The Courier Ch. 02

Oh, to be lost in this horrible place in Central Europe, in a country she never had heard of before her plane landed and where no one spoke Spanish...would she even make it out alive? No one knew she was here, so, what was to prevent the Danubians from simply killing her? Was that possible? But then again, did it matter if she died in Danube City? Even assuming she would be released within a few months, she didn't see how she could return to Colombia and face her family, not after that experience in the interrogation room. But then, even if she wanted to return to Colombia, that option was no longer open to her. She had lost her cocaine load due to her own negligence and probably would be killed by her trafficking group. If she wasn't killed for that, she would be killed for having given up what she knew about her handlers. God knows what the Danubians would do with that information once they translated it...give it to the Colombian National Police, most likely. No, she couldn't go home...better that she simply die here and be forgotten...

So this was it for Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres. At age 19, her life was over. There was no future for her; she never would amount to anything. All those wrong choices, wrong people, quitting school, quitting her job, leaving her boyfriend for that guy with the flashy car, not listening to her mother...this is what it had led to. Sitting alone and naked in a dark holding cell in Eastern Europe, waiting to die...

She did not cry. She was past crying. She thought that she could actually feel Death creeping into the cell, cloaking her with darkness and preparing to take her into Hell...

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As soon as his dog handler returned upstairs to the main boarding area to resume the search for drugs and couriers, the Inspector glanced at the cloth bag that contained Maria Elena's clothing and jewelry. He removed her passport, Colombian ID card, her plane ticket, cell phone, and a small address book. He would have to take a look at the cell phone and copy whatever information it contained, but the other items he could put away and study when he had more time. As for her clothing and jewelry, those would stay in the bag and go into cold storage. Considering the charges she was facing, it would be a very long time before Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres would be permitted to wear any clothing.

As he filled out a label and sealed the bag, the official reflected with cold satisfaction that the criminal had a very nasty surprise waiting for her when she went before the arraignment panel. The perjury charge would add 20 years to her sentence. Perjury (which under Danubian law constituted making any false statement in an effort to deceive a law enforcement or judicial official during a trial or investigation) was considered one of the most serious non-capital crimes that a criminal could commit. There was no question that the Colombian would be convicted and sentenced for perjury. The evidence on that video tape was irrefutable. To make sure the perjury charge would stick, the inspector ordered the photographer to make a copy of interrogation to forward to the arraignment committee.

The inspector decided it was time to call Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna and see if she could bring someone who spoke Spanish to the airport. He knew that whatever information the detainee had given him was time-sensitive, so getting her recorded answers translated and conducting a follow-up interview were his next priorities.

Calling a Spokesperson meant that the Colombian girl now would have to be photographed and formally arrested. It was certain that Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna would assume formal custody and presumably take her to the Central Police Station where she would be arraigned and kept until trial. Upon being assigned a criminal number she no longer would be at the mercy of the Airport Unit, but that didn't matter. The Inspector and his subordinates already had their fun and were ready to get rid of her. She had confessed, and now would become someone else's problem.