“Ben, you look war-weary,” Ana said. “With everything that’s been going on, I doubt your body has let go of the trauma it experienced. You need to sleep.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed, kicked off his shoes, then took a deep breath and blew it out. “Right. But here we are alone again in a hotel and I’m still basically useless.”
Ana stepped back toward the adjoining door then stood looking down at her shoes. She emitted a sigh and said, “Yep… seems to be a pattern with us. Or maybe an omen?”
“Not an omen— just consistent bad timing… so far.” He swung his legs up onto the bed and leaned back against the pillows. “I know this is a well-worn adage, but it applies here: the best things in life are worth waiting for.”
“You’ve ‘set the bar high’ with that statement, but from my side I tend to agree with your little adage—in some cases.” Ana smiled, clearly teasing, but Ben saw a hint of embarrassment on her face. He found it arousing in spite of his aching fatigue. She added, “It might be dangerous to have such expectations. It could be a formula for disappointment.”
“I’m not worried,” he said, locking his eyes with hers and grinning provocatively.
Ana felt the familiar flush run through her body. Such a small thing, that grin, but it touched her to the core. It took more than a modicum of control to keep her from dashing to the bed and throwing herself onto her back, arms extended, and begging him to take her post-haste. That instant of reckless imagination gone, she shook herself back from the brink. The sometimes-pragmatic Ana took charge. She walked to the bed, bent over, kissed Ben’s forehead and told him to sleep well. He took hold of her arm rather tightly and pulled her down. She fell against his torso—rather clumsily, she thought. He leaned forward and slipped his other arm around her back, and without a moment’s pause his lips met hers, his tongue forcing exploration of her mouth in a frustrated attempt to enter her in some way. Then as suddenly as it had started it was over.
Ben backed away, and Ana pulled herself up into a sitting position. When he had regained control he said, “Do you still question whether it’s worth waiting for? Still worried about disappointment?”
“I think not,” Ana said, still a bit dazed from the suddenness of his actions and their effect on her. She knew the effort had to have caused him some pain.
He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Just so you know, I’m not partial to stopping again, but I really want us to be free of all the drama around us.”
She smiled in agreement then said, her voice calculatingly soft and breathy, “And I don’t want you exhausted when that time comes.” She kissed him lightly, got up and headed toward her adjoining room. As she reached the doorway she looked back and said, “Sleep well.” Ben let out a frustrated groan, and without a thought to undressing he reached over to turn off the bedside lamp.
After quietly closing the adjoining door, Ana stood for a moment and looked around the room, empty but for a suitcase and clothing strewn on one of the chairs. She took a deep breath, exhaled and walked to the window, fearing that in spite of her own fatigue, Ben’s impetuous actions would be enough to keep her awake with longing. The summer night had settled on Pamplona, and below her window the plaza’s street lamps lighted the way for groups of people who moved about, enjoying a reprieve from the heat of the day. There was comfort in knowing that although in a different room, Ben was safe and sleeping. She quickly removed her outer clothing, tossed back the duvet, and fell across the bed. Ben’s kiss, the feel of his arms around her, and his words— especially his words— occupied her thoughts until she fell asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ana was jarred awake by several quick knocks on one of her room’s two doors. She waited, and the next knock definitely came from the door adjoining the rooms. Evidently Ben was awake. It was barely light, and Ana could have easily drifted off again were it not that she was anxious to see him. She was still sprawled crosswise on the bed, but sometime during the night she had pulled the bed cover over her body.
“Wait a sec,” she called out, and at the same time reached for clothes from the rumpled pile on the chair.
“Are you decent?” he said, opening the door just a crack.
“Almost,” she said, pulling on the last item of clothing before giving a final okay.
Ben seemed surprised when he walked into the room and looked at her. “Aren’t those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?”
“Well, I noticed you went to sleep in yours, but I took mine off last night. When you knocked just now I was still asleep. I had to put on something— the first thing I could grab.
Ben adopted the provocative expression that had affected Ana since they first met. Then he smirked a little and said, “I hope some day soon you won’t want to put clothes on when I come into a room. I’d rather you’d want to take them off.” He deliberately stared hard into her eyes and waited for a reaction.”
Ana’s reaction was strong, but she kept it invisible. The bit of shyness she felt was easily subdued by her desire. With Ben’s family crisis at an end she could let her feelings re-emerge. Not to be outdone, she accepted his verbal challenge and said, “Well, that kiss last night might be a deciding factor… but of course I’ll probably require some more convincing.”
Ben liked her answer. Ana could see that in his smile. And yet acting coy had never been part of her repertoire, nor did it really fit the image she had worked hard to create— at least professionally. She was a journalist and had to be independent, insightful, and once in a while, even pushy. Undeniably this man had turned her upside down and sideways, but it was good— all good.
A few moments passed while they stood facing each other, yet with separate thoughts. Ben wondered if the waiting after their first encounter, plus the burden and seriousness of the distractions, had taken the starch out of the anticipation— at least for Ana. It could do that. Yet for him the desire just continued to intensify, and he knew it was really up to him to free them from their complete immersion in recent events. He wanted to find a way to let her know he was working on it— if, so far, only in his mind. They had to hold on until Valerie’s parents arrived in Spain. Then he hoped to feel less responsibility to stay close to the hospital. And it wouldn’t be too long until his parents would whisk Olivia back to the Cotswolds, where she would be nurtured and indulged and Sir Freddie would be constantly at her heels. Ben expected she would soon run screaming back to London to resume her independent life. He laughed to himself, knowing just what she was in for.
Switching back to the present, Ben said, “Sorry, but I have to check in at the hospital. And then I want to see if I can find Annunciata Domingo. Maybe there’s something I can do for her to show my gratitude. She’s probably wondering how it all turned out.”
“I’m not waiting around in this room again. I’ll come with you to the hospital, say hello to your parents and Olivia, then do some digging.”
“Some digging?” He noticed that she seemed exited.
“I’m going to drop in at the police station and see if I can get her information from Inspector… what was his name?”
“Macias. But he might not be on duty. Better call first.”
She agreed, and then her expression turned serious. “I’d better hone my journalistic skills with this little assignment because I’m quite sure I no longer have a job with the magazine.”
“Wow, sorry— again,” Ben said, frowning. “I really feel bad about that. Hard to believe that in all this time there wasn’t a minute for that interview.”
“I find that easy to believe, considering recent events. Besides, I’ve learned an awful lot about you, just by association… although none of it relates to your writing.” Her expression turned sly, and Ben wondered just what she was referring to. After a short pause she turned serious again. “One thing is certain— everything that’s happened to you would make quite a story.”
“Not sure about that,” he said, shaking his head
in the negative. “It’s mainly about Valerie and Olivia. They were the ones at the center of it, danger-wise.”
“I seem to remember some guy trying to either kidnap or kill you. What was it? Three times?”
“True, but still…”
Ana threw her arms up in frustration, convinced that Ben was extremely reluctant to be the hero of the story. She shooed him back to his room and promised to be put together in half an hour. When she had freshened up she was the one who knocked, this time asking if he was decent. He told her to come in, and when she did she found him standing by the bed in only a towel. The bruises on his body were evident, and although she was sympathetic, the sight of his bare torso took her thoughts elsewhere.
“I’ll be ready in a few,” he said, and then grabbed the clean clothes piled on the bed before disappearing into the bathroom.
* * *
During the cab ride to the hospital Ben commented that the city now looked different to him, that when they first arrived Pamplona seemed like an adversary, a threat to finding his sister and ex-wife. Ana agreed that she saw the city differently as well. She told him it was time for them to enjoy it, but Ben pointed out that he wasn’t sure he could wipe everything from his mind well enough for that. He then assured her that if not in Pamplona, they would definitely find enjoyment somewhere.
When they reached Olivia’s cubicle, she had just finished dressing in the clothing her mother had purchased in the hotel shop. She said her parents were settling the bill and planned to take her back to the hotel. They agreed that finding hers and Valerie’s belongings would be a lost cause, and that they had surely been disposed of in order to erase any trace of the two women being in Pamplona. Olivia whined to Ben that her parents insisted on switching to adjoining rooms, where Paris could keep a motherly eye on her until they returned to London. Then she begged him to intervene with their plans to whisk her off to the country. He told her to stop fussing, that she still needed rest. There was a brief pout, but resigned to her fate she flopped down on the bed to wait.
Ben told Ana she might as well leave for the Comisaria—not wait for his parents to return. He predicted everyone would have a meal together after his parents moved rooms and got Olivia settled in. Ana impulsively gave him a kiss on the cheek and then wondered if she should have done so in front of Olivia. She turned to say goodbye and saw Olivia’s wide, somewhat teasing smile. Ben winked at her and she left.
While en route to the Comisaria, Ana reviewed the methods for investigative reporting she had learned but not put into practice for quite a while. She checked her purse for a pad and pen to use in case the inspector didn’t want to be recorded on her phone. She and Ben had forgotten to check whether Macias was on duty and she hoped that even if he wasn’t on site, someone could be persuaded to show her the file containing Annunciata’s information. Stepping out of the cab she remembered the first rule: walk with authority and adopt a confident stance. An open smile, preferably sincere, was also a plus. Then it was pretty much a matter of ‘catching more flies with honey.’ Ana didn’t consider that to be a sexist ploy because affability was appropriate in all cases. And besides, men did catch a lot of flies with honey— the flies being of the female variety— and for both personal and professional reasons. Then came the realization that she was well on her way to becoming a cynic.
At the entrance a uniformed man on his way out smiled and held the door for her. Quickly scanning the room, she noticed the information counter and the officer sitting behind it. Ana approached with confidence and a smile then asked for Inspector Macias. In order to see into the inspector’s office, the man craned his neck to look over the heads of the men sitting at their desks. Macias’ chair was empty.
“No es aquí, señorita,” he said, looking back down at the open file on the counter.
She persisted, asking, “English?”
“Sólo un poco,” he replied, sounding indifferent.
Her shoulders drooped, knowing it would be a miracle to accomplish the goal she had set without a decent command of Spanish for her and more than a little English for him. The officer sensed Ana’s frustration and told her to wait. He stepped away for a moment and waved to another officer, motioning him to come over. One problem was solved. The officer spoke English, and she was able to question him about records associated with the recent kidnapping of two women. He said the files did exist, but that not just anyone could come in and expect to see them. Ana made an effort to stand taller, and then related to him, slowly, the facts of her involvement and the need for the information about the woman who had been instrumental in finding the two victims. She stressed that it would be to the woman’s benefit if they could find her. He was unimpressed with her plea and shook his head no. So with her determination still intact Ana thanked him, hesitating to walk away without what she came for. Concurrently, a nicely dressed man with a leather satchel under his arm strode hastily through the entrance, pushing open both doors at once.
Another officer, who had just come into the foyer from the office area, saw the man and called, “Saludos, Macias! ¿Cómo estás?” Ana spun around and headed straight for him.
* * *
A short while later, Ana came out of the Comisaria with a smile on her face and headed across the plaza to the hotel, the desired information safely in her possession. Back at the hotel she sat down in a lobby chair and dug out her phone, deciding to call Ben rather than text him. The call went to voicemail. She left a message, figuring he must be in the ICU checking on Valerie. On her way to the elevator she heard the familiar alert of an arriving text message. Ben told her to stay put, that he was on his way back to the hotel. Her short response said she would be in her room.
It had been a restless night, and after carrying out her assignment at the Comisaria Ana felt drained. She flopped down on the bed to wait for Ben, pulled a pillow under her head and decided to close her eyes— just for a minute. The next thing she heard was Ben’s voice.
“Ana… Ana… are you feeling okay?”
She snapped awake and saw him leaning over her. “I’m fine. Can’t believe I dozed off.”
“I can believe it. It’ll take some time before we recover from everything.” Ben sat down in a chair near the bed and asked, “So, what did you find out?” As she got up to retrieve the information, he added, “And by the way, good job.”
“All in a day’s work.” She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her bag and handed it to him. He opened it and read what was written.
“This is only her address and telephone number… but that’s probably all we need. There’s no way to tell if that’s a mobile or residential phone number.”
“Doesn’t really matter,” Ana said, looking at him and waiting to hear about whatever plan he was hatching.
“Before I call I need to decide what I can do for her that would really mean something. And Dad wants to be involved.” Ben threw his head back and stared at the ceiling, rummaging through his thoughts, hoping for inspiration.
“Well, she has kids,” Ana said. “And you said you can tell she works long hours to keep her family going.”
“And…?”
“I think the only significant thing to do would be financial.”
Ben nodded in agreement. “Maybe if she had a little money to keep the kids in school, she wouldn’t have to work quite as hard. I don’t know how many there are, or their ages.”
“You could just ask.”
Ben felt a bit silly, not applying his own logic, but didn’t say anything. After another short conversation on the subject it was decided that a trust for their education expenses would be of the most help. They would have liked a way to give her everything, but it was doubtful a woman like Annunciata would take it. He expected resistance to any interference. At least he hoped she wouldn’t see it that way.
Ana suggested that for the time being he should just telephone to say thank you and let her know how right she was to go to the police. She hoped he could summon enough ru
sty Spanish to carry it off. During the conversation he could ask about the children, their ages—casual things. Ben decided that he would proceed to make arrangements with his attorney when he was back in England. She would receive a formal notification of the terms, written in Spanish, and a personal letter from him with further thanks. He hoped that would be the most tactful way to handle it. Face to face, she might feel awkward. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel inferior in any way by offering her money. It wasn’t intended as a reward, only a gesture of appreciation. He hoped she would see it that way. The letter would make that clear. However, he was intent upon sending her some personal gift—perhaps for Christmas. He was frustrated that there seemed to be no way to give cash to such a proud woman. And that was what she needed most.
Ben’s decision energized him and he jumped up from the chair, winced a little from the sore ribs, and then pulled Ana up from where she was sitting. He embraced her, quickly planting a kiss on her unsuspecting lips. The spell was broken by the buzz of his phone. They were to meet at eight for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Ana knew he was anxious to see Olivia outside a hospital setting.
* * *
Hugh tapped his fingers on the table, impatient for Olivia to make a choice from the menu. She admonished her father, saying it was hard to decide, that everything looked good. Paris joined in by telling him in her own way that he could relax now. She surprised everyone by using the word ‘chill’ when addressing him. Then she reminded Hugh of how hungry their daughter had been while detained. He apologized and instructed everyone to order and let Olivia go last. A half hour later they were tucked into their dinner and the conversation was quite cheerful, considering.
Good Deed Bad Deed : A Novel Mystery Page 33