Vistaria Has Fallen (The Vistaria Affair/Vistaria Has Fallen #1)(10)

“You said—” Calli began.

“I said,” Minnie overrode her, “that I don’t know who he is. I don’t. I do know all about him, though.”

“Give. Why does Duardo admire him? Why does that mean Duardo can’t be a rebel?” She shook her head. “The Red Leopard,” she quoted. “Isn’t it a bit ridiculous? The name? Who outside the movies goes around with a name like that?”

“He doesn’t call himself that. The soldiers that like him do because that’s what he is. A leopard.”

“He’s in the army?”

“Don’t think so. I think that’s part of why they like him. He’s no man’s servant and master of none. He has no official position yet he has influence. Power. He gets things done. He is everywhere at once. Watching them, keeping them on their toes. He’s sharp, doesn’t miss anything.”

“It still sounds like a fairytale.”

“Yeah, it does a bit, only Duardo didn’t say he was a myth. He’s seen him a few times and wanted to see him again. That’s why he hurried to the police station. By the time he got there, el leopardo had gone—poof! He’d prowled in and slinked out.”

Calli almost knocked her drink over as Minnie spoke. She gripped Minnie’s arm. “He was there last night?” She rubbed her temple, trying to recall the muttered Spanish she’d heard just before she’d whirled to confront the man with the red hair. “What did you call him?”

“El leopardo?”

“Yes. That’s ‘the leopard’. Red, though...” She dived for her newly purchased dictionary.

“Rojo,” Minnie supplied. “El leopardo rojo.”

Calli laughed. “Rojo...Roger. That’s what they said last night. I thought they were calling him Roger.”

Minnie’s eyes shone. “You met him? The Red Leopard?”

Another bubble of mirth welled up inside her. “No wonder the soldier at the desk retrieved my bag. He didn’t want Uncle Josh to bring the Red Leopard down on him again. I knew the guy had power. I just didn’t suspect...”

“So who is he?” Minnie begged. “Duardo wouldn’t tell me. They say it’s a mark of respect to not speak of his real identity, even though they all know. He wouldn’t tell me no matter how much I asked. You will, though. Tell me who he is.”

Calli shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me either. He refused.”

Minnie banged the table with her tiny fist. “Damn! This thing is driving me crazy. I’ve been trying to find out who he is for days. All the soldiers are the same. El zippo on his real name.”

“How many soldiers have you been talking to about this?” Calli asked, alarmed.

“A few. Any of them that would talk to me.”

“You can’t go around bugging them about this. If this Red Leopard man wants his identity kept quiet, then they won’t appreciate you, an American, trying to dig it up. Promise me you won’t do it anymore.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s just casual chat.”

“To you. Not to them. Promise me,” Calli insisted.

Minnie studied her, trying to judge how serious she was. She sighed and dropped her napkin on the table. “Oh, all right. No more questions.” She planted her chin on her fist and pouted for a moment. Calli knew the pout was more for effect than a genuine sulkiness. Minnie was too even-tempered to ever truly sulk. Pouting was how she teased Calli for being, in Minnie’s opinion, a stick-in-the-mud. True to form, Minnie brightened and sat up. “We’ll be surrounded by the military tonight,” she said. “Maybe we won’t have to ask. Maybe we can just keep our ears pinned back and we’ll hear something.”

“In that mashed Spanish they use?” Calli pointed out.

“Okay, see something then,” Minnie amended. “Come on, let’s go get that dress we saw. It’s just the thing for tonight.” She pulled the big Vistarian bills out of her bag, counted off enough to cover the drinks and dropped them on the table.

Calli followed Minnie down the steps to the road and the walk back to the shopping area, as mental weight dropped from her shoulders. She was learning, making connections, figuring out the lay of the land.

It was clear to her that she must stay in Vistaria. Josh’s stress and everything she had learned since arriving told her she was needed. If she must stay, learning everything she could about this strange place would reduce the fish-out-of-water sensation that bothered her.

Perhaps Minnie was right. Perhaps being pushed out of her comfort zone for a while would be good for her.

With her new knowledge came a reassurance that she would never see him again. No one who worked to keep his identity a secret would move freely around the city, out in the public.

“Can we find me a dress, too?” she complained to Minnie as she strode to catch up with her cousin.

*

Five hours later, Calli realized that allowing Minnie to help with clothes shopping meant buying something she wouldn’t have considered if she had been on her own. However, her lack of wardrobe forced her to wear the aquamarine gown.

She had been happy with the dress in the store. Minnie had pounced on it where it hung and insisted it would be perfect for Calli. As usual, Minnie had been right. It fit well, the color intensified the green of her eyes and the layers of chiffon gave the whole outfit a delicate appearance that offset her height. She had liked the effect in the store mirror.