‘I met Chris on the night this photo was given to the police,’ I went on. ‘He wasn’t acting the way you’d expect someone to act if they’d killed their best friend. In fact, we got… friendly. Then, next minute he got a phone call and left in a hurry. Barely said goodbye. Someone must have tipped him off and his first instinct was to run. You’ve spoken to him, haven’t you? Please help me find him.’
She didn’t bother to deny it this time. ‘Don’t think I’m going to fall for the whole pick-up story… He might be a rockstar, but Chris’s never been like that.’
‘I can tell you that he has a large birthmark under his ribcage, on the left. About the size of a mango.’ I’d checked all the fan pages and online forums at home the night before I’d left, and I was fairly confident the birthmark wasn’t known to the public. He’d never performed shirtless, and his embarrassment when I’d seen it on the night we met led me to believe he would never voluntarily show it off.
Barbara looked uncomfortable. ‘OK, so you saw him naked. It hardly makes you the love of his life. And if he did run off on you, why would I believe you want to help him? Maybe what you really want is to get back at him.’
‘On the contrary. It’s like you said, Chris isn’t the type to pick up… It might sound trite to you, but we had a connection. I care about him, and I don’t want him to go to jail.’ Barbara scoffed, but I pressed on. ‘The police think Chris murdered Angus, Barbara. If they find him before I do, he’s going to be in a world of pain.’
‘How on earth are you involved in this? What do you know that could help him?’
‘I can’t tell you. They might come after you too.’
Her face twisted. ‘I’ve got nothing to say to you.’
Our gazes locked for a long moment. Neither of us looked away.
‘Is that what you’re going to tell the police too?’ I asked.
Her expression faltered. ‘What?’
‘If I’ve managed to find out you live here in Barcelona and rent out your brother’s apartment, I bet Interpol has worked it out too. I bet they’ve already been in contact with you, haven’t they?’
She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. I knew from her eyes that I was right.
‘Do you know what the penalty is for obstructing an international police investigation, Barbara? How do you think the police are going to feel if they find out you lied to them? How do you think that’s going to work out for Chris?’
Her blue eyes burned into mine, hating me, but there was some worry there too. She believed my bluff.
‘Please, Barbara,’ I pressed. ‘The longer Chris is on the run, the worse it’s going to be for him when the police catch him. Give me the chance to speak to him first, tell him what I know. You’re the only one who can help him.’
She sat very still. I held my breath as she processed my words. Finally, she leant towards me. ‘He’s planning to get out of Barcelona as soon as he can get on a train, probably tomorrow,’ she said in a low voice.
‘Where’s he staying?’
She hesitated. ‘He was staying at my place until the police contacted me, then he said he had to leave. He wouldn’t tell me where he was going. Said it was for my own protection.’
‘But you’ve got an idea, don’t you?’
‘Try Park Güell. It’s just a hunch, but he said he was going to find somewhere secluded. He loves the place, and the police wouldn’t think to look for him at a major tourist haunt.’
‘What did he tell you about Angus?’ I asked.
‘He hasn’t spoken to Angus since he left for Australia. He didn’t do it.’
‘Does he have any idea who might have?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘And he didn’t say anything about where he was going next?’
‘He didn’t want me to get caught out by the police,’ she said. ‘He wouldn’t tell me much.’
‘Do you think he might go to Rome?’ I asked. ‘He told me he’s got a friend there.’
She stood up, her expression once again hostile. ‘I’ve got nothing more to say. Now, if you don’t mind…’ She gestured towards the entrance and turned to walk away.
‘Thanks for your help, Barbara,’ I said. ‘I really do appreciate it.’
She paused and turned back towards me. Her eyes were cold. ‘I’m not helping you. Just so you know, I don’t trust you. This is all for Chris. Your threats mean nothing to me, but they could hurt him. Just find him before the police do, and then get out of his life.’
She weaved between the grubby couches and disappeared through an unmarked door. I stared after her with a mixture of elation and shame. Finally, I’d made some real progress, but I’d also alienated a source by threatening her. My determination to be the ethical journalist had lasted all of five minutes. But did the tactics matter if my intentions were sound? Barbara thought her brother was innocent. And I was starting to think the same thing. Maybe I could help him.
I left the hostel and set off up the street. Now I was out of there, reality started crowding in on me again. All I had to go on was Barbara’s vague tip about Park Güell. She wouldn’t let on whether Ford was going to Rome, if she even knew, and I had no idea where this friend of his lived. And after her reaction to my question, I could hardly go back and ask her. I should at least have pushed her to tell me the friend’s name, but there was no way she was going to speak to me again now.
Deflated, I sat down on a bench on the footpath.
