The Prisoner

摘要

A frigid Antarctic wind battered Rio Hondo throughout the night and into the next day. I awoke in the morning and could hear the windows being rattled by its gusts. Today was going to be a cold one. Thank heaven, the motel was warm. Still early to meet the others, I took my time shaving. Unfortunately, there was no coffee maker in this Third World motel room, and I again idled several minutes before going downstairs to the check-in area. Jose, the detective who worked for me, and Tirso, a city detective, were already there. The inspector, Tirso's boss, was on the telephone, and we waited for him before going in to see the prisoner. Robert was the prisoner's name, and he had recently returned from the Nanking guerrilla school in China. On his return he was trying to recruit peasant farmers into a people's army. He didn't have a chance in hell of success, but it was iron-clad policy to stop him.