One Grave Too Many

fought, trying to push them out of the way. Each slap of her hand against the leaves left a bloodred print. The gunfire was deafening—she must be getting closer. Vines grabbed her shoulders, turning into hands, pulling her away from the sound. “No, no!” she screamed, trying to pull the hands off her. The sound of gunfire came so fast it sounded like ringing.

    Diane awoke suddenly, breathless, sweating. The phone on her nightstand was ringing. The illuminated radio display read 3:40. She snatched the receiver off the phone.
    “Diane. It’s Gregory. I’m sorry for calling so late.”
    Diane sat upright, hearing the familiar British accent, and held her breath. “Gregory. No, it’s all right.”
    “I wanted you to know. They turned us down. They’re not going to arrest him.”
    Diane was silent.
    “We’re not giving up. I’m going to the United Nations next week—and to the International Court of Justice. We won’t stop. We’ll never stop.”
    “Thank you, Gregory.” Diane suddenly hadn’t the energy to hold the phone. She lay back down on the pillow, propping the receiver to her ear.
    “I wanted you to hear it from me, just in case a wire service might have picked it up. It’s not big news. For now we want to keep it that way.”
    “I understand.”
    “Are you all right? You sound out of breath.”
    “I’m better.”
    “Nightmares?”
    “Occasionally.”
    “How’s your weight?”
    “Weight? It’s fine.”
    “Are you eating?”
    “Of course.”
    “You know how it is in our line of work. Even now, Marguerite sometimes has to remind me to eat.”
    “I’m better, Gregory, really.”
    “Are you?”
    “As well as is possible. I miss Ariel every day. I curse myself every day for not leaving in time, and I still break down in tears when I look at her picture.” Tears were now streaming down Diane’s face. She was angry at Gregory for making her talk about the most painful thing that had ever happened to her, but in a strange way she was relieved to talk about it. No one here knew about her daughter. As painful as it was, Ariel lived on only when Diane talked about her with someone who knew her.
    “I know,” said Gregory. “I curse myself for not rushing through the adoption papers so you could take her out of the country, or for not arranging to smuggle her out for you. I thought she was safe at the mission. I didn’t know Santos’ men would cross the border, that he would retaliate. . . .” His voice trailed off.
    “What happened wasn’t your fault.”
    “And it wasn’t yours. We were getting too close, hurting him, showing the world he’s a liar and a cold-blooded mass murderer. I thought President Valdividia was stronger. It was a miscalculation I made, and I have to live with that every day.”
    “Why is it so hard to have evil men arrested, even with a mountain of evidence against them?” It was a question she’d asked before, and didn’t expect an answer.
    “We’ll keep trying. It’s thanks to you and your team that we have that mountain of evidence. You paid a terrible price to get it.”
    “I am better, Gregory, really. A year away from everything was good for me. I’m completely off the benzodiazepine. I love the museum. It’s just what I’d hoped it would be.” I wish I’d gotten out with Ariel before . . . The thought was too painful to finish. She would have loved it here.
    “Met any new friends?”
    “A great many. Renewed some old acquaintances too. Frank Duncan came by today. You remember, I told you about Frank.” She told Gregory about the bone and the missing girl.
    “You were able to handle that all right, then? Examining the bone, I mean.”
    “It wasn’t easy, and I don’t intend to do it again. I did it for Frank because he knew the missing girl and her parents. If it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have done it.”
    “But you were able to do it—that was good. I’ll call back at a more decent time and we’ll talk again.”
    “I’d like that. Thanks for the call. Let me know if anything happens.”
    Diane lay for a moment, listening to the dial tone after Gregory hung up. She swung her legs to the floor, replaced the phone on the nightstand and stumbled into the bathroom. She splashed her face with cool water and stared into the mirror, running her hands over the angles and planes of her face. She did look thin. The result of six months of eating nothing but cottage cheese and yogurt because it hurt less coming back