Free Esperanza by Trish J. MacGregor Page A

worry about it now. We’ll settle the bill when you leave. I just need to see your passports.”
    Passport. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d shown hers. But she slipped it out of her pack and turned it over to Granger, just as Ian did. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed he studied their passports just a tad too long.
    As Granger started filling out forms, Ian said, “You know, we both seem to be having memory problems. We can’t even remember getting on buses that dropped us at Bodega del Cielo. Tess was headed to Tulcán, I was going to the Galápagos.”
    Granger made a dismissive gesture. “Not unusual. The bus system in this part of Ecuador is confusing. People end up on the wrong buses all the time. As for your memory, it’s the altitude, mate. Once you cross the Río Palo, the road climbs to over thirteen thousand feet. Esperanza is at thirteen-two.Don’t drink alcohol for at least twenty-four hours. Stay hydrated. Sleep all you want. You’ll feel a hundred percent better in another day.”
    “I don’t remember seeing any river,” Tess said.
    “You crossed it shortly before you reached the bodega.” Granger finished his forms and handed the passports back to them. “As the crow flies, Esperanza isn’t very far from the bodega. But the road twists upward for more than seven thousand feet. It’s like going from, oh, maybe Denver to the continental divide.”
    “Where can we make travel arrangements?” Tess asked.
    “And I’d like to make a call to the States,” Ian added.
    “Calls can be made from the cottage. As for travel, we can arrange things for you here at the desk. Or there’re bus stations in town. But I recommend resting up for a day or two. And while you’re here, you might as well see our marvelous city. If you’re hungry, we have a great restaurant here in the inn, open twenty-four/seven. Or there are other restaurants throughout Esperanza. And your cottage will have food in the fridge. We also have shops in the immediate vicinity where you can buy whatever you may have left at home.” He slipped their passports and two maps across the counter. “City maps, so you can find your way around. The town can be confusing to newcomers.”
    “What’s the population of Esperanza?” Tess asked.
    “About twenty thousand. We lose young people every year, you know how it is—the bigger cities beckon, they go off to the university, find better-paying jobs.” He leaned forward, lowered his voice. “I heard about what happened on your way in. The fog. The, uh,
brujos.
They often travel in the fog, for cover, so it’s a good idea if you don’t wander outside of town.”
    “What exactly are these
brujos,
Mr. Granger?” Ian asked. “Back at the bodega, one of them grabbed Tess’s arm and then later on he turned up dead outside.”
    “Dead?” Granger looked as if Ian had just told him a UFO had landed on the White House lawn. His gaze flicked to Tess. “You’re sure it was the same man?”
    “Yes. He looked like he had bled out.”
Tick-tock,
whispered the clock on the wall. Tess watched the hands click forward and realized a full thirty seconds passed before Granger spoke.
    “What did the police do?”
    “The only cop there was drunk,” she replied. “He didn’t do anything.”
    Granger clicked his tongue against his teeth, shook his head. “I’m reallysorry you had to go through that.” His soft, conspiratorial voice struck Tess as phony. “These
brujos
fight among themselves all the time. They’re crazies. Outcasts.”
    “Outcasts from where?” Ian asked.
    “Mate, if I knew the answer to that, I’d be happy to share it. But no one really knows. My theory is they’re thieves, drug runners, undesirables from all over South America who are looking to make Esperanza their home base. They seem to have some sort of, I don’t know what you call it. Unusual abilities?” He shrugged, palms aimed at the ceiling. “Sara Wells will want to talk to you as