A soft voice answered me from across the room. “I believe we have met before,” he said in that smooth voice that is impossible to forget once you have heard it. I was supposed to be writing an article for the paper’s website, but my mind was blank. I contacted the Mexican Federal Police, but as soon as I explained what Maria had been up to, the officer said, “I am sorry, Señor, but if she went down into the hill country, there is nothing we can do.” There was a short silence on the phone and then he said softly, “I am very, very sorry, Señor, there really is nothing I can do. “What do you want?” I asked. “Hurry!” I shouted. I was asleep for most of it. I repeated what Summerfield had told me during the interview. “Hurry! “Either a dress or a pair of jeans and a blouse…your choice. When he was finished, she was practically lying across the top of the frame.
