The Street Angel

by Robert Gollagher

  “Juliet ... I know I have been wrong to you. But I am telling the truth. You are right about the necklace. I bought it to please you. I thought it would be an easy way to make you happy. To tell you the truth, I don’t know when we will find it, but I promise you it will be only for you. I promise that is what it will mean to me. And I don’t know how long it will take me to prepare to leave Maria. I must speak to my sons, my daughter. I must see my lawyers. It is going to take time, I cannot do it today. But I will make the preparations, Juliet. Look in my eyes and see that I am not lying.”

  Juliet Formosa said nothing for quite a long time. She walked out of the kitchen and left him kneeling there. Eventually he followed her out to the living room sofa, where she was sitting in silence. Minutes passed.

  At last, Juliet spoke. “You will come to see me more often, Fernando. You will stay overnight. And if you are lying to me about leaving your wife, you will wish that you had never met me. I will not be your whore.”

  “Of course, Juliet. Of course. I will come more often, I will stay. And you are not my mistress, not something cheap. Please believe me.”

  “I don’t know why I love you, you bastard,” Juliet Formosa sobbed. “And I don’t know why I believe you, but I do.” Then she hugged him.

  For the first time in twenty years, as Fernando del Campo held a woman, a tear rolled down his own cheek, from his own eye. He actually loved this woman, loved her enough to leave his wife, to do the impossible. He knew that now. “Thank you, Juliet.”

  Juliet Formosa saw the tear. She wiped it away from his cheek. “You don’t deserve me, Fernando. You know that.”

  “God smiled upon me the day he brought you into my life. It is the day that will change everything. God must be merciful to send you to me, for surely I do not deserve you.” The general had never spoken like this to a woman before in his life. He meant every word. “Such an angel as you.”

  Juliet Formosa leaned on his shoulder and cried.

  Chapter 14

  Maria Anna del Campo looked at her husband reading the morning newspaper and eating the breakfast the maid had prepared for them. He was ignoring her, as usual. “Do you have a busy day today, Fernando?”

  The general did not look up from his newspaper. “Not especially, dear.”

  “Will you be going to the club tonight? Perhaps you should take the cigars my sister bought for you.”

  “The club? No, not tonight.”

  “Then why don’t we go to the steakhouse? I have a new dress.”

  The general looked at her for a moment. He hated her wiry grey hair, her wrinkled face, the ridiculous make-up she painted herself with, all the rings and bracelets she wore. He thought she looked like some kind of clown, not like the beautiful woman he married long ago. “The steakhouse?”

  “Or the hotel, Fernando. Let’s stay at the hotel tonight.”

  “Oh, I can’t, my dear. I forgot. There is an exercise tomorrow. I will have to stay at the barracks tonight. I should have told you sooner.”

  “Stay at the barracks? All night?”

  “Yes. We must prepare for the morning.”

  Maria toyed with her sliced melon, twirling her fork repeatedly. “Are you sure that is why you must stay out tonight, Fernando?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “That is not what people tell me.”

  The general put down his newspaper. “Oh what?”

  “That’s not what people tell me, Fernando. They tell me I should be more careful. They tell me while a wife turns a blind eye, her husband will find someone new. That is what they tell me.”

  “This is nonsense, my dear. You know I love only you.”

  “When was the last time you took me somewhere, Fernando? When was the last time you did something especially for me?”

  “I am a busy man, Maria. You know that.”

  “Busy with what, Fernando? Are you having an affair? Again?”

  “You know I am past that, Maria. I have put that behind me.”

  “You made a fool of me, is what you did. People saw you with your little whores all over the city. You made me a laughing stock, Fernando, and you said that it would not happen again. You said, for the sake of our grandchildren, it would never happen again. Have you broken your promise?”

  “Those women meant nothing to me. You know that.”

  “Don’t you find me attractive any more, Fernando? Is that it? Do you want to trade me in for a younger model, now that I have given you your children? Is that why you have all these women?”

  “I have not had any women for two years, Maria. You know that.”

  “Yes, I know, my lawyer knows, and the detective knows.”

  “Very funny, Maria.” The general drank his coffee.

  “Even my family knows. My brother. Do you know how it hurt him, to find out that you were running around with your little whores, making a mockery of his sister? He used to call me from Brasilia every night.”

  “Your brother is an excellent politician and businessman, my dear, but he knows nothing about us. He should keep his nose in the affairs of the Federal Treasury and keep it out of our marriage.”

  “What do you think he will say, Fernando, if he finds you are having another affair? I called the house while I was at my sister’s. You were not here. There was no answer.” Maria inclined her head and smiled at him.

  The general reached across the table and took his wife’s hand. “Maria, you are worrying yourself about nothing. I am not having an affair. You know that. You know I gave up my women two years ago. No one has seen me with anyone because I have not been with anyone. I have changed.”

  “Then why were you not at home?”

  “This is ridiculous! What is this, Maria? An inquisition? I was at the barracks, working late on an important case. It was raining cats and dogs, and you were not home anyway, so I stayed in my quarters overnight.”

  “I don’t believe you. What case?”

  “What does it matter what the case was? Do I have to tell you every last detail? Really, Maria, have a little faith in me.”

  “No, Fernando, you do have to tell me every detail. What case?”

  “Ai, God in heaven. If you must know, it was the case of the stolen necklace. Have you seen it in the newspapers? This ‘Angels’ necklace?”

  “And why did you have to work on it so late at night?”

  “Captain Sollo had to debrief me on his interrogation of suspects. He had been in the slum all day. He was late getting back. All right?”

  Maria grunted. “Huh. The Tears of the Angels. Yes, I have seen this necklace in the newspapers. It is something from which you could learn.”

  “How so, Maria?”

  “It is beautiful. Three strings of diamonds, two rubies. Do you know what the rubies represent, Fernando? I read the full report.”

  The general sighed. “No, but I am sure you will tell me.”

  “The rubies are the hearts of two angels, separated from each other, and the diamonds are their tears. It is about love. It is a declaration of love, for a man to give such a thing to a woman. About that, you would not know.”

  The general laughed out loud. “A declaration of love? Ridiculous! It’s only a necklace, Maria. I’ve never heard anything so foolish.”

  Maria sneered at this. “Thank you, Fernando, for showing me what is wrong with all men. I don’t know why I ever married you.”

  “Yes you do,” said the general, as he resumed reading his newspaper. “And so does your brother. I am told he adds up fairly well.”

  This silenced Maria Anna del Campo for a moment. “It is not just your money that attracted me to you, Fernando. It was also your good heart.” She spat out the last two words with bitter sarcasm. “Huh, Fernando?”

  “Anything you say, Maria.”

  “Yes, Fernando, anything I say. And anything my brother says. And if you are having another affair, I promise you he will have something to say.”

  The general looked at her o
ver his newspaper one more time. He realised things were going to be even more difficult than he had feared. “Maria, stop doing this to yourself. I am not having an affair. All right?”

  Maria Anna del Campo looked closely, but she could see nothing but the utmost sincerity in her husband’s eyes. “All right, Fernando. All right.”

  What is love? Bob Richards thought. It was a question he asked himself often since he had become involved with Susan. His life was such a bad joke. Everything he had ever believed in had fallen apart: his marriage, his career, even his citizenship. He loved the States, he was proud to be an American, born and bred, but he could not even think of returning there, not before he could come up with a million dollars in taxes. Not to mention pay off a couple of shady creditors who would dearly like to see him at the bottom of the Hudson River in fashionable concrete shoes.

  And now here he was in a seedy little apartment in Brazil, lying in bed next to a fanatical, naive Englishwoman named Susan, listening to the rusty air conditioner groan and wheeze as it choked on the smog and humidity outside and tried to pump a little cool air into his bedroom. What the hell was he doing in bed with a married woman? he thought. And why did the ridiculous idea that he loved her keep popping into his head? The whole thing had disaster written all over it. But he couldn’t help liking her.

  “What are you thinking, Bob?” said Susan, looking at him quizzically.

  “You first,” he replied, trying to put it all out of his head.

  “Me?”

  “You look just as lost in thought as I am.”

  “You’re right. I’m feeling guilty. I’m worried about Junio.”

  “Junio’s fine. Fabriola’s looking after him. He’s fine.”

  “I know.”

  “You can’t watch over him twenty-four hours a day, Sue. As long as he’s off the street and under supervision he’ll be fine for now.”

  “It was really kind of Fabriola to take him to her home. When I explained that his life was in danger, she didn’t hesitate. She just said she would take him to her house, that her parents would watch over him.”

  “Yeah, that’s Brazil for you. The people here are kind.”

  “Yes. But life is so hard here.”

  “It’s easier for me than back in the States, right now.”

  Susan ran her fingers though his hair. “Do you think you’ll ever go back? To your old life, I mean. Back to Manhattan. Back to trading.”

  “I wanna go back home, yeah. I miss it. But I’m not so sure about New York. I’d kinda like to go back to the countryside. Small-town Minnesota. Don’t ask me what I’d do for a living. I just miss it.”

  “Miss what?”

  “I don’t know. The simple life. Sounds stupid, I know.”

  Susan kissed him. “It doesn’t sound stupid. I’ve often wanted to get away from London, and I don’t mean to Adrian’s estate. But it’s impossible.”

  “Well, here you are in Brazil. Is that something?”

  “It’s something because you’re here, Bob.”

  Richards said what he had dared not say. “What are we really doing here, Susan? What is this really all about, us I mean?”

  “I thought you said we shouldn’t give it a name.”

  “Not a name, just ... I don’t know ...”

  Susan looked down at her pillow. “I suppose I’m learning what it’s like to want to be with someone again. I haven’t felt that way in years. With Adrian, I was always fantasising about ways to escape, to get away. But with us, I’m always thinking about ways to see you, to not be apart.”

  Richards thought about this for a moment. He hadn’t seen Carina, or Maria, or Patricia, for weeks. He hadn’t even returned their calls.

  “You know, Bob, I feel guilty about being so happy with you. Guilty because of Adrian. Guilty because I feel we shouldn’t be having a single good moment until we have saved all the children. What if the police are out in the slum tonight, looking for them right now?”

  “We’re not gods, Sue. We’re not politicians or generals. We’re just two people caught in the middle of this mess. We can’t just snap our fingers and make everything right. But we’ll think of something. I don’t know if we can save the children or not, but maybe we can keep it from getting worse.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The general. He’s hell-bent on getting his revenge. The damn necklace was supposed to be for his mistress. He’ll kill to get it back. The longer this thing goes on, the worse it’ll be for everyone. We have to do something to change the rules of the game.”

  “Change the rules?”

  “Yeah. Right now, it’s just between the general and the kids who stole the necklace. We have to bring some new players to the table.”

  “But how can we do that?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve got an idea. Give me a couple more days, okay?”

  “You have to tell me, Bob, before you do it. We’re both caught in this trap, so it has to be both of us who decide. I know you think I’m just a silly goose who doesn’t know anything about Brazil, and maybe you’re right about that, but you have to let me know what you’re going to do. Promise me.”

  “All right, Sue, if that’s the way you want it.”

  Susan lay back on her pillow. “Do you think it’s just Brazil, Bob?”

  “What?”

  “Us. You and me. The time we spend together. Do you think we could be this happy if we were in England or America? I mean, living normal lives. Do you think we could work, out in the open, instead of sneaking around behind locked doors? Or is it just Brazil?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just Brazil.”

  Susan looked at him. “Do you really think so, Bob?”

  “I don’t know, Sue. I don’t know. There’s so much stuff happening right now, who knows what’s real? Who knows how it will turn out in the end?”

  “I don’t like it when you talk like that, Bob.”

  “Like what?”

  “So empty. Is life really that empty for you?”

  “You mean because I don’t have your faith in God?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “What about you, Susan? How is it any different?”

  “Different to what?”

  “You have your faith. But what about your life, your happiness, right here and now? What about your life with Adrian?”

  Susan thought for a long moment. “What about it?”

  “Didn’t you tell me it was empty for you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Isn’t that what matters, how we feel?”

  “I expect it is.”

  “So ... what about us, is it different?”

  “Very,” said Susan, as she put a hand on his arm.

  “Is that just Brazil, or is it real? Do we really have something, here?”

  I don’t know, Susan said. She said it silently, with a kiss.

  Chapter 15

  Bob Richards was bent over the old desk in the orphanage office. On a single sheet of paper he was constructing a note. He was wearing surgical gloves, gluing down the letters of the message one by one, cut from newspaper. When the knock came on the office door, it startled him.

  “Who is it?” he said in Portuguese.

  A familiar snooty English voice answered him. “It’s me, Bob.”

  Richards went to the door and let Susan in. “Do you think Fabriola is going to wonder why I’m in here with the door locked?”

  “I told her you were expecting an important call from America.”

  Richards sighed. “I wish.”

  “What about the note, Bob? Is it finished?”

  “See for yourself.” Richards handed her the envelope.

  Susan read it through. “The Street Angel?” she asked, puzzled.

  Richards shrugged. “Seemed like as good a name as any. You’d have to be an angel to go sticking your neck out to save these little killers.”

  “They’re not all killers, Bob.”

  “Okay, ok
ay. Whatever you say. As long as nobody ever realises that Bob Richards made this note, it’s fine by me. Any name but mine.”

  Susan read the note a second time. “No, I like it. The Street Angel.”

  “I’ll send it this afternoon.”

  “I can send it,” Susan replied. “I’ll be going to the post office later.”

  “Thanks, Sue, but I’d sooner send the package myself. It was my idea.”

  “I told you before, Bob, we’re in this together. Together, okay?”

  “Okay. But let me mail it. I’ve gotta see the agent first.”

  Susan looked at him sideways. “Sometimes I wonder about you, Bob. Where do you get all these underworld connections?”

  “Underworld? Come off it, Sue. He’s just a private investigator. Emily had two PIs following me, gunning for her divorce. Just look in the yellow pages. It’s as easy as getting a dentist. Anyway, this guy was recommended by an old friend of mine. Someone I can trust.”

  “Where do you get all these old friends?”

  “I do a few favours for people.”

  “Uh huh,” said Susan. “Favours you’d like to tell me about?”

  “Not really. You’d rather not know.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Nothing illegal. Well, pretty much nothing illegal.”

  Susan shook her head. “Bob, if you didn’t get yourself involved in that sort of thing, maybe you would never have had to run from New York.”

  “It’s not that bad, Sue. Nothing they’d throw me in prison for. The only problem is when you start doing favours for the wrong people. It’s not the cops that are keeping me away from the States. It’s the IRS, and one or two guys on the wrong side of the law whose favours didn’t work out.”

  “You’re incorrigible, Bob Richards. And now you’ve got me doing it, too.”

  “You wanna back out? There’s still time.”

  Susan sighed. “No. You’ve convinced me we can’t go to the police.”

  “We’re doing this for the children, remember? And maybe, just maybe, to save our own necks as well. Sooner or later the police will find us, if we do nothing. We have to divert their attention before they do.”