Revenge in Barcelona

by Kathryn Lane

  “There’s no doubt he’s following those people,” Selena said. “But why?”

  “Who are they?” Olani asked. “They look like tourists.”

  “Let me get a photo of Taiwo for the police.” Selena reached into her skirt to retrieve her mobile phone. “May I borrow your sunglasses?”

  “Be careful.”

  “Don’t worry,” Selena said as she covered her head with her shawl and put the cheap sunglasses on. “I’ll be back with lunch.” She crossed to the median and continued walking toward the food kiosk, where she approached from the rear where Taiwo could not see her.

  While Selena waited for the order, Olani watched her friend snap clandestine photos of Taiwo’s profile.

  Chapter Forty

  Barcelona—Eixample District

  Tuesday Afternoon

  The dimly lit interior of the restaurant featured an extra-long bar with a marble counter over an elaborately carved wooden base. Panels of mirrors covered the wall behind the bar, and inset lighting projected soft illumination on dry-cured hams dangling from a metal bar embedded in the ceiling for that purpose. Behind the bar, two tall and slender yet muscular men—the younger could have been a matador—prepared drinks for the whole restaurant and took food orders from customers at the bar. Nikki noticed their main role seemed to involve carving thin slices of the cured hams. The younger of the two performed the cutting with almost reverential ceremony.

  Chaos with periodic equilibrium seem to reign within the establishment. Soft classical guitar music in the background was drowned out as the noise level rose when patrons sitting at a long table against the side wall reacted with peals of laughter to humorous remarks made by one rather jovial man in their group. After their bursts of hearty laughter, individual chatter would increase until that guy caught the attention of the group once again, and all his friends turned toward him to listen and laugh again.

  “I’ve never seen so many hams in one place,” Nikki said during one of the less boisterous moments. She looked overhead at the hanging hams.

  “You’re seeing double because of the reflection in the mirrors,” Eduardo said.

  Nikki laughed. “That’s true!”

  Floyd ordered red wine and a large portion of food to be shared.

  The younger bartender set wine glasses and white cloth napkins in front of them. He served Floyd a taste of wine for approval. Floyd held a napkin up against the glass to see the color, swirled the wine, stuck his nose over the rim to smell it. Then he took a sip, taking time to appreciate the finish. Floyd nodded his approval to the young bartender. Matador-man poured for Nikki and Eduardo.

  The noisy group behind them erupted in jubilation and applause to an obviously hilarious comment. Nikki swiveled on her tall bar stool to take a look at the commotion.

  “That high-spirited man at the table behind you,” the bartender said, “the one who makes everyone laugh, he’s a famous adventure guide. He loves to tell funny stories of people he takes on his crazy escapades.”

  The guitar music that had been drowned out periodically by the jovial table behind them suddenly became louder as “Concierto de Aranjuez” reached a fever pitch. Eduardo tapped his foot on the barstool. “One of my favorite tunes,” he said.

  Nikki smiled. Then she reflected on recent events and her expression changed. “I feel guilty enjoying myself.”

  “Don’t,” Eduardo said. “You need to relax.”

  The young barman moved to the other side of the bar as his middle-aged colleague placed small plates and utensils on the counter. Soon the young man returned with a large platter of ham he had cut. He had filled out the platter with cured cheese, olives, and crackers in an artistic arrangement.

  “El mejor jamón ibérico,” he said underscoring the quality of the ham as he placed the platter in front of Floyd. “Es jamón cien por ciento de bellota.”

  “One hundred percent acorn fed. I’m sure it will be outstanding,” Eduardo said, pushing the platter toward Nikki.

  The younger bartender returned carrying a bowl of sausage and a platter with Spanish tortilla, fresh pimento slices, shrimp, and a breadbasket with a whole baguette.

  The tantalizing aroma reminded Nikki of the dinner Carmen had prepared for them, complete with appetizing tapas.

  “If this tastes as good as it smells, I’m going to gain a ton,” she said. She served herself a sampling of each item and waited until the men had served themselves before tasting. Her mouth watered in anticipation of the first bite of jamón ibérico.

  “It’s too early for tapas,” Floyd said, “but then we can act like tourists. For lunch, paella is the dish of choice, but you need to try this ibérico de bellota. It’s the best anywhere.”

  “It should be for what they’re charging,” Nikki said. “It’s like a mortgage payment.”

  Floyd took a bite of the ibérico. His entire countenance changed. “It’s so rich and savory,” he said with a satisfied smile.

  “You look like a happy man. I wish Milena could have joined us,” Nikki said, knowing Milena had scheduled a tour of Gaudí’s architecture around the city. Besides, she didn’t want to interfere with her husband’s work.

  “Does Milena’s tour include Sagrada Família?” Eduardo asked. He savored a bit of shrimp, his expression reflecting pleasure.

  “It’s off limits since the attack. For obvious reasons.” Floyd took a bite of Spanish tortilla and smacked his lips in appreciation. Then he dabbed his mouth with a napkin.

  “Figures,” Eduardo said after taking a sip of wine. He dipped a slice of baguette in olive oil, piled on a couple of slices of jamón, and topped it off with olives and pimento.

  “I need to tell you about my visit to the hospital,” Nikki said. She took a sip of wine and continued. “Rafael González, the detective we met last night at Carmen’s condo, was already there. More surprising was to find Fernando Massú talking to Carmen. He was implying Paula was involved in the attack.”

  “If he has evidence, he should present it to the police, not upset Carmen,” Floyd said.

  “Absolutely,” Nikki said. “Rafael told him the same thing. In fact, the detective told Massú he could arrest him for obstruction of justice if he knows something and does not inform the police.”

  Expressing concern that Massú would upset Carmen that way, Eduardo suggested the man had an ulterior motive. He helped himself to another piece of jamón and placed a slice of tortilla and a couple of olives on his plate.

  “The man arrived late for his son’s wedding,” Nikki said. “It seems more and more suspicious.”

  “Consequently, he kept himself alive,” Eduardo added.

  “The detective questioned Massú about his daughter,” she said.

  “A daughter?” Eduardo asked. “I thought Fadi was an only child. He never spoke of a sister.”

  Nikki explained she was Fadi’s half-sister, but he did not know she was his sister. Massú had kept it a secret.

  “Well, well, well. Where does she live?” Floyd asked.

  “Right here in Barcelona. Her name is Sonia. She owns a flower shop. The one that provided the flowers in Saturday’s bombing.”

  Floyd stopped eating.

  Eduardo put his wine glass down.

  “Was she at the wedding?” Floyd asked.

  “Not as a guest,” Nikki said.

  “This could be a game changer,” Floyd said, interrupting.

  “Get this. Massú gave her cash for her graduation,” Nikki said. “She used it to buy the shop.”

  Eduardo pushed his plate away. It still contained a couple of thin slices of tortilla, pimento, and olives. He used his napkin to dab his mouth.

  “What’s more, I overheard the detective tell Massú his daughter was caught on CCTV at Sagrada Família the day of the wedding. Apparently at the park across from the entrance to the parish church.”

  “This is ominous.” Floyd said. “How much longer is Carmen going to be in the hospital?”

  “S
he’s recovering so well, they might release her as early as tomorrow afternoon, but the doctor will decide in the morning. Most likely, the day after tomorrow.”

  Eduardo suggested going to the condo to clean it up. Otherwise, it would depress her to find the mess. Plus she was in no shape to do it herself.

  “One of her friends arrived at the hospital before I left to join you,” Nikki said. “They’ve organized a whole group who will be cooking for her and checking on her. Even staying with her overnight.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Eduardo said. “Otherwise, Nikki, you and I would be pulling double duty taking care of her for a couple of weeks. Or at least I would if you returned to work.”

  Floyd reminded them they could stay in Spain as long as necessary. They decided to return to the hotel and continue to discuss the salient points of the investigation there. Perhaps figure out what to do next and call Javier to see what news he could report.

  Nikki turned to signal matador-man to bring the check.

  “My treat,” Floyd said as he tried to catch the attention of a bartender. Both barmen were busy serving food and spirits to other customers sitting at the bar. Finally, the young matador look-alike noticed Floyd signaling for the check.

  “Let’s walk,” Nikki suggested, when Floyd started to flag a taxi. “Both Carmen’s condo and the hotel are close. Walking always clears my brain.”

  “Never mind my brain, it’s my digestive tract that could benefit from a short walk,” Eduardo said as he glanced at his watch. “It’s almost seven p.m. With this very late lunch, we won’t need dinner.”

  The three of them walked for a couple hundred feet without talking. As they continued toward their hotel, Floyd broke the silence.

  “Nikki, before meeting you for lunch, Charlotte called. She’s accessed the blockchain sequence for El Saraway, but has not had time to analyze the transactions. Said she’d email it to you. More importantly, she reported El Saraway has gone silent. His tablet must be in a steel safe or deep cave.”

  “Or he changed passwords,” Nikki said. “That would do it.”

  “True,” Floyd reasoned. “Last night you confirmed he’s abandoned fort.”

  “Certainly the falcon was gone,” Eduardo said, “and the safe was empty.”

  Nikki concluded they must have spooked him. El Saraway must have discovered his suite had been invaded and bugged. She wondered aloud if they had left evidence when she and Eduardo had entered the first time.

  Eduardo had removed the hidden camera on their second visit to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

  “He might know someone was able to remotely access his tablet,” Nikki said. “While it’s not impossible, it would take very sophisticated equipment and knowledgeable IT guys to discover our hacking in.”

  “Maybe the falcon tattled on us.” Eduardo chuckled at his own joke.

  Nikki laughed but Floyd rolled his eyes.

  “The other thing Javier told me is that none of the CCTVs show El Saraway at Sagrada Família on the day of the bombing,” Floyd said. “Yet Massú told the investigator that El Saraway took him home from the basilica and stayed the night at Massú’s house. There’s no CCTV in Massú’s neighborhood, so we can neither confirm nor disprove the last portion of Massú’s statement.”

  The three of them stopped at an intersection and crossed as soon as the light turned green.

  “Massú is a complicated, contradictory fellow,” Nikki said. “Why would he lie about El Saraway?”

  “You can also wonder why he verbally abused Carmen at the hospital,” Eduardo added.

  “Has Massú’s house been searched?” Nikki asked.

  “Only Fadi’s condo. And Carmen’s,” Floyd said. “They found nothing suspicious at Fadi’s. They took his computers and so far, Javier tells me, they have not found any ties to terrorist groups or to the bombing itself. Paula did not leave any electronic equipment at Fadi’s place.”

  The doormen at the Majestic opened the heavy doors. Floyd stepped through and turned to Nikki and Eduardo.

  Nikki thanked Floyd for a great dinner.

  “We’ll clean Carmen’s condo and call you if there’s anything you should know,” Eduardo said.

  “When you get back from Carmen’s, no matter the time, come straight to my suite,” Floyd said, heading toward the elevators.

  Nikki and Eduardo continued their walk to Carmen’s condo in the waning warmth of the late afternoon sun.

  “This has been a superb evening,” Nikki said. “If we did not have the tragedy to deal with, life would be perfect.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Barcelona—Eixample District

  Tuesday Early Evening

  Olani nudged Selena when she saw the three people Taiwo had been tailing leave the restaurant. The two women hid behind an old newspaper kiosk. They watched the three foreigners cross the intersection and continue walking on the crowded Passeig de Gràcia. When Olani saw Taiwo start to follow them, she quickly stepped closer to the kiosk and covered her head, making sure the shawl covered the lower part of her face too.

  “It’s time to send Rafa the pictures,” Olani said, whispering to her friend through the fabric of the shawl.

  “Good idea.”

  Selena opened the photo app on her phone, selected three photos, picked the text message icon, and keyed in Rafa’s phone. She quickly wrote a message and pressed the send button. Seconds later her muted phone lit up with an incoming call. Though she answered, she did so in a whisper.

  Olani watched her friend. Selena listened for a few seconds and responded, giving their location at Passeig de Gràcia at the corner with Carrer d’Aragó, and confirming the pictures she had sent. “It’s Taiwo,” she said. “He’s shaven his beard.”

  Olani’s stomach gnawed at her. Fear made her heart rhythm speed up. She did not want to lose Taiwo this time, so she took a few steps away from the kiosk and focused on him as he walked up the boulevard following the foreigners. She was still close enough to hear Selena’s phone conversation.

  “He’s following three people. All four of them are heading toward Diagonal,” Selena said, pausing to listen to Rafa and then describing the three individuals Taiwo was tailing. She hesitated a few minutes, then responded. “That’s fine, Rafa. Yes, yes, Olani is fine. She’s with me. I’ll take care of her.”

  As Selena completed her conversation, she turned to Olani.

  “Rafa wants us to stop what we’re doing immediately.”

  “Of course. We knew he would say that. But I’m not losing Taiwo this time. Let’s go.”

  The two women turned the corner onto Passeig de Gràcia and tailed Taiwo. They held back as the three people reached the Majestic Hotel. The couple returned to the street and Taiwo started following them again.

  Olani and Selena watched as the two subjects of Taiwo’s interest turned right onto Carrer de Provença. Olani noticed Taiwo reach behind him and grab something from his waistband before following them around the corner.

  “A gun! He’s pulled a gun, Selena.”

  “You stay here. Understand? Don’t let him see you,” Selena said. The last words were uttered in haste as she hustled away.

  Zipping after her friend despite the warning, Olani felt the guitar on her back swing around and bounce over her arm. With one hand she pulled the cord to keep the musical instrument from swinging too much. She saw her friend reach into her pocket to retrieve an object. Does Selena carry a gun of her own? Or could it be a knife? Olani thought, her stomach sinking. When Selena turned the corner after Taiwo, Olani ran to the intersection to make sure she could watch her friend and protect her if necessary.

  Olani dialed Rafa. Out of breath, more from fear than exertion, she told him Selena was on Carrer de Provença and needed help.

  When Olani stepped onto Provença, she muffled a scream. Her friend appeared to be accosting Taiwo. Selena brandished her hands in Taiwo’s face. The artifact she had withdrawn from her pocket was still in her han
ds. Tarot cards. Olani suddenly recognized the cards used in fortune telling.

  Selena was flashing them in the man’s face, taunting him. He turned and grabbed her by an arm. That’s when Olani saw him point the gun at Selena’s head. Taiwo pushed her up against the wall of the building and used the weapon to hit Selena over the head. She crumpled to the ground.

  Olani did not suppress her scream this time. Anguish tore at her and she covered her mouth with her hand. Overcome by fear, she thrust herself against the wall, the guitar hitting first. She held her breath. She tried to think how to run to Selena to find out if she was seriously hurt or not. But her body would not move. Her thoughts were in a tailspin.

  Nor did she hear or notice a patrol car as it turned its siren on and flashed its lights.

  But she watched Taiwo retreating from the fortune-telling woman. He was running away from the patrol car Olani now noticed. He was running straight toward her. She felt faint. She prepared for his attack. With her hand over her mouth, she held her breath as she pressed against the building. Fear overtook her and she slid into a sitting position, the guitar bumping down the wall. Taiwo sprinted by swiftly. After he had passed, she realized he would not have seen her if he had knocked her into the gutter. Sirens and flashing lights filled the street.

  A second patrol car stopped. Two policemen exited with guns drawn. Both of them raced after the man. As the officers sped on foot after Taiwo, Olani hustled to her friend’s side. Selena lay flat on the sidewalk. Pedestrians had moved toward safety except for two people Olani saw walk up when she knelt next to her friend stretched out on the concrete.