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rounded the curve, the rear of the vessel skidding up onto the bank. Just for a moment she thought she'd beaten him, but the momentum of the boat's forward motion pulled it back into the water, right behind her.
    She'd managed to make the open channel leading to the bay, but she still had an escort.
    "He's closing in again," Martin yelled above the engine noise.
    She glanced at the radio but dismissed the idea of calling for help. Even with the dire nature of the situation, she was better equipped to handle it herself. And quite frankly, until she understood exactly what was going on, she didn't dare risk exposing herself to the authorities.
    Best to head for the island and lose this son of a bitch somewhere along the way.
    She headed toward the shipping lane, well aware that under normal circumstances leisure craft were restricted from using it. Nothing about this situation was normal, however, and any advantage she could gain was all for the better. The deeper channel might give her an edge as her boat was designed for the ocean.
    The jet boat was not.
    Even better, she could see a barge off in the distance making its way across the bay toward the port. If she could close the gap between them, then there was a chance she could use the slow-moving ship to her advantage.
    Moving closer to the barge, Simone swerved across the channel, whipping around two buoys in the process. The boat behind her, unprepared for her motion, slowed visibly as the driver reacted to the sudden change in direction and the buoys in the way.
    The maneuver gave her an idea as she sped toward the barge, now no more than a hundred yards away. If she could time it right, she could cut in front of the barge just before it crossed the channel, blocking the jet boat and allowing her the precious seconds she needed to secure her escape.
    Timing was everything and she concentrated on the rhythm of the cruiser and the slow, steady progress of the barge. The barge signaled its approach, and then gave a second bellow in warning as she tore forward, close enough now to see the red rust streaks staining the black metal hull.
    "What the hell?" Martin's voice was ripped away in the wind, but she could see the question in his eyes.
    "It's our only chance."
    The barge signaled again, a crewman waving frantically from the bridge. Ignoring his apparent panic, she gripped the wheel and swerved left, gunning the cruiser's engine to full capacity.
    The boat surged past the barge, so close she could have reached out to touch the prow. Urging the cruiser onward, she let out a sigh as she slipped past, the enormous ship filling the horizon behind her.
    She'd escaped on a whistle and a prayer.
    The thought made her smile, the archaic saying bubbling up from somewhere in her past. A foster parent maybe. Hard to say. But just at the moment it fit her mood perfectly.
    Resisting the urge to let out a whoop, she glanced over at her brother-in-law, who was still staring openmouthed at the ship behind them.
    "Oh my God," Martin mouthed, his face ashen but his eyes triumphant.
    Simone headed into the sun-kissed waves of the bay, the barge behind her growing smaller and smaller as it meandered across the channel.
    She'd won this round.
    But she had no doubt at all that there'd be another.
    Whoever had found her would be back. It was only a matter of time.
     
    *****
     
    "YOU HAVE FOUND HER?" Isabella Ramirez whispered into the phone, warily eyeing the door. If Manuel caught her, there would be hell to pay. And here in Managua, even the walls had eyes.
    "For only a moment, and then I lost her," Carlos said.
    "Can you do nothing right? I risked everything to get you a name, and now," she spat the last word, "now you have nothing?"
    "I am doing the best that I can," her brother said. "It is not my fault that the woman got away from me."
    "She was our best chance at discovering the truth." Isabella blew out a breath, fighting her fury.
    "I know. But I will find another lead."
    "And how