"I want to find Sarah," I said. Why not start out with the truth? "Does he . . . Dr. Goddard know I'm here?"
"He's not here now," she said, her eyes shifting down. "He left for Guatemala City early this morning. I think to meet with the Army. On business. . . ."
Yes. His big Humvee hadn't been in the clinic's parking lot when I went by. Why hadn't I noticed that? For the first time I felt the odds were tipping. Now was going to be the perfect time to get Sarah. Yes. Yes. Yes.
"If you want to see her, I can take you," Marcelina offered, replacing the lid on the basket.
Yes, perfect. I wanted to hug her.
"Then let's go right now" And while I was at it, I was determined to get through to this woman somehow, to enlist her help.
As we headed down the central walkway of the village, we passed the rows of compounds where I'd seen the women that first morning. None was in evidence now, and the gardens were empty, as though the entire settlement had been evacuated. It felt very strange.
And what about those bizarre proceedings now under way in the square? Was that going to interfere with getting Sarah out?
"Marcelina." I pointed back toward the milling plaza. "What's that all about? The drinking and the—?"
"It's begun," she answered, both simple and vague. "They're getting ready."