The Sands of Time

"You had Miro in your hands and you let him escape?"

"Colonel - with all due respect - my men - "

"Your men are assholes. You call yourselves policemen? You're a disgrace to your uniforms."

The chief of police stood there, cringing under the withering scorn of Colonel Acoca. There was nothing else he could do, for the colonel was powerful enough to have his head. And Acoca was not yet through with him.

"I hold you personally responsible. I'll see that you're relieved from duty."

"Colonel - "

"Get out. You make me sick to my stomach."

Colonel Acoca was boiling with frustration. There had not been enough time for him to reach Vitoria and catch Jaime Miro. He had had to entrust that to the local police. And they had bungled it. God alone knew where Miro had gone to now.

Colonel Acoca went to the map spread out on a table in front of him. They will be staying in Basque country, of course. That could be Burgos or Logrono or Bilbao or San Sebastian. I'll concentrate on the northeast. They'll have to surface somewhere.

He recalled his conversation with the prime minister that morning.

"Your time is running out, Colonel. Have you read the morning papers? The world press is making us look like clowns. Miro and those nuns have made us a laughingstock."

"Prime Minister, you have my assurance - "

"King Juan Carlos has ordered me to set up an official inquiry board into the whole matter. I can't hold it off any longer."

"Delay the inquiry for just a few more days. I'll have Miro and the nuns by then."

There was a pause. "Forty-eight hours."

It was not the prime minister whom Colonel Acoca was afraid of disappointing, nor was it the king. It was the OPUS MUNDO. When he had been summoned to the paneled office of one of Spain's leading industrialists, his orders had been explicit: "Jaime Miro is creating an atmosphere harmful to our organization. Stop him. You will be well rewarded."

And Colonel Acoca knew what the unspoken part of the conversation was: Fail and you will be punished. Now his career was in jeopardy. And all because some stupid policemen had let Miro walk away under their noses. Jaime Miro might hide anywhere. But the nuns...A wave of excitement coursed through Colonel Acoca. The nuns! They were the key. Jaime Miro might hide anywhere, but the sisters could find sanctuary only in another convent. And it would almost certainly be in a convent of the same order.

Colonel Acoca turned to study the map again. And there it was: Mendavia. There was a convent of the Cistercian order at Mendavia. That's where they're headed, Acoca thought triumphantly. Well, so am I.

Only I'll be there first, waiting for them.

The journey for Ricardo and Graciela was coming to an end.

The last few days had been the happiest Ricardo had ever known. He was being hunted by the military and the police, his capture meant certain death, and yet none of that seemed to matter. It was as though he and Graciela had carved out an island in time, a paradise where nothing could touch them. They had turned their desperate journey into a wonderful adventure that they shared together.

They talked endlessly, exploring and explaining, and their words were tendrils that drew them even closer together. They spoke of the past, the present, and the future. Particularly the future.

"We'll be married in church," Ricardo said. "You'll be the most beautiful bride in the world..."

And Graciela could visualize the scene and was thrilled by it.

"And we'll live in the most beautiful house..."

And she thought: I've never had a house of my own, or a real room of my own.

There was the little casa she had shared with her mother and all the uncles, and then the convent cell, living with the sisters.

"And we'll have handsome sons and beautiful daughters..."

And I will give them all the things I never had. They will be so loved.

And Graciela's heart soared.

But there was one thing troubling her. Ricardo was a soldier fighting for a cause he passionately believed in. Would he be content living in France, withdrawing from the battle? She knew she had to discuss this with him.

"Ricardo - how much longer do you think this revolution is going to go on?"

It's already gone on too long, Ricardo thought. The government had made peace overtures, but ETA had done worse than reject them. It had responded to the offers with a series of increased terrorist attacks. Ricardo had tried to discuss it with Jaime.

"They're willing to compromise, Jaime. Shouldn't we meet them halfway?"

"Their offer is a trick - they want to destroy us. They're forcing us to go on fighting."

And because Ricardo loved Jaime and believed in him, he continued to support him. But the doubts refused to die. And as the bloodshed increased, so did his uncertainty. And now Graciela was asking, How much longer do you think this revolution is going to go on?

"I don't know," Ricardo told her. "I wish it were over. But I will tell you this, my darling. Nothing will ever come between us - not even a war. There will never be words enough to tell you how much I love you."

And they went on dreaming.

They traveled during the night, making their way through the fertile, green countryside, past El Burgo and Soria. At dawn, from the top of a hill, they saw Logrono in the far distance. To the left of the road was a stand of pine trees and beyond that a forest of electric-power lines. Graciela and Ricardo followed the winding road down to the outskirts of the bustling city.

"Where are we going to meet the others?" Graciela asked.

Ricardo pointed to a poster on a building they were passing. It read:

CIRQUE JAPON

!

THE WORLD'S MOST

SENSATIONAL CIRCUS FRESH FROM JAPAN

!

JULY

24

TH FOR ONE WEEK

AVENIDA CLUB DE PORTIVO

.

"There," Ricardo told her. "We'll meet them there this afternoon."

In another part of the city, Megan, Jaime, Amparo, and Felix were also looking at a circus poster. There was a feeling of enormous tension in the group. Amparo was never out of their sight. Ever since the incident at Vitoria, the men treated Amparo as an outcast, ignoring her most of the time and speaking to her only when necessary.

Jaime looked at his watch. "The circus should be starting," he said. "Let's go."

At police headquarters in Logrono, Colonel Ramon Acoca was finalizing his plans.

"Are the men deployed around the convent?"

"Yes, Colonel. Everything is in place."

"Excellent."

Acoca was in an expansive mood. The trap he had set was foolproof, and there would be no bungling policemen to spoil his plans this time. He was personally conducting the operation. The OPUS MUNDO was going to be proud of him. He went over the details with his officers once again.

"The nuns are traveling with Miro and his men. It's important that we catch them before they walk into the convent. We'll be spread out in the woods around it. Don't move until I give the signal to close in."

"What are our orders if Jaime Miro resists?"

Acoca said softly, "I hope he does try to resist."

An orderly came into the room. "Excuse me, Colonel. There is an American here who would like to speak to you."

"I have no time now."

"Yes, sir." The orderly hesitated. "He says it's about one of the nuns."

"Oh? An American, did you say?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"Send him in."

A moment later, Alan Tucker was ushered in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Colonel. I'm Alan Tucker. I'm hoping you can help me."

"Yes? How, Mr. Tucker?"

"I understand that you're looking for one of the nuns from the Cistercian convent - a Sister Megan."

The colonel sat back in his chair, studying the American. "How does that concern you?"

"I'm looking for her too. It's very important that I find her."

Interesting, Colonel Acoca thought. Why is it so important for this American to find a nun? "You have no idea where she is?"

"No. The newspapers - "

The goddamn press again. "Perhaps you could tell me why you are looking for her."

"I'm afraid I can't discuss that."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Colonel - could you let me know if you find her?"

Acoca gave him a thin smile. "You'll know."

The whole country was following the hegira of the nuns. The press had reported the narrow escape of Jaime Miro and one of the nuns in Vitoria.

So they're heading north, Alan Tucker thought. Their best bet to get out of the country is probably San Sebastian. I've got to get hold of her. He sensed that he was in trouble with Ellen Scott. I handled that badly, he thought. I can make up for it by bringing her Megan.

He placed a call to Ellen Scott.

The Cirque Japon was held in a huge tent in an outlying district of Logrono. Ten minutes before the circus was to begin, the tent was filled to capacity. Megan, Jaime, Amparo, and Felix made their way down the crowded aisle to their reserved seats. There were two empty seats next to Jaime.

He stared at them and said, "Something's wrong. Ricardo and Sister Graciela were supposed to be here." He turned to Amparo. "Did you - ?"

"No. I swear it. I know nothing about it."

The lights dimmed and the show began. There was a roar from the crowd, and they turned to look at the arena. A bicycle rider was circling the ring, and as he pedaled an acrobat leaped onto his shoulder. Then, one by one, a swarm of other performers jumped on, clinging to the front and back and sides of the bicycle until it was invisible. The audience cheered.

A trained-bear act was next, and then a tightrope walker. The audience was enjoying the show tremendously, but Jaime and the others were too nervous to pay any attention. Time was running out.

"We'll wait another fifteen minutes," Jaime decided. "If they're not here by then - "

A voice said, "Excuse me - are these seats taken?"

Jaime looked up to see Ricardo and Graciela, and grinned. "No. Please sit down." And then, in a relieved whisper, "I'm damned glad to see you."

Ricardo nodded at Megan and Amparo and Felix. He looked around. "Where are the others?"

"Haven't you seen the newspapers?"

"Newspapers? No. We've been in the mountains."

"I have bad news," Jaime said. "Rubio is in a prison hospital."

Ricardo stared at him. "How - ?"

"He was stabbed in a bar fight. The police picked him up."

"¡Mierda!" Ricardo was silent a moment, then sighed. "We'll just have to get him out, won't we?"

"That's my plan," Jaime agreed.

"Where's Sister Lucia?" Graciela asked. "And Sister Teresa?"

It was Megan who answered. "Sister Lucia has been arrested. She was - she was wanted for murder. Sister Teresa is dead."

Graciela crossed herself. "Oh, my Lord."

In the arena a clown was walking a tightrope, carrying a poodle under each arm and two Siamese cats in his capacious pockets. As the dogs tried to reach the cats, the wire swayed wildly and the clown pretended to be fighting to keep his balance. The audience was roaring. It was difficult to hear anything over the noise of the crowd. Megan and Graciela had so much to tell each other. Almost simultaneously, they began to talk in the sign language of the convent. The others looked on in astonishment.

Ricardo and I are going to marry...

That's wonderful...

What has been happening to you?

Megan started to reply and realized there were no signs to convey the things she wanted to say. It would have to wait.

"Let's move," Jaime said. "There's a van outside waiting to take us to Mendavia. We'll drop the sisters off there and be on our way."

They started up the aisle, Jaime holding Amparo's arm.

When they were outside in the parking lot, Ricardo said, "Jaime, Graciela and I are getting married."

A grin lit up Jaime's face. "That's wonderful! Congratulations." He turned to Graciela. "You couldn't have picked a better man."

Megan put her arms around Graciela. "I'm very happy for you both." And she thought: Was it easy for her to make the decision to leave the convent? Am I wondering about Graciela? Or am I wondering about myself?

Colonel Acoca was receiving an excited report from an aide.

"They were seen at the circus less than an hour ago. By the time we could bring up reinforcements, they had gone. They left in a blue and white van. You were right, Colonel. They are headed for Mendavia."

So it's finally over, Acoca thought. The chase had been an exciting one, and he had to admit that Jaime Miro had been a worthy opponent. The OPUS MUNDO will have even bigger plans for me now.

Through a pair of high-powered Zeiss binoculars, Acoca watched the blue and white van appear over the crest of a hill and head for the convent below. Heavily armed troops were hidden among the trees along both sides of the road and around the convent itself. There was no way anyone could escape.

As the van approached the entrance to the convent and braked to a stop, Colonel Acoca barked into his walkie-talkie, "Close in! Now!"

The maneuver was executed perfectly. Two squads of soldiers armed with automatic weapons swung into position, blocking the road and surrounding the van. Acoca stood watching the scene for an instant, savoring his moment of glory. Then he slowly approached the van, gun in hand.

"You're surrounded," he called out. "You haven't got a chance. Come out with your hands up. One at a time. If you try to resist, you'll all die."

There was a long moment of silence, and then the van door slowly opened and three men and three women emerged, trembling, their hands raised high above their heads.

They were strangers.