Having no option but to co operate, Adam felt that he could do himself no good by sulking; so to `show willing', he said, `I congratulate you, Excellencia, on your plan. It will not only give me a clean bill, but should do great damage to the movement.'
Ramon stood up, laid a hand on Adam's shoulder and said cheerfully
`Now, Gordon, feeling confident that you would be sensible and accept the situation, we have a little surprise for you. I'm sure that in these past few days you must have found the prison food far from agreeable; but at least we can provide you with one good meal. We would like you to join us for supper.'
The Police Chief threw open the door to an adjoining room, smiled and gestured to Adam to precede him. It was a conference room. At one end of the long table three places had been laid, and on a sideboard against one wall was set out an admirable cold collation. At the sight of it Adam suddenly felt ravenous, but when he helped himself he controlled his impulse to be greedy. Noticing his restraint, Ramon laughed and piled more food on his plate, while Gomez poured him a glass of French burgundy.
Within a few minutes the whole atmosphere had changed. Quite suddenly, it came upon Adam that, although he had been coerced into helping the authorities, it was the right thing to do. At first sight he had intensely disliked Alberuque and there could be no question about his being a trouble maker of the first order. At all costs he must be prevented from misleading the wretched Indians, Negroes and Mestizos into throwing their lives away in clashes with well armed troops.
As they ate and drank, the three of them discussed the situation freely as friends willingly united in a cause. Urged on by the others, Adam ate supper enough for four and, when he rose from the table, carried a whole bottle of good wine beneath his belt.
Returning to the other room they all shook hands, then Gomez rang for the warder. Before he arrived, Ramon took Adam out into the passage and said to him in a low voice, `Don't worry about Chela. She has been absolutely miserable since she returned from Uxmal. I can't possibly let her in on it that you will be free in ten days, but I can assure you she will be overjoyed at seeing you.'
Adam returned to his cell a different man and, in spite of the rock like pillow, fell happily into a dreamless sleep.
In the morning he was brought up to a small courtroom inside the Police Headquarters. Neither the Police Chief nor Ramon was present, but the trial lasted barely ten minutes and followed he lines Adam had been told to expect. Later in the day he was conveyed several miles in a closed van to a prison that lay some where on the outskirts of the city. There particulars of him were again taken. To his considerable relief he was then allowed to have the first bath he had had since he had left Uxmal, and afterwards was escorted to a clean cell furnished with an iron bedstead, with sheets as well as a blanket, a table and a chair. From the warder, who seemed a decent man, he learned that its fellow prisoners were nearly all Mexicans: business men who had committed fraud or sexual offences, debtors and opponents of the government who had aired their views too loudly; also that they were given two hours' exercise a day, one in the morning end one in the afternoon, and that he could draw three books a week from the prison library. Far more surprising, he was informed by the warder that if he was married or had a girl friend the lady would be allowed to visit him once a week, and that rooms were provided in which for an hour they could enjoy themselves in private.
Giving the Mexican government full marks for its humanity and wise precaution against the spread of homosexuality, Adam resigned himself without anxiety to his ten days in prison.
Next day was Sunday. So much had happened to him recently that he found it almost impossible to believe that only a week had elapsed since he had spent a happy, carefree day with Chela, rambling round the ruins at Chichen Itza.
He was thinking of her late in the afternoon when the warder game to tell him that he had a visitor. Recalling the lenient regulations regarding the prisoners and women, his heart leapt it the thought that Chela would have learned through the morning papers what had happened to him and had come to see him. For who else could it be?
On reaching a small reception room, he suffered a sharp disappointment. His visitor was not Chela, but Jeremy Hunterscombe. When they had greeted each other, they were locked in the room, and sat down on two of the hard chairs set round a bare table. The lanky Wing Commander brushed up his flowing moustache and said:
`Well, chum, you've landed yourself in a fine mess. Read all about it in the paper this morning. You'll remember I told you what was cooking and asked you to play along with these revolutionaries, then give me the lowdown on what they were up to?'
`Yes,' Adam admitted, `and I refused to spy for you on my friends.'
`Fair enough, dear boy, But that's one thing, and it's quite another to have allowed them to use you as their stalking horse. Of course, Chela is quite a wench and at times we all make fools of ourselves over women. But really! To let them dress you up like a peacock, then to spout a lot of Marxist stuff to a mob of yahoos…'
`What is done, is done,' said Adam testily. `Maybe I behaved stupidly but, anyhow, the authorities have let me off lightly.'
`By Jove, they have. You might have been picking the old oakum or sewing mail bags for a term of years. Someone once told me you had been nicknamed “Lucky” Gordon. Seems jolly apt to me. Still, that's beside the point. In nine days you'll be out of here, but persona non grata with the Mexican government. That means you'll have to shake the dust of this country off your brogues and pronto. At the Embassy it is part of our job to look after British subjects; even when they do behave like nuts. So I've dropped in to offer the old Austin Reed service: get you a reservation on an aircraft, arrange to collect you in a car and see you safely on your way to England, Home and Beauty.'
`It's very good of you,' Adam replied. `But as it happens, I shan't be leaving Mexico.'
Hunterscombe gave a slightly superior smile. `Dear boy, I hate to disillusion you, but you certainly will. The Mexican government apart, H.E. has expressed his desire for your absence. Strange as it may sound to your evidently Marxist ears, we don't want British subjects here who are likely to embarrass us by advocating the overthrow of the regime; and your passport will in future be endorsed “not valid” for entry into Mexico. Believe me, chum, the skids are under you and, like it or not, you've got to quit.'
Although at their last meeting Adam had assured Ramon and General Gomez of his co operation, the willingness he had shown had been mainly inspired by his relief at escaping a long prison sentence. Since then, he had had ample time to contemplate the matter in a more sober light. Reluctant as he was to forgo any prospect of renewing his affaire with Chela, he would have given a great deal to be freed from his dangerous obligation. But he realised that he had no choice, so he said
`I wish to goodness that when I am released from prison I could go straight on board an aircraft and get out of this bloody country. But His Excellency's desire to be rid of me will cut no ice. The Mexicans wouldn't let me go.'
`Why shouldn't they?'
`Because they've got me on a hook. They're blackmailing me.'
The devil they are!' Hunterscombe frowned; then, after a moment, said:
Now look, Gordon. I don't care what you've done and you had better come clean with me. As I said, it is up to us to do what we for you, and there is no one else to whom you can turn for help; so tell all.'
Adam gave an unhappy nod. `Yes, you're right. Well, this is what happened. Although I refused to spy on my friends for you, I was later persuaded by Ramon Enriquez to find out what I could about this revolutionary movement. What followed we need not go into until we come to my arrest down at Uxmal. That would never have taken place if the Police Chief at Merida had been put in the picture. But he wasn't, and being an eager beaver he, he had me pulled in. The big boys here have been pretty smart, though. They could treat me either as a criminal or a practical joker, and I was given the choice. Naturally, I preferred ten days to ten years, but the price was that, when I came out, should work for them again.'