" Ciento dos."

She put on latex gloves and removed the child's dirty diaper. It was wet and pungent with urine, which was good; she was not suffering from dehydration. She cleaned the child's bottom with a sanitary wipe then applied petroleum jelly to ease her discomfort. She put a new diaper on the child then removed the gloves and searched her satchel for medicine to relieve the child's pain until the bacterial infection had run its course. In Spanish, she explained the proper dosage to Maria. Her instructions were interrupted by the sound of distant gunfire, which elicited no more reaction in the colonias than the sound of the wind. With Nuevo Laredo just across the river, gunfire was the car horns of the colonias. She continued her instructions until she heard a familiar voice outside.

"?Senora!?Senora! "

"In here!"

The blanket parted, and Inez Quintanilla stood in the doorway.

" Senora, you must run away! You must hide!"

The doctor's young receptionist was breathing hard, her pretty brown face distorted with panic. That was not like Inez.

"Why?"

"They come for you!"

"Who?"

"El Diablo! And his hombres."

Her respiration increased.

"He's here? In the colonia? "

" Si, Senora."

" Why? Why does he come for me?"

She heard the fear in her own voice.

"El Diablo, he knows who you are."

"How?"

Inez's brown eyes dropped.

"I am sorry, Senora."

Her eyes came back up.

"But you must run! He will take you away!"

"Where?"