The Street Angel

by Robert Gollagher

  “And I’m trying to get through to you, Bob. I’ve just seen a child murdered, and as God is my witness there has to be justice.”

  “Justice? Look, this is northern Brazil. You have to bribe the civil police just to get ’em to cross the road. Witnesses disappear, up here. You go to the police and we’re all dead. I’m not making this stuff up.”

  “But we have to return this necklace.”

  “Don’t be a fool. That necklace is the only thing which might – just might – keep us alive.”

  “So what are we going to do, Bob? You tell me. What?”

  “Nothing. Just let me think about it for a couple of days. Don’t do anything, okay? Will you promise me that, Susan? Please?”

  “All right,” Susan said at last.

  “Okay. Where’s the kid?”

  “He’s in my bedroom.”

  “All right. Keep him here at the orphanage and don’t let him out of your sight. If he runs away again it could be the end for him.”

  “Okay.”

  Richards hugged Susan one more time. “How the hell did we get in this mess? How the hell? Just lie low, okay? Just lie low and stay safe.”

  “Okay. But we can’t let them kill any more children, Bob. We can’t.”

  “All right. I’ll think of something. I’ll think of something.”

  They hugged each other for a long time.

  Chapter 13

  That night it started to rain. Heavy rain, a sudden downpour from angry tropical clouds, the kind of rain that flooded the streets all over town and turned the dirt roads of the slums into an impassable sludge.

  Outside a small army barracks in the suburbs of Recife, a lone guard stood miserably on the dark street. There was a heavy rifle over his shoulder and swollen raindrops dripped constantly off his helmet onto his camouflaged poncho. His boredom was momentarily relieved by the approach of a military police van. It came up the street and turned into the barracks, stopping at the checkpoint which he manned. He walked over to the van and briefly checked the identity of its passenger. Then he saluted.

  In a moment the red-and-white barber-pole boom of the checkpoint swung upwards and the van drove through. The guard resumed his bored stance as the boom came down again. He wished the time would pass more quickly. It was a godforsaken night to be on sentry duty.

  Once the van was parked, Captain Sollo dismissed his driver. He would see General del Campo alone. Sollo jumped down onto the wet ground, slammed the van door heavily, and jogged through the rain to the building which housed the office of the Chief of Military Police. Soon he was knocking on del Campo’s door and pushing it open. He walked into the general’s private office and saluted. “Forgive the intrusion, General.”

  Del Campo looked up from his desk. “Captain. What is it?”

  “My report, sir. I have found the boy you were seeking.”

  “Found him? Where?”

  “In the slum, just as our informant said, by an old warehouse.”

  “And the necklace?”

  “That is a small problem, sir. The boy didn’t have it.”

  This was not what the general wanted to hear. “Excuse me?”

  “I interrogated the boy myself and I assure you, General, he was telling the truth. He did not have the necklace.”

  “Well, Sollo, if he doesn’t have it, who does?”

  “I am sure we will find it, sir. The boy admitted shooting the jewel thief. He gave the necklace to one of the other boys.”

  The general looked down at his desk. “This is a nightmare, Sollo. You have no idea how important that necklace is to me. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, of course, General.”

  “Tell me about this other boy, the one he gave the necklace to.”

  “He has blonde hair. His name is Junio. But he was not in the slum.”

  “Are you sure this boy has the necklace?”

  “Yes, absolutely. There is no doubt of it. I can tell the difference between truth and a lie, in the eyes of a man about to die.”

  “You killed the boy, then.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “And were there any witnesses?”

  “No one who matters, sir.”

  “Good, Sollo. Good.”

  “I promise you, General. We shall find this boy, Junio, in no time, and I will bring you the necklace, and his head if you want it.”

  “The necklace will be sufficient, Captain. The head you can bury.”

  “Do not worry, sir. I will have retrieved the necklace in a day or two.”

  The general stood up. “Very well, Sollo. You are a loyal man, and I will not forget that loyalty. I look after my own.”

  “Thank you, General.”

  The general nodded. “That will be all, Captain.”

  It was only twenty minutes later that General del Campo was driving an unmarked police car, leaving the barracks and travelling towards the penthouse apartment of Juliet Formosa. He parked in the underground lot and took the elevator to the twentieth floor. He was nervous about seeing Juliet at a time she was so disappointed with him, but he knew he had to try to make peace with her, and at least he had some little good news.

  When Juliet Formosa saw him at her door, she kissed him only on the cheek, more out of formality than affection. “Fernando,” she said simply.

  “Ah, Juliet. Thank you for seeing me, my love.”

  Juliet Formosa ran her hand idly through her long, almost black hair. She was wearing a long cotton dress. It was white, with a pattern of red roses splashed across the front. The dress played around her ankles as she walked. She looked immaculate and beautiful as always, as if she had nothing better to do in her ivory tower than make herself pretty. “I am not your kept woman, Fernando. I see you only if I please to see you.”

  “Of course, Little Cat. That is why I thank you. I know you are upset with me, and I wish I could have prevented it.”

  “Have you eaten?”

  “No.”

  “Then I will cook. Come and sit in the kitchen.”

  “You don’t have to cook, Little Cat. I came only to see you.”

  “No, I will cook. You must be hungry, Fernando.”

  “You are too kind to me, Juliet. I do not deserve you.”

  Juliet Formosa led him to the kitchen. She looked in the refrigerator. “Hmmm. I have some fish from the market. I will cook it with some mango and some rice. Do you want that, Fernando?”

  “It sounds good, my love.”

  “I have been drinking wine. Will you drink with me? Or can you not drink again this night, in case your beloved wife smells it on your breath?”

  “Maria is away visiting her sister. I can drink.” The general walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist. “I can stay, Juliet. The family is gone for tonight. I can stay with you.”

  Juliet turned around. She smiled excitedly, despite herself. “You mean it, Fernando? You can stay with me tonight? It has been so long since we woke up together. So many months.”

  “Yes, my love, of course I do.”

  Juliet Formosa kissed him. “Then sit at the table, Fernando, and I shall cook us a meal fit for a king and queen. Sit down, Fernando.”

  When the meal was over, they made love. The general was pleased that Juliet had not mentioned the stolen necklace once that night. Perhaps in time she might even forget it altogether. He fell asleep with a full belly and a relieved heart, grateful to be by her side.

  Juliet Formosa was awake again by three. After an hour of listening to the general’s contented snores and deciding she could not get back to sleep, she pulled on her pink silk robe and went to the living room. Without turning on the light, she unfastened the lock on the balcony door, slid it open, and went out. The rain had stopped. Far below, the beach was soaked, quiet and dark, but there was a warm, humid wind blowing in off the ocean. She could hear the sound of waves tumbling over the invisible offshore reefs and washing softly in to the shore. There was a gap in the clouds. She lo
oked up and saw the bright trapezium of the Southern Cross glistening in the sky.

  Would the general ever really love her? she wondered. There he was, sleeping in her bed, snoring like a pig, happy after eating the meal she had cooked for him, happy after having had sex with her, happy to stay the night the one time in four months that his damned wife was away. When was he going to give her a commitment? Never, never, never, said the sky.

  Never, never, never.

  She was disgusted with herself for not sending him away. She should have turned him away at the door tonight, told him to go home and sleep by himself in his empty bed, the bed he shared with that vile old wife of his. She should have turned him away. That would have taught him a lesson for lying to her, for breaking yet another promise.

  She had read the newspapers. They said it was a robbery. The Tears of the Angels had been stolen from the jewellery dealer right in his hotel room. That was what the papers said. And it bothered her. She knew it shouldn’t bother her. After all, it was just a theft. But Juliet Formosa had seen the general break one too many promises. This was too much to take.

  He had promised her that he would recover it within twenty-four hours, two days at most. It was now more than a week. She would not have minded so much if he had said that he simply could not get it back, if he had admitted it was impossible. But no, the pig had to promise her that the impossible was possible. Just like all the times he had told her that one day he would leave his wife, one day far from now, and they would be forever together. He was always promising her the impossible. Juliet Formosa had a degree in Spanish literature. She spoke three languages fluently. She was from a well-connected São Paulo family. And she was damned if she was going to let Fernando treat her like an idiot girl. She wished she had never agreed to come to Recife, never agreed to come and live like a prized parrot in this twentieth-storey birdcage. She felt like such a fool.

  But that was not the worst of it. The worst of it was that she actually loved this pig of a man. She actually loved him. Her heart ached for him when he was away. She longed to see him, longed for him to stay with her, so much so that she could not turn him away from her door that night, even as mad at him as she was, she had just melted when he had told her that he could stay. She looked at the silent sky. This penthouse was her empty prison and loving Fernando was her sentence. There were no guards but still she could not simply walk out. Somehow, she had to make it right. There was no other way. Somehow, she had to make it right.

  She hugged herself, feeling a chill despite the warm air. Her own fears made her tremble. What if these two years had been for nothing? What if she would have to leave him, have to admit defeat and walk away? It was unthinkable to her. It would break her heart. But that would not happen. She would speak to Fernando in the morning, really speak to him this time. She would make him understand.

  Juliet Formosa went back to bed and waited for the morning. When the general finally opened his eyes, it was well past dawn.

  “Good morning, Fernando. At last you are awake.”

  “Good morning, my love,” the general grunted.

  “It has been four months since you have said those words, you know.”

  The general rubbed his eyes and sat up in the bed. “What words?”

  “Good morning.”

  “Then, good morning again, my love.”

  Juliet Formosa ignored him. She got out of bed. “Do you want some coffee? I will make some coffee. Have your shower.”

  “Is something wrong, Juliet?”

  “Have your shower,” she repeated.

  It was not until breakfast was over that Juliet Formosa broached the subject of the necklace. “Have you had enough to eat, Fernando?”

  “Yes, my love.”

  “Then we will talk. We will talk, and you will answer me.”

  “Talk about what, Little Cat?”

  “You promised me a necklace. Do you remember?”

  “Yes, I remember. And you shall have it.”

  “You promised me you would have it within two days.”

  “A minor delay, my love. I am sorry. I meant to talk to you about it last night. We have found one of the thieves. He has told us where the necklace is. It should be a matter of days until we have retrieved it. No one in Pernambuco would dare buy it. They know it would mean death.”

  “Death? Death, Fernando?”

  “Yes, my love. It will not be sold. We shall find it.”

  “Is that what everything is about to you, Fernando? Your killing? The soldiers? Death to those who steal from the great General del Campo? Is that what everything is to you? This is not about the necklace!”

  “But it is, Little Cat. I have promised it to you.”

  Juliet Formosa stood up, knocking her coffee cup off the kitchen table as she did so. “No, you bastard! I am not talking about a necklace, about a few diamonds, something you put on your credit card to buy me with. I am talking about what that necklace was supposed to mean to you and me!”

  “But, Juliet ...”

  “Sit down, Fernando! Sit down and listen to me! You told me this necklace would be a symbol of our love, it would be our secret message, to tell the world that you loved me, that your heart was with me. Don’t you understand that, Fernando? Don’t you understand that?”

  “Of course, my dear. I promise you, I promise you, you shall have it.”

  Juliet Formosa was screaming now, hysterical with rage. “Enough of your promises, you pig. Do you think I care about that goddamned necklace? Do you think I care? I care nothing for that damned thing! I care about what is in your heart, Fernando. I care about whether you love me or not. Do you keep me here in this pretty little cage so you can come once a week and fuck me? Do you make your promises just for that, Fernando? Tell me!”

  “No, no, Juliet, not for that.”

  “Because if you want to keep me as your whore, then you have the wrong woman. I will not be your whore. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” The general had never seen her like this. “I understand.”

  “Then will you leave your wife for me, Fernando? Yes or no.”

  The general rose to his feet. “Juliet, you must understand ...”

  “Sit down, you bastard! Sit down and answer me, you son of a bitch!”

  “All right, all right, I’ll sit. Juliet, calm yourself.”

  Juliet Formosa took a few moments to catch her breath. And then tears started rolling down her cheeks. “Listen to me, Fernando del Campo. Listen to me. I don’t know why, but I love you. You are a goddamned son of a bitch, but I love you. Do you know what that means? It means that you are going to leave your wife, or I am going to leave you. And you are not going to make me any more false promises. Do you understand, Fernando? Not one more, never again, or I shall not forgive you.”

  Something inside the general’s hard heart cracked at that moment, watching Juliet Formosa weeping. Something crazy happened inside him. Maybe it was just the desperation of an aging man, desperate not to lose a beautiful sprite who was part of his life, but he knew in that one moment that he simply could not lose her. He knew it would be nearly impossible to leave his wife, but he looked at Juliet Formosa’s tears and knew. He could not lose her. He could not bear to lose her, no matter what.

  “Juliet, Juliet. You are right. You are right about me.” The general stood up and walked around the table. “You are right about everything.”

  “No, not this time,” Juliet said, taking a step back from him. “Not this time, my general. You are not going to lie your way out of this one. Get away from me and talk. Don’t lay a finger on me. Get away.”

  The general held up his hands in surrender. “It’s not a lie, Juliet. You are right, I have always lied. It is true. But you are wrong if you think I do not love you. I do. I do love you, not my wife. Only you and my children and my children’s children, these are the only people who mean anything to me. Don’t say that I do not love you. I do. It is the truth.”

  “Then
why do you always lie to me, you bastard? May God damn you!” In pure rage, Juliet Formosa smashed her arm through a dozen plates that had been, a split second before, tastefully displayed on a shelf. The noise was deafening as the china crashed to the tiled floor and bounced out like shrapnel around her feet. Then she looked at her arm. It was bleeding.

  The general was shocked. He had never known her to have such a tantrum. She could be difficult, yes, but this was something new. “Juliet, you have hurt yourself. Let me look at it ...”

  “Get away from me! Ai, God, I’m bleeding.” The cut was small. There was not much blood. “Do you see this blood, Fernando? That is what you suck out of me every week that you lie to me, this is what you do to me. Do you think I want to live this kind of life? Do you think this is what I want?”

  The general knew what he must do. He knew it was crazy, but he had no choice. He could not lose this woman. “Juliet ... I will leave her. I will leave Maria. I promise you, as God is my witness, I will leave her for you.”

  “No, no, no!” Juliet Formosa yelled. “No, Fernando! No more lies!”

  The general could hardly believe he was doing it, but he got down on one knee and looked up at her. He did not lie. “Juliet, no more lies. I promise you, no more lies. Seeing you like this makes me realise I cannot hurt you any more. I cannot. Because I love you. I will leave Maria.”

  Juliet Formosa lowered her voice nearly to a whisper. “I don’t believe you. Not again, this lie. You are still lying, aren’t you? Aren’t you, Fernando?”

  “No, Little Cat, I am not. The truth is, I will leave my wife for you. I do not know how, but I will leave her. I cannot tell you when. I will need two or three months to prepare my affairs. It may ruin my business life, but I will do it for you. I will do it for you, because you are my last chance at love. I am becoming an old man. Who will love me, if not you? And there is no woman in the world I love but you, Juliet. It is the truth.”

  “The truth, Fernando? With all of your lies and your killing and your power, I don’t think you know what the truth is any more. Do you?”