Then he hit upon it. Ramon had said that there was to be no publicity and he was to be tried in camera. Evidently such secret courts were held at night. There would be no prolonged arguments; at best only a stooge would have been nominated to plead on his behalf. He could ask to be allowed to get in touch with the British Embassy, but he thought it unlikely that his request would be granted. The odds were that, within an hour, he would be back in his cell; tried, convicted and with his life in ruins.
CHAPTER 15
In the Toils
THE warder took Adam upstairs to the room in which he had first been interrogated. The squat, bald Police Chief was there behind its desk and with him was Ramon, seated in an armchair smoking a cigar. He nodded to Adam, waved a hand towards his companion and said, `I think you have already met General Gomez, our Chief of Police for the Federal District.' Gomez then greeted Adam with ominous politeness, told him to sit down and went on
`You must be aware, Senor Gordon, that you are facing a very serious charge. For subversive activities a sentence can be given of up to ten years with, I may add, hard labour. Of your guilt here can be no possible doubt. My colleague in Merida infiltrated two Mestizos and a mulatto into your organization. They will testify to the speech you made, inciting to rebellion the considerable number of people who attended the meeting. Our prisons in Mexico are efficiently run, but I cannot too strongly stress that an educated man like yourself, who has been accustomed to every comfort, will find life in one of them almost unbelievably unpleasant.'
When he paused, Adam said bitterly, `As a writer with some imagination I do not need to be impressed about that. However, Before you bring me to trial, I demand that my Embassy should be informed. Without inviting serious trouble, you cannot ignore the right of a British subject to receive advice from a lawyer appointed by his Embassy and to be defended by him.'
The General smiled. `We do not intend to bring you to trial senor at least, not yet. I was speaking only of possible eventualities.'
Having let that sink in, he went on, `I have discussed your case very fully with Senor Enriquez. It was only this evening that I learned from him about the tour through several of our towns that you made a few weeks ago, and that during it you voluntarily gathered such information as you could for him about the conspiracy. Of course, I already knew all about the affair at San Luis Caliente; but through some oversight our Foreign Office failed to inform me of how you came to participate in it.'
New hope surged up in Adam. Hardly able to believe that after
all. there was a chance of his escaping imprisonment, he held his breath while G6mez took his time over lighting a cigar.
When the end was burning evenly, he said:
`The fact that at San Luis you nearly lost your life while working for us, and were compelled to act as a sacrificial priest in order to save it, puts a different complexion on matters; and I now take a much more favorable view of your case.'
`You…' Adam choked. 'You mean you're going to let me go?'
`Well; we shall see about that.'
'Su Excellencia, I beg you to! I swear that I was equally innocent in the affair at Uxmal. I had to go through with it if I was to stand any chance at all of securing further information for Senor Enriquez.'
`But you haven't,' Ramon put in. `Except for that of Don Alberuque, which was known to us already, you have not furnished us with the name of a single person of importance.'
`I couldn't; because there are none,' Adam flung at him. 'No Bishops and very few white priests are involved. I'm certain of that.'
`You cannot be certain. You may be lying or your informant may have been lying to you.'
`It was divulged to me during a highly emotional scene, in which there could have been no premeditation to deceive me.'
The Police Chief held up a plump, beringed hand. `Enough, senores. Let us get back to the present situation. As I see it, to begin with, Senor Gordon, being convinced that as a humanitarian it was his duty to do what he could to save this country from the horrors of a civil war, worked loyally to that end. Later there is reason to believe that he was persuaded to change his views and allow his likeness to the god Quetzalcoatl to be used by the conspirators. But we have no proof that his explanation for having done so is not the truth. Should we not, therefore, give him the benefit of the doubt?'
`Yes,' Ramon nodded. `I think we should.'
Adam was almost sobbing with relief. `Oh God be thanked!' he exclaimed. `And thank you both. As soon as I'm free tomorrow if there is a seat on a plane I'll leave Mexico. I meant to stay a good while longer, but I'll willingly cut short my visit so that you can be quite certain that these people have no chance to use me again.'
`Senor Gordon, you go too fast,' Gomez said smoothly. `As the Senor Enriquez has just remarked, we are by no means satisfied that none of the higher clergy are involved in this. We are going
to rely on you to find out for us if that really is so, and any further clans the conspirators may have.'
`No, please!' Adam violently shook his head. `I've had enough of this. More than enough. Think what I've suffered already as a result of getting mixed up in this business.'
Ramon smiled at him. `Yes, I'm afraid you've been through some very nasty experiences since you agreed to give me your help; and I'm sorry about that. But I'm afraid, Gordon, that you don't realise your position.'
`Exactly,' added the General, his voice suddenly hardening, and I had better make it clear. We can bring and prove a charge of subversive activity against you that will send you to prison for ten years. And that is what we shall do if you refuse us your aid.'
Adam's shoulders sagged and he said unhappily, `Then I've no alternative.'
`I'm glad, senor, that you realise it. And, after all, if you have been telling the truth, you have never deviated from your wish to help prevent an outbreak that would inevitably lead to the loss of many lives.'
`That is so, Excellencia. Very well. Tell me how you want me to set about it and I'll do my best. But wait a minute! Surely my hands are tied by the fact that they know I have been arrested? If you let me go, it's certain they'll tumble to it that your price for
releasing me was my agreeing to act as your stool pigeon.'
The Police Chief drew heavily on his cigar, then said quietly, We shall take measures to guard against that. At a conference this evening it was agreed to modify our policy of hushing things up. In the circumstances arising from your arrest, we decided that the severest blow we could deal the conspirators would be to treat their movement with contempt. But it would be unrealistic 'to turn you free at once, so I am afraid you will still have to go to prison.'
As Adam's face fell, he went on, `But not for long. You will be tried in camera to protect our agents who will give evidence against you. In your defence it will be stated that you are a crazy Englishman with a love of practical joking, and that some of your friends having remarked on your likeness to descriptions of Quetzalcoatl, you decided to play a prank on some gullible Indians. The charge will be reduced to one of “disturbing the peace”, and you will be sentenced to fourteen days in the upper division. As you will already have served four, you will be out in ten. The Press will be given a hand out of your trial, and its publication should result in discrediting the rumour that the Man God has returned to Mexico. That will put a damper on all but the most fanatical of the potential revolutionaries and greatly reduce their following. It will then be up to you to make contact at once with Alberuque and find out all you can for us.'