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MARCHING POWDER

The next day was Tuesday and much of the city was out shopping because it was Easter week. I purchased an Apex ticket from a travel agent on the main road, known as the Prado. The flight was for the following day at 7.15 am. The date couldn't be changed and the ticket was non-refundable, but it was the cheapest available. Afterwards, I returned to my hotel room and swallowed the seventy grams of cocaine balls.

The colonel picked me up in his four-wheel drive again. I handed him the money immediately. We hadn't finalised the details of our arrangement yet, but I wanted to pay him beforehand as a show of faith. Colonel Lanza liked this.

'Yes. It is good idea to get business out of the way first, I think. After we can enjoy the nice meal my wife will cook.'

On the way to his house we stopped at the markets so that I could buy the food.

'Come with me,' he said, 'I show you where the poor people buy everything cheap.'

We dodged our way around the crowds of people wandering through the busy market. I had to stand aside as old men carrying heavy sacks ran through the spaces between the tiny stalls calling, 'Permiso. Permiso.' Everything was for sale in those markets, from electrical goods to strange vegetables I had never seen before.

'What's that?' I asked, when I saw some kind of meat bubbling away in a pot.

'Believe me. You do not want to know,' answered the colonel. 'These people are Indians. That is the Aymara and Quechua languages they are speaking. These people are not educated, you see.' He motioned around him and spat on the ground. 'You know, some of the people does not even know Spanish.'

After I had paid for the food, we continued walking through the markets, discussing as we went how we would get the merchandise on to the plane. Colonel Lanza was to come to my hotel that evening to pick up my suitcases. He would take them to the airport in the morning and personally ensure that they were placed safely onboard.

'After that, is not my problem,' he said. 'Anything happen, is your problem, OK?'

I nodded. 'OK, but I can definitely get on the plane without touching the suitcases?'