he was gone now. All Meredith knew was that Armando had been involved with the Peruvian job. She had no idea he’d seen the girl. No one knew that, except for him and her.
“Dr. Stanley has a daughter named Lauren,” she said. “Her mother was Margaret Stanley.” Meredith paused. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember her. She was—”
“One of the consuls in Lima.” He dropped his pretense. “Christmas eve, 1989. I was sent there that night, but she was already dead before I could get to her. They said she interrupted a burglar and he killed her. I remember.”
“Finally! I was getting worried about you for a minute.”
He interrupted her, an act of discourtesy he’d normally never indulge in. “What’s wrong?”
If she noticed his shortness, she ignored it. “Lauren Stanley is twenty-six now. She’s a writer for a travel magazine called Luxury and she’s been on assignment in Peru doing an article about the ruins.”
“Luxury, eh?” Armando forced the tightness in his chest to loosen. “That sounds like a nice job. To visit rich people’s resorts and write about them.”
“It sounds good, yes, but something must have happened. About two weeks ago, she stopped checking in and her father is getting frantic.”
“How did he connect with you?”
“He didn’t. My father was still in Washington when Stanley’s wife died and Dad debriefed the doctor after he and his daughter left Peru. According to Stanley, Dad told him if there was ever anything he could do for him to call. So he did. The office forwarded the message to me. Stanley had no idea that my father was dead.”
Her voice seemed to thicken but Armando knew he was imagining the sound. Meredith’s emotions were so tightly controlled he didn’t think she even knew how to feel them anymore.
“And what does this have to do with me?”
“She’s missing. You’re there. I thought you could at least ask around—”
“She is a grown woman,” Armando said sharply. “She probably found a lover and ran off with him.”
“I hope so, but the situation’s a little more complicated than it appears. Freeman Stanley said the mother’s death left Lauren Stanley unstable and prone to depression. Considering her past, I think he has a right to be concerned. I would be if she were my daughter. So would you.”
Outside his open bedroom window, somewhere in the undergrowth beyond, Armando heard the foliage rustle and the low grunt of an animal. He didn’t try to guess what it was. The rugged mountainous terrain provided a home for many living things, as well as for some things that weren’t. The Quechuan were a superstitious lot, but not without good reason.
Meredith’s voice held her first hint of impatience. “Have you seen anything—”
“I’m not that close to Machu.”
“No, but you’re not that far and a lot of people visit those smaller ruins close to where you live, too. She could have done that.”
“It’s possible,” he said reluctantly, “but I’ve heard nothing.”
“When was the last time you went into the village?”
The clinic was located near a dot on the map called Rojo. It was located between Cuzco and the ruins of Machu Picchu. “I haven’t been to Rojo in a month,” he said. “Maybe two. I forget.”
Meredith made a tsk-tsking sound. “You’re turning into el ermitaño, Armandito….”
“A hermit is better than what they call me now.”
“The locals still think you can make yourself invisible?”
“They must,” he said with a shrug. “Nothing but el médico del fantasma could do so, I presume.”
“You need to get out more,” she remarked. “Go to Rojo for me. Be my ears and eyes. I want to call this man and help him out.”
“And if we cannot do that?”
“Then I’ll tell him that, too,” she said. “But you have to ask around first. I don’t want to lie to him either way.”
Armando sighed. He didn’t want to get involved, but guilt was a powerful motivator—and a heavy weight. Of all the cases in his past, why had this one come back? He’d lost more sleep over the little girl with the haunting eyes than he had over any of his other assignments.
“How would I know her?” he asked reluctantly.
“I’ll fax you a photo. She won’t be hard to miss. Believe me, if she’s anywhere around there, you’ll know. She’s gorgeous. Blond, blue eyes, thin. She looks like a supermodel.” Meredith hesitated, then corrected herself. “No, wait. Actually, that’s not quite true. She looks like her mother. Exactly like her. Do you remember her?”
“Yes.”
Oblivious to what his one-syllable answer signified, Meredith continued. “Maybe you’ll fall in love with her,” she teased. “And move back to the States like Cruz and Stratton. You could have three children and buy a big ranch in Texas. You’d make lots of money, you know.”
“I need no more money,” he said, staring out into the night. “And I don’t want a wife and three children. Or a ranch in Texas.”
Finally sensing his mood, she spoke with a serious tone. “Then what do you want, Armando? Cruz has found his place in the world and Stratton has gotten himself straightened out. They seem happy. When are you going to give up being the broody Latin and do the same?”
“I’m thrilled for them,” he said. “But I’m not sure that condition will ever find me.”
“It doesn’t just fall into your lap,” she said sharply. “You have to search for it.”
“You’re correct as usual,” he said. “But I carry too many images of death. They visit me without invitation and linger in the corners. I don’t need to look for anything more, much less happiness. “
“We’ve done a lot of good, Armando.”
“I know that. I’m still a believer, don’t worry.”
“Then concentrate on that. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself insane.”
“Your advice is wise, Meredith, but it comes too late.” His voice went quiet and low with regret. “I’ve done things I shouldn’t have and left too many other things undone.”
They hung up without saying goodbye. A moment later, the fax on his desk rang shrilly. Armando walked to the machine and watched the picture of Lauren Stanley emerge, line by line. When the photo was complete, he continued to stare. Meredith had been correct. The little girl he’d seen had turned into a stunning woman. If she was anywhere near Rojo or even Aquas Caliente, the larger village upriver, he would have heard by now.
Picking up the fax, he crumpled it out of habit then put a match to the wad
