‘With pleasure,’ the sadistic aide answered.
‘Let’s get this over with,’ James Phelps decided.
68
Rafael was thrown into the cell against the bare wall, followed by a dry ‘Welcome to Rome’ from Thompson.
Sarah cried out when she saw him in that condition.
‘Oh, my God. Rafael,’ she cried.
But he didn’t answer. He looked unconscious, but was probably in too much pain to say anything.
Simon watched Sarah’s distress, unable to do anything. Rafael had endured more blows than he had. He hoped he wouldn’t see Sarah come back in the same way.
The cell had four concrete walls and a concrete floor, without windows, mattresses, or toilet… nothing. Sarah put Rafael’s head on her lap and stroked it tenderly.
‘Good God, what’ve they done to you,’ she whispered, stroking his hair and face.
‘They’re not playing games,’ Simon said.
‘They’re barbarians.’ She looked at Rafael sadly. She’d never seen him like this. ‘I see they didn’t leave you in peace, either,’ she said to Simon, without stopping the caresses.
‘They left me for a time. The editor told me not to leave the house for any reason.’
‘Roger?’
‘Yes. I knew I should’ve gone somewhere else. When they threw me in the door, I felt like my heart would jump out of my mouth.’
‘What did they want from you?’
‘To know about the file and someone named Abu Rashid.’
‘Who’s this Abu Rashid?’ Sarah wondered. She’d already heard the name in Moscow.
‘I have no idea. But do you think they believed me?’
Simon looked at Sarah sadly, as if he had something to say and didn’t dare say it.
‘What’s the matter?’ she asked.
‘Do you think…’ He didn’t like to raise the subject. ‘Do you think they’ll do the same with you?’
Sarah hadn’t thought of that before. She’d only worried about Simon and Rafael, never about herself, ignoring that at any moment the door might open to take her for interrogation.
‘Let’s not think about that,’ she said, hiding the fear she felt. ‘Besides, I know no more than you.’ That didn’t entirely make sense, since the fact that Simon knew nothing hadn’t prevented them from leaving bruises all over his body.
Through the irony of fate, which likes to manifest itself at appropriate times, the lock on the door came to life.
Sarah surrendered to panic. Her time had come, her hour to endure the harshness of a group of impatient men who’d do anything to achieve their objective.
The door opened to admit a man dressed in an impeccable suit, at first glance. He bent over Rafael.
‘What have they done to you, friend?’ he said sadly.
‘Who are you?’ Sarah asked.
‘That’s not important. You’ve never seen me here. Understand?’
He stuck his hand inside a briefcase, took out a Beretta with a silencer, and left it next to Rafael.
‘This is the most I can do,’ he said. ‘Good-bye.’
Sarah and Simon didn’t understand what was happening. Who was this man? Why was he leaving them a gun? For a woman it’s natural to look at an unknown man with X-ray vision, and she did.
‘Later,’ the man said farewell.
Suddenly Rafael’s hand grabbed the man’s arm.
‘John Cody,’ he whispered weakly.
The said John Cody leaned over Rafael.
‘My friend. I can’t delay.’
‘I need a favor.’ Rafael’s voice seemed to come from a deep well.
‘Yes, if I can do it.’
‘You only have to… to… to call a number…’ He pulled him down closer and spoke into his ear. ‘He should be confused. Tell him… Tell him…’ It was an effort to talk. ‘Tell him not to do anything until he receives new instructions.’
The man sighed as if something was tiring his mind, a difficult weight to support.
‘My friend, you have to be strong. Wait it out. This’ll be resolved.’ He gripped his hand strongly. ‘They’ve killed your uncle.’
He got up without taking his eyes from Rafael.
‘I’ve got to go.’
A tear could be seen running down Rafael’s face.
The friend left, closing the door behind him. You could see the bloodstain on the neck of his shirt.
69
‘I want explanations,’ Barnes demanded.
‘I do, too,’ Phelps warned. ‘We can’t leave here without them. The woman has to talk.’
‘I’m not talking about her. I’m talking about you and your men.’
‘I’ve already given all the explanations I have to give,’ he said peremptorily.
‘One more.’ Barnes looked at Littel. ‘The Spanish are giving us grief because of the priest who was shot to death in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.’
Phelps smiled and exchanged a conspiratorial look with Marius Ferris.
‘What makes you think we have something to do with that?’
‘Do you want to go down that road?’ Barnes hated many things, but high on the list, along with lying and betrayal, was omission. The simple fact of wanting to make him look like an idiot. With the years he’d spent in the business… they ought to show him more respect when they encountered him.
‘To where?’ Phelps’s sarcasm was obvious.
‘Your assistant, your number two, as you call him, is not very good at covering his tracks,’ Barnes declared.
‘And why should he cover them, if you don’t mind my asking?’
‘Mr. Marius Ferris landed at the airport in Santiago de Compostela from Madrid on the morning of the day Father Clemente was killed. And, big coincidence’ — Barnes raised his voice and hands theatrically — ‘your helper arrived in Vigo the same day.’ Barnes got up, leaned on the table with his arms, and shot a firm, hard look at him. ‘Do you mind telling me about it?’
‘Would somebody mind turning on the air conditioner?’ Littel asked. ‘We’re getting fried in here.’
In fact, they were all sweating, heat combined with suspicion.
‘Very well,’ Phelps conceded. ‘There were signs the file on the Turk was in Don Clemente’s hands. Herbert searched his rooms, and Marius took care of things personally.’
‘And they killed him because…’
‘They didn’t leave evidence. It was decided from the beginning it’d be that way, without witnesses. We’ve complied.’
‘You should’ve informed us.’
‘Aren’t you the ones who always know everything?’ Marius Ferris said sarcastically.
‘Why did you think they’d be in his possession?’ Littel asked. ‘From what we know, Rafael took the Turk’s file
