Dirk barely had the car in park when Summer leaped out and ran inside the bar, ignoring its unsavory appearance. She almost didn’t recognize her father, seated at the bar in ragged clothes eating an empanada. He was equally shocked to see both his children.

“Dad, let’s get you to a hospital,” Summer said.

Pitt shook his head. “No time. We’ll need to coordinate with the Panamanian military to rescue Al and the others.”

Dirk looked at the assorted bar patrons, who all stared at the out-of-place Americans. “Dad, how about we discuss this in the car?”

“Fair enough,” Pitt said. He looked at the empty shot glass and plate of food. “Do you have any local currency?”

Dirk opened his wallet. “I’m told our greenbacks are the preferred currency in Panama.”

Pitt pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his son’s wallet and gave it to the bartender, then shook hands with him.

“That was two days’ worth of per diem,” Dirk said as they walked out of the bar.

Pitt gave him a wink. “Put it on your expense report.”

Dirk studied a road map before they took off down the rut-filled road.

“What has Rudi arranged with the Panamanians to get into Bolcke’s facility?” Pitt asked.

“Rudi’s pulling his hair out,” Summer said. “He called us three times on the way over. As you probably know, Panama has no standing army in the wake of Manuel Noriega’s removal. Paramilitary groups within the Panamanian Public Forces are willing to conduct a joint raid with a U.S. team, but only after they review the evidence and make adequate preparations for a tactical assault. Nobody expects a task force to be assembled within forty-eight hours.”

Dirk looked to his father. “You think Al and the others may be at risk sooner?”

Pitt explained his encounter with Zhou. “Once those charges go off, I expect Bolcke’s forces to execute all the prisoners and hide their remains. Do we have any U.S. forces that can go in solo?”

Dirk shook his head. “Special Ops forces out of the Southern Command are our best bet. They’ve been put on alert but are still ten hours away. Rudi said the only presence nearby he’s been able to find is a Navy ship out in the Pacific headed for the canal.”

After traveling just a short distance across Balboa, Dirk drove up a hill to a large, ornate building that overlooked the port district and the canal. A sign on the manicured lawn proclaiming it the PANAMA CANAL AUTHORITY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING.

“The Authority is responsible for security of the canal and the adjacent Canal Zone,” Summer said. “Rudi says they are our only hope for an immediate response.”