The lawyer could give him no information about Chela, but
he was able to tell him about the results of the abortive ceremony at the pyramid.
The government was maintaining its policy of belittling the movement, in order to discourage possible risings in the provinces. It had been given out that a group of fanatics who dabbled in occultism had held a type of Sabbath, their object being to reintroduce the worship of the old gods. The leaders had dressed themselves up as priests and endeavoured to impose on the credulous by again producing the English eccentric who had played the part of Quetzalcoatl at Uxmal and later escaped from prison. The movement had been condemned as anti social and liable to lead to breaches of the peace. On these grounds it had been made a penal offence to belong to it.
`You will no doubt be surprised to hear,' Wilkinson added, that, according to the official statement, the crowd was simply dispersed and no arrests were made. That, of course, is quite untrue. All those rounded up were screened; the small fry were allowed to go, but the leaders, among whom were a number of Militia officers, were detained and they have since simply disappeared. No doubt by this time several of them have been induced to talk and the Security Service is hard at it rounding up people in the provinces who were involved. The only warrants issued, as far as I know, were for Monsignor Alberuque and yourself. He is believed to have escaped and still be in hiding. According to your statement, you and Hunterscombe took him prisoner and later, while struggling with you, he fell out of the helicopter. But I don't think they will believe that for a moment. Their theory is that you and he took Hunterscombe prisoner and made off in the helicopter. So they will assume that you are trying to cover up for him and that he is still at large.'
That afternoon Adam had another visitor Bernadino Enriquez. White haired, fresh faced, his eyes as bright and his manner as forceful as ever, the millionaire smiled genially as he shook Adam's hand and said
`My dear Gordon, I'm most terribly distressed to find you in this situation. I made the police show me the statement you made end, of course, I've had the whole story from Chela; so I know it to be true.'
`How is she?' Adam asked.
`She is still a little lame, but the injury to her leg was nothing that the surgeons could not put right. Naturally, she has been terribly worried about you and when she heard yesterday that you had been captured she had a collapse.'
`I'm sorry about that, but glad her leg is going on well. I've
kept her out of this as far as I could; but, as we were at the Zupangos farm together, I had to explain how she got there.'
`Yes, you behaved very chivalrously, and it is entirely her fault that you are here. If it hadn't been for her you would never have played any part in this wretched business. In a sense I feel responsible myself, so I mean to do everything I can to help you.'
At this ray of hope, for the first time in days Adam brightened and he said quickly, `That's good of you, sir.' But after a moment he added, `I'm afraid, though, that the cards are stacked against me.'
`You are right about that,' Bernadino agreed. `If you were charged with an ordinary crime, even murder, I could buy you off. But, although the government is playing this business down as far as the public are concerned, they are very well aware of how dangerous it could be. In consequence, they mean to make sure that any conspirator they may fail to pull in shall never again have the chance of using you to represent Quetzalcoatl. I don't think there's a chance of getting you off altogether, but there is a faint one that we might be able to shoot down all the charges except “creating a public disturbance”. Then you would be given only a nominal sentence with a very much heavier suspended one, should you ever return to Mexico after you had served the short term and been deported. Anyway, I can provide you with the best legal help in Mexico City, which will ensure that you get a fair trial and that no point in your favour remains unstressed.'
Adam smiled wryly. `Well, that's something. The British Embassy are doing their best for me, too. Unfortunately, Chela is the only person who could testify to the truth about what really happened. But I doubt if they'd believe her; so it's better that she should protect her reputation by keeping out of it. Besides…'
`She won't. She is fully determined to give evidence on your behalf, and a woman of twenty six is entitled to do as she likes. Her friends won't think the worse of her for having been your mistress. You were going to add that she might land herself in prison, but you needn't fear that. In Mexico women are looked on as temperamental creatures, and not always accountable for their actions. At least, not if they have rich fathers who can pull a string or two. I suppose you know that she is not really my daughter?'
`Yes, she told me that; and about her awful childhood.'
Bernadino nodded. `That's the root of this whole damnable business her Indian blood. She has never forgotten what she suffered as a child. We all know that the natives led a pretty miserable existence. But so they do in Peru, Chile, India, China, Arabia and a score of other countries. Their condition here is
being improved gradually as more money becomes available. That's all that can be done for them, and her idea of making them overnight lords of all they survey was sheer lunacy.'
`It was Alberuque who put that bee in her bonnet.'
`Yes. He was crazy, too, of course. It couldn't possibly have worked, but he was a megalomaniac, simply out for himself with a mad dream of power. Chela told me that you chucked him out of the helicopter, and a damn' good job too.'
`I haven't admitted that,' Adam said hastily. `Otherwise they would probably have added “murder” to all the other charges.'
`No; even if they believed you, it's best that we should keep that under our hats. But Chela takes it badly, because he was an anointed priest. As soon as she was well enough to be moved from a nursing home, she went into retreat at the Convent of Santa Monica, and it's my belief that she spends most of her time now on her knees, praying that you will be forgiven.'
`I don't see why. As far as she knows, he was dead when I chucked him out.'
`No,' Bernadino disagreed. `She heard him scream as he went down. Still, don't let that worry you. It's your defence we have to concentrate on, and I have given orders that your meals are to be sent in from a restaurant. The warder will bring you the menu. Order what you like and keep as cheerful as you can.'
When the millionaire had left him, Adam felt distinctly more cheerful. It was good to know that he had such a powerful friend, and a really good dinner that night with a bottle of French wine to wash it down enabled him to sleep well for the first time since his arrest.
Next day, Bernardino’s lawyer came to see him. Senor Urquiza was a tall, thin man with a bulbous nose and slightly shifty black eves. They spent two hours together going over the whole story. Summing up, Urquiza said:
`As I see it, the defence rests upon being able to prove that you were supplying Hunterscombe with information. You did this through a radio transmitter. What happened to it?'
`The police took it from me in Vera Cruz,' Adam replied.