The Land Rover stopped for an instant to let the vehicle that was 200 meters behind it to pass. The driver opened the door to get out and as he did he raised up a hand as a signal to stop. The two vehicles stopped side to side on the deserted highway recently paved. It was 8:45 in the morning. They had left Chetumal at 6:00 in the morning they had gone fast discounting the time they had stopped at the open market in Carrillo Puerto to try some delicious tacos of venison and pork.

'We detour here' he said pointing up the dirt road which had a sign reading Tok'tuunich, 18 kilometers.

'You go on ...a little further on you will see the sign for Chun'yaxché, We will meet back here between 11:30 and 12. Okay?

'Okay'. Answered those in the other car.

The truck took off immediately.

'Hey Paco - said his companion- hand me the M-1 to try it out'

Paco took the automatic riffle from the back seat and gave it to his friend.

'Do you have any bullets?'

'Enough, two complete reloads'

'Gabriel, the group leader of the police, loaded the automatic weapon and aimed to a 'xuux' that was in a branch about 30 meters away. He fired 3 times quickly. The target fell apart in pieces from the impacts.

'You have a steady hand, considering the drinks you had last night at the house of the Jarocha'

'I didn't drink much, and even if I had, you know I do not miss- he said.

' I know that, hand it to me, let me see how my aim is'

Paco took the weapon, aimed at the target and shot off a short round, which splintered the branch.

'You are not bad either' Smiled Gabriel

'And now, what we came for, let's go to the village and see if we can get that son of a bitch'

The Land Rover took the dirt road raising a cloud of dust.

Jacinto was going over some documents related to agricultural credit program when he heard the noise of the vehicle approaching the house

When it stopped he watched as two big foreign looking men got out.

'Are you Jacinto Ek?' asked one of them.

'At your service'- said Jacinto

'Gabriel took out of his shirt pocket a badge to identify himself as a Federal Police officer.

'Yes, Sir -said Jacinto, a bit restless because of their sudden appearance.

Gabriel took an ID size photograph out of his pocket and showed it to Jacinto, asking:

'Do you know him?- we have him registered as the 'ooch'- the fox'

'I know him, he has been living here for a few months now with a girl of the Uitzil Family, who was working in Chetumal. It is he, no doubt.

'We are looking for him, we have a warrant to arrest him'

'What did he do?'

'He only escaped from the jail where he was serving a sentence for drug traffic - he sold marijuana'

'How did you know he was here? He is not one of us. I understand that he is from Yucatan. From Peto I think'

'We were informed by someone we had arrested; apparently has had tricked him, so he denounced him and told us we would find him here or around here

'Well they told you the truth, he should be in the milpa'

'Let's go for him. Can somebody come with us?'

'I will go myself, it is my duty. We don't want problems with anybody, especially if he is not from our village'

'Bring you riffle Don Jacinto'

'No way, it is your responsibility. As the authority I will go with you but nothing else'

The firmness and clarity of Jacinto's answer surprised Gabriel.

'Let's go quickly, we don't want him to get away' -he said to the other men in the car.

'The vehicle will do you no good. This is the way'-said Jacinto, showing the way.

Minutes later the three men moved in the narrow path, wide enough only for the mules. They walked for almost one hour, the agents were sweating hard because of the intense heat, which was increasing by the hour.

It was almost 11:00 a.m. Gabriel stopped a step behind Jacinto. He turned and instructed Gabriel with a sign to be quiet. Gabriel understood the message.

Gabriel whispered -'further'

'No -said Jacinto- we better try not to make any noise, he should be in that field'

'Correct'- said the agent.

Less than half a kilometer ahead, Jacinto made another sign. They were close. A little further they heard the sound of an axe on a tree trunk. Jacinto advanced cautiously followed by the agents with the weapons ready on their hands.

When they entered the milpa, the 'junky' was energetically chopping a tree trunk. Gabriel and Paco aimed at the same time as they shouted:

'We got you now, you bastard' 'Don't move or we'll fill you with holes'

It was a complete surprise... Balam didn't move, he understood that he couldn't get away.

'Don't try anything otherwise we'll kill you, boy, you better give up'

Paco advanced among the fallen branches while Gabriel pointed his M-1 at him.

In handcuffs he let himself be hauled away by the agents

When he saw Jacinto, he looked at him, with hate and shame at the same time.

The group went toward the path that led to the village.

It was noon when they reached Jacinto's house. They went in and Doña Carmen offered them pozole with ice to refresh them.

Balam didn't speak a word, since his arrest.

When Gabriel finished his cold drink, he looked at him threateningly.

' So you are the famous "zorro", you look more like a stinky skunk...tell us, Who are you partners? Who do you buy the grass from? Or, Do you grow it yourself ? Where do you hide it?...

The "ooch" didn't answer, he kept looking down to the ground.

' You will talk, you bastard!

'No doubt about it! '

'You will talk'... you better spit out what you know, if you don't we'll beat it out of you!'

When he realized that the prisoner would not speak, Gabriel said to Jacinto: 'Let's go to this rat's house. He must have the stuff there'

The group got up and went to Balam's house. The onlookers watched the group silently. They have already heard what was going on.

Two blocks west, at the edge of the woods they entered a thatch-roofed house where Balam lived. It was empty. The young girl, Balam's wife, had run to her parent's house.

'Go, get the girl, Paco. Drag her here if she doesn't want to come'

Jacinto looked at Balam carefully.

'Let me talk to him, señor, alone'

Gabriel looked at Jacinto with distrust. He fixed the handcuff to a post near the door and said: ' Only five minutes, while they bring the girl'

Jacinto look at Balam in the eyes and said: ' boy, you are in big trouble. Why don't you tell them the truth? Don't you see that even the poor girl will go the jail? Do you know what it will happen to her? Think about it. Isn't she you woman? Tell them what you know . Give them the grass you have hidden. So they won't take the girl.'

Balam thought carefully about it for a while. He looked up the roof where there were some corn shucks were tied.

Jacinto understood at once.

Moments later, the agents came in with the young girl and her mother. The girl was terrified. The mother shouted at Jacinto in Maya about what she considered to be an injustice.

'Let me have a few minutes outside', said Jacinto to Gabriel, as he pointed to the backyard.

'I think the grass is in those packets tied to the roof in the cornhusks. They must be stuffed with marijuana. He told me that is all he has. He also told me that he doesn't have any accomplices.'

'Will see about that in Chetumal. There we will make sure he tells us everything'

'I told him that if he confessed, the girl would not go to jail. I know her family. I pray you not to take her. I will be responsible for her.'

Gabriel considered it for a few seconds.

'Trust me', Jacinto continued, 'I'm sure she will tell me everything, that is if she knows anymore'

'Correct, don Jacinto, but you will be held responsible if she runs away'

'I will respond for that, señor.'

The police officers and the prisoner got in the Land Rover and it took off before the eyes of the on-lookers that watched prudently from a distance.

They could see Balam staring at the floor of the vehicle. He didn't dare to look at the people. The officers raised their hands as they drove away.

'It's over, go back to what you were doing'

Inside the house of Balam, the girl began to cry. Her mother, next to her, said angrily to Jacinto.

'Don't Jacinto, those men mistreated my daughter. Why did they take Luis? He didn't do anything.'

'Don't you know that he was in jail and that he had escaped a couple of month ago? They had him for trafficking marijuana. Didn't you know that?'

The faces of the women didn't change. Jacinto was trying to find a sign of what they were thinking. 'So you knew about it, Why were you so surprised?'

The young girl looked down ashamed, her mother tried to act surprised.

Thank God they didn't take the girl. I warn you, if you don't tell me everything you know, without leaving anything out, I will send for the police tomorrow'.

The two women broke out crying. Jacinto looked at them displeased.

' Now, tell me everything'

The girl didn't answer. The mother began to tell her version. Jacinto listened for a few minutes.

'Don't repeat yourself, just because your daughter is so young I won't let her go to jail', he said interrupting the story.

'Go back home, don't try to escape, if we find more marijuana then...'

'I swear Don Jacinto, there is no more than what it was in the corn husks'

'You are in trouble if you are lying to me'

The news flew like dust in the town. The two women did not leave their houses. Jacinto called the family members and told them about the situation. All of them denied their participation in the matter.

'Only this I can assure you, from now on, the police will be watching you. Each time they suspect something, your family will first be investigated. You know what to expect'.

Two days later the judicial agents arrived in the village with two trucks full of soldiers. Their arrival was unexpected and it was late at night. The soldiers got out of the vehicles and immediately began to search several houses.

Gabriel and Paco went to Jacinto, after a brief greeting , Gabriel said:

'We have a list of eight men. Take us to their houses right away'

Jacinto read the list. He was surprised to see the name of his son Dol in it.

' It is impossible, my son could never...'

'No time for explanations. Come with us or we'll have to arrest you too'

Jacinto ceded. The first thing he told them was: 'My son Dol lives near here, let's go for him'

Minutes later the agents came with him. His hand were tied and under the guard of two soldiers.

'Don't worry dad, I am innocent. I didn't do anything'

'I know that my son, don't worry, they just carry orders, they are taking the ones Balam had denounced'

'I know why. When he asked me to plant marijuana, I refused, so he is doing it out of revenge'

When the group arrived to the next in the list, he had already fled.

'He got away', said Paco.

'He 's probably guilty', said Jacinto.

In the following two houses they were successful, because of the surprise.

The ones further away had time to get away.

'You know all of them, don't you? Didn't you know they were involved?' asked Gabriel.

He spoke to the official directing the operation. ' Captain, I don't think we'll get anybody else, we'll get them some other time'.

One of the accused came voluntarily at that moment. 'Don Jacinto, they told me that these men were looking for my brother and me. I haven't done anything

Gabriel looked at him intently.

'You will have to come with us to clear things up'

'I will and brother also. We are innocent. They have already told me why you are here. Since you took Balam we imagined that this was going to happen. That bastard is getting us into this because we refused to plan marijuana with him.

'Do you know where he has planted it?' asked Paco.

'We'll show you right now, if you want'

Gabriel said to Paco. ' You go with him and with some troopers...captain!'

The captain answered. 'That's we are here for. We are at your orders'

The group left after the máasewáal with some lamps to find the plantation.

The rest of the group boarded the vehicles that carried them to Chetumal with the arrested men.

The next day Jacinto said good bye to Carmen. 'I am going to Chetumal to see what happened to the boys who were arrested. Don't worry about Dol. He will be home soon'

'I pray that they don't hurt him. I have heard that they torture them to make them confess', said Carmen with tears in her eyes.

'Don't despair, have faith in God'

That same afternoon Jacinto was in the offices of the Government representative in Carrillo Puerto.

'I have been informed about everything, don Jacinto. The official told me that they took your son and some others to investigate the accusation made by the drug dealer, he doesn't think all of them are guilty but he has to investigate'

'That's true, but I have to go to Chetumal, not just for my son, but also for my people. If they are guilty, they must be punished, if they aren't, they must be set free'

'Good luck, Don Jacinto, if you need a letter of recommendation....'

'Thank you, señor, They know me well in Chetumal. Thank you anyway'

Jacinto arrived in Chetumal that night. He immediately went to the government building. He waited for about an hour until the State official, who knew him personally, talked to him. He explained everything and asked for a complete investigation, but not to punish innocent people.

With a card from the functionary Jacinto presented himself in the judicial building. They received him and took him where the officials who had taken his people were.

'Don Jacinto', said Gabriel, 'I plan to free all of them except one, who when he was put face to face before Balam admitted that he had sold marijuana. The rest, your son also, seem not to have anything to do with it. I am happy to say that. Those who escaped , I thing they are guilty'

Jacinto listened and then answered.

'Thank God, everything will be fine'

The following morning after signing the papers and making some other arrangements, Jacinto waited for the group at the door.

Dol answered his question before he even asked.

'Hilario won't get out until the doctors examine him. He admitted smoking marijuana. But they only found a little bit in his house, so he has to pass the medical exam. It is the law.

Jacinto didn't answer, he greeted the group with a smile and added:

'Let's go home, he will come whenever he get out, tomorrow or the day after'

while the men rested on the bus, exhausted because of the ordeal, Dol told his father:

'They threatened us, they gave us electric shocks. They put plastic bags over our heads to suffocate us. They poured mineral water in our noses. They wanted us to admit we have planted marijuana, and have sold it. But we didn't give in. We are innocent.'

Jacinto did not say a word, not a single word.

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El Cuyo Yucatán, a new meeting with the nature. . Travelers Guide

 

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