Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris Page B

topped their wish list. But up to this point, neither she nor her brother, Sean, had managed to supply them with a bundle of joy. Sean had married an attorney set on making partner by the time she turned thirty-five.
    At least no one would be sending them a notice of her death today.
    Natalie shoved open the window to let in a breeze, then waved Joseph onto the extra chair. Pulling the memory card out of the camera, she prayed it would work with her photo printer. She’d told her parents she didn’t need the expensive piece of equipment and had only used it twice; anything more than a computer or laptop seemed an extravagance in a country where people struggled to find enough food. For the first time, she was glad they’d insisted on the purchase.
    Joseph sat on the edge of the chair. “Is it going to work?”
    “I think so.” Natalie drummed her fingers against the desktop as she waited for the first photo to emerge. When it did, she shuddered. The camera had captured the mocking expression of one of the men in black. “I’ll make two copies. That way I can give a set to Stephen and keep one for myself. And I want Dr. Talcott to see these.”
    She pulled her cell phone out of her purse to call Chad, then paused. What about Gabby? Her journalist friend’s connections with the media might be enough to get something done. Even the RD would make a humanitarian effort in order to avoid bad publicity.
    She logged onto her online account, typed in the password, and punched out a quick e-mail to Gabby. After attaching three of the photos, she pressed Send, then erased the message in the Sent box and emptied the trash. There was no need to take any chances at this point.
    Chad was next. She punched in the number he’d given her and waited for it to ring. The call failed.
    Natalie frowned. Great. The lines were down…again. She dropped the phone back into her purse. More than likely they’d be up again soon, but for once she wished things would work when she needed them.
    Another photo fell into the tray. One of the soldiers was pushing someone onto the ground. She pressed her lips together, afraid she was going to be sick. Joseph’s fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. They both needed a distraction. “Tell me about school.”
    Joseph seemed to understand her desire to talk about something other than the images they’d just seen.
    “There are many students and few teachers, but I want to keep learning, so I study hard. That is what the camera was for—a way to earn extra money for books and something to send to my family.” He ran his finger along the edges of the chair. “And maybe a chance for University. That is…was…my mother’s dream.”
    A sullen look crossed his face. There was simply no way to avoid the subject.
    Natalie squeezed his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
    “It is our life. I do not expect it to be easy, but this…”
    The last picture finally dropped into the tray. Natalie separated the pile of color photos. They would be enough to convince someone of what was happening.
    The front door slammed shut. She dropped the second set of copies into Joseph’s backpack and zipped it shut.
    “Stephen?” She heard the familiar gait of his heavy boots before he stopped at her office.
    He leaned into the doorway looking anything but pleased to see her. “Where have you been? I’ve tried to call you all morning. You didn’t leave a message as to where you were going.”
    His normal fatherly concern was overbearing today. “I guess you didn’t notice that the cell phone tower is down again.”
    “It was working fine an hour ago.” He frowned. “Next time at least leave word where you’re going. I’m responsible for your well-being.”
    Natalie grimaced. Obviously she wasn’t the only one whose pre-election nerves were hanging from a thread. He wasn’t going to be happy when she told him she’d been running through the jungle instead of teaching preventative health measures in the