Page 46 of Cutter’s Lady

“One thing I don’t get is why bringing supplies here is dangerous. Cutter was dodging around on back roads, eluding the army patrols, as if we were carrying munitions. What’s so secretive about carrying medical supplies to a mission run by nuns?”

“Ask the government. They think we’re a threat to their security.”

“Why?”

Mary lifted her shoulders. “They say our mission aids the rebels. Many of the children’s fathers are in the rebel army—they stay in the mountains, where it’s remote and easy for them to hide out. The wives and children usually continue to live in the villages after the men move to the rebel camps, so the military lays waste to their villages.”

“You mean even though the fighters aren’t living there, the government is bombing their family homes?”

Mary nodded solemnly, “Due process is practically unheard of with this regime.”

Leslie’s chest constricted. “You see this kind of thing on the news but it’s still hard to really picture.”

“If you had seen the children I’ve treated here as a result of the bombing raids—it becomes hard not to picture it. Not much fighting goes on during the rainy season—the tanks and jeeps bog down. But that ended recently, and the army’s gearing up again. Pretty soon Dolorosa will be overflowing with people needing shelter and medical attention. The government thinks we’re slowing down their campaign, by aiding the families of the rebels. They haven’t let supplies through to us in over a year.”

“If they caught Cutter bringing in the supplies, they’d arrest him?”

“Sure. They’d love to get him; they’re sure he’s the one helping us. I’ve tried to get him to stop, to turn it over to someone else, but he says no one else knows San Cristóbal the way he does. He could land a plane almost anywhere in the country.”

“But he can’t continue indefinitely. It’s too risky.”

“That’s never stopped Cutter before.”

Despite the heat of the San Cristóbal sun, Leslie was suddenly chilled all through.