"The Last Pope" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rocha Luis Miguel)

12

The first thing is to get away from Belgrave Road, Sarah thought. And with that in mind she turned left, without thinking, toward Charlwood Street. She had the feeling she wasn’t completely alone. Feverishly, she looked everywhere-corners, doors, windows-searching for someone who might be spying on her. It felt as if everybody, with just their look, was telling her, “You’re doomed” or “They’re right behind you.”

She tried to regain her composure. If someone’s following me, she thought, he’s not going to let himself be seen, and I won’t be able to find him.

She took another left, onto Tachbrook Street, looking for a public phone to call her father. Better in a crowded place. And the only place she could think of was Victoria Station. Taking Belgrave Road would have been shorter, but she opted for a roundabout route, choosing less crowded streets. Again she turned left on Warwick Way, followed by a right on Wilton Road. She darted across Neathouse Place and then Bridge Place, finally ending up at Victoria Station.

As soon as she got there she felt relieved. Despite the fact that the big clock on the main facade showed it was a bit before midnight, there was constant movement, hundreds of people wandering through the enormous station, with its many stores announcing countless sales. Going by a McDonald’s, she realized she hadn’t eaten for hours. A double hamburger and a Coke were just right.

Looking for a phone, Sarah mixed in with the people bumping against one another trying to read the enormous panel of train schedules. The PA system warned people to mind their luggage.

There was a special ticket booth for the Orient Express, with stops in Istanbul, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Innsbruck, Venice, Verona, Florence, Rome, Paris. Cities full of mystery, intrigue, secret plots. But for Sarah Monteiro there were more important mysteries.

“Sarah, is that you?” her father inquired, answering her call.

“Yes. But the morgue was about to call to inform you that your daughter was shot dead,” she answered, still enraged. “What the heck is going on? A guy breaks into my home, points his gun at me, and the only reason he doesn’t kill me is because somebody else kills him first.”

“Is that what happened?” Her father’s voice sounded even stranger than the first time she had spoken with him.

“That’s exactly what happened. Who are these people?”

“My child, I can’t tell you anything over the phone. Someone’s surely listening to this conversation and I can’t go into anything that could compromise me-or you. You can’t imagine how bad I feel about getting you into this mess.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? What am I supposed do? I can’t go home. Can’t say anything, can’t do anything. Shit. Son of a bitch!”

“Calm down, child.”

“I’m not referring to you, Dad. I mean the people listening to us talk. I’m sorry.” Taking a deep breath, she added, “Bastards! But who are we talking about? The MI6? The CIA, the FBI? The Mossad? Who?”

“All I can say is all those people are angels compared to who’s behind this.”

“Seriously?

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“What have you gotten into, Dad?”

“Nothing you need to know right now. Past mistakes that I’m regretting every day of my life, you can be sure.”

“So what do I do?”

“First, don’t call me again, no matter what. And don’t try to get me at home. No one’s going to be there. In the meantime, don’t worry about your mother and me, we’ll be fine.”

“Is Mother in this, too?”

“No. She didn’t know anything. It’s taken her by surprise, and it’s been tough to calm her down. She’s just as scared as you are. Please, you’ve got to trust me. It’s crucial. Now I need to solve this… Later we’ll see, when all the dust has settled.”

“Only if it’s settled down for me, too.”

After Sarah’s sarcastic comment, there was silence.

“It will settle for you, too. A lot of people’s lives depend on it.”

“Good to know! I feel better already.”

“What counts is to think about the here and now,” her father said. “Do you hear me, Sarah?”

“Yes,” she answered, her eyes closed.

“Someone’s waiting to help you,” her father added. “You can completely trust him. He’s waiting for you at King William IV Square.”

“Oh, that’s better. How can I recognize him?”

“Don’t worry about that. He’ll recognize you. And another thing-”

“What’s his name?”

“Rafael. His name is Rafael. One other thing, don’t use your name anywhere, and never say where you are… And pay cash for everything.”

“Why?”

“Don’t use your credit card.”

“Oh, I just paid at McDonald’s with the same card I’m using for this call,” she responded, her eyes gleaming with anxiety. She glanced around, not feeling safe at all.

“Hang up immediately and go where I’ve told you.”

“Didn’t you say your phone could be tapped? How can you now be sending me to such a specific place?”

“I’m sure you’ve never heard of King William IV Square.” With that, he hung up.