When Ginny returned to Mexico City and the small apartment on the Calle Manzanares, a summons from Lerdo awaited her. Though exhausted, she went immediately to the palace, where she was given a telegram. It was from her father, a terse message that she must contact him at once.

Surprised that he knew where she was, Ginny wrote him, telling him about Steve, begging for his help in finding him. Now that Lerdo had his promise of safe conduct from Mexico, he had no more use for her, and granted her the permission to leave Mexico City at her convenience.

Ginny returned from the palace near midnight, hopeful that her father would receive this message, and wished she had dared contact Don Francisco as well. The interview with Lerdo had been draining. The former president was gone from Mexico City now, fleeing before the triumphant entry of Díaz, his passage from the country to New York arranged.

With Brandon’s assistance, he would safely reach refuge in New York. But what of her? Perhaps she should have left with him, but could she abandon Steve? If she left Mexico now, she might well never find him, never be able to discover what had happened to him. Men were all too frequently lost in the corrupt judicial system, and with the change of presidents making things even more chaotic, delay could be fatal.

No, she would stay in Mexico, though not here. Not with Rafael Luna so close and dangerous, though Lerdo was skeptical of the man’s intentions.

“He is merely Spanish,” he’d repeated as if that reason excused and explained Luna’s blatant threats to her.

Frustrated, Ginny knew that flight was her only protection from him. She would go to Don Francisco at once.

But when morning came, Rafael Luna was at her door with a message from Díaz. “He requests that you remain in Mexico City, señora, for he recalls your assistance to him before.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Already dressed to leave, Ginny stared back at Luna with defiance and growing dismay. Three uniformed policia were behind him, and moved to stand on each side of the door, as if guarding it.

Luna intercepted her glance and smiled. “And I am afraid that you have no choice at the moment.”

Seething, Ginny refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her rising panic, and merely nodded coldly. “I will be glad to meet with Díaz at his leisure.”

There was no point in arguing with Luna; only Díaz would be able to help her now.

But an audience with Díaz grew impossible to achieve in the following days, while Ginny grew more desperate. Luna became more persistent, more bold, too confident in his invulnerability.

He has his feet in both camps, she fumed, and whichever way the wind blew was the way he leaned. He was only in Mexico to further his own interests.