Murdered in Argentina: A Jack Trout Cozy Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

wasn’t a tradition, because he would have preferred to be home with his wife, Catalina, but he needed to keep this job, now more than ever. He thought back to the conversation he’d had only an hour earlier with Catalina. Just thinking about it made his heart ache. He’d been in the small shed where the fishing gear was kept, making sure everything was ready for the guests in the morning. His cell phone had rung, and he saw Catalina’s name on the screen.
    “Mi amor, what did the doctor say?” he remembered asking. Catalina had found a lump on her breast the day before, and Pablo had insisted she go to the clinic in San Martin. One of the ranch staff was going into town to get supplies and Pablo had been able to get a ride for her to San Martin. They didn’t have the money to buy a car, so they relied on the ranch staff whenever they needed to go into town, which wasn’t very often. He and Catalina had gotten married when they were in their late teens and ten years and four children later, it was all they could do to scrape together the money to feed and clothe them. He knew he was holding his breath, but he couldn’t help it. He waited for her to answer. It took her a long time to say anything, and then he realized it was because she was softly crying.
    “Catalina, what is it? What did the doctor say? Are you all right?” he asked again with obvious concern, his left hand holding the phone to his ear, his right hand nervously rubbing his thigh.
    “Pablo,” she said in a tearful voice, “the doctor felt the lump and then took an x-ray of it. He said it looked like the type of lumps women have when they suffer from breast cancer. He said he was almost certain I have breast cancer.”
    “That was it?” Pablo asked incredulously. “Doesn’t a biopsy need to be performed to find out for sure? Why didn’t he do that?” Pablo asked frantically. “Surely there’s something more he can do.”
    “No, Pablo, he doesn’t have the necessary equipment. He said I would have to travel to a large town where that type of advanced medical treatment is available.”
    “If we can get you to a town that can do a biopsy, and if you do have breast cancer, then what?”
    “He couldn’t tell me. He said I needed to see a specialist who would know what to do. He said the type of cancer treatment I’d need would cost as much as 700,000 Argentine pesos. That’s nearly $50,000 in U.S. dollars. That’s more money than we make in five years. Pablo, I am so sorry to be such a burden to you.”
    Pablo felt as if his heart was being ripped to pieces. He’d fallen in love with Catalina when they were in school. As soon as they’d graduated from high school they’d gotten married. She was the reason he got up in the morning, the reason he worked so hard rowing boats for fishermen, and the reason he wanted to return to their small home every night. She was his reason for living.
    “Catalina, I have to stay here at the lodge and have dinner with the other guides, but I’ll be home after that. God works in mysterious ways. We must trust that our God will help us. Our religion has helped us in the past. It can help us now. I know it. You must believe it.”
    “Yes, Pablo, I do, but what if I die? You can’t raise four children by yourself. What are we going to do?”
    “I don’t know, but I won’t let you die. I promise you that. Somehow, we’ll find a way to get the medical help you need. Please believe me when I say that. Adios, mi amor.”
    “Adios,” Catalina said sobbing.
     Pablo sat for a long time lost in thought, his brain frantically searching for a way he could keep his promise to Catalina and save her life. He shook his head to clear it, looked at his watch, and realized it was time to join the other guides in the lodge’s kitchen.
    When he walked into the kitchen he was greeted warmly by Pilar. “Several of your clients are practicing their fly fishing down by the lake. You might want to watch them and see