Page 59 of Prisoner of War
The footage concerned some sort of official visit by Serrano to the poorer communities along the eastern coast. In fast Spanish the commentator exclaimed over Serrano’s generosity as the camera captioned him dolling out the big Vistarian currency in fistfuls to happy family members gathered around him laughing and crying tears of gratitude.
Josh winced. “It’s so melodramatic I want to puke. Surelyanyone with half a brain can figure out he’s doing it purely for the PR?”
“The families getting the money don’t care about that,” Nick said quietly. “What I want to know is how the Acapulco station got this footage. Vistaria has been sealed tighter than a drum for the last three weeks.”
Calli clicked her tongue and stopped the tape. “You’re both missing it,” she said and set the clip back. Sheplayed it again. “Watch the background,” she warned.
They watched again and this time Josh lurched to his feet at the same time Nick breathed, “Jesus Maria!”
Calli paused the playback and backed it up a few frames at a time until the image was back in frame. They all stared at the ocean view the sweeping camera shot had included. The lone yacht in the bay stood out like a sore thumb.
“That’syour boat, Nick,” Josh murmured.
“What’s that flapping from the sheets?” Nick asked, narrowing his eyes. “The image is too small.”
“They’re dresses,” Calli said quietly. “One red, one green.”
He looked at her. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve seen more dresses hanging loose than you have. I’m sure.”
Josh pushed his hand through his hair. “Then Calli guessed right. They’re over there.”
Nick was stillstaring at the television. “Is this a message?” he asked of no one. “A message for us?”
“From whom?” Calli asked. “And saying what?”
“From Minnie and Carmen,” Josh offered. “‘Na-na, we’re over here’.”
Calli gave him a gentle look. “Neither of them are that stupid. Whatever the reasons they went over there, I guarantee they know the risks they’re taking. They wouldn’t indulge in a childish gesture.”
Nick punched the button that ejected the DVD and the television turned to snow. He flicked it off with another impatient jab. “I can’t deal with this right now,” he said, thrusting the disk at Calli. “Please.”
She nodded. “I’ll look into it. I’m better at recognizing dresses than you anyway.” She smiled.
Josh recognized that she was trying to lighten the moment, to assure Nick he could at leastlet go of that one responsibility. “All that almost-professor training, right?” he said to Calli.
“Absolutely,” she agreed. Then her eyes narrowed and she looked at Nick. “What was impossible, by the way?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about—”
“Don’t tell me don’t worry,” she said swiftly. “What’s impossible?”
“According to you, nothing.”
“Try me.”
Nick took another deep breath. “Well, for a start,everything’s impossible without money.”
“Credit?” she countered in a thoughtful tone, her forehead wrinkling.
“Personally, I’m already extended so far I’m in danger of tipping off the end of the world. I’ve liquidated anything that is worth it, except this house as I assumed people would like shelter from the sun.”
She frowned harder. “National debt.” It was again a soft suggestion.
“We’rea nation without a country,” Nick said. “We have nothing to secure the loans against. Most of the countries that have the cash to lend us won’t deal with us on diplomatic levels. That means they can’t deal with us on economic matters either.”
“You’re thinking of the States,” she said.
