Luna Tango

by Alli Sinclair

  ‘It’ll flop. Why can’t Mendez get someone else to do the show?’

  ‘Because Diego is the drawcard. Before La Gringa Magnifica retired, she would have been the number one attraction and Mendez could have done the show without Diego.’

  ‘But that’s not going to happen.’

  If Mendez hassled for the return of his money then Diego would do anything to get his hands on some cash. And if he already suspected Iris had clues about the Canziani case, he’d want to get enough evidence so he could swagger down the street clutching a fat reward cheque. Shit.

  * * *

  Dani had left Gualberto’s by taxi just after seven. She’d jumped out a few blocks shy of her hotel, keen to stretch her legs. Taking a sharp left, she ambled through Recoleta Park where shadows barely concealed the plethora of couples pawing each other on benches even though it was barely breakfast time. The more she pretended the lovers didn’t exist, the more obvious they became. Putting her head down, she scooted across the grass and almost ran head first into a couple canoodling in the middle of the path.

  ‘Get a bloody room,’ she muttered.

  They didn’t appear phased by her grumpiness and they carried on whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ear and giggling like the world was one big love fest. Taking off again, Dani chastised herself for being so cranky. Just because she couldn’t hold on to a relationship didn’t mean others couldn’t bask in the joy of love. Buenos Aires, the Paris of the Americas, certainly lived up to its name, with the overabundance of canoodlers on every street corner. When she’d first arrived and was trying to get over Adam, she hadn’t paid much attention to the fornicating couples, but after a glimpse of happiness with Carlos, seeing these lovers added salt to an already deep wound. It pained her to think of Carlos out there, angry as hell and bitterly disappointed with her. She felt the same way about herself.

  In theory, it should have been easy for Dani to give up on Carlos and walk away but he’d tapped into emotions she hadn’t known existed. She now needed his support if she was to have any hope of bandaging her family’s wounds.

  Dani’s phone beeped with an incoming message. Fearing it was Adam, she ignored it for a couple of minutes and quickened her pace. The shops were barricaded with metal shutters and the streets remained quiet, a stark contrast to the frantic activity that would take over in a couple of hours. Then curiosity got the better of her and she stopped to look at the message.

  Dani, your grandma wants you to call her urgently. Don’t panic, she’s fine. She just wants to talk. Hope that makes sense. Ness xoxo

  If Stella had gone to the effort of getting her young neighbour, Vanessa, to text Dani, then something had to be up. Especially since it was late evening in Australia. Breaking into a run, she rounded the corner, dashed into the hotel foyer and up the stairs, reaching her room in record time. Shoving her key card in the door, Dani burst into the room and found Iris lying on her bed, wearing glasses and leisurely reading a Regency romance novel.

  ‘You read that stuff?’

  ‘It’s my guilty pleasure, okay?’

  ‘Fair enough.’ Throwing her bag on the bed, she said, ‘Stella wants to talk with me.’

  ‘Really?’ Iris removed her glasses and sat up.

  ‘I just got a message from her neighbour.’ Flopping on the chair, Dani reached for the phone then put it down.

  ‘Why wouldn’t she call your mobile phone?’

  ‘You know Stella, doesn’t like to spend money if it can be saved.’ Dani exhaled with a puff and sent her fringe flying. ‘I don’t know what to say to her.’

  ‘She’s the one who wants to talk. Let her start the conversation.’

  ‘Hmm.’ She stared at the phone, unsure what to do. Perhaps Stella had finally come around and wanted to apologise. Although she doubted Stella would ever say sorry—Dani had never heard those words leave her grandma’s mouth.

  Dialling the number, the phone rang half-a-dozen times before it clicked.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Grandma! It’s Dani.’

  ‘I know it’s you. Who else calls me at this hour?’

  ‘Oh, sorry.’

  ‘Never mind. I take it you received my message?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘That Vanessa, such a reliable young lass. It’s nice to see people of your generation looking after the elderly.’

  The barbed comment stung. Of course she looked after her grandma, it just wasn’t in the way Stella wanted—in other words, Stella’s way.

  ‘Ness said you had something you wanted to talk about?’

  Iris moved off the bed, stood next to Dani, and leant in close. Iris’s nosiness should have annoyed her but instead she gained comfort knowing her mother was nearby to help deal with whatever Stella had to say.

  Silence.

  ‘Grandma, whatever it is you want to say, I’m listening.’

  Stella breathed heavily through her nostrils. ‘I’m sorry.’

  The words spun around Dani’s head. Wow. If the conversation started like this, what else did Stella have to say? ‘What are you sorry for, Grandma?’

  ‘I’m sorry I gave you grief about Argentina and your new career. Of course you are capable of being a features journalist. I was just scared.’

  Bingo! The apology she’d never thought she’d hear. Dani looked at Iris with wide eyes, trying to convey her surprise.

  ‘Thank you, Grandma.’

  ‘But that’s not why I want to talk to you.’ She sounded ominous.

  Dani’s stomach flipped then flopped.

  ‘I received a letter today.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I need you to go to Brazil.’

  ‘What? Why do you want me to go to Brazil?’ Dani repeated the words to keep Iris updated. Her mother shot a questioning look.

  ‘I need you to find someone for me.’

  ‘I need the full story before I agree,’ Dani said evenly.

  Stella was quiet for so long Dani wondered if she’d walked away from the phone.

  A long sigh eventually filled her ears. ‘You were right.’

  ‘About what?’ Dani frowned, unused to this agreeable Stella.

  ‘I am Louisa Gilchrist.’

  Words escaped Dani as she tried to comprehend the gravity of Stella’s admission.

  ‘Dani?’ It was weird to hear her grandma sound so concerned.

  ‘I ... uh ... You’re really Louisa Gilchrist?’

  Iris stepped back, hand to mouth. ‘Oh my god!’ she mouthed then grabbed Dani’s arm.

  Shaking herself free, Dani said, ‘Who do you want me to find?’

  ‘Roberto. He’s alive.’

  ‘Roberto’s alive?’ Dani moved to the side to avoid Iris grasping her again.

  ‘I have no idea how you worked out my secret but that’s not important right now. I need you to find my Roberto. I can’t believe he made it there.’ Her grandma fell silent.

  ‘Where?’

  ‘Brazil. I stayed there until I was forced to move on but my Roberto made it, he really did.’ Inhaling sharply, she said, ‘You’re very close to where he is.’ A paper rustled in the background. ‘My Roberto, my sweet Roberto, sent me a letter.’

  ‘How could he possibly know you’re Louisa?’

  ‘I have no idea but he’s a smart cookie. Something must have given him a clue. Although it worries me that if he can work it out, others can, too.’

  Dani didn’t add that Diego Alonso had the information at hand.

  ‘I’m trusting you with this, Dani.’

  ‘I know. Thank you.’ And she meant it. After all the disagreements they’d had, Dani knew her grandma still loved her.

  ‘I know it’s him. It couldn’t be anyone else. The letter was in Spanish and addressed to Lunita and made reference to things only we could know about. He was very careful, though, so anyone else who read the letter wouldn’t have a clue what it meant.’

  Dani desperately tried to process the information. ‘Wow.’

  Iris w
aved her arms, trying to get Dani to repeat what Stella had said. Dani frowned and turned her back to her mother.

  ‘I need you to go to Roberto and tell him about me. It needs to be done in person. We’ve spent a lifetime apart when we should have been together.’ Stella sounded like a lump had formed in her throat.

  Dani’s heart went out to the woman who had kept her emotions buried for so many years. What kind of suffering had she endured, keeping her past hidden?

  ‘Will you go see him?’ Dani asked.

  ‘I want to more than anything but you’re so close. You can go there, tell him about me, then we can work out a way to be reunited.’ Stella sighed. ‘I spent a lifetime wishing for this but it’s come when I’m old and decrepit and have one foot in the grave.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Grandma. You can run rings around sixty-year-olds.’ Dani’s eye twitched.

  ‘Thank you, Dani. You’re lying but I appreciate your sentiment.’

  ‘I’m sorry things turned out the way they did. You’ve been through so much.’

  ‘Don’t worry about me. Now’s the time to get things moving,’ she said, returning to her typical matter-of-fact tone. ‘Will you do it?’

  ‘Of course I will. Where does he live?’

  ‘In Chapada do Russo in northern Brazil. It’s a small town, at least how I remember it. The name of the ranch is Sonho. It means dream. Rather romantic, isn’t it?’ Stella sounded like a lovesick schoolgirl. ‘That’s the only information I have.’

  ‘It should be enough. I’ll keep you updated.’

  ‘Thank you, Dani. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

  She gulped down the lump of empathy lodged in her throat. ‘I feel the same way, Grandma.’

  Stella hung up and Dani stared at the receiver.

  ‘Holy crap,’ she finally said. ‘We were right.’

  Iris collapsed onto the edge of the bed, her mouth open. ‘I thought we were but—’

  ‘There was always that element of doubt.’

  ‘Wow,’ they said in unison.

  A rap at the door halted further conversation. Dani hurried to the door and peeked through the peephole.

  Her heart stopped, then began to race.

  She spun around and pressed her back against the door, closing her eyes and praying she could hold it together. She didn’t like her chances.

  ‘Daniela,’ the deep voice said from the other side of the wood, ‘I can see your shadow under the door, yes?’

  Crap.

  ‘I—’

  ‘Daniela, open the door. I do not like standing in the hallways.’ After a moment, he said, ‘Please.’

  His dark, silky voice melted her resolve.

  ‘Daniela?’

  ‘Open up, Dani!’ her mother hissed.

  ‘All right!’ she yelled, not sure to whom she addressed her outburst.

  Dani unlocked the door. Carlos wore the same shirt as the last time she’d seen him but now it was a crumpled mess. Dark rings had formed under his eyes and his trousers hung loose.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Carlos, I—’

  He held up his hand. ‘Do not bother with the explaining. I have some news for you.’

  ‘Okay. Please, come in. Sorry for the shouting. I’ve got a lot going on and—’

  ‘Maybe I can help.’ He leant heavily on his cane as he made his way over to the chair in front of the desk. Sitting awkwardly, he said, ‘I will not beat around the bushes, so I will ask you now. Is the reason you are interested in this Canziani case because you think you know who Louisa Gilchrist is?’

  Dani searched Iris’s wide-eyed stare for an answer. Iris shook her head, almost imperceptibly.

  ‘No.’ Twitch twitch.

  ‘Daniela ...’

  ‘What?’ Oh, how she wanted to press her fingers onto her eyelid before it went into complete spasms.

  ‘I may have a physical injury but my brain is working very well.’ Hurt tinged his voice.

  ‘Carlos, I’m not saying ... I’m not—Shit.’ She collapsed on the bed, defeated. ‘I can’t lie to you.’

  ‘It is your eye.’

  ‘No, I can’t lie to you because I don’t want to. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the other reason why I wanted to find Iris but I didn’t want to disappoint you. You seemed happy to think I wanted to find my mother and rebuild our relationship.’

  ‘You didn’t want to do that?’ Iris slumped against the wall and even though Dani couldn’t see her expression, she hazarded a guess that her mother wore a look of disappointment.

  ‘I wish I could deny it, but I can’t. Yes, I did originally want to find out what you knew about Stella, but I saw the mothers at the Casa Rosada and I got thinking, and ...’ Her voice trailed off as she tried to make sense of the emotions battling to get out. ‘I’m sorry. After I met you my intentions changed and I did want—do want to right things between us.’

  ‘I want the same,’ Iris said. ‘At least you looked for me, even if the intentions weren’t quite honourable.’

  Dani gave a small shrug. Turning her attention to Carlos, she said, ‘You trusted me despite your reservations. I’m sorry and I want to give you reasons to trust me again.’

  ‘Dani ...’ Iris warned.

  ‘No.’ Dani shook her head. ‘I trust Carlos more than anyone else. I want honesty to make us an excellent team again.’

  ‘This would be nice,’ said Carlos, his smile showing forgiveness. ‘I do fear I may have overreacted in Mendoza.’

  ‘Yeah, just a tad. Artistic types, eh?’ She gave a lop-sided smile.

  ‘I apologise from the bottom of my heart. My temper, it needs to calm down, yes?’

  ‘I’m not going to say no.’ Closing her eyes briefly, Dani let her thoughts fall into place. ‘I need your word that I can trust you.’

  ‘I promise,’ he said, licking his finger and crossing his heart.

  ‘Louisa Gilchrist is my grandma.’ Done. Out in the open. No going back. Was that her conscience giving a round of applause?

  Carlos sat still, barely blinking. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm and the damn tap kept dripping in the bathroom.

  ‘I did not expect this,’ he said.

  ‘That makes two of us,’ said Dani.

  ‘Three,’ chimed in Iris, lighting a cigarette.

  ‘You have known this all along?’ Carlos shifted in his seat and rubbed his knee.

  ‘No, but through serendipity, the universe, God, Google or whatever, my grandma has now ’fessed up.’

  ‘What about Roberto Vega?’

  ‘He’s alive and has just contacted her.’

  Carlos blinked. ‘Pardon?’

  ‘She got a letter today and it contained stuff only Roberto could know. She’s convinced it’s him and she regrets living her life without him and—’

  Carlos’s warm smile stopped her verbal diarrhoea. ‘Daniela, you have painted the picture, thank you.’

  ‘She wants me to go to rural Brazil but my Portuguese is crap.’

  ‘Eu falo português,’ he said, tapping her foot with his cane, a knowing smile gracing his lips.

  ‘Really? Will you come with me?’

  ‘I will think about it.’ He closed his eyes and brought his fingers into a steeple under his chin. His eyelids opened to reveal the sparkle Dani had missed so much. ‘Sí.’

  CHAPTER

  27

  1954 – Louisa

  The ship shuddered as it cut speed in readiness to enter Port Phillip Bay. Louisa gripped the railing, the pounding in her head increasing as the ship inched closer to dry land. Finally, after months of tedious travel, she would arrive at her destination—Australia.

  Trees she couldn’t name lined the rocky shore as waves pounded against jagged rocks. The sun’s heat, similar to what she’d experienced in Brazil, dredged up memories of her fruitless search for Roberto. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her belly. The baby kicked and she smiled, reminding her she’d made the right choice.


  Inhaling the fresh salty air, she was thankful for another chance to get things right. The Australian government had opened their arms to immigrants and the timing couldn’t have been better— although she wasn’t sure how long the arms would remain open if they found out her real identity. But how could they? Louisa had spent time covering her trail and she’d found someone willing and able to change the name on her British passport even though it had cost a quarter of her savings. It hadn’t been difficult coming up with a new identity: Stella was an adaptation from the Spanish word estrella, meaning star. And because the stars twinkled next to the moon, the dear, cherished moon she and Roberto loved so much, the name fitted perfectly.

  A small smile tweaked at the corner of her lips as memories of Roberto rushed back. Even now, months later, she could smell his sandalwood scent, feel his warm, smooth skin against hers and his dark, thick hair curling around her fingers. Her heart ached to be with him again, even for a fleeting moment. Her elbow rested against the sheet of music for ‘Luna Tango’ folded up in her pocket. For months she’d clung to the hope she could return what was rightfully his and the music score would be reunited, just like she and Roberto, but fate had other plans.

  She tried to stem the bitterness churning within. Roberto never had the chance to learn about his impending fatherhood, although Louisa had experienced enough in her short life to know the world was rarely fair. Gently rubbing her belly, Louisa allowed her love for Roberto to cocoon their unborn child. She prayed she had enough strength and love to equal two parents.

  ‘Miss, you need to get ready,’ a young sailor said as he rushed by, repeating the same words to the hundreds of passengers crowding the decks. People craned their necks and pushed each other for a better view of the land where they would start new lives.

  Louisa gathered her battered suitcase and adjusted the large purse that hung from her shoulder. As she joined the throng edging down the gangplank and onto the pier, suitcases and bodies bashed against each other in the rush to leave and the stench of sweat assailed her delicate nostrils. Since falling pregnant, she’d developed an affliction in which most odours left her nauseous. Swallowing hard, Louisa allowed herself to be carried with the mob, using her spare arm as protection over the precious being in her belly.