by P J Skinner
‘The article doesn’t say. What shall we do?’
‘What about your friend Inspector Torres? Perhaps he can find out for us?’
‘Yes, I’ll ring him now. Oh God, what will I do if I lose Alfredo?’
‘Don’t panic. You need to stay calm and ring the Inspector. I’ll make you a coffee.’
Gloria started rummaging in her bag for the Inspector’s card. Finding it, she rushed out and dialled the police station in the valley.
‘Hello, this is Gloria Sanchez, can I speak to your Inspector Torres, please?’
Gloria balanced the receiver on her shoulder and lit a cigarette. She took a long pull and breathed out, draining her lungs. Then she fumbled with the receiver and put it back to her ear.
‘Yes, Inspector, thank you, I know you're busy but I need your help.’
She frowned.
‘What? No, it’s not about the fire. My friend Alfredo is missing and they have found his car near Lago Verde. Can you tell me if he and his friend have been found, too? Did they escape or are they injured and in hospital?’
Gloria nodded.
‘Yes, I can. I’ll be there after lunch. Thank you, Inspector.’
She hung up the phone and turned to Sam.
‘He’s going to ring the police station nearest to Lago Verde and get the details. He wants us to come and see him in the station this afternoon so that he can give us the details in person.’
‘Okay. I made the coffee. Let’s have a cup with our lunch and we can head down to the station.’
‘I can’t eat. I’m so worried.’
‘Come and sit down. You might be able to manage something.’
Sam had to shout at Gloria to slow down on the way to the police station. She was driving even faster than usual and Sam feared that they would also end up at the bottom of a precipice. They swept into the car park almost hitting a police car on its way out. Gloria jumped out of the car and made for the station entrance, Sam trailing in her wake. Then she stopped and stood there as if in a trance. Sam caught up with her.
‘Gloria? Come on.’
‘I’m afraid.’
‘I know.’
Sam slipped her arm through Gloria’s and they walked into the station. They were expected. The desk sergeant directed them straight into the office of Inspector Torres who was standing up facing the window with his back to them.
He didn’t need to turn around.
***
Sam drove back to Calderon, heading straight for the apartment of Hernan Sanchez, reasoning that if she lost someone she loved, she would need her parents. Gloria sobbed all the way there. Her mascara had spread over her cheeks. She didn’t say anything except for ‘Alfredo’ over and over, rocking in her seat like a lunatic. Sam got out first and discreetly asked the guard to inform Rosa, Hernan’s maid that Alfredo Vargas was dead and that Gloria was coming up to see her father. They travelled up together in the lift with Gloria weeping into Sam’s chest making a damp black patch on her shirt. The doors opened and Hernan Sanchez stood there with his arms open. Sam passed Gloria into his care without being able to comfort either of them.
‘I’ll come over tomorrow,’ she said.
‘Why don’t you stay, too? There is plenty of room.’
‘I can’t. She needs you to herself. I know I would.’
‘Okay, but I’m here if you need anything.’
‘Thank you.’
Sam pressed the button to descend, waving a sad goodbye. Gloria was enveloped in her father’s arms, sobbing her heart out. Her friend’s desolation was more than Sam could bear to watch. She drove back to Gloria’s flat and parked the car in the garage. It was a cold evening. Her hands felt like ice. She sat on the sofa and looked out at the volcano, feeling like the last person on earth. Wrapping herself in a blanket, she recalled the inspector’s face as he explained that two bodies had been found in the car. They had been impossible to identify on site as they were burned beyond recognition. There was one tall thin man who appeared to be missing his fingers, and one stocky man of about five feet nine who had been driving. The taller man had a tattoo from a concentration camp visible on an unburned part of his wrist. They were convinced that he was Saul Rosen. There was no certainty about the identity of the smaller man. The inspector told them that he would receive information about any possible sources of identification for him in the next day or two. He reminded them of the unexpected body at Ramon Vega’s house, trying to give them a little hope. Sam could see that he didn’t believe his own words. Gloria, who had begun to cry even before she sat down, did not take any of this in. The inspector, who was used to being the bearer of awful news, seemed quite overcome by Gloria’s distress.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said to Sam. ‘So terribly sorry.’
***
The next couple of days were the saddest that Sam had ever experienced. Gloria was inconsolable and Sam could not think of anything to say to make the hurt diminish. Hernan Sanchez had taken on the role of full-time care-giver. Sam felt like an extra wheel, racked with guilt because she had not taken Alfredo’s disappearance seriously, using it as an excuse to escape from her own life. And now he was dead. It didn’t feel real. How could he die like that? It didn’t compute. Old people died. She didn’t have any experience of death and it made her feel inadequate. What did you say to someone who was so sad they wanted to die, too? She tried walking around town to distract herself but her light hair and green eyes made her the target of would-be lotharios on most street corners. Their cat-calls and lewd suggestions intruded on her grief and confusion.
Once morning when out early to try and avoid encouraging them, she noticed a slim young man who appeared to be following her up the hill to Gloria’s building. She tried speeding up and slowing down to check if he did the same but when he overtook her, she felt ridiculous. Why would he be following her? When she got to the door, he was leaning against the wall outside, smoking a cigarette, leering at her. Increasing her pace, she got into the lift and waited for the doors to shut. As they closed, he jumped in and stood right next to her. He leaned over and pressed the button for the floor above, his hand brushing her breast. He apologised, rather insincerely, but Sam relaxed a little, guessing he was visiting a friend and was chancing his arm with the gringa. He smelt strongly of old sweat and garlic. His greasy hair was combed into submission and stuck down with pomade. She felt a bit repulsed by his smug presence so close to her and was relieved when she could get out at Gloria’s flat. She felt like she had seen him before, hanging around on the street but she couldn’t be certain. Alfredo’s death had taken away a lot of her certainties.
When she got upstairs, she was left with a lingering doubt about him. She cautiously pulled the net curtains open a crack and peered down at the street. There he was, leaving the building again. Perhaps his friend wasn’t in. He looked up at the window. She snapped back the curtain and then felt foolish. He must have seen the movement. Was she being paranoid? She didn’t know any more.
***
Kleber saw the curtain flicker out of the corner of his eye. There was no way the gringa knew that he was following her. He kept walking, taking his time to reach the Ministry, buying some banana chifles on the way. Holger Ponce was waiting for him, sitting in the back of his ministerial limousine.
‘What kept you?’ he snapped.
‘Sorry Minister, surveillance doesn’t always go to plan.’
‘What have you found out?’
‘Miss Sanchez is staying with her father. The gringa is still in her apartment. She goes walking by herself with a face like a wet Wednesday.’
‘They’ve definitely seen the article?’
‘I’d say so. I spotted the daughter in the lobby of Senor Sanchez’ building and her face was puffy and swollen from crying.’
‘Hah! I knew it. That will stop them interfering in our plans.’
‘No one can stop the Reich, sir.’
‘No, of course, that’
s what I meant. You’ve done well. Keep an eye on them just in case.’
‘Yes, sir.’
***
Gloria came home on the fourth day, her face still swollen with weeping. It was strange to see her without make-up; her whole glamorous image having been washed away by the tears. Her hair was shoved into a chaotic birds-nest bun which hung uncertainly to one side of her head. She was wearing some ancient tracksuit bottoms and an oversized t-shirt. Crawling into bed, she hid under the duvets and seemed unable to put her sorrow into words. Sam was ill equipped to deal with such depth of mourning. Having no idea how to comfort her friend, she went into kitchen mode. She made coffee, and tea, and bowls of soup that went uneaten. Washing up gave her something to do besides looking out at the grey skies. She emptied ashtrays and went to the local shop to buy more cigarettes and escape the claustrophobic atmosphere in the apartment.
She was also having to deal with the knowledge that she was carrying a child that she didn’t want. Alfredo’s death had made it clear to her that she was in a relationship with a man with whom she should not be having a baby. This was not easy to admit. She remembered how she had defended him when people who loved her tried to point out the inevitability of the failure of their relationship. She hated him for his duplicity and the misery he had caused her. There could be no future for them as a couple with a child. Why had she been so blind? And now she had a horrible choice to make with no support. Gloria was not in a fit state to help her and needed support herself. Hannah had seemed weirdly disinterested on the telephone. She couldn’t talk to Simon. Loneliness enveloped her like a cold sea. She would have to have an abortion as soon as possible. Despite Gloria’s offer of help, she didn’t want a child under any circumstances. Her career was just beginning and it was going to be difficult enough to get past the ring of prejudice that fenced her off from mining without adding a metre to the height of it. She was not ready and she couldn’t face bringing up a child who looked like Simon, or worse, behaved like him.
***
Sam was sitting on the sofa trying to warm her hands on a hot cup of coffee when the telephone rang. Gloria was hidden under a pile of duvets in her bedroom and did not come out. Sam made her way to the telephone with trepidation. No one knew about Alfredo yet but the rumour about him being missing was spreading. She dreaded fielding the inquiries from their circle of friends.
‘Hello?’
‘Is that the gringa? I need to speak to Miss Sanchez urgently.’
‘Inspector Torres? I’m afraid that won’t be possible. She’s sleeping.’
‘Wake her up. I must talk to her right now. I have to ask her a question.’ His voice contained a suppressed excitement that was contagious.
‘Okay, give me a minute.’
Sam put down the receiver and went into Gloria’s bedroom, switching on the light. The curtains were shut and the duvets rose and fell almost imperceptibly. A stick of incense had left its scent and a long trail of ash on the bedside table.
‘Gloria, it’s the inspector on the phone. He wants to talk to you. It’s urgent.’
There was a snuffling noise and a nest of hair emerged from the covers.
‘Urgent? I don’t think I can bear to talk to him.’
‘Come on, you can do it.’
Gloria got out of bed with a big sigh and walked to the phone dragging a duvet with her and leaving a trail of bedclothes in her wake. She picked up the phone and held it to her ear.
‘Hello? Inspector? It’s Gloria Sanchez, here.’
‘Miss Sanchez, sorry to disturb you. I understand that you are going through hell right now but there’s been a development.’
‘A development? What do you mean?’
‘We have some new information about the bodies in the car. It must be incredibly distressing for you but I need you to confirm something for me.’
‘Okay, go ahead.’ Her voice trembled. Sam grabbed her free hand and squeezed it.
‘Did Dr Vargas ever have a serious break in his leg?’
‘A broken leg? No, I don’t think so. We compared our scars and broken bones once for fun. I’ve broken nearly everything you can break, but he claimed that he’d never had so much as a fracture.’
There was the sound of air escaping from the Inspector’s lungs, a big relieved sigh which even Sam could hear. His voice rose with excitement.
‘The body that we are trying to identify has metal plates screwed into his right shin. We are tracing the serial number now but I think I can tell you…’
Gloria started to sob again, collapsing in a heap on the floor.
‘What?’ said Sam. ‘What is it? Tell me for God’s sake.’
Gloria gulped. She turned to face Sam, her eyes shining like beacons in her face.
‘It’s not him. It’s not Alfredo.’ She lifted the receiver which had been left hanging in the air.
‘Inspector?’
‘Yes, well as you have guessed, we can confirm that the body is not that of Dr Vargas.’
‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’
‘My pleasure, Miss Sanchez. Please don’t tell anyone. It won’t be official for weeks until we discover who he is.’
Gloria put the receiver back on the telephone and the two women hugged in excitement. ‘I’ll speak to my father’ said Gloria. ‘We need to leave today. Segundo should be available now.’
‘Okay, I’ll get packed.’
‘I hope we can get there in time. If the Nazi’s didn’t kill him, that means they are keeping him alive for some reason. At least we know where to look now. Fingers crossed.’
A shiver ran up Sam’s spine as she remembered Saul Rosen’s missing fingers. It seemed to her that Alfredo had been reprieved for some sinister purpose that hadn’t yet become apparent and a feeling of dread swamped any passing euphoria at the news of his survival. To travel hopefully might be better than to arrive.
CHAPTER XX
Hannah had never felt so bad. She was used to getting her own way. Being the older and more beautiful sister, she got a lot of positive attention as a child, making her feel invincible. Sam had not represented competition in the beginning. Hannah was the centre of attention and Sam trailed in her wake.
That lasted until the trip to Sierramar, and the Indiana Jones-like adventure she had. After that, Hannah had lost her advantage, as her mundane job and string of pointless boyfriends paled beside Sam’s career. She had become short tempered and resorted to sabotage to get the better of her sister as she felt the spotlight shifting away. Sam, who didn’t have a jealous bone in her body, was unaware of this shift, which would, in any case, have made her feel uncomfortable.
For Hannah, Simon was the last straw. What on earth could he see in Sam that Hannah didn’t have more of, and better quality? She was mystified and envious. When Simon had come to her house, she saw her opportunity to prove her superiority. She didn’t like him that much, although he did have an animal magnetism that made her feel sick, she had intended to seduce him and then blackmail him into leaving Sam for good. She had been drunk at the time and had not examined the ramifications of her plan before it was consummated. She hadn’t expected to like him. Or for him to like her.
When Sam had dropped her bombshell about the pregnancy, Hannah was horrified. She managed to get to the end of the conversation without blurting out the truth. The awful reality of what she had done to her only sister, who had never done her any harm and had always supported her, sunk in. She realised what a vile coward Simon was. He had come to her house to tell her about the pregnancy but been side-tracked by the possibility of a quick shag. Now, he was screwed by his own libido. How were they going to talk their way out of this one? What if Sam wanted to keep the baby? Worse still, would she ever talk to Hannah again if she found out?
There was only one thing to do. Nothing. She would wait and see who cracked first. Either Sam would decide not to have the baby or Simon would have to tell Hannah the truth about Sam�
��s pregnancy. Either way, if she did nothing, there were no consequences to be faced. She could support Sam through the abortion or blame Simon for seducing her when he knew Sam could be pregnant. It seemed to her that she was in a win-win situation if she sat on her hands.
Simon turned out to be the weakest link and came to her house a couple of days later. She heard his timid knock on the door as she was folding her laundry in the kitchen. Opening the front door, she was surprised to find him standing there with a large bunch of flowers. It made her even more irritated.
‘Why are you here?’
Simon’s face fell.
‘Wow. That’s not the welcome I was expecting.’
‘I suppose you thought that I’d fall down in the hall with my legs open if you brought me some flowers?’
‘Please. Don’t say things like that. It’s unfair.’
‘Unfair? So, you think I’m being unfair? That’s interesting coming from a man who forgot to tell me that his girlfriend, my sister, is pregnant with his baby.’
‘She told you? Oh, Christ. Let me in. I need to explain.’
‘Yes, you do, because I’m confused right now.’ She headed for the kitchen, Simon following her with his redundant gift. Nodding her head towards a kitchen stool, she went back to folding her laundry.
‘Okay, I’m listening.’
Simon looked trapped. He kneaded his hands together as if trying to extract the blame from them. ‘It’s not that easy to explain. The truth is that I’ve always fancied you and when you came on so strong, I thought it would be the only chance I’d ever have to be with you. I admit that it was selfish and stupid.’
‘You’ve got that right.’
‘But I haven’t. Because now that I’ve been with you, and I understand you better. I don’t want it to be the last time.’
‘But Sam is pregnant. You can’t walk away from her.’
‘Sam hasn’t confirmed that she is pregnant. She only said that she might be. I'm hoping she isn’t, and anyway, there's no chance she’ll keep it. Sam is not maternal in any way and that was part of the attraction. For a man like me, a woman who doesn’t want to get married and have children straight away is a big bonus. But the bits of Sam that I like, you have them, too. And more.’