The rest of the day passed in a blur of activity and Rebecca was glad to head back to the farmhouse for a shower and to change out of her uniform. Her resolve was firm to track down Felipe and tell him that she wanted the job, but she would only take it if she could have the whole package, and wouldn’t settle for anything less. If he couldn’t give her that, she was better off out of it and leaving here.
She could tell by the trail of shoes, bags and various other bits that Cristina and Katerina were back from school and she followed the sound of their youthful voices towards the kitchen. As she entered the room, the two girls stopped talking and pushed something out of view into a cupboard. Judging from their conspiratorial tone, she could make a good guess that they were up to no good. Then Ana materialised in her peripheral view.
‘Ana.’
Surely she wasn’t involved.
So much for her assumption that it was the two younger girls creating mischief.
‘What are you up to?’ she asked, unable to hide her amusement as she looked from face to face. All three of them immediately assumed expressions of blameless innocence, indicating anything but. Rebecca, who had considerable experience of standing her ground with her brothers when they were plotting mischief, raised an eyebrow, which said,You’re not fooling me. Like an expert interrogator awaiting an answer, she folded her arms, knowing that someone would feel the need to fill the yawning silence.
‘We’re planning a surprise for Felipe,’ Cristina blurted out at the same time as Ana said, ‘We’re going to ask Felipe to drive us to Albufeira later.’ Rebecca quirked her eyebrow again, notching up her obvious scepticism. Ana blushed and Cristina gave her a sharp, unsubtle nudge in the ribs.
‘It’s something we’re planning for Felipe,’ said Katerina, her face radiating sincerity. ‘Something really nice. I promise. He’s going to be really pleased.’
Their heads bobbed in unison like a row of nodding dogs, which made Rebecca want to laugh, but they looked so earnest that she managed to hold it back. Even so, she wasn’t convinced that they weren’t plotting something. Again she felt that pang of missing out. She’d miss all three of them if she had to leave.
Rebecca slipped away, heading for the stairs, but Cristina caught her up.
‘Would you come with me for an ice-cream before dinner?Por favor.’ She clasped her hands in front of her in a plea.
How could she refuse that sweet, innocent little face?
‘Yes, okay,’ she said with a fond smile. She really did love the little girl. ‘If you give me ten minutes to shower and change.’
‘Okay,’ said Cristina with a little skip. Rebecca caught her giving a thumbs-up to Katerina and, with a smile to herself, guessed she’d be stumping up for two lots of ice-cream.
Feeling refreshed and with a lot more energy, ten minutes later Rebecca walked down the stairs, pushing her phone into her back pocket. Cristina was practically skipping on the spot.
‘You took forever!’
‘No, I didn’t. Besides, the ice-cream is not going to melt away before we get there. You need a little patience,querida,’ she teased.
‘Patience is for old and boring people. I’m never getting old or boring.’
Rebecca looped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. ‘I’m sure you won’t.’
They were halfway across the lawn on their way to the beach path when Cristina suddenly tugged her arm. ‘I forgot something. Come with me.’ Holding Rebecca’s hand, she pulled her towards Felipe’s bicycle shed.
‘Forgot what?’
‘Have you got your phone?’ asked Cristina unlocking the door. ‘I need a torch and my battery is low.’
Rebecca handed over her phone, wondering what Cristina was up to.
The girl opened the door and let Rebecca lead the way. ‘What is it you want in?—?’
Before she could finish her sentence, what little light there was in the shed disappeared and she heard the door click shut. She whirled round, suddenly plunged into darkness. ‘Cristina!’ she cried, reaching for the girl. ‘Cristina!’ she repeated. ‘Where are you? Are you all right?’
There was no response and then from outside she heard the rasp of the key in the lock.
‘Cristina!’ she yelled and rushed towards the door, which she could just make out thanks to the line of light beneath the door. Banging hard on the door with her fists, she called out again, ‘Cristina! What are you doing? Come back!’
What on earth was she playing at? After hammering on the door and shouting for a fruitless couple of minutes and receiving no response, Rebecca began edging her way around the shed, feeling her way with her hands outstretched as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Gradually, she could discern the shapes of bicycle frames mounted on wall racks and another rack of bicycle wheels. There was no other exit. Not even a window.
Puzzled and annoyed, she crouched down and was surprised to find a rug on the floor. As her fingers brushed over it, she discovered there was also a cushion. And another and a third one. Deciding she might as well make herself comfortable, she lay down on the rug and propped her head on the cushion. Cristina wasn’t going to leave her in here forever.
The girl was up to something, that was for sure, but she wasn’t malicious. Before she could start pondering what that something might be, she heard the key in the lock. She sat up as the door opened and light spilled over her. ‘Cristina, what are you play?—?’
