Incognito

Chapter 3-2

Cam walked through the halls of the embassy. She’d changed into jeans, a tee, and tennis shoes so she could stroll the streets of Buenos Aires without attracting attention. She’d seen Tad again earlier but they had merely passed in the corridor that linked the living quarters, giving each other just a smile and a nod. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to him and she still needed to decide how she was going to approach him. She needed to get him aside and start some kind of dialogue with him. That was her problem for tonight: how to get to talk to Tad without anyone else around.

Cam walked to the front door of the embassy. A tall Marine, clad in his dress uniform, sat on a tall stool behind a desk beside the front door.

“Can I get you a car and driver, Ms. Andrews?” he asked.

“No, thank you,” Cam responded. “I just want to take a short walk around the city.”

“I wouldn’t advise that, ma’am,” he warned. “The city can get rather rough late at night.”

Cam chuckled. “I’m sure it can.” She smiled. “Hopefully, I won’t be gone that long. I’ll be careful,” she assured him.

“Do you want someone to accompany you?” he asked, still not sure that he shouldn’t try to dissuade her.

“I’ll be okay,” she said. “I can handle it.” Cam wished she could tell him how well-trained she was to protect herself, but that wouldn’t fit in well with her persona as a negotiator for the state department. And then she’d have to explain the gun she had in her belt.

“As you say, ma’am.” He retreated from his argument and held the door open for her to leave.

The air outside was still cool for the middle of the evening. Summer hadn’t officially arrived, but probably would in a week or two. Cam hoped it wouldn’t get hotter any time soon. That would work against the delegations. She knew that when the weather heated, so would their tempers.

The streets were deserted; the local culture insisted people rest from their day before they ate dinner, so most were just sitting down to eat.

Cam walked a few blocks slowly, casually, examining the buildings and store windows that lined the streets. She walked easily, making sure she was aware of her surroundings. She had noticed another man that she’d seen around the embassy following her at a distance. He was a Marine, although he was dressed in civvies at the moment.

She laughed to herself. An armed escort? Should she confront him and send him home, make a quick move and escape from him, or just let him follow her? Well, if he was there, she wouldn’t have to be so careful and she could think.

Walking helped her think. It always did. She still hadn’t figured out how to help Tad, or even how to approach him. Something would come to her.

She started by going around a block, then branching out one street farther to walk around a larger block. The farther she walked, the shabbier the streets became until she was in a very poor part of the city. There were very few people on the streets, but taverns and restaurants were full. She heard laughter and music coming from many of them.

Finally, after walking for a little over an hour, to get a feel for the city, she turned around and jogged back to the embassy. She needed to check out the parts of the city that weren’t mentioned in tour books. She might need to connect with some locals to get her where she wanted to go, if Tad refused to help. Falasco and his deputy had offered to put her in touch with the right people, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

“Good evening again, Ms. Andrews,” the Marine greeted her as he opened the door for her. “Did you see what you wanted?” he asked, congenially.

“It was a nice walk,” Cam equivocated. “It’s a wonderful evening for this time of year. Buenos Aires is such a beautiful city.”

“Yes, it is,” he agreed.

“Tell your friend that he did a very good job of following me, but he really didn’t need to.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the Marine said as he blanched. He closed and locked the door. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“No, thank you,” Cam replied, “I’m going to turn in. It will be another early morning tomorrow.”

Good grief, Cam thought as she walked back toward the elevators leading to the living quarters. I’ve got to find some way out of here if I’m going to get things done. I can’t be going past Marines every time I go in and out and I definitely don’t need anyone following me. She entered the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor where the living quarters were located.

As she walked down the long corridor, she passed John’s family apartment. Loud angry voices rang out from inside. Obviously, someone was very upset.

“I don’t know why you insist on doing this to me,” she heard. She recognized John’s voice.

“I’m not doing anything to you. This is my life.” It was another male voice, this one younger, definitely Tad’s.

“This is not your life when you f**k it up like this,” John said. “Think what it’s doing to this family; what it’s doing to your mother.”

“Wonderful! The guilt trip! Do you need to book passage in advance for that?” The sarcasm could have been lethal.

“Do you want your sister to end up like you?”

“Oh, give me a break. Do you think Miss Absolutely-Perfect has the imagination to try drugs? Or the balls to even look for them?”

“Watch your mouth, young man. Your sister knows the responsibility that goes with a job such as we have.”

“We? That’s a laugh. I didn’t force you to take this job…and if I’d been asked, I would have voted against it.”

“No, you weren’t asked, but you definitely enjoy the privileges that go with it.”

“Privileges?’ the younger voice said. “I can’t even live my life the way I want.”

“You want to live it as a drug addict?”

“I’m not an addict. We’ve been through that again and again. That was just a little weed.”

“Well, the next time I smell m*******a in your room, you’re out of here. I’ll send you back home to West Point or Annapolis. I should have done that years ago.”

“Right,” was a nasty response. “Then I’ll just have to get something that won’t smell up the place.”

A door slammed. After that there was no more arguing and Cam hurried to her own room.

Damn, no wonder John had to take time off. Tad really seems to be into these drugs. Maybe it was worse than she’d been told. She stopped. Of course it was. If it was just weed, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. She doubted that was the full extent of it.