Free Horns of the Devil - Jeff Trask [02] by Marc Rainer

they lost the election in El Salvador. See what you can find out about any internal conflicts within the FMLN. And finally, since Very Special Agent Doroz assures me he can get some documentation from somewhere, I need to know all you can find out about one José Rios-García, the deputy chief of mission who doesn’t seem to want to extend the courtesy of speaking English to American visitors to his embassy.”
    Lynn looked up at Doroz.
    “Again, granted,” he said.

    “Did you recognize any of the photographs?” asked Juan Carlos Lopez-Portillo.
    “The one who killed Armando was the fourth on the sheet,” Rios said. “We have already dealt with him.”
    “And the one who ordered it?”
    “My information is that it was ordered locally by the head of a Mara clique here in Washington, Esteban Ortega. He probably got orders from someone in La Esperanza .”
    “How reliable is your information?”
    “The parasite who gave it to us thought he was saving his life by doing so. He was also wrong about thinking he would be allowed to live. I believe the information is accurate. The Americans seem to have arrived at the same conclusion, otherwise the photograph of Armando’s killer would not have been on their page of photographs.”
    “How long do you think it will take to deal with Ortega?” the ambassador asked.
    “Not long.”
    “Good. But José,” the ambassador continued, “use your English when we have American visitors.”
    The man with the eye patch grunted, then turned away.

    Crawford paced nervously in front of the red panda exhibit at the National Zoo. She had told him to meet her there, but she had only said “after work” with no time specified. He had already been around the exhibit twice, had stayed there long enough for one of the keepers to remark that he “must really like red pandas.” He still wore the suit he’d worn to the ambassador’s office, not wanting to miss her by taking the time to change. He’d already sweated enough to require another dry cleaning despite the two snow cones he’d gulped down trying to fight the heat.
    Her call had been just to inform him that she would meet him here to deliver Armando’s school records. Or had it been just that? She had seemed eager to see him again after the glances exchanged in the embassy. He recalled the smile… and those eyes!
    When he saw her coming down the walk from the visitor center entrance he noticed that she had changed clothes. The skirt and blouse from the office had been replaced with a sundress that did nothing to hide the shape that wore it. He knew he was staring but couldn’t help it, although he managed to close his mouth after a moment. She giggled as she reached him and handed him the large envelope.
    “Am I that funny looking?”
    “That thought never entered my mind,” he said.
    “A penny, then, for the ones that did. As long as they’re not too evil.”
    “N…nothing evil at all,” he stammered. He looked at her, summoning all the composure he could muster. “There are some women a guy looks at because they’re flaunting it. He thinks the way she makes him think by how she dresses, how she carries herself. Then—I hope you won’t mind me saying this—there are the true beauties, like you. My thoughts had only to do with appreciation of what I saw. Like when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time, or a beautiful car like a Ferrari.”
    “I’m like a canyon and a car?”
    “Only the awe-inspiring ones.”
    She laughed again. Her laughter calmed him, made him feel more confident. They walked through the other exhibits, not really looking at the animals.
    “You should have changed clothes into something cooler,” she said.
    “I didn’t know exactly when you’d be here.”
    “I didn’t know myself,” she said. “I finished my work and locked up when it was done—no set time. I come here a lot after work, almost every day. I feel like I know some of the animals. Do you like them?”
    “I