Confrontation Ch. 09: Die in Lisbon

"And new love too, I hope?"

"Oh yes. You've changed my life, baby."

We sip our port and watch the leaves rustle in the cooling breeze. There's a long pause before Elena speaks again, tentatively as if she has something to tell me. I wait.

"Carlos, there's one thing you probably should know."

I wonder what's coming next, but I think that I may already be aware of it. She continues slowly.

"Jaguar and I have been friends for quite a while... even before we started working together at the museum."

I think I know where this is going, but I'll let her say it. I wait some more.

"Uh... very good friends in fact," she continues hesitantly.

"Oh... with benefits?" I tease.

"Omigod Carlos, you guessed it!"

"No. Actually, he told me."

"Oh no! What did he say?"

"Not much. Just that you were good in bed."

"Damn it! I'm so embarrassed. Why would he say that?"

"Because it's true. You're great in bed, Elena!"

We both laugh and something which could have been an obstacle to our growing relationship melts away to insignificance. This woman has changed my life. And she is very good between the sheets!

By late afternoon we stroll back to the hotel to phone Jaguar. He'll be at the museum by now, no doubt. We've made some real progress in Portugal and want him to know. Elena talks first, so eager to give him the news that Jag isn't sure what she's talking about.

"We saw incredible things in her condo, Jag! Peruvian treasures worth a small fortune. Many different cultures and times, from Chimu right up to late stage Inca."

"Whose condo? What the hell are you talking about?"

"The woman who owns the shop in Cascais. There were some things there but nothing top notch, so we flew down to her condo in Lagos."

"To her condo! And was it full of the best items?"

"Yes. Carlos pretended that he was checking the wiring so the housekeepers let him in. She wasn't there and he took photos of everything. Maybe there's even more."

"Terrific, that's what we needed. Any Nazca or Paracas pieces, like what you saw at Antonio's bar in Manaus?"

"They might have been the same things."

"Excellent work! Just great! Elena, can you put Carlos on the line for a minute?"

"He's right here."

"Hey Carlos! Fabulous job, my friend. You got pictures, did you? Listen, send me the whole file that you shot at that condo. Its just what we need to take this to the next level. Did you see P1 at the shop?.... Great. The tracker worked."

Then I tell Jag about the connection I've made between the shopkeeper and the ambassador- they're father and daughter.

"Jeez, man! You've got to be joking. The shopkeeper is the Ambassador of Peru's daughter! Is he in on this too? This goes right to the top, doesn't it. Unbelievable!"

"And you know who the ambassador's old man was, right Jag?"

"No, I'm not too sharp on my Peruvian politics."

"Echevarria. The president who was forced to resign over the Inter-oceanic Highway construction contracts scandal."

"Damn! So, now they're selling Peru's treasures around the world!"

"Think about the revenge factor. First the Echevarria clan gets mad, then they get even."

"You think that's what is behind this syndicate, Carlos?"

"It's possible. The family is already one of the richest in the country. So, maybe revenge is the motive?"

"You're absolutely blowing my mind, Carlos!... Hey, can I talk to Elena again?"

"Here she is."

"Have you two any plans now? What else can you do before you come back? I mean, you've already struck gold."

"Should we go see Ambassador Echevarria?"

"Why? To see if he has any pieces hanging in his office?" he jokes.

"Funny, Jag. That's what Carlos said. Did you go to the same comedy class?... I suppose we might pick up a shred of information if we see the ambassador. After all, he's probably at the top of this thing."

"That's a good idea, Elena. But be careful not to make him suspicious. He might take his marbles home and we'd be left with nothing."

"Have you any ideas about how we might get in to see him?"

"Hmm.... Do you have any museum I.D. with you? Your business card?... Good.... Make it something from the National Museum. You two will think of an angle, I'm sure."

"Thanks, we'll work on that."

"That's a lot of excitement from one phone call, Elena. I'll see you when you're back in Lima. Let me say goodbye to Carlos now."

"What's up, Jaguar?"

"Hey man, how's it going with Elena over there? Still good?"

"Absolutely. Better all the time."

"I'm happy for both of you. Really, I am."

"Thanks for putting me on this case, Jag. I owe you."

"Sure. No problem. See you back in Lima."

Elena or I don't know what we'll say to Ambassador Echeverria if we're able to make an appointment. As Head of Special Collections at the National Museum, Elena could certainly talk with him about the loss of Peru's cultural property into private collections. Perhaps he might say something to implicate himself? But as a career diplomat, this would be completely out of character.

To her complete surprise, he agrees to meet with Elena for fifteen minutes tomorrow- between attending a ribbon-cutting event in downtown Lisbon, and a meeting with some government official. The first one is a photo op at the official opening of a cultural centre. Elena is cautioned that if the ribbon-cutting runs late, she'll have to arrange another appointment.

That evening we rehearse, with me roleplaying Peru's ambassador to Portugal. We practice different subtle approaches and responses from a seasoned political figure. Elena finds me utterly frustrating, but we must do this so she keeps her passion about Peru's cultural heritage in check. I use political obfuscation to challenge her.

"Why have you cone to see me today, Madam?" I ask, pretending to be Echevarria.

"Ambassador, I am very concerned about the loss of precious pieces of our culture."

"Yes. That is distressing to all Peruvians, a problem which needs to be addressed. How can I help you?"

"I bring it to your attention, Ambassador because the National Museum believes our heritage is going into private collections, forever lost to the nation."

"Madam, I know that museum people here in Portugal express the same concerns about their own past too."

"Mr. Ambassador, surely there is something your office here can do to help reign in this illegal activity affecting Peruvian treasures."

"Have you any suggestions which I could direct to my staff, Madam? As you may already know, they shoulder many responsibilities here."

Elena has reached her breaking point.

"Goddam you Carlos! Quit calling me Madam! I'm getting nowhere with you.Stop seeming to care while you're just blocking me!"

"Look, Echeverria is a career diplomat who may well be central to this whole smuggling case. Don't expect him to give you an inch. He isn't going to throw up his hands and admit to anything."

"So, what's the damn point of meeting with him then?"

I try to calm her down with some humour, but it completely backfires.

"Like I said before. He may have a Paracas burial shroud hanging on his wall."

"Not again, Carlos!" She explodes. "I don't want to play this game anymore!"

"You cant get angry like this tomorrow. Just hope that your meeting triggers something unexpected. At least he'll know that the National Museum is alarmed about the problem, and this might force the syndicate to cool its operation a bit."

To her credit, Elena keeps trying until she has some strategies to get the Ambassador to commit to solving the problem- one we suspect he is causing.

The next day, she leaves for her appointment and we wait impatiently in the marble foyer of the embassy. I won't be allowed to see the ambassador, but have come for moral support.

The waiting area is a cold, formal space made all the more uninviting by the steel chairs lined up along the unadorned grey walls. People waiting here to see embassy staff look like they're in a police lineup.

The minutes tick away until an hour has dragged past. Elena and everybody else in the room is becoming more and more impatient.

Suddenly, Ambassador Echevarria's secretary bursts into the waiting area in hysterics. Her eyes are open wide and she gasps for air before blurting out the cause of her alarm.

"They shot the him! A few minutes ago at the cultural centre. Someone in the crowd with a pistol. They got away!"

"Is he alive?" Elena demands.

"I don't know. Maybe.... I'm guessing. They took him away in an ambulance."

It's too much for the loyal secretary and she breaks down into tears. Elena and I are absolutely stunned. Just when it seemed that we were narrowing in on the principal suspect, the whole game has changed.

Is the shooting connected in any way with Echevarria's certain involvement in smuggling artifacts from Peru?

If so, who might be behind the hit? And even more important...

Where do we take our investigation from here?

Readers: Prepare for a wild ride through the last three chapters.