The Hunters (Presidential Agent 3)

“Multiple murder?” McGrory interrupted. “How many did he mean by multiple?”

“Seven, Mr. Ambassador.”

“Seven?”

“Yes, sir. Seven.”

“And this massacre occurred here in Montevideo?”

“No, sir. On an estancia near Tacuarembó.”

“And where, refresh me, is ‘Tacuarembó’?”

“It’s about three hundred sixty kilometers north of Montevideo, Mr. Ambassador.”

“Never heard of it,” the ambassador said. “Go on, Artigas.”

“Yes, sir. Chief Inspector Ordóñez asked me if I would be willing to go there with him—”

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Artigas,” the ambassador said. “Do you, Monahan? We don’t want the embassy splattered with the water from Uruguay’s dirty laundry, do we?”

“Sir, I accepted Ordóñez’s invitation. I went there,” Artigas said.

“And who did you check with before you did so? I can’t believe Monahan would give you the go-ahead to do something like that. You didn’t, Monahan, did you?”

“I didn’t check with anyone, sir. I wasn’t aware that I was required to.”

“There is a difference, Artigas, between a requirement and the exercise of prudent conduct,” the ambassador said. “Perhaps you should keep that in mind.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go on.”

“We flew to Tacuarembó in what I believe was the president’s helicopter,” Artigas said. “Which suggested to me that someone very senior in the Uruguayan government was really interested to see that Inspector Ordóñez got there in a hurry, that there was interest at high levels in whatever had transpired at Tacuarembó.”

“Several things, Artigas,” the ambassador said. “First, I thought you said Chief Inspector Whatever…”

“It is Chief Inspector Ordóñez, sir.”

“Second, what makes you think you went flying in the president’s helicopter?”

“It was a nearly new Aerospatiale Dauphin, sir. The police have old Hueys.”

“In which you have flown?”

“Yes, sir. Many times.”

“I wasn’t aware of that,” the ambassador said. “Were you, Monahan?”

“Yes, sir, I was. We try very hard to work closely with the Uruguayan authorities and—”

“Working closely with the Uruguayan authorities, of course, is a good idea. But riding in their helicopters? I shudder when I think of how well they are maintained. Or not maintained. I’ll have to give that some thought. And until I have had the chance to do just that, I don’t think there should be any more helicopter joyrides. Pass that word, won’t you, Monahan?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You flew to Tacuarembó, is that what you’re saying, Artigas?”

“Yes, sir.”