“How?”
“Look, it doesn’t matter,” Sócrates said, interrupting them. “We have more important stuff to worry about now.”
“What’s more important than finding Leonora?”
“Someone, maybe from the DFS, treated Casimiro like a punching bag.”
“Yes, and they could be beating the living shit out of Leonora right now. And there’re the photos to worry about too.”
“Leonora was never trustworthy,” Luz pointed out.
“That’s not true.”
“Just because you slept with her doesn’t mean she’s really our friend,” Sócrates piped up.
“You should talk,” Rubén said, raising his voice. So did Sócrates. Then it was a jumble of back and forth pronouncements and recriminations that Maite couldn’t even begin to follow.
“Fuck!” Jackie said, lifting her hands in the air dramatically, then letting them fall and resting them against her knees. “Sócrates, why don’t you and the others let me chat with Rubén and his friend for a bit? There’re too many damn people in the room.”
They obeyed. Out went Luz, Sócrates, then finally Casimiro and the man in the suede jacket who had not spoken a single word. He tossed his cigarette in an ashtray, and when he walked by Maite he gave her a wink.
Rubén moved to stand by the window, arms crossed, looking outside. He was frowning.
“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not my fault she’s missing,” Jackie said.
“She was supposed to meet you. You were supposed to keep her safe,” Rubén replied.
“I did meet her. And then she said she couldn’t give me the photos after all, that she wasn’t sure. She jumped out of my car, Rubén. I didn’t make her do that.”
“You told her she was the mole.”
Jackie raised her chin, her eyes hard. “I told her it was time she proved herself. She didn’t.”
“I need to borrow the gun,” Rubén said coolly. “Maite and I are going to pay that journalist a visit.”
“I don’t want you getting in trouble.”
“We’re all in trouble already. We need to recover those photographs. If agents from the DFS are out there looking for them too, then I better be prepared.”
Jackie frowned, but she grabbed a set of keys from her vest’s pockets and unlocked a desk drawer. She took out a gun and held it in her hands, looking carefully at it.
“What if she destroyed the pictures?”
“You’ve got to have more faith in people, Jackie.”
“I suppose you want faith and my car for the weekend, on top of my gun.”
“I’ll have everything back to you Monday.”
She handed the gun to Rubén, who nonchalantly grabbed a paper bag that was sitting on a corner of one of the desks and stuffed the weapon in it, as though it were his lunch.
The door opened, and Luz rushed back in. “Arkady caught the guy who beat Casimiro the other night! He was here!”
“Here? Where?” Jackie asked.
“Here, right here! Arkady is taking him to the storage room.”
“Let’s go,” Rubén muttered, grabbing Maite by the arm.
