Dario shrugged. “Montez is a doctor. A doctor is a very valuable commodity in a small village like this. Father Gabriel might have been willing to balance the risk of hiding a fugitive from a drug cartel against that value.”
“Or maybe the priest just wanted to save his life when he learned it wasn’t the police who were after Montez,” Catherine said. “It’s possible.”
Cameron nodded. “I’m not arguing. A priest is a priest. They don’t have a secular mind-set. I was taught several disciplines by priests in Tibet. Anything is possible with them.” He got into the Jeep, and added grimly, “But I’d feel better if Montez had chosen someone to shelter him who had a better chance against Santos.” His gaze went to the small church nestled in the foothills. “Step on it, Dario.”
*
“Go, Eduardo!” Father Gabriel’s voice was urgent as he threw open the door of the small spare bedroom. “Now. I just received a call from Carlo, at the restaurant in the village. Two men were there asking questions about me.” He paused. “And about you.”
Eduardo Montez wasn’t even surprised. He’d known it would come sometime. He’d thought it would be before this. He leaped to his feet. “I’m sorry, Father. I didn’t want to bring this down on you. You should have let me go when I told you about Santos.” He was pulling on his jacket and grabbing the backpack and medical kit he always kept beside his bed. “How much time do I have?”
“Not long.” He jerked open the door leading to the garden. “Go through the rain forest to the monastery, as we planned. I’ve told Brother Benedict to give you shelter.”
Montez paused as he reached the door. “Come with me.”
Father Gabriel shook his head. “I would only slow you down. I’m no longer a young man, and this arthritis is not—”
“Then I won’t go,” Montez said desperately. “You don’t know what Santos’s men will do to you. I told you, they killed my brother. For nothing, Father. For nothing.”
“You don’t know. It may have not been for nothing. God may have had a plan for you.”
“I won’t go without you.”
Father Gabriel hesitated. “I’ll go and hide in the village. Will that satisfy you?”
“No, but it’s better than your staying here. Now. Hurry. Go now, Father.”
He nodded. “As soon as I see that you’ve reached the forest. It’s in your hands, Eduardo.”
“Father, please, you have to—” He could see he wasn’t moving the priest. Father Gabriel was only smiling as he gestured to the forest. “Very well, I’ll go. Hurry. Please, hurry.”
Montez started running through the garden toward the forest.
God, he’s one of yours, protect him.
Please. Don’t let me have killed another innocent man.
*
Smoke!
Not a thick, black smoke, but a mere gray wisp curling out of the upper windows of the church. Catherine hadn’t even been able to see it until they were within a hundred yards of the church.
“Shit!” Cameron said. “Pull over, Dario.”
Dario was already pulling to the side of the road. “There’s only one car, and no one is in it.” He ran toward the black Volvo parked in front of the church. “I’ll wait for them to run out. You go inside, and see what—”
“I don’t need you to tell me what to do, Dario,” Cameron said. “Catherine, I’ll go in the front door. You take the side entrance.”
“Right.” She was drawing her gun as she reached the heavy, ancient oak door. She threw open the door and stepped to one side to avoid fire.
Nothing.
But the smoke was now pouring out of the church, and it had turned black. She could barely see, her eyes were stinging.
Where was Cameron? He should be in the church by now.
Shots!
Straight ahead and to the left.
Someone was running down the aisle toward her.
A bullet splintered the wood of the pew next to her.
She fell to the floor and aimed at the dark-haired man in loose gray pants and white shirt whose gun was firing with every step he took.
The next bullet came too close.
Take him down fast.
She rolled to one side and took her shot.
He grunted, fell to his knees.
And then fell forward.
More shots, somewhere up ahead, near the altar.
Cameron?
She couldn’t see anything for the smoke.
She jumped to her feet, held her breath, and ran toward the altar.
Cameron met her before she got there.
“Out!” He took her elbow and started running for the front entrance. “This place is going up like a tinderbox.”
“The priest? Montez?”
“The priest is dead. He was lying up at the altar when I ran in the front entrance. I shot the man who had killed him.” He threw open the oak door and ran down the stairs toward Dario. “But I didn’t see anyone resembling Montez. Maybe the priest managed to warn him, and he ran out the back.”
It made sense, unless another of Santos’s men had spirited Montez away, Catherine thought. But that was doubtful considering the action that had been exploding when she and Cameron had run into the church.
So assume Montez had gotten away.
And go after him.
She ran down the steps and around the side of the church.
A garden with a small fountain.
A hundred yards beyond that garden, the rain forest, dense foliage, no houses.
Footprints?
No footprints at the rear door of the church that led to the garden.
But that didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be prints in the rain forest. The earth would be moist, saturated, and Montez would be in too much of a panic to try to erase those prints. He was a doctor, not a hunter or soldier.
She started toward the dense shrubbery that bordered the rain forest.
“It would have been polite to invite me to go along before you decided to disappear,” Cameron said as he fell into step with her.