one will harm the children. Now, are you ready to come into town to stay with your sister? You will be safe there. You can go with us today.”
The girl shook her head. “It isn’t time yet. Besides my husband wants me to stay here where he can look after me. Tell my sister I am fine.”
But she didn’t look fine. She looked worn out. Her dress and bare feet were dusty, her hair was in a straggly pony tail, and dark circles shadowed her eyes.
Dominic put Eduardo down. The child put up his hand in a high five position, and Dominic tapped it. Eduardo did the same for Elena, and she found herself enchanted by his big, trusting eyes.
“Adios,” said Dominic, waving goodbye to Eduardo and Angelina.
“Superstition is the worst,” he said on the ride back. “It gets in the way of reason. Her husband is a jealous man. He doesn’t let her out of his sight except when he works in the fields. It’s a bad situation. Her sister wants the doctor to deliver the baby because Angelina’s health has been poor.”
“The little boy is so cute and solemn,” she said. “Are they really afraid of ghosts?”
“Yes. Ghosts, old Mayan customs, and Catholicism are all jumbled together. Now a ghost is responsible for the murder. Perhaps we should suggest that to the inspector.”
He glanced over at Elena, and they laughed together.
“I’ll bring it up the next time I see him,” she said.
It was almost dark when they got back to the clinic. The line of mothers with babies and children, old women and men had dwindled.
“Would you like to get something to eat?” asked Dominic. “I’ll finish up here, and we can walk to a restaurant.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll call it a day. You’ve been very kind. Will you find out about the little boy who came to the clinic to get Dr. Hidalgo as soon as you can? I have a hunch he may be key to clearing my good name.”
Four
Dominic helped Corazón with the last of the people in line at the clinic, writing down names, essential details, nature of complaint. Corazón treated those she could and made appointments for others to see Dr. Hidalgo. The doctor came in close to evening closing time. As Dr. Hidalgo examined a small boy with a broken arm that Corazón had set, Dominic remembered his promise to Elena.
“Who was the boy with you this morning, Doctor Hidalgo?”
The doctor handed a pain prescription to the boy’s mother and a lollipop to the child whose tears turned to smiles as he followed his mother from the clinic. The doctor put down his pen and sat back in the chair.
“What a day,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “The boy is called Flaco. He works the tourist population at the pyramids, selling chewing gum. He lives under the bridge on the road to the Archaeological Park.”
“He was the one who came to get you, right?”
“Yes, he knows me because I sometimes treat him and the other homeless boys for fleas and lice and other childhood maladies. Those boys are pretty wild. Why do you ask?”