📸 Photo

MARCHING POWDER

confronted by two young, attractive Bolivian women I had never seen before. The taller one was wearing red lipstick, a thick pullover of the same colour and chunky, gold-coloured earrings. The shorter one, who wore less makeup, was far prettier. She had on a full-length overcoat and I knew there was something hidden underneath because only one of her hands was showing through the sleeves.

'Hola, Thomas. ¿Cómo estás?' they chanted in unison. I could have sworn I didn't know them, but they were acting as though we were old friends. They both kissed me on the cheek and brushed passed me into my room without being asked. They didn't even bother looking around; they just sat down at the table as if they had been there many times before. I looked at them more closely. Maybe I was too stoned, but I was sure I hadn't met them before. I didn't know what to say, though, just in case I had.

'We brought you a little present, didn't we, Maria?' said Marcela, the taller one, producing a bottle of whisky from beneath her overcoat. Maria-Teresa took the bottle and held it up to me and pouted like a little girl.

'Well, aren't you going to get some glasses for us?' she asked, pretending to be upset. I went into the kitchen and did as I was told, all the while trying to work out what was going on.

'We're friends of Colonel Montesinos,' Marcela announced when I came back with two glasses. 'He should be here soon.'

'He sent us around as the advance party,' giggled Maria-Teresa. 'He said you wouldn't mind entertaining us for a while.'

That might explain things. Everyone knew that the governor liked to play around with women. Maybe he needed somewhere private to go where his wife wouldn't find out? That was possible, but I was still suspicious that my friends were playing a joke on me, or setting some kind of trap. And if it was a trap, I wasn't going to fall into it easily.

'Suit yourself,' Marcela snapped when I refused a sip of the whisky she was holding out to me. 'More for me, then!' She drained the glass and her friend giggled again.

Even though it was almost freezing, the girls insisted that they have ice in their whisky, so I went to get some from the freezer, glad of the opportunity to be out of their way. Then there was a firm knock at the door.

'Who is it?' I called out from the kitchen. I had hardly got the