Fearing the worst, Kevin and the others hadn’t moved a muscle. They’d been scared witless by the indiscriminate gunfire and terrified it might begin again at the slightest provocation.

Only at the appearance of several of the Moroccan guards did the unruly soldiers back off. Kevin had never imagined the intimidating Arabs as potential saviors, but that’s how it had turned out. The guards had assumed custody of Kevin and the women. Then the guards drove them in Kevin’s car, first to the Moroccan guard building across from the animal center, where they’d been placed in a windowless room for several hours, and then finally into town, where they’d been incarcerated in the old jail.

“This is outrageous treatment,” Melanie persisted.

“On the contrary,” Siegfried said. “I have been assured by Mustapha that you have been treated with all due respect.”

“Respect!” Melanie sputtered. “To be shot at with machine guns! And kept in this shithole in the dark! That’s respect?”

“You were not shot at,” Siegfried corrected. “Those were merely a few warning shots directed over your heads. You had, after all, violated an important rule here in the Zone. Isla Francesca is off-limits. Everyone knows that.”

Siegfried motioned to Cameron toward Candace. Cameron opened her cell with a large, antique key. Candace wasted no time getting out of the cell. She hastily dusted off her clothes to make sure there were no bugs. She was still dressed in her surgical scrubs from the hospital.

“My apologies to you,” Siegfried said to Candace. “I imagine you were led astray by our resident researchers. Perhaps you were not even aware of the rule against visiting the island area.”

Cameron opened Melanie’s cell and then Kevin’s.

“As soon as I heard about your detention, I tried to call Dr. Raymond Lyons,” Siegfried said. “I wanted to ask his opinion as to the best way to handle this situation. Since he was unavailable, I have to take responsibility myself. I am releasing you all on your own recognizance. I trust that you now know the seriousness of your actions. Under Equatoguinean law it could be considered a capital offense.”

“Oh, bull!” Melanie spat.

Kevin cringed. He was afraid Melanie would anger Siegfried enough to order them back into the cells. Benevolence was not a part of Siegfried’s character.

Mustapha extended Kevin’s car keys to him. “Your vehicle is out back,” he said with a heavy French accent.

Kevin took the keys. His hand shook enough to cause them to jingle until he got his hand and the keys into his pocket.

“I’m sure I will be speaking to Dr. Lyons sometime tomorrow,” Siegfried said. “I will contact you individually. You may go.”

Melanie started to speak again, but Kevin surprised himself by grabbing her arm and propelling her toward the stairs.

“I’ve had enough manhandling,” Melanie sputtered. She tried to pull her arm from Kevin’s grasp.

“Let’s just get into the car,” Kevin whispered harshly through clenched teeth. He forced her to keep moving.