Family Ties - Chapter 7

Family Ties by Nina Lavoie

Intermediate Level English. All in the present for transposition exercises.

China is back. No, she isn't dead. Not yet. But the Stroessner Fortune is still in play and powerful forces are trying to get it back. The problem was Miguel Angel. His DNA and the codes were both needed to unlock the treasure. And the arrowhead.

When Jane and Miguel Angel are kidnapped, things kick into high gear. China comes out of hiding and a raid is planned for the Stroessner cabin in the jungle near the border with Brazil. From tunnels and caves underground to a bottomless well, things heat up in this final chapter of the adventures of Jane Bertoni and her family in Paraguay.

Family Ties is the third in a series of three books (Family Secrets, Family Matters, and Family Ties) about the Bertoni Family and their adventures in Paraguay.

CHAPTER SEVEN

They hit the sand at the bottom of the well within a meter or so, but Miguel falls on top of Jane, his knee hitting her in the face and splitting her nose.

“Thank goodness,” Miguel Angel says. “Are you alright?”

“I think you bloodied my nose,” Jane says, feeling the liquid running down her face rather than seeing it.

She grabs her shirt and rips off a part to use as a rag while Miguel keeps apologizing. Jane just laughs with relief that they are alive.

Finally, Miguel Angel starts thinking about their captives coming back with lanterns. They will also discover that the well is not more than three meters deep, and they will, no doubt, want to investigate it for themselves. Especially if they don’t find their escapees in the other tunnels. They need to move fast.

The sand had accumulated from years of water runoff in the rainy season, flooding the cavern and finding an escape down this hole. But where does the water go after that? They have no light, so they have to explore with their hands. Miguel Angel finds a small tunnel leading off, downward, from the well. It is in a hollowed-out place on one side of the well.

He indicates to Jane to follow him towards the tunnel and whispers in her ear what he plans to do. Then he turns back to the well and tries to brush the sand left and right to erase any indication that they had been there. He can’t see what he is doing but it is worth a try.

“We need to go into the tunnel,” Miguel Angel whispers into her ear.

“I’ll go first,” Jane says. “I’m smaller and if we get stuck it will be easier for you to go back.” Jane pauses. “You don’t think there are any toads in there, do you?”

Miguel Angel almost laughs out loud but assures her that it is a water run-off tunnel and there are no animals living in them. They crawl slowly into the hole, Jane leading the way, and not a moment too soon.

They hear their captors coming back but don’t wait a second longer and snake into the hole as quickly as they can. Before too long, the tunnel widens out and they can crawl on hands and knees. The sandy bottom helps. By the time they can stand up, the sand is gone, and they can hear water and the croaking of toads all around them. They still can’t see anything, but they can feel the squishing of soft bodies as an unlucky toad is crushed by their feet. The trick is not to think about it. Just keep moving forward.

At first, they think it may be a good idea to follow the direction of the water trickling through the tunnels, but they can just as easily drop off into wells deep into the earth. They try to listen for the bats, disturbed from their sleeping, to show them the way out, but that also is no help since they can’t see anything.

Finally, they see a glimmer of light.

Every once in a while, if they are close enough to the surface, they know that there may be a small shaft drilled by run-off water through the limestone rock that will bring in some light. But it isn’t much. When they find their first shaft of light, they cling to it like a lifeboat, not wanting to leave. But all it shows them is the toads and rocks and trickling water.

They have to firmly decide to continue into the darkness. Staying is not an option. No one will find them down here. They have to rescue themselves.

They are lost. They admit that.

Maybe they should have waited to be rescued but that doesn’t seem likely given the hiding place of their captives in the cavern. The police have tried before.

Maybe they should have tried to negotiate but they weren’t even talking to them, and Jane is the leverage to get Miguel Angel to do what they want. Besides, they had seen their faces. There is no coming back from that.

The doubts persist but it is too late anyways. They are here. Wherever here is and they have to deal with it. Just keep on moving forward.

It seems like hours pass but, quite frankly, they have no idea. They are thirsty and try to drink from the stream flowing by their feet. They are hungry but neither one even suggests the toads. They are tired and stop to rest and even sleep for a while. But they have no idea of how much time has passed.

China has pulled every string she could. It has been a long time since she has been in Paraguay, but she still knows people. She gets a helicopter to carry her to Bella Vista Norte but before she can leave, she has to make a few arrangements.

Moises had said that there are four people still alive from their original group of revolutionaries besides them. The final two are in their seventies and live quietly in a suburb of Asuncion. When they hear what is going on, they are willing to help. They will meet China at the helicopter in an hour. She tells them what she needs them to acquire. They tell her it will be no problem.

She makes a few more phone calls and writes down the information carefully. She will commit the numbers to memory on the helicopter ride into the jungle. She has one more call to make. She isn’t sure he will take her call.

“Tell him that China needs to speak with him urgently,” she says to the voice on the phone. She hears a faint whirring sound and a click and then his voice. “Yes, this is Enrique Peña,” he says.

Enrique Rodriquez Peña is the new president of Paraguay. More importantly, he was her former unit leader in the revolution. They didn’t always see eye-to-eye on everything, but she has no doubt that he put Paraguay first in everything.

“This is China,” she says. “No time for pleasantries. Are you familiar with the Stroessner Fortune?”

“Hello, China,” the president says. “There is always time for pleasantries. Good to hear your voice. Yes, I am up-to-speed on what is going on.”

“Then you know that both the CIA and your own secret service are trying to get their hands on the Stroessner Fortune.”

“Of course,” the president says. “But let’s be clear that the money belongs to Paraguay, not to anyone else.”

“Let me be clear, Enrique,” China says, “I agree. But the only thing that interests me or my family is the safety of the children. Is that clear?”

“Entirely,” the president says. “You obviously have a plan. What is it?”

“I will tell you in a moment,” China says, “but you need to get the CIA and the secret service to stand down and let me negotiate with these people first for the release of the hostages.”

“From what I gather,” the president says, “the two families went to a lot of trouble to get them involved in the first place.”

“Things have changed,” China says. “And like you said, I have a plan.”

“Tell me the plan, and I will call off the raid.”

“No,” China says, “call off the raid and I will tell you the plan. You may not like it.”

There is a long pause on the other end of the line. Finally, the president asks, “Is it good for Paraguay?”

“Yes,” China says simply.

“Then I will have to trust you,” the president says. “Give me a second.”

“Thank you, sir,” China says when he comes back online. “I appreciate the trust.”

“If you fail, China. There will be hell to pay.”

“Yes, I know. But it’s my family, sir. I will not fail. Now, let me tell you my plan.”

Copyright © 2023-2025 by Bert A. Amsing and vanKregten Publishers. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from Bert A. Amsing and/or vanKregten Publishers.

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