“What do you mean you didn’t fuckin’ know? Surely her lawyer should have been informed?”
“No, I don’t have a fuckin’ clue when. Just that she isn’t here now. Or that’s what they’re saying. Can you find out what the fuck’s going on?”
I end the call quickly, hoping she’s more successful at getting answers than me.
“Could she already have been deported?” Drew’s in pieces. I’m trying to keep it together for him, when all I want to do is lash out at something.I’ve got to man up. Be the adult here.
Deported?I fucking hope not.The cloudy sky above reflects what I’m feeling, as if the sun’s gone from my life.I never had her. I already miss her.I’ve got to be fucking strong for Drew.
“I don’t think so.” I try to sound convincing as in my head I go back over what Carissa told me. “She should have her day in immigration court before being sent out of the country. Carissa hasn’t received word to bring any of her personal possessions in either. I also think they need time to get her a Colombian passport. She hasn’t got one.”
Drew confirms what I already know. “No. Just her birth certificate. That might be all she needs.”
“And that’s back at the trailer and we haven’t been asked for it.” I’m grasping at straws. “Don’t think it happens this fast.” ButI won’t be satisfied until Carissa gets back to me with some answers.Where the fuck are you, Mariana?
All the way back to the compound I’m thinking of how I can find out where they’ve taken her. The dark web is like a home to me, government systems not so much.I need help with this one.
Leaving Drew with Sophie, who, after a quick explanation, and by a rise and dip of her head, assures me she’s got him covered, I retreat to my office, calculate the time, and place a call to an international number.
“Cara. It’s Mouse.” Cara can get into systems I can’t. Face it, she can get into anything.
“What do you need, Mouse?” It’s early morning there, but she sounds wide awake.
Quickly I explain my problem, concluding with, “I need to know where Mariana’s been moved to.”
Cara’s quiet for a moment. “Mouse, you know I’d help you. But Nijad would have my hide if he knew I was hacking into US government systems.” She breaks off and gives one of her tinkling laughs, “Mind you, he’d tie me to a spanking bench and flog me. Might be worth it.” She’s quiet again, presumably considering whether the crime is worth the punishment. Then resumes, “What will you do with the information?”
“Go and see her,” I respond without thought.
“If you haven’t been told officially, how will you explain how you came by the knowledge? Mouse, we’ve worked together for a long time. I can hear you’re personally invested in this. God knows I’ve got sympathy for Mariana, I know what it’s like to be locked up and kept away from the man you want. But everything you and I do is under the radar. On this occasion, I’m not going to help, because all you’re going to do is give us away.”
I fill my cheeks with air, then let it out. She’s right. I’d go off half-cocked demanding to see her. Getting myself arrested for hacking won’t help Mariana at all.
“Mouse, can I give you some advice?”
“Of course.”
“From what you’ve told me, I’d say she’s going to be deported. That’s what you’ve got to plan for. Fight to try to prevent it, sure. But prepare for the worst. Look into what you can do, what happens when she is.”
“She’d be headin’ for some bad shit in Colombia.”
“Then focus on that. Don’t think you can stop the train that’s in motion now.”
A few pleasantries, a half-hearted enquiry about her family, then I end the call. Cara’s right. If Mariana is released, that’s all I want. But if she’s deported, I don’t want to be blindsided. Devil’s information on her father is becoming critical.
Rolling a joint, I pull my laptop toward me, and open the programs which will take me into the murky depths of the internet. What I find out at first is very much what I expected from hearing Mariana’s story, when I at last hit a database with some information on it.
There’s not a lot I can find on a current service record for a General De Souza. A Raphael De Souza joined the National Army for his mandatory military service, the timing fits. There was a short break in his service record, it seems he tried to make it work in the civilian world, and married young during this gap. Shortly after Mariana would have been born, it seems he re-enlisted.
He clearly showed aptitude from the start, moving up the ranks fairly quickly. Some of his service record is redacted, making me suspicious. That he was chosen to train with the US military is a matter of record. He received recognition for his prowess in the counter-insurgency campaign. After that he did a short spell in what’s described as comprehensive reparation for victims of conflict.So after making their lives hell, he’s now one of the good guys?I shake my head.Leopards don’t change theirspots.Neither do soldiers who’ve got a taste for violence, rape and abuse. Then the records stop. There’s nothing more, the trail goes cold. No discharge mentioned, no further promotion. No death recorded. Zilch.
Picking up my joint, I relight it, the tip flaring as it meets the flame. I’ve got to prove she’s at risk if she returns. Something, anything. The man I’m seeking is metaphorically in the wind.
Her mother.But that quickly turns up another dead end. Mariana’s convinced her father killed her, but officially it was put down as an untargeted gang rape and murder. It doesn’t seem the police even investigated.
When my phone starts vibrating, I’m so engrossed in the information on the screen, it takes me a second to respond.
“Carissa.”
