Benefit of the Doubt

by Les Cowan

  Like the meal, the evening’s conference was a solemn event. Little was said in English. If Alison already felt events were out of her hands this made it worse. The police team seemed to be going over times and events in infinite detail. The flip chart showed five- or ten-minute intervals starting from 3:30 a.m. next morning. But what exactly was to happen at each of these times she had no idea. Grab bags were issued and contents checked. Guns, ammunition, and what looked like grenades and flares appeared on the table. Some officers had body armour and helmets. There were handcuffs enough to detain a small army. Perhaps that was exactly what they were about to tackle. The briefing dragged on and on. At times there seemed to be differing points of view. One officer would come back at something Rodriguez had said and seem to question it. Then another would weigh in, though whether in agreement or not she couldn’t say. The only other one she knew – Espinosa – said little, simply looking round under heavy brows and occasionally making a note on the pad in front of him. At times the briefing became almost a shouting match between officers on different sides with Rodriguez quietly watching. Finally the noise, the disagreements, the detail, the guns, the concentration, and the sense of utter powerlessness became too much. Alison covered her face with her hands and shouted.

  “Will you all just shut up! Whose life are we talking about!” Such was the buzz it took a few seconds for everyone to realize who had spoken. They stopped in mid flight. She took just that long to get a deep breath.

  “Excuse me! I’m not a police officer. I have no idea what you’re planning but this is my daughter! I’ve been sitting here for the last hour and I haven’t understood a single word. Now would somebody please tell me what is going on!” There was a second of silence, then Rodriguez spoke.

  “Señora. My deepest apologies. We asked you to attend in case there were questions we might need to ask you but you have not been kept informed. This is unforgivable. This is a complex operation and there have been… how can I say… some differences of opinion. But someone should have been explaining to you. Again I can only apologize. As it happens I think we have now arrived at a conclusion.” He looked round the table. No one disagreed.

  “The situation is this. We know the premises Álvarez is using. We know the gang are intending to leave the area though not exactly when. They have been loading equipment and boxes all day. So we must act quickly. Our operation will begin at four forty-five tomorrow morning. Our priority is the safety of your daughter. Officers Correa and Torres,” he indicated the men immediately to his left, “will go in first. Their job is to locate and remove your daughter. Álvarez will then be given the opportunity to surrender, but we do not consider this a likely outcome. We are then prepared to do what is necessary.

  “I’m sorry if that seems such a quick summary from all of our discussions but we have been considering how this is to be achieved. The aim is not in doubt. Once again, I regret this has not been made clear to you. My sincerest apologies, Señora, and I trust this is satisfactory.”

  Alison nodded. With so much frustration and stress no answer could really be enough. On the other hand, she could not imagine how else things could be arranged.

  “Ok,” she muttered. “How do we know how things are going?”

  “Officer Sanchez here,” Rodriguez indicted another member of the team, “will stay with you all of tomorrow. He will wake you early – if you wish – and will have access to all of our communications. He can explain to you what is happening. I trust that before the day is over you will have your daughter back again and we will have removed a danger to the state.” Alison nodded again, and at that, the meeting broke up.

  “There was more going on there than Rodriguez said, wasn’t there?” Gillian asked quietly on their way back upstairs.

  “Absolutely,” David confirmed. “Some of them – I think maybe even the more senior guys – felt it was so important they get Álvarez that Jen should be expendable. They basically wanted to go in all guns blazing and take out any and everyone they could. Rodriguez overruled them. Jen will be the first objective but I guess not everyone is totally happy with it. I wouldn’t like to be the first one in.”

  “So we just wait for tomorrow morning then?”

  “Not much else we can do.”

  “Well, somebody needs to be with Alison. She must be climbing the walls. I’ll go and look for her.”

  The evening dragged on. To maintain the fiction they had to avoid the police and couldn’t talk about the events of next day but that was the only thing on anyone’s mind. They sat in the bar for a while, never less like holidaymakers. Gillian suggested they should get an early night. An early start was the only thing they could say with certainty about the next twenty-four hours.

  The sound of the telephone took a while to penetrate David’s consciousness. He fumbled for his watch – 4 a.m. They weren’t supposed to be wakened for another half hour. This was supposed to be Juan and Alison’s room, though, so he couldn’t answer it. He shook Juan awake, grabbed the handset, and passed it to him. Groggily, Juan managed to mutter something, listened, then sat bolt upright in bed.

  “Si… Si… No. Seguro… Si… Inmediatamente.” He put the handset down and rubbed his eyes. He was looking puzzled.

  “What’s going on?” David asked.

  “There’s someone at reception asking for Alison. I have no idea what’s going on.”

  “Ok. I’ll go downstairs and you go next door and get Alison. We’ll all have to be up in half an hour anyway. It’s probably just one of the police team wanting an early start.”

  When David came downstairs he expected to see Rodriguez or maybe Sanchez or one of the others, but the night porter was standing in the middle of the foyer with a girl in jeans and a flimsy T-shirt. David looked at the porter who gestured towards the girl.

  “Are you Señor David?” she asked. He nodded. “I was told to ask for you if I couldn’t get my mum. I’m Jennifer MacInnes.”

  David’s jaw fell but before he could say anything, Juan came down the stairs two at a time. He grabbed David’s elbow and pulled him aside. He wasn’t looking puzzled any more.

  “They’ve got her,” he said. “Alison’s been drugged and Gillian isn’t there.” David looked back to the girl.

  “I was told to tell you I’m a swap,” she managed to say with a trembling lip. “Raúl says he’s looking forward to meeting you.”

  Chapter 25

  Out and In

  Juan was amazed that David could keep functioning at all that day. Either it was autopilot or simply “grace to help in time of need”. As David had gone downstairs, Juan knocked on Alison and Gillian’s door, then, getting no reply, went in using his spare key. There was no sign of Gillian, which seemed strange so early in the morning. Maybe she hadn’t been able to sleep and had gone for a walk. Alison seemed to be fast asleep, though she was lying in an awkward position. He tried to rouse her. No response. He noticed an empty bottle on the bedside table and read the label: Rohypnol. Juan knew the name but on the Edinburgh streets they called it “roofies”. Edinburgh Evening News readers knew it as the “date rape drug”. Then he ran along the corridor and down the stairs to find David standing at reception with a girl beside him. Juan told him what he had found and the girl gave her message. It took some seconds to sink in, then the whole terrifying situation became clear. David pelted back upstairs. The bedclothes were in disarray. One red leather sandal lay in the middle of the floor. There was no sign of Gillian’s clothes and a chair had been knocked over. Alison was breathing but could not be wakened. He ran back to reception. Juan was sitting with his arm around the girl as she wept and shook. The night porter was exactly where David had left him, watching the whole proceedings like a movie.

  “Es una emergencia,” David told him slowly and clearly as if speaking to a child. “Necesitamos una ambulancia. Rápidamente. ¿Donde está Sñr Rodríguez?” The small, tu
bby portero finally grasped that something was wrong and roused himself. He checked the computer and gave David a room number, then dialled the hospital and handed him the phone. Juan was amazed at how calmly he was able to describe the situation despite the frustrating slowness of whoever was taking the call. He shot back upstairs and hammered on Rodriguez’ door. The captain was already up, brushing his teeth at the bathroom mirror. When he saw the look on David’s face he stopped in mid stroke.

  “Jen’s downstairs. They’ve taken Gillian.”

  A quick Dios mío was Rodriguez’ only sign of discomposure before moving into command mode. They went into Alison’s room. The facts were quickly confirmed.

  “Take the girl out of the foyer,” he ordered. “Get her something to drink. I’ll get someone to accompany the Señora to hospital.”

  Since secrecy was now pointless, contact would be made with the local police. Two of his men would check out the property Álvarez had been using, though probably more as a formality. Road blocks would be set up and descriptions circulated. A helicopter would be sent for. He would interview the girl. Within minutes the meeting room was transformed into an incident room. Hotel management were roused from their beds and left in no doubt of police requirements.

  David went back downstairs and managed to get a basic breakfast for all three of them. In the midst of the panic and horror he had to force himself to register that this was Jennifer MacInnes sitting in front of them gulping down cereal and coffee – the girl they had come all this way to look for. He had hoped, maybe even expected, this would be a moment of triumph. Now it was his worst nightmare. His brain knew what had happened but his spirit was numb. Rodriguez spoke to Jen in private then took David aside.

  “It seems Álvarez has been aware of our presence for some time,” he began.

  “The terrace! He must have recognized Juan. Or maybe remembered Alison and recognized her as well. We should have guessed!”

  “Well perhaps, but I think not. Apparently they had been planning a move, then a few days ago things became more urgent – more men, more vehicles, more packing. This was before the day you saw him. I think he knew we were here and could not resist coming in for a look.”

  David let out a sigh and shook his head in amazement.

  “You almost have to admire his audacity,” Rodriguez mused. “He has been very successful and he is a confident man. This can become overconfidence. Perhaps he will be tempted until he makes mistakes.”

  David was in no mood to admire anything about Raúl. He kept to the point.

  “What else did do you know? Do we know why they took Gillian?”

  “I’m afraid that remains a mystery. There seems to have been a lot of excitement in the house last night – drinking, laughter, you know the sort of thing. The vans were loaded up then the girl was locked in her room. The convoy left, then at about two a.m. she was woken, shoved in a car, and brought here. She was told what to say and made to repeat it. Then she says four of Álvarez’ men came into the hotel and ten minutes later came out with a bundle. We have to assume this was Señora Lockhart.” Rodriguez paused as David looked down. “I am very sorry, Señor David. None of us anticipated this development. We will do everything in our power. Now I’m afraid I have to meet with my team. Perhaps things will become clearer in due course.” Then he was off down the corridor, still ramrod straight but, David thought, perhaps slightly less assured in his gait.

  The sunlight was beginning to strengthen outside. Day staff were arriving, talking quietly in little groups, and looking over in his direction. None of it mattered. David felt weak and slumped in an armchair. It made no sense. Jen back and Gillian taken. Why? And here he was again. Another loved one in danger. It was like the poster for Jaws, he thought bitterly. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… He needed to know everything – anything that could be relevant. Maybe Jen had more to say. Maybe there was something Rodriguez hadn’t asked – something more that would give them a clue. She had said, “Raúl says he’s looking forward to meeting you.” What was that all about? It was like being given a formula but not being told what calculations you could use it for. God knew, it was almost more than he could bear to get involved in the first place. Now this – history repeating itself. It seemed like anyone he loved was destined to be ripped away from him and lose their life.

  It was still only 5:30 a.m. and the breakfast room was empty except for Juan and Jen huddled at a table in the corner as David came in. Jen was shivering despite a cardigan round her shoulders but was still managing to dispose of breakfast between dabbing her eyes and nose with a tissue. David couldn’t help reflecting on Alison’s description of a girl with no respect for home and no fear of the big bad world. All she wanted was to break the rules with no thought for the consequences. Now the world had gobbled her up, chewed and spat her out again. But for Raúl’s twisted sense of humour, at that very moment her body might have been lying crumpled on some waste ground slowly cooling in the morning air. Maybe an early dog walker would have come on a twisted bundle in the bushes. The dog might have been sniffing with curiosity, then the owner might have bent down for a closer look. Later that day, depending how easy it was to identify the body, depending on whether her face was still recognizable, the word might have come through to Rodriguez and his team who by this time would have drawn a blank at the house. Then Alison would have had to go to the morgue to identify the corpse. Gillian, Juan, David himself, Rodriguez and his team, and in due course Mrs MacInnes and the entire church – even Eric and his mates – everyone would have been hit with a sense of loss and defeat, then begin blaming themselves and asking if they could have done more. But as it was she was here. Alive. Tearful and traumatized but alive. It was Gillian’s life that might be hanging in the balance. David poured more coffee as she scooped up the last spoonful of cereal. Neither he nor Juan was able to touch a thing. Finally, when she was finished he began, as gently as he could.

  “Jen, I know you’ve spoken to Captain Rodriguez already but I need to speak to you too. I may have some different things to ask you. Do you know who I am?”

  Jen sniffed and dabbed again and Juan gave her a clean tissue. She nodded.

  “You’re Señor David. Granny’s minister.”

  “Do you know who this is?” She shot a tiny glance at Juan, then looked down again and shook her head.

  “This is Juan Hernandez. Juan and his wife are friends of your mum’s from Edinburgh. Do you remember being out for a birthday meal at a Spanish restaurant the night the van was attacked? Juan and Alicia run that restaurant. We were out looking for you that night. Raúl heard about it when you were in the restaurant and ordered the attack on the van. Do you remember that?” She sniffed and nodded again. “When you came into the hotel you said you were to be a swap. What does that mean?”

  “They brought me back and took someone else.”

  “That’s right. Gillian was part of our group. It was her idea to go out on the van that night to look for you. She was involved in the attack and was badly hurt but still wanted to keep on looking. When you left that mobile phone message and we knew you were in Spain she insisted on coming along. Now Raúl has her. We have to do everything we can to get her back. I’m sorry I have to ask you more questions, but the sooner we get some idea what to do or where to look the better. Is that ok?” She nodded, then broke down again.

  “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, hardly coherent. “I’m so sorry. I never thought any of this would happen.” For some moments there was nothing further to be said. David pulled his chair round the end of the table and put his arm around her as she continued to cry, huge sobs shaking her whole body. David knew this would be a slow journey to recovery. Finally, she fell silent, more through exhaustion than resolution.

  “Is my mum going to be ok?” she whispered.

  “We don’t know. We hope so. She’s in hospital so they’ll be doing everyt
hing they can.”

  “I’m really sorry,” Jen whispered again.

  “I know. Everybody makes mistakes. We’re glad we’ve got you back. Your mum’ll want to see you as soon as she’s recovered. But in the meantime we’ve lost someone else. Someone dear to all of us. We need you to help us find her. Can you do that?” Jen nodded again. “Ok. After you said that you were to be a swap, you said that Raúl was looking forward to meeting me. Do you know what he meant by that?”

  “Yes. He gave me another message but he said I was only to tell you.” She looked up at David then across to Juan.

  “¿Quieres quedar solo?” Juan asked.

  “No. I need you right here.” David was emphatic. “Juan is my friend, your mum’s friend, and Gillian’s friend. He’s your friend too. Anything you need to tell me you can tell him.” Jen shuffled in the chair and pulled her cardigan more tightly shut.

  “This other message,” David continued. “Have you told Captain Rodriguez?” She shook her head. David and Juan exchanged glances. “Ok Jen. What are you to tell me?” There was another pause as she tried to concentrate and collect her thoughts.

  “He said you’re like his travel agent. Every time he hears your name he has to move out.”

  “Are you sure?” Juan asked, incredulous. She nodded more confidently this time.