"I don't care. I guess you aren't, though."
"Right."
"I'd have died if he killed you. I love you, Matt."
She was sitting on the edge of the bed. He stood over her, took the
glass from her hand. "You know how I feel, then," he smiled.
"Darling," she said, raising her face, "didn't you think that I knew?"
"Wait," he laughed. "I'm filthy with his blood. I'd better change my
clothes."
He found a fresh suit and a clean shirt in his closet. "I'll change in
there," he said.
"Darling," she said, while he was changing, "I still can't figure out
why Ansaldo wanted me at the ranch."
"I think I can, baby. It's not so hard. Figure it out for yourself. The
beautiful American nurse is a complete political innocent. Sees all,
knows nothing. A perfect set-up. The Falangist doctors take you along to
San Hermano. You sit in the sickroom while Ansaldo examines Tabio. You
yourself work on the smears and the slides in the laboratory. You are
the clean, unbiased witness who can testify that scientifically all was
on the up and up. Your existence is proof that Ansaldo's visit was
legitimate. If anything was shady, he'd bring a Falangist nurse."
"But why was I brought to the ranch?"
"Same reasoning. Lavandero blocks Ansaldo's plans. Meanwhile, the
Falange sends two agents from Spain with the latest orders for Ansaldo.
He has to sneak out of town to confer with them. So does Androtten, the
Nazi boss of the expedition. Again Ansaldo takes the unbiased,
non-political nurse along. She is still the witness. She sees nothing
wrong at the ranch, and, after Ansaldo puts Tabio in the grave, if
anyone starts to suspect anything, they question the obviously innocent
American nurse and she backs Ansaldo's story. She really hasn't seen a
thing."
"That is," Jerry said, "until the dumb American nurse stood under the
wrong window and heard Joe Nazi himself."
"Exactly."
"Then you think they know that I heard Androtten?"
"I can't say. But just to play safe, you're moving out of this hotel to
where they can't find you. And right away. Not that they're not
prepared. Remember, you didn't _see_ Androtten. They know that much. By
now you can bet your bottom dollar that they have a coffee planter three
hundred miles from the Gamburdo ranch who will swear on a stack of
Bibles that Androtten was with him for the past three days, and a whole
slew of witnesses to back him up."
"But won't it make them suspicious if I move?"
"The hell with them, baby. It's you that counts now."
"Then I'm staying. I won't spoil it for you by playing into their
hands."