Page 5 of Vistaria Has Fallen

Chapter Two

Fifty-three minutes later, a sullen soldier escorted Calli down the narrow, steep stairs to the front office of the police station. Her escort was one of the four chastised byhim, the stranger who had churned her insides so much she still felt a lingering, throbbing need.

The soldier led her to the high desk in the corner and dug behind it. He placed a single sheet of paperon top and held out a pen. He tapped the sheet with his other hand.

She turned the sheet around, glanced at the gibberish. “What does it say?” She suspected the document was a release or waiver.

He shook his head. “No Ingles.”

“Callida! Thank god!”

Calli whirled to face the shouter. Her Uncle Josh, his curly brown hair rumpled, strode toward her. He was sweating despite his tropical weightsuit. He hugged her, squeezing tight. “We’ve been worried sick!”

“We?” She looked behind him.

“Minnie and I—” He looked around, then frowned. “She was right there. Where is she now? I swear she will be the death...” He started back to the door.

“Uncle Josh, wait. Can you tell me what this says? They want me to sign.”

He came back to the desk, muttering to himself, distracted by his daughter’sabsence. He pulled reading glasses out of his breast pocket, slipped them on, then lifted the sheet and peered over the top of them to read. He dropped his chin to his chest for a better view. “Hmm...doesn’t seem too intimidating. You’re attesting that you have been treated well and given fair consideration during your incarceration.” He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “I’d sign it. They’rebig on due process here, even though it doesn’t work like ours.”

“That surprises the hell out of me,” Calli raged. “Do you know where they’ve been holding me?”

He nodded his head vigorously. “Yes, yes. Sign, anyway. We don’t want to annoy them now you’re so close to the door.”

He had a point. Calli sighed, then signed on the line at the bottom.

The soldier’s smile was stiff. “Gracias, muchasgracias.” He put the sheet back under the desk.

Uncle Josh tucked his hand under Calli’s elbow. “Let’s go.”

“Hang on.” She looked at the soldier. “My bags,” she said. “I want them back.”

His smile faded. “Qué?”

“Uncle Josh, tell him. My luggage, my stuff. They have it somewhere.”

Josh cleared his throat, then spoke in Spanish that sounded English and awkward even to Calli’s uneducated ears.

The soldier shrugged and replied.

“Okaaaay,” her Uncle said. He blew his breath out. Then he tried another slow sentence in Spanish.

The soldier gave him a dirty look, then climbed the stairs, treading heavily.

“Is he coming back?” Calli asked.

“He might. Let’s give it a minute.”

Three minutes passed. The soldier returned with Calli’s shoulder bag hanging from his fingers. He put it on thedesk, then shoved it toward her.

Calli took the bag. “Wow, what did you tell him?” she asked Josh.

“I said I would call the same people I called last time if he didn’t give you your things. I think. My Spanish is still horrible.”

“I want to ask you about that. About the people you called,” Calli said, looking through her bag. The wallet was missing. “The rest of my stuff?” she asked the soldier.

He looked her in the eye and crossed his arms. “No.”