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As Manuel strapped her back down on the bed, she used the dirty blanket to dry herself. She half-dreaded, half-welcomed the needle he stuck in her arm, knowing that it would bring relief from consciousness---at least, for a little while. S he watched drowsily as Manuel took the frightened Fran out of the room. The last thing she remembered was Fran's frantic blue eyes staring at her, begging for reassurance. But, Renee smiled bitterly, she had none to give. |
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Chapter 9
Alex made a beeline for the police station where the officer yawned as he filled in the complaint form. He was fat, with a roll of lard hanging over his belt and his jowls were covered with a day's growth of beard.
"You know, senor," he said, scratching his crotch. "You Americanos come down here and go to places like that one, what can you expect?" He shrugged and looked questioningly at Alex.
"It is not my money!" Alex said desperately. "There are the two women."
The Mexican cop picked his nose, then wiped his hand down the seam of his gray slacks. "Madre de dios!" The detective threw up his hands. "How can you take two mujeres, school teachers, to a place like that?"
"I didn't take them, they took me!"
The detective gave Alex a quizzical eye, but said nothing. There had been a recent shakeup in Tijuana and the new mayor was busy saying he would clean up the police force. He had already fired many of the old timers and detective Castella wasn't sure whether or not he was on the mayor's list. He shrugged. Probably everybody was on that list. Still, it would do him no good to have one crazy gringo in el jefe's office saying he, agente de policia Castella, did not do his duty.