The Beth Papadakis Thriller Box Set

by Cara Alexander

  ‘Okay but be careful in the pool.’

  David stands up. ‘Well, that’s settled, now I must do some work.’

  ‘Do you think you’ll be busy today?’

  ‘Well, it’s Good Friday, one of the most religious days in Spain. Most people will spend the day going to church, then watch the religious processions, it’s difficult to say really. Some will go to Granada and have dinner there…’

  ‘I’ll look after the place for a few hours if you like. Go and enjoy yourself with Helen, I’m quite capable of standing in for you tonight. Jamie won’t mind, will you?’

  He nods enthusiastically. ‘I like it here, there’s lots to do.’

  David looks perplexed. ‘But you’ve never done anything like this before, have you?’

  ‘I can quite easily cope and if I can’t I’ll give you a ring. I’m sure nothing will happen, I’m quite capable of managing people, so don’t worry.’

  He grins. ‘Yes, I’m sure you are, Beth.’

  ‘Great, well that’s settled.’

  Helen suddenly walks over to us; she ruffles Jamie’s hair then Jose’s. ‘You all look very happy, are you going swimming while Beth and I go to town, boys?’

  Jamie looks at her in surprise. ‘How did you know?’

  She gives him a mischievous grin. ‘I was over there, getting a coffee, I heard you.’

  David looks over at Helen. ‘Beth offered to give me a break for a couple of hours this evening, we can go for a drive, have something to eat, what do you think.’

  He looks at Helen expectantly. She smiles and nods. ‘I’d love too, now come on Beth, let me show you around this town of ours.’

  For some reason I get the feeling Helen isn’t as happy as she’s pretending to be, I could be wrong but usually I’m right, especially where Helen’s concerned.

  20

  BETH & HELEN

  MALAGA

  ‘Come on Helen, let’s have a coffee in town, then maybe go to Malaga.’

  ‘Malaga,’ Christina says, looking surprised.

  ‘Yes, they say it’s been updated, that it’s the cultural capital of Andalusia.’

  ‘Well, it’s always been recognized as the gateway to Andalusia but you’re right, the port is new and there are lots of cultural events. We have the Picasso Museum, of course you know he was born here?’

  ‘Yes, I’d love to visit the museum while I’m here, shall we Helen.’

  ‘Yeah, that would be great, I’d also like to see where Antonio Banderas’s acting studios are.’

  ‘Why, do you want to start acting?’

  She laughs, finishes her coffee, and stands up ready to go, then turns to Christina. ‘I forgot to ask David if we could use the car today, do you think it’ll be okay.’

  Christina shrugs and shakes her head. 'Don’t take the car you'll not be able to park, there are so many people here for the processions, it’s better to take the bus.'

  Helen’s just about to say something when Christina stands up and starts walking to reception. ‘Come, we have a leaflet with the times of buses and where to take them during Semana Santa.’

  Christina was right, the small resort is very crowded, so after checking where the bus stop is we’re soon on our way to Malaga. To my surprise, Helen seems to be enjoying herself.

  ‘Isn’t it lovely,’ she says, craning her neck to see out of the window. ‘If it’s busy we can go to the port, David said there are some lovely restaurants there.’

  ‘Great, can’t wait, I feel like a fresh tasty salad for lunch.’

  It takes about an hour to reach Malaga but the time passes quickly. The views of the sea are stunning, and the music buses in Spain always seem to have makes the journey fun. Such a change from London Transport buses, there’s even air-conditioning.

  Helen’s face suddenly lights up. ‘Oh Beth, let’s get off here.’

  ‘But where are we? I thought we were going to the port or…’

  But she doesn’t hear me, she stands up and moves along the bus to the open door, I grab my bag and follow her.

  She starts walking very quickly. ‘Wait Helen, where are we going?’

  Suddenly she stops and taps a dark-haired man on the shoulder.

  ‘Helen,’ I start to shout, but she doesn’t hear me, then to my surprise the man turns round and smiles.

  ‘Helen!’

  He leans forward and kisses her on the cheek.

  I stand staring at them.

  Who the hell is this and why is she looking so happy?

  ‘Beth, this is Miguel – Miguel this is my friend Beth.’

  He looks at me, I look at him, then he’s kissing me like we’re old friends.

  ‘How lovely to meet you, Beth, Helen’s told me so much about you.’

  To say I’m surprised is an understatement, I stand gaping at him then close my mouth. ‘Yes,’ I mumble.

  Of course, she likes him, who wouldn’t? I know David cares a lot for Helen, but they’re just good friends, or that’s what she says.

  He links his arm around her waist then turns to a young woman.

  ‘Nina, this is Helen and her friend Beth.’

  She’s dressed in a silky black dress.

  For a second Helen looks surprised, then she’s all smiles. ‘Nina, how lovely to meet you, Miguel’s told me a lot about you.’

  The young woman smiles then turns and smiles at me. ‘Shall we have a drink in that café over there?’

  I nod and follow her over; Miguel and Helen follow behind.

  Nina’s dark eyes dart around the café then back to me. ‘Sit over there, I will get the drinks, coffee or you would prefer something cold?’

  ‘Café cortado, please, it’s my favourite coffee when I’m in Spain.’

  She glances over at Miguel and Helen who are already sitting down. Miguel catches her eye and walks over to her; they speak in Spanish, then Nina and I sit down with Helen.

  ‘Your English is good,’ I say, just for something to say. She has a slight Spanish accent but other than that it’s perfect, just like Miguel.

  ‘Thank you.’

  It’s silent for a minute then Helen mumbles. ‘Do you live with your family Nina or are you married?’

  ‘I am with my family, I’m not married. Are you?’

  Helen looks a bit taken aback, then smiles. ‘No, I’m not married.’

  ‘It’s terribly busy today,’ Miguel remarks, coming over and handing us our drinks. ‘Nina is meeting a friend so can’t stay long.’

  As if on cue Nina tips the small glass of coffee he hands her into her mouth, then she stands up. ‘It was lovely to meet you both, I hope you enjoy Malaga.’

  The material of her black dress rustles against my leg and she’s gone.

  Miguel looks at me then at Helen. ‘I also arranged to meet someone so unfortunately I also have to go.’ He drinks the small glass of coffee in one gulp then turns to Helen. ‘I will call you later.’ He stands up, kisses her on the cheek, does the same to me, then leaves.

  We both sit in silence for a few seconds after he’s gone, then Helen looks at me. ‘So, what did you think of him, do you like him?’

  ‘Well, he's incredibly good looking, I don't know what he's like but…’

  She sits frowning at me. ‘What?’

  ‘Oh Helen, it just happened so quickly.’

  ‘I know, I didn't expect it to happen either. I was just sitting there, I was going to phone you actually, and then I looked up and saw him staring at me. Our eyes met, it was like kismet.’ She stops and laughs. ‘It was meant to be, Beth.’

  I sit looking at her, then I can’t stop myself, I burst out laughing. ‘Oh Helen!’ I can’t breathe I’m laughing so much. I sit holding my sides, tears stream down my face.

  Helen doesn’t look too pleased, then she sees the funny side of it and starts laughing with me.

  People are looking at us as if we’re mad, so we get up and leave.

  ‘Let's get the bus back or do you want to take a wal
k around the streets of Malaga?’ Helen asks.

  I shrug. ‘It's just so busy I don't know where I'm going, there are too many people. I think people must reserve seats to watch the processions, but we can't really see anything from here, can we? Let's go back to the hotel.’

  As we near the bus stop, Helen bumps into a friend of David’s she met at the hotel.

  ‘Hi Helen, I didn't know you knew Miguel and his sister.’

  She stops and stares at him. ‘What?’

  ‘I was going to have a coffee then I saw you all in there, I didn't want to interrupt so I went to another.’

  ‘But you should have come over.’

  He just shakes his head and smiles. ‘So, how did you meet Miguel or is it his sister you know?’

  Helen shrugs. ‘Actually, I met him at the hotel the other evening.’

  David's friend raises his eyebrows, Helen frowns and looks flustered.

  ‘Oh, I forgot to introduce you to my friend Beth, she just arrived from London.’

  ‘Hi Beth, I’m Tony nice to meet you.’ Then he turns to Helen. ‘I'm going away tonight, I'll be back at the end of the week, I might see you then.’

  She smiles. ‘Have a good trip.’

  ‘Who was that?’ I ask, as we walk over to the bus stop.

  ‘Oh, he’s a friend of David’s, he does something in marketing.’

  ‘Do you think he’ll tell David he saw us?’ I don’t mention Miguel, but she knows what I mean.

  She nods. ‘What can I do Beth, David and I are just good friend’s, I didn’t go out of my way to meet Miguel, it just happened.’

  ‘Yes, it was kismet.’

  We both laugh then the bus arrives.

  Jamie and Jose are playing table tennis when we arrive back at the hotel.

  ‘Did you have a nice time?’ Christina asks, moving up so we can join her.

  ‘It was far too busy, too many people.’

  She nods. ‘I never go now, I used to when I was younger but it’s so tiring.’

  David suddenly appears and comes over to join us.

  ‘I just spoke to Tony, he said he saw you in Malaga.’ Helen’s eyes open wide, I hold my breath. ‘He said you were with Miguel and Nina.’ He stops as if waiting for Helen to say something, she just looks surprised. ‘Do you know his sister?’

  ‘No, we just bumped into them in Malaga and they asked us to join them for a coffee, why?’

  He frowns slightly. ‘No reason.’

  21

  BETH

  Hotel Costa Tropical

  Evening

  David's on his phone when I come downstairs to the restaurant. Helen’s getting ready, she said she’ll be down in a minute, and Jamie’s watching TV with Jose in the small private area that’s separated from reception.

  ‘Hi Beth!’ He places his phone on the table and stretches. ‘So, what’s happening tonight?’

  ‘You know what’s happening.’

  ‘Easter's a busy time Beth, I can’t leave the hotel.’ He sighs and picks up his bottle of coke and gulps it down.

  ‘But we agreed, and I can cope.’

  He looks surprised. ‘But you've never done this before.’

  ‘I can manage, I’ll have something to eat with Jamie, you go and get ready, okay?’

  After much huffing and puffing he agrees. Jamie’s hungry so we order dinner.

  Ten minutes later Helen appears wearing a short silky red dress.

  ‘I thought you were wearing the black dress tonight?’

  ‘No, I changed my mind, red is more cheerful.’

  She frowns slightly when I tell her David’s gone to change.

  ‘Helen, he’s just an old friend and he’s been looking forward to seeing you, surely you can manage dinner with him?’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘He’s lovely Helen, you used to like him so much.’

  ‘I still do but just as a friend.’

  The waiter arrives with our pizza and a large salad and chips, then David appears.

  ‘Do you want to stay here Helen, or shall we go for a drive and have dinner out?’

  She gives him one of her big smiles. ‘I’d love to go for a drive.’

  After they’ve gone I sit flicking through my phone.

  ‘Can I sit with Jose, Mum? We were watching a good film and he’s waiting for me.’

  ‘Of course, I’ll be here and if I’m not, Jose’s Mum is over there on reception, she’s giving someone a break.’

  ‘Thanks Mum.’

  He runs over too Jose; I walk to the terrace and gaze at the view. It’s dark now, there’s a slight breeze, the scent of flowers and the sea clings to the night air.

  My phone rings, it’s Dev.

  ‘Hi Beth, I meant to call you earlier, but I’ve been so busy, what’s it like there?’

  ‘It’s really lovely, you’d love it, hang on and I’ll send you some pics.’

  I quickly take a couple of shots of the hotel and the beach and send them to him. ‘Well, what do you think?’

  ‘It looks lovely,’ he mumbles.

  I wait for him to ask if I’ve thought about the job, but he doesn’t.

  ‘Well, I must go, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay, give me a call if you need me.’

  ‘Why thank you Dev, I might just do that.’

  I stand looking out to sea wondering what’s happening in London, I was going to ask Dev but he didn’t give me a chance. I walk over to the bar and turn the sound of the TV up to listen to the news, it’s about Heathrow airport.

  Shit! Yesterday a plane landed with a wing in flames.

  ‘Excuse me.’

  I swing round, it’s one of the receptionists.

  ‘Can you help, everyone’s busy and Mister David said I was to ask you if I needed anything.’

  ‘Yes, of course, what is it?’ I glance at reception, Christina isn’t there.

  He points to a group of people. ‘They want to go to Malaga but there are no cabs available and our driver is in Granada with another group of people.’

  ‘Do you have hotel cars? I think I saw a couple in the car park.’

  ‘Yes, but as we're busy tonight nobody can take them.’

  Jamie’s watching TV with David's nephew Jose and his Mum, I wonder?

  ‘Can you wait here for a minute?’

  He nods.

  I run over to the TV room and quickly explain what’s happening to Christina. ‘If you like I can take them, it won’t take me long.’

  'As long as you don't mind, Beth, I’ll take care of the hotel, I do it all the time, David feels bad asking me as he knows I’m looking after Jose.'

  ‘I could take Jamie with me…’

  Jamie looks at me and mouths - ‘I don’t want to come.’

  Christina laughs. ‘He’ll be okay here with us, and if he’s tired he can sleep in Jose’s room, there are two beds. Come, I’ll give you the keys to the small hotel minibus.’

  I drop the group of French tourists off at a Malaga restaurant, the manager says not to worry, he’ll get them a cab back to the hotel if they want one.

  I search for the road back to the hotel, it’s still very busy. So much seems to have changed since I was last here. I have no idea where I am so start looking for a map in the dashboard, but there’s nothing, no satnav, nada!

  Trying to get my sense of direction, I slide out of the minibus and look around. A young guy’s walking towards me, he’s talking on his phone, he looks Spanish, he’ll know where the main highway is.

  ‘Hola, disculpa donde esta la carretera principal a Almuñécar?’

  He stops talking and frowns. ‘Arriba de esa calle es el segundo a la derecha.’

  ‘Gracias!’

  I slide back into the minibus muttering what he said – up that street, second on the right.

  After driving around for ten minutes I get the feeling I’m going the wrong way, I pass a signpost saying Al Puerto – I put on the brakes, I don’t want to go to the port. As I’m turning
around I glance in my mirror and freeze. It looks like Miguel. I dim the lights and switch off the engine. If it is him, what’s he doing on a deserted coastal road so late at night?

  Shall I stay and watch or...

  He turns around.

  Shit! It is Miguel.

  22

  BETH

  Coastal Road

  MALAGA

  I slide down in my seat, has he seen me? I stay like this for a couple of minutes expecting a knock on the window, but nothing happens.

  Slowly I raise my head and look out of the window. There’s another man walking ahead of lots of people who slowly follow behind. He talks for a few minutes with Miguel, the people huddle together waiting, then the man separates them into groups. He takes the men to a small red bus that’s parked along the road, Miguel takes the women to a waiting eight-seater estate car. They all have hoodies pulled down over their faces and wear jeans, they definitely don’t look like tourists.

  I gaze in the direction they came from and see a boat. The hum of an engine fills the air then it takes off across the sea probably back to where it came from.

  I put the minibus into gear and wait till they start moving.

  They’re moving, he’s some way ahead, I slowly follow. The mountain roads are bad enough during the day, but at night...

  They’re so far ahead, but I don’t want them to see me following them. Up and up they go, they must be going to Granada. Suddenly I can’t see them, they must have turned off somewhere. My lights are so dim I can hardly see the road ahead and with these hairpin bends I could easily go over - I’m icy cold all over, but I must keep driving.

  I nearly missed it! There’s a small narrow road, I nearly went past it. I drive very slowly, I don’t want them to see me. My heart’s pounding like a drum, if it wasn’t for the adrenalin racing around in me I wouldn’t be able to do this. I stop quickly. There’s a house ahead, it’s a large old-style Andalusian farmhouse. What if they drop them off and then come back?

  As fast as I can I slowly reverse back to the mountain road then drive back to the hotel.