Obsession, p.8
Obsession, page 8
‘Shit.’
There they were.
I moved off in the opposite direction, intermittently looking in front, behind, at the phone screen. The map loaded. I was four streets from the marina. I made a mental note of the most direct route. Put the phone away. Looked behind me again. They were closing in on me. I moved into a jog. I had the pepper spray, but should I call for help on the phone? And say what?
There was no time.
Pepper spray out in the open now I glanced behind once more before I rounded the next corner.
Thud.
I slammed straight into the person there. Pepper spray up. I let out a cry of panic as the figure reeled back, hands in the air. Almost a carbon copy of what had happened earlier in the evening with Gus.
Except it wasn’t Gus this time. Though I did somehow manage not to fill their face with noxious spray.
‘Sargento?’
Garcia straightened up. He held his hands out to me, as though to grab me and shake some sense into me. Or…
‘Miss Simonsen?’ he said, looking confused.
‘Behind me,’ I said, sounding out of breath as I stepped away from him, and as discreetly as I could moved the spray out of sight. I don’t know why. It was perfectly legal to carry it in Spain, even if it wasn’t in my home country. ‘Someone’s following me.’
I looked the way I’d come. Of course, there was no one there at all now. Garcia took a couple of steps, gazing down the darkened street I’d come from, his face creased with doubt. Or maybe it was simply the poor street lighting that exacerbated the natural ageing of his skin.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked him, my tone not hiding my suspicion.
‘Me?’ he said, fixing me with a not very friendly look. ‘I’m going home.’ He pointed across the road to a parked car. The mental map in my head caught up with what I’d seen on the phone app. I was four streets from the marina. But I was right around the corner from the police station.
I shook my head. ‘It’s lucky,’ I said.
‘What is?’
I looked behind me again. Definitely no sign of the two men now. Who the hell were they?
‘Are you okay?’ Garcia asked.
‘Not really.’
‘Where are you staying?’
I told him.
‘It’s not so far… but I can drive you if you want?’
‘Or we could walk?’ I said.
For some reason the idea of going into an enclosed space with him didn’t appeal. Perhaps that was unfair on him. He looked at his watch and sighed. ‘I’m already more than an hour late for my dinner. I think ten minutes more won’t be so much worse.’
‘Sorry. It’s okay,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to cause you any trouble.’
‘Don’t worry, Natasha. It’s only me to blame for my troubles.’
We stood there, awkwardly. At least I was awkward.
‘Please,’ he said, indicating the way, and we set off.
‘I have to ask,’ he said after a few moments of strange silence. ‘What were you doing out here, alone?’
‘Why shouldn’t I walk alone here?’ I said, hackles raised. ‘Young women shouldn’t need a chaperone.’
‘That wasn’t my point.’
‘Then what was?’
‘You said you were being followed?’
‘Yes.’
‘By who?’
‘I don’t know. Two men. I think.’
‘Why would they do that?’
‘How should I know?’ I responded, sounding more irritated than I intended.
Garcia shook his head. ‘I don’t want to sound rude, but… I have a feeling you’re doing exactly what you shouldn’t be doing here.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means I mentioned a name to you earlier. And I knew at the time I probably shouldn’t have.’
‘Wesley Pino?’
Garcia nodded. ‘I understand your frustrations about your sister–’
‘Do you?’
He sighed again. ‘Yes. I do. Tell me, what have you done today, since I saw you?’
I didn’t say anything. Did he know? How?
‘I think, if you start to ask questions to the wrong people, you’ll get attention from those people.’
Isn’t that what Gus had said to me too? I stopped walking. Garcia did too. I glared at him. ‘Do you think Wesley Pino killed my sister?’
‘I honestly don’t know.’
‘But you think he had something to do with her death?’
‘No. I didn’t say that either. But I think he had something to do with her life.’
‘In what way?’
‘It doesn’t matter in what way. The point is, I know what these people are like.’
‘As in, Pino and people he knew are criminals? Dangerous?’
Garcia said nothing. He moved away. I followed. ‘Then shouldn’t the police have them arrested and put in jail?’
He shook his head but still said nothing, like I was being a pestering child.
‘I wish we knew who killed Anya,’ he said after we’d turned onto the next street. Still no sign of the two men. ‘But it’s not for you to investigate. You don’t have the authority. The skills. But most importantly, you don’t know–’
‘The danger?’
He didn’t say anything to that. We carried on in silence. The hotel came into view. I wanted to say more, ask more questions, but what? I hadn’t intended to come to Spain and become involved in chasing down gangsters. The thought terrified me. But I had come here to find the truth.
‘The apartment where Anya lived is owned by a company,’ I said. ‘It’s called Sotogrande AS LLC.’
I took his lack of reaction as a signal that he already knew that.
‘Do you know who the owner is?’
‘No,’ he said.
‘That entity owns other apartments too.’
He didn’t say anything to that either.
‘Anya was twenty-six. She lived in a rented apartment worth millions. She didn’t have a job, according to you. So how the hell could she afford that place? And the new tenant? Another young woman, living alone.’
Garcia still didn’t say anything.
‘You don’t think any of that is strange?’
‘Don’t I?’
An odd response. I expected him to say more to follow it up, but he didn’t. I realised none of what I was saying was news to Garcia. So he had at least done some investigating, it seemed. Did he know more still, but wouldn’t tell me, or had he simply hit dead ends on each of the roads that I’d only just started down?
‘I spoke to some other people today too,’ I said. ‘Ziyad Faisal. Gus Patterson. Do you know them?’
Garcia didn’t look at me. ‘Ziyad Faisal was Pino’s neighbour.’
‘Yes.’
‘I know him. We spoke to him about Pino’s death.’
‘Because?’
‘Because he was Pino’s neighbour.’
‘And Gus Patterson?’
‘I don’t know who that is.’
‘So you didn’t speak to him?’
‘Not that I’m aware of. There was nothing to suggest Mr Faisal had any involvement in what happened to Wesley Pino.’
‘And Anya? Because both of them knew her too.’
He gave me a quizzical look, as though I’d told him something he didn’t know this time.
‘Did you speak to either of them about Anya’s death?’ I asked.
‘I don’t think so. Like I said, I don’t think there was anything to connect Anya to Mr Faisal. And the other man…’
‘Gus Patterson?’
‘That name isn’t familiar to me.’
‘But I just told you there’s something to connect them. They both knew her.’
‘So everyone who met your sister is a suspect now?’
What was the answer to that? ‘Gus Patterson was sleeping with her.’
That seemed to throw him for a few seconds. He hadn’t known. Would the knowledge kickstart something? ‘I admire your strong will, but you have to realise we follow a process.’
‘You do? Perhaps your process isn’t working, given you have two unsolved murders.’
We reached the hotel entrance and we both stopped. Garcia looked at me. I could see he was already fed up by my attitude. I didn’t really care. I wanted him to feel agitated. I wanted him to feel like I was getting on his back, criticising the police’s work. Maybe then he’d pull his finger out and give the investigation his full attention once more.
‘You should at least speak to them both,’ I said to him.
Garcia sighed. ‘For you, Natasha? I promise I’ll look at the case files again.’
‘You’ll let me know if you decide to speak to them?’
‘I’ll look at the files.’
Silence.
‘Thanks for walking me.’
‘It’s okay. I don’t want anyone else here getting hurt. Goodnight, Natasha.’ He turned and walked off.
I stayed outside a few moments longer. A chill ran through me before I decided to step inside. The unsettled feeling remained as I entered the bedroom. I moved across to the curtains. I looked down to the street below and was sure I saw a figure quickly moving behind a parked van across the road, out of my sight.
My eyes remained focused on that spot, but I saw nothing more.
What the hell was going on?
Garcia had made his point clear. He didn’t want me ruffling any feathers in his town. Except, for better or worse, it looked like I’d already done that.
But me being in Sotogrande wasn’t a game. I wasn’t going to give in so easily. Once I set my mind on something…
I wouldn’t back down from finding my sister’s killer.
Not ever.
CHAPTER TEN
AMY
Summer
The day after David’s party played out pretty similarly to the day before. Amy was up early, wanting to spend some quiet time by the pool before it got too busy. David slept in. Apparently his hangovers were worse than hers. She’d been wasted the night before, she realised now, looking back on some of her behaviours, and thoughts, with embarrassment. But she hadn’t done anything too bad, had she? Unless she’d forgotten.
By late morning she’d had enough of the sun and she and Hayley had gone shopping, managing to find a spare hour before Hayley wanted to meet up with her friends. Amy had promised her daughter she would treat her to a new dress for the evening she had planned with her friends.
Oh to be young and without real ties. And with lots of money.
Did her children realise how privileged they were?
Yes. She truly believed that Hayley did. Gus? Kind of. Although he was definitely the most materialistic of the two, which was probably why he’d ended up out in Sotogrande.
She’d looked forward to the time with her daughter, but Hayley was distracted. Amy tried to ask what was on her mind, and while Hayley didn’t admit to it, she sensed it was further problems in her love life. Ursula? Or something else? Amy wished she knew more, wished her daughter told her more. She’d always been private about such things, partly, Amy felt, because it had been such a big thing for her to ‘come out’ as bisexual.
It wasn’t a big deal to Amy, she loved her daughter no matter what. But the awkward conversations she’d had with David had made her realise exactly why it was so hard for Hayley to speak about her love life, even to those closest to her.
The evening that followed was something of a comedown from the excitement of the previous night. All of the couples decided to do their own thing. Tomorrow night would be Matt and Kate’s and Jannette and Brian’s last, so the six of them would do something together then.
Amy and David went to a tapas restaurant a short walk from the hotel. The most expensive tapas restaurant they’d ever been to; definitely not the best. The best had been a little corner place in a 500-year-old building in Granada, which only served a small selection of tapas each day. They marked the choices up on the chalkboard outside where locals sat at high stools, the tables empty wine barrels, the beer and wine cheap, and all local.
Yes she and David had plenty of money, but it didn’t always buy the best, or the most authentic experiences.
She remembered those bygone trips, those bygone years with such fondness. Had they really been so amazing and carefree though? Probably not.
After the meal she and David walked along the marina back to the hotel.
‘Ever fancied one of those things?’ Amy said, indicating to the yachts.
She kind of knew the answer really. They’d discussed getting a boat before, in particular a couple of years ago when David had first sold the business. They’d felt so lucky and… rich. And they were. They could afford to do so much now that the vast majority of people in the world would never get the chance to do. David had bought himself a brand-new Ferrari. They had an incredible home. They could afford to holiday more or less where they wanted, when they wanted.
They couldn’t afford one of those yachts though. Not even close.
They could afford a yacht, for sure, but not one of the multi-deck liners that were moored here. They were reserved for the mega-rich, a completely different bracket to Amy and David.
‘Not sure we’d use one enough,’ David said. ‘Takes away your flexibility a bit, don’t you think?’
She agreed. But she was looking for a conversation opener and was struggling.
‘I hope Hayley’s having a good night,’ Amy said as they neared the hotel.
‘Why wouldn’t she be?’
Amy glared at her husband. ‘Because of what’s happening with her and Ursula?’
‘Yeah but… that was never a real thing. She’ll realise that.’
And Amy knew what her husband meant by that, even if he’d not been explicit. He didn’t believe Hayley was bi at all; he thought she was only experimenting and would ‘get it out of her system’, as he’d said to her one time. Was that what he wanted?
‘But–’
‘Hayley’s only twenty-three. She’s so young, Amy. She’ll find the right person.’
‘By person, you mean man?’
He looked at her but said nothing. Amy shook her head. Was his nonchalance borne out of genuine ignorance, or was he simply a bigot?
They were nearly at the entrance to the hotel.
‘It’s quite early,’ Amy said. ‘Shall we go for some cocktails?’
David glanced at her and smiled. ‘Yeah, why not?’
He ordered an old-fashioned. She a negroni. They sipped, his arm around her as they sat on a sofa in the hotel’s cocktail bar, a pianist playing soft music. She felt more at ease than she had done at any point since they’d arrived. But their chatter was minimal. David was distracted.
‘Shall we get another?’ Amy said when David seemed to rush to finish his drink.
He looked at his watch. ‘I think after two late ones…’
Amy slumped a little.
‘Let’s have a nightcap on the balcony again. I promise I won’t fall asleep on you this time.’
Amy smiled, but she didn’t feel particularly happy about the idea. ‘Fine,’ she said.
They barely spoke on the way up. David fixed the drinks. Amy headed straight onto the balcony and was already searching for that apartment across the marina as she sat down.
She rolled her eyes. There she was again. What the hell? Did she do this every night? Wandering around in next to nothing? Why?
David came out. Same drinks as the night before. He took up his position, his eyes immediately drawn to the woman in the apartment.
Did he think Amy didn’t know?
They slowly sipped their drinks. David gave her plenty of eye contact, plenty of compliments too, but it all felt a little… manipulative.
‘Do you want to go inside?’ Amy asked him, snapping him from his concentration and he glanced over at her with a hunger in his eyes.
‘Come here,’ he said.
She frowned a little.
‘Come on,’ he said, beckoning her.
She pulled her chair across to him and they both leaned in and kissed. She wanted sparks. She wanted a flutter in her stomach. What she got was… nothing.
He pulled back from her. Took her hand. He pulled her closer so her hand wrapped around his waist. ‘Come on,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘Come here.’
‘I am here.’
‘No, here,’ he said, patting his lap.
‘I’m not doing that out in the open.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because…’
‘No one can see, the lights are off.’
‘Come on, come to bed,’ she said, trying to give him a seductive look.
‘We will. Soon.’
He pulled on her arm again and she relented and stood from her chair and hiked up her dress and straddled his lap. He kissed the top of her chest, kissed her neck. She closed her eyes and leaned down and found his lips.
Okay, that’s better. And she felt him becoming aroused.
She tickled his neck with her tongue, nibbled his ear. He’d always liked that for some reason. She hated her ears being touched.
She opened her eyes and… he was staring straight across… no doubt who he was looking at.
‘What the hell?’ she said, pulling back.
‘What?’
He looked at her with incredulity. Did he really want to play dumb? But… what if she’d made a mistake? She couldn’t explain what she thought. She’d sound so foolish. So paranoid. So fucking delusional.
She heard those last two words in his voice. She hated how he’d said that to her. Months ago now, but it still stung. He made her feel so small when he wanted.
‘What?’ he said, more forcibly, challenging her now.
‘Come on, David, let’s go to bed.’
‘You know what… I’m pretty tired. I’m going to have another drink out here, then go to bed.’
She stood up off him and rearranged her skirt. ‘You’re tired so you’re going to stay up and have another drink?’ she said. ‘That makes no sense.’
