Bella

‘Juan Rodriguez is hardly the sort of name I’d make up. Look, I know all about him, how powerful and vicious he is. He’ll never let you go after one job. And if he bumps off Chrissie and me — which he intends to, doesn’t he? — whether they get the cash or not, Lazlo will hunt the lot of you down until he gets his revenge. With two man-eating tigers on your tracks, you’ll never get that peaceful life you want with your wife and child.’

Diego got up and began to pace about the room.

Bella’s heart was pounding, but she tried to keep her voice calm:

‘Look, Diego, I swear something — if you tip Lazlo off where we are, and it’ll only take one telephone call, he’ll look after you, he’ll get your wife out of Buenos Aires, and he’ll see your child gets the best medical treatment in the world. And you’ll be able to live in peace for the rest of your life, not as a hunted man.’

‘You’re crazy,’ said Diego. ‘The Fuzz’ll grab me the minute I get out of here.’

‘You’ll do a year at the most — particularly as it’s your first offence — but probably Lazlo’ll be able to fiddle it so you don’t even do that — and at least your wife will be safe and your little boy saved.’

Diego sat down and picked up his gun and pointed it at her.

‘Don’t you realize the greatest crime among my people is infamita,’ he said sternly. ‘To talk to the authorities. If I shopped the others, Juan would make sure I was dead in a week.’

‘Not if you had Lazlo’s protection. They’re not worth being loyal to, this lot. They’re a bunch of cheap crooks. You’re different, Diego. You’re a good person, I can tell.’

‘Don’t talk to me like that. If the others heard you, it wouldn’t be just your hair they’d chop off,’ snapped Diego. ‘Lie down and get some sleep.’ He took off his coat and laid it over her shoulders.

‘I ache all over,’ said Bella, ‘I can’t sleep. Rub my back and tell me more about your little boy.’

Chapter Twenty

Another day and night limped by. Pablo, feeling contrite, perhaps over his part in last night’s shearing, gave her an old copy of Woman’s Own to read. To Bella it was like stumbling on Chapman’s Homer. Over and over again she read the cosy hints on crocheting and making lampshades, and the romantic stories with their happy endings. How her mouth watered as she pored over the pictures of Lancashire Hot Pot, and cheap ways with end of neck.

Best of all was being able to look at new faces. Apart from Chrissie, she’d seen nothing but masks for the last five days. But at the back of her mind was always the thought that time was running out, like High Noon. Do not forsake me, oh my darling.

The following morning Pablo was keeping guard in her room, smiling to himself as he polished his gun. Then shouting broke out next door.

‘Get on guard,’ she could hear Eduardo yelling. ‘You know there should be two of you.’

‘I need a drink.’ It was Ricardo’s chillingly oily whine.

‘You’ve had your ration for the day,’ snapped Eduardo. ‘Go back to your post.’

‘I want a drink.’

‘There’s only half a bottle left.’

‘Well, someone’s got to go out tomorrow and get some more.’

‘It’s too dangerous,’ said Eduardo’s voice, harsh with exasperation.

As the day crawled by, the atmosphere grew more and more tense, quarrels flaring up at the most innocent remarks. Carlos complained Ricardo hadn’t put sugar in his tea. Ricardo hit the roof. Eduardo nearly got all the soup poured over him when he suggested there wasn’t enough salt in it. If this inaction goes on much longer, thought Bella, they’ll be at each other’s throats.

At midnight, Diego took over the guard. At first he was offhand, and sullenly refused to talk to her.

‘It must be very hot in Buenos Aires now,’ said Bella.

Diego took no notice.

‘Not much fun for a young mother looking after a sick child,’ she went on.

‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ exploded Diego.

‘I was brought up in the slums myself,’ said Bella. ‘And I know what hell it is, and what it’s like to escape and leave it all behind.’

‘Ending up in a deserted farmhouse with a gun at your head, eh?’ said Diego.

‘That was just bad luck, but every child deserves a chance to get away, and one’s own child most of all. Oh, Diego, don’t you love him?’

‘Of course I do,’ he snarled. ‘What do you think I did this for?’

‘Then give him a chance to get better, and run in the sunshine, and go to a good school, and wear nice clothes.’

‘Juan’ll give me all that.’

‘Rubbish. He’s just put a noose round your neck, which he’ll tighten if ever you don’t play ball and do what he wants. Lazlo Henriques is a good man, whatever you’ve heard to the contrary,’ she went on, her voice breaking slightly. ‘He’s tough but he knows how to look after his own people.’

‘You love him, don’t you?’ said Diego softly.

Bella nodded, a great lump in her throat. ‘And I’ll probably never see him again.’ The tears ran down her cheeks and she was overwhelmed by such despair that it was a few seconds before she realized what Diego was saying.

‘If I contact El Gatto, how will he know I’m on the level?’

Bella’s heart leapt. ‘You’re going to do it?’

‘I don’t know. Come on, how will he know?’

‘I’ll write him a note.’

‘No, that’s too dangerous.’

‘Well, have this ring,’ she slid the little gold ring studded with seed pearls off her finger. ‘Rupert gave it to me. Lazlo always said it was the only thing he’d ever seen me wear that wasn’t in appallingly bad taste. And use Black Opal as the password. Those are both private jokes that no-one would know anything about. Oh, Diego, you won’t regret it, I promise you. Just tell him where we are and how to find us.’

‘I haven’t made up my mind yet,’ said Diego, pocketing the ring.

Suddenly, there was a great crash from next door.

‘They’re quarrelling again. Probably about you,’ said Diego, getting up and going out.

A few minutes later he was back.

‘Ricardo’s just knocked over the last of the whisky. Carlos slugged Ricardo. Tempers are running high.’

‘Then you’ll have to get some more supplies tomorrow,’ said Bella.

‘I don’t promise anything,’ said Diego.

The next day dawned hotter and more sultry. There were flies everywhere, the stench grew even more terrible. I wonder how nuns survive for years and years without washing, thought Bella. The hair was growing bristly on her legs.

‘There’ll soon be enough scurf in my hair to bread a veal chop,’ she moaned. ‘Oh God! I feel horrible.’

Diego’s watch was taken over by Eduardo, who brought the wireless with him. At eight came the news. She could feel him tensing himself, but there was again no mention of the kidnapping. Everyone had forgotten them. So much for Lazlo’s underworld connections.

When they played pop music, she got up and danced a few steps. Later she listened to Waggoner’s Walk. It was hard to realize that outside life was going on as usual. People were making love, going to their offices, having toast and marmalade for breakfast.

For her breakfast she had tea without milk and a stale crust of bread.

‘Is the service included?’ she said.

‘What?’ said Eduardo.

‘Oh forget it,’ said Bella.