the town of Suchitoto, radioing ahead for medical assistance.
They reached the town’s lakefront a few minutes later. With a deeper channel fronting its small marina, Giordino was able to run the boat aground just a few yards from the lone pier. Pitt jumped over the side, and Giordino passed Elise to him. He carried her to the wooden dock, where a faded green flatbed truck with a red cross on its door waited. Two young men dressed in white rushed over with a stretcher and loaded Elise onto it and onto the truck.
Pitt looked to the driver. “She needs immediate attention.”
The man nodded. “La clínica está justo en la ciudad.”
Pitt watched the ambulance rumble off the dock toward the town. Had he looked to his left, he might have spotted a black Jeep sitting behind a large boat trailer. A dark-haired man climbed out, then the Jeep followed the ambulance into town.
Giordino crossed the dock with the boat keys in hand and approached Pitt. “Hope she’s going to be all right.”
He nodded. “She looks to have lost some blood, but I don’t think her wound is serious.”
“Seems like a nice kid.”
“We can check on her after we return the boat.”
They hiked along a dirt frontage road lined with local townspeople gawking at the shrunken reservoir. At a wood-frame building that faced the lake, Pitt and Giordino entered a door beneath a sign marked DARIEN CIVIL ENGINEERING. A heavyset man at a desk was hanging up the phone.
“Thank heavens you’re safe.” The man looked out the window at the boat grounded by the pier.
Pitt gave a wry smile. “And your boat, too.”
“I heard some boats went over the spillway and I feared the worst.” He gave Pitt a sideways look when he noticed his clothes were wet.
“We got close to the action to help some people, but your boat was never in peril.”
Eduardo Darien shook his head. “I relayed to the authorities your call about the attack on the aid workers’ camp. The town police are on their way, and an army drug enforcement helicopter from San Salvador is also en route. Can you describe the attackers?”
“I’m afraid we didn’t see them. They were apparently well armed with explosives and automatic weapons.”
“While this is a peaceful area, the drug gangs in our country are out of control. A territorial dispute, I fear. I am sorry the U.S. aid team was involved and that you were placed in danger.”
“I just got an unplanned swim in the lake,” Pitt said. “What happened to the dam?”
The civil engineer shook his head. “I’m told the upper half of the main spillway gave way. Funny thing is, that section just underwent a thorough inspection three weeks ago and checked out perfectly.”
“Sabotage?” Pitt asked.
“It’s possible. There were a lot of displaced people when the dam and reservoir were built. And you never know what twisted motivation one of the drug gangs might have.”
“We heard a few loud rumblings before it gave way,” Giordino said. “Sounded a lot like explosives.”
“There will be a full investigation.” He looked at Pitt. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“We just wanted to test the sonar by dragging it over some of the settlements that were flooded when the dam was built. We got a nice look at a submerged village just east of here.” He motioned toward the reservoir.
As he did, a thundering explosion erupted outside, rattling the office windows. Pitt turned to see the grounded workboat explode in a fireball, raining bits of debris in all directions.
“My boat!” The engineer leaped from the desk and bolted out the door.
“My sonar,” Giordino said. He beat Pitt out the door, following Darien to the shoreline, where they watched the remaining hull disintegrate under a veil of black smoke.
“How could this happen?” the engineer asked.
Pitt kicked at a smoldering piece of fiberglass near his feet. “That was too massive an explosion to be an accident.”
“Fuel tanks were about run dry,” Giordino said.
Darien stared at the debris. “Who would do such a thing?”
“Likely the same people who blew up the dam and attacked the aid team.” Pitt wheeled around to see who was nearby.
The gathering of villagers stared at the boat like it was a fireworks display. They all looked shocked.
Pitt, noticing his rental car was blocked by the spectators, turned to Darien. “The girl we brought ashore might be in danger. Can you take us to the clinic?”
The engineer fished through his pocket and handed Pitt the keys. “I’m going to call