‘Does anyone else know about this?’ I asked him quietly.
‘You’re the first person I’ve ever told, and you’ll be the last. I’ve only shared it with you because I know I can trust you never to pass it on to my brother. . not as long as I’m alive, at any rate.’
‘If that’s what you want, I’ll promise and I’ll keep my word. But don’t you think he has a right to know about this? He must wonder himself what happened to him.’
‘That truth won’t help him. Plus, if I told him he might never speak to me again.’
Maybe you don’t know your brother as well as you believe, I thought. I reckon he’d give you absolution.
Thirty-nine
I kept the mobile switched on all the time we were out, even though the battery was getting low, but there was no call from Gerard. I was tempted to ring him, but it was pretty late by the time Santi and I made it home, so I decided against it, switched off and put it on charge overnight.
I slept later next morning; Santi was up before me, and when I went upstairs, there were a couple of glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice on the table, alongside two plates, each with a monster slice of watermelon, and a bowl for the seeds. Tom and I both love watermelon, for the fun of eating it as much as for the freshness and the taste.
‘I have to shop,’ I told him, once we had finished it, and the toast that followed.
‘Sure,’ he replied. ‘I’ll take you down to the city.’
I shook my head. ‘No, Santi; I said I have to shop. Me, personally, for women’s things.’ I tugged my hair. ‘For example, I don’t want this reverting to blond. And I’ve got hardly any make-up; at my age I can’t go without it altogether.’ There was also the matter of a new Gillette Venus; I was beginning to look like a gooseberry, and getting itchy with it. ‘I saw enough yesterday to know where to go. I’ll be back by lunchtime; maybe we can do some of the other monuments this afternoon.’
He was fine with that, so I set out on my own, down to the Paseo then along towards the main shopping drag, behind a square called Plaza Bib-Ramblas, which seemed to be the local flower market. I found the stuff I needed without difficulty, including the same brand and tint of hair dye that I had used at Shirley’s. I bought two, in the optimistic hope that I wouldn’t need the second one, and could replace hers without her ever knowing.
I was shopping for sensible underwear in a department store, trying on a bra in a fitting room, in fact, when the mobile sounded in my bag. I snatched at it. ‘Gerard.’
‘Primavera.’
‘Surprise me; give me some good news.’
‘It’s raining, and the earth needs it. Other than that, I have nothing to offer. Alex has been as helpful as he can, but it’s not good. Your theory has proved to be correct. The police tests have shown that Senor Planas had relations with Senora Fumado just before he died.’ He sounded pained by the idea. ‘Their conclusion is as you said it would be. I told Alex that was ridiculous, but he said that it was where the evidence pointed and that he couldn’t ignore it. The public prosecutor is satisfied; he says they needn’t look any further.’
‘But they must. There has to be evidence that shows somebody else was there. They can’t just stop looking for it.’
‘They’re not going to look for it, Primavera. They’re sticking with what they’ve got. The prosecutor is going to ask a judge to issue a warrant for your arrest, tomorrow, Alex reckoned, at the latest.’ He sighed. ‘He’s guessing that we’re in touch. He said last night that if he was in your shoes, and had your resources, he’d adopt a new identity and disappear. I hate to say it, but he may be right; as you’ve told me, you’ve done it before.’
I was shaken. ‘Are you giving up on me, Gerard?’ I asked, tersely.
‘No!’ he protested. ‘I’m trying to keep you safe.’
I’d wounded him; instantly I was sorry. ‘I know,’ I sighed, ‘but I don’t think that your way’s working. I’m going to try something different, from here. You don’t need to know about it, though. Give me a couple of days; I should know by then whether it’s paid off.’
‘And if it doesn’t?’
‘Then I’m coming home.’
‘You can’t. If you’re convicted of double murder you’ll go to jail for thirty years.’
‘I didn’t do it; I won’t be convicted.’
‘That’s not what Gomez thinks; it’s not what Alex fears. You can’t come back, Primavera.’ He sounded desperate.
‘Then only one thing will keep me away. You bring Tom to me, and the three of us will disappear together. You’re right; I’ve done it before, and I have the means to do it again.’
‘Primavera. .’
‘If it comes to it, that’s what I want. Will you do it?’
‘I’ll bring Tom to you. The rest. .’
‘If you bring Tom, you’ll be walking away from your career. Gerard, I might not be Irena, but. .’
I heard his intake of breath. ‘He told you.’
‘Yes. The whole story.’
‘And what do you think of me now? I’d have killed my own father, but for Santi arriving when he did.’
‘If the man had tried to rape me, I’d have killed him myself, no mercy, no second thoughts.’ I pulled myself up, sharply. ‘Which is probably not what you want to hear from a murder suspect, but it’s true nonetheless. I’m glad Santi stopped you, but for your sake, not for your father’s.’
‘Try your other way, Primavera,’ he sighed. ‘Try it and let’s hope it works. If not, then we’ll see.’
Forty
I’d been a lot more confident with Gerard than I really felt. It’s much more difficult to disappear into thin air than most people imagine. I’d been able to do it before more by luck than judgement; I was no expert. To make it work for three people would take money; I have plenty, but accessing it would be difficult.
I knew that I’d do it, or try to, if it became unavoidable, but before we got to that stage, there was Plan B.
During my time with Oz, I met a man. His name is Mark Kravitz and he runs a very discreet business that he describes as a security consultancy. That covers a variety of services; some are pretty secret, others involve high-level contacts in places of influence. He has worked for Oz on occasion, and in the recent past, when I had need of him, I’d been able to turn to him for help. My fingers were crossed that I could again.
I finished my shopping, then retraced my steps, until I found an internet shop that I’d noticed earlier. I’d been going to make the contact anyway, but my discussion with Gerard had concentrated my mind on it. I went into the shop, bought an hour’s time, and settled into the booth that was furthest away from the door. I’d planned to send Mark an email, but as soon as I switched on the terminal, I came up lucky. I saw that it was loaded with Skype, that clever internet tool that lets you eyeball friends and family around the world; that’s how Dawn and I keep in touch. (We’ve tried to get Dad into the way of it, but we’re wasting our time.)
I was pretty sure that Mark would be there as I slipped on the headset that was plugged into the computer. He has MS, and is having increasing motor difficulties, so he rarely leaves his home-office. I opened the software, keyed in his contact details and pressed the green button. It didn’t ring for long before he answered and his face appeared on the monitor screen. He was in his wheelchair, thinner than the last time we’d spoken, and his hair was a little greyer, but the old light still burned in his eyes.
‘Primavera, what a nice surprise,’ he exclaimed; then he frowned. ‘What have you done to your hair?’ he asked. ‘And where the hell are you?’
‘I’ve decided on a change of colour,’ I told him, ‘and I’m away from home.’ I looked around to check that there was nobody within listening range, for at least half the voices I’d heard that morning had been speaking English, most of it with an American accent. When I felt secure, I explained why. I told him everything, every last detail.