The Hunters (Presidential Agent 3)

Which is not the same as saying no one has.

[SIX]

The Restaurant Kansas

Avenida Libertador

San Isidro

Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

1305 8 August 2005

When he pulled into the parking lot, Castillo saw that despite the some what chilly weather there were a few people sitting under umbrellas in the patio outside the bar and he went there and took a table.

A strikingly good-looking waitress almost immediately appeared and he ordered a Warsteiner beer and a club sandwich, although after the pancakes he’d had at Pevsner’s house he wasn’t very hungry.

He took a cellular phone from his briefcase and tried to turn it on. The panel didn’t light up.

Dammit! The battery’s dead!

What did you expect, Inspector Clouseau? That you could just throw the phone—with a probably mostly exhausted battery—into your briefcase and then expect it to work when you want to use it a week later?

And what’s going to happen if I find someplace that has a charger that will fit? When the battery is completely dead, does that wipe out the memory?

I have no damned idea at all where I can get Munz’s cellular number—or, for that matter, Darby’s or Santini’s or anyone else’s—if I can’t get them off this cellular!

There was a pleasant chirp from the cellular. The cellular’s panel lit up. A smiling cartoon face appeared, as did the greeting, ¡HOLA!

It works!

Castillo said, aloud, “¡Hola, hola, hola!” and then punched an autodial number.

El Coronel Alfredo Munz answered on the second ring.

“Munz.”

“How’s your arm?” Castillo asked, in German.

There was a just-perceptible hesitation before Munz asked, “Same cellular number?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll call you,” Munz said and the connection was broken.

Castillo took the phone from his ear and pushed the CALL END button. Something was really bothering Munz. It showed in his voice and what he said. If he was unwilling to speak on his cellular, that meant he suspected someone was listening to his calls.

Well, I’ll find out what it is.

He pushed another autodial button and Darby answered on the second ring.

“¿Hola?”

“Do they sell pancake flour in that embassy store?” Castillo asked.

There was a moment’s hesitation and then Darby replied, “Yeah, I know they do.”

“Send Ricardo Solez to get me five pounds of it,” Castillo ordered. “And have him get me a charger for my cellular. It’s a Motorola, model number…”