Page 44 of For Better or for Ransom

The three of them were walking on the narrow streets of Sandro’s neighborhood with Luke in the middle.

Luke shot his hands in the air, his head ping-ponging between the two shorter women. “Oh, come on! Since when did you two become so sappy? I was doing my job. Someone had to press him for answers.”

Sol gasped. She looked at Divya, leaning forward to avoid Luke’s body in the middle of them. “Has he really called us sappy?”

The Mancunian returned the look. “He bloody did.”

“I don’t much like you two ganging up on me,” Luke objected. “I feel outnumbered.”

“Aw,” Divya made a mocking sound.

“Then you shouldn’t be harassing a witness who is visibly distressed, because his lover is missing. And you most definitely shouldn’t be calling your detective partner—and me—sappy. Shouldn’t you, Luca?” Sol was giving him lots of attitude, her chin lifted as she looked up at him, with her hands at her hips.

He couldn’t repress the smirk.

“As fun as this is,” he pointed to the two women. “We need to talk about this bloody case.”

“What we need is to talk to Isabel Teixidor again.” Divya had got over being annoyed at him. She wanted to focus on the case.

“Agreed,” Sol said. It looked like she’d become an integral part of that investigation but, unlike in previous cases in which that had happened, this time no one was pretending like she wasn’t.

Luke was also aware that for Sol to forget what she considered an insensitive gesture on his part, he’d have to work extra hard. He couldn’t repress the smile, there was nothing he liked more than making up with her.

“Luke, mate. Do you agree?” Divya said. The two women were looking at him. Divya had probably asked him something and he’d missed it because he was thinking of the many ways he wanted to reconcile with Sol.

What was it that he’d told himself not half an hour ago? Luke, mate, bloody focus.

“I’m sorry. What were you saying?” he asked his detective partner.

Divya’s gaze sharpened on him. “Should we have lunch and then visit Isabel? Or the other way around?”

He checked the time on his phone. It was 12:41. “Isn’t it a bit early for lunch?” He was sure he’d been in bloody Barcelona for too long. Not a week before he’d have chosen the opposite option.

“Won’t you get grumpy and hangry if we do the interview first?” That was Divya again.

“I don’t get grumpy—or hangry.” He huffed.

Both women started laughing. They’d definitely teamed up against him. Then again, they tended to do it and he loved that they were friends, that they’d bonded.

“Not that I’m not looking forward to witnessing the Contadino hangriness, but do you guys need me at the interview with Isabel?” Sol asked. She almost could not repress the laugh. He liked seeing her like that. She’d looked a bit too worried and distressed when they’d been with Sandro. The only thing Luke didn’t like about having Sol by his side and helping him investigate was that the work tended to affect her more deeply than she realized.

“Please, cara, come with us if you don’t mind,” he asked her.

“Just in case Isabel decides she doesn’t understand English today either,” Divya added.

Sol nodded in agreement and the three of them hailed a taxi to go pay a surprise visit to the theater director.

···

Sol

El baño de Edipo’s stage director Isabel Teixidor had chosen not to speak or understand English that day. But that hardly surprised Sol. Judging by their faces, it didn’t surprise the detectives either. It was as if Isabel was resolved to make things difficult—and that hardly looked good for her considering that she was probably the person to benefit the most from Leonardo’s disappearance.

“So what’s the theater for the new run of the play?” Sol asked the director in Catalan. The whole team was once again seated in her old-fashioned living room.

“One of the stages of Teatre Autònom. I’d be thrilled if it wasn’t for shitty Sandro Palau.” Isabel was gritting her teeth and not even trying to disguise her anger.

“What’s going on with Sandro?” Sol played innocent.