"That's the name they gave me. I received a call this morning from Guatemala City. From Colonel Ramos's office, in fact. As you might suppose, he's well aware you're here, and he said you were seen dining night before last at a downtown restaurant with a man by that name. They think he's in the country because of you, and they're trying to locate him."
I felt the life go entirely out of me. My God what was going on? Steve was now the subject of a manhunt in a police state. Did he even know?
"I told them you were here for purely medical reasons." He sighed with frustration. "And that they were being irrationally paranoid but . . ."
"So they don't actually know where he is, right?" I was still trying to breathe.
"As of this morning. If they did they wouldn't have called up here." He walked over and set the tray down on a rustic table next to the bed. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. He's committed no crime. They just want to make sure you realize your presence has not gone unnoticed."
Dear God. What had I dragged Steve into? If they found him, what would they do? I could only pray he was deft enough to elude them. If anybody could . . .
Then I looked at the tray. An empty syringe was there. Also, there was a large bowl containing some kind of soup. I was finally growing ravenous, but still . . .
"What's this for?" I indicated the syringe.
"I just need to take a little blood for some tests. Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit."
Hold on. How far do I have to play along to stay in his chess game?