by Agnès Ruiz
“There!” she heard.
She tried to see through the darkness where Guillermo pulled her. Even further. She was soaking, afraid and cold. She thought she could no longer feel her legs. It was a terrible effort making them move. Guillermo must be in the same state she was, but he persevered, bracing himself to move forward. Where did he get his strength? She thought, exhausted.
86
Suddenly, she believed she could discern a half-submerged silhouette. She didn’t believe it at that instant. Then as they advanced further, this time there was no doubt. There really was a person there. Motionless.
They didn’t know if it was Mélanie. When they finally reached that area, the torch moved over the gagged face, frightened eyes looked at her and Joanna cried out in astonishment.
Guillermo took control and untied the young receptionist. She was crying, spitting salt water that she had swallowed in great quantity. The poor girl babbled that she thought she was going to die.
“We must leave straight away!” Joanna stated loudly.
Guillermo took the same route back made more uncomfortable with the girl over his shoulder and by the water which had risen even more and was hurling against the three of them. He also refused to let go of Joanna’s hand. He talked to keep her motivated. He was aware that she had run out of strength much earlier.
He reproached himself for bringing her here. He should have come alone, as she indicated the place. His thoughts whirled around and spurred him on towards the troublesome blockhouse exit. Finally, they hauled themselves out of the infernal tomb. They found themselves on the sand, but quickly understood that they still weren’t out of hell just yet. The sea had insidiously gone around the sandbank to take possession of the rest of the beach. They could see nothing but the imperious waves around them, the driving rain and the wind that would not stop hurling towards every inch of the ground.
“We’ll never get over it!” Joanna cried, horrified. “We’ll be taken away. The sea is too powerful.”
At the same time, a deafening sound was heard. Then they thought they could make out voices. As they turned around, they noticed a lifeboat patrolling.
It wasn’t easy getting on board. Thankfully, they were dealing with professionals. They soon gave them electric blankets.
“Ho... how did you find us?” asked Joanna, still in shock at the unexpected help.
“We saw your torch.”
They learnt that during storms, they had to roam the area.
“We owe you our lives”, Joanna said leaning her head against Guillermo’s shoulder.
She realised she didn’t want to think about the reason they were there. She just wanted to feel alive. She knew that Mélanie was, too.
“A lot of people hope to find refuge like that, when they are surprised by the tide. But they find themselves blocked in the bunkers or trapped by the sandbanks.”
Joanna confirmed with a nod, but her mind no longer followed. She closed her eyes, calm despite the terrible jolts of the boat.
The hospital took charge of Mélanie quickly. They were no longer afraid for her life. As for Guillermo, he needed new x-rays for his ruined foot. The doctor told him he had been inconsistent. Guillermo didn’t care. His leg would recover. A young girl’s life was at stake. There was no price for that.
He was happy to have been able to save Mélanie. His cases hadn’t always ended as well, he estimated, chasing away demons from the past.
“I couldn’t have done anything with your help, Joanna.”
It was the just two of them again. They walked towards Mélanie’s room. Joanna didn’t know what to say. When they entered the room, the paleness of the young receptionist, accented by the whiteness of the walls, left her shaken.
“I’m fine”, Mélanie courageously announced, putting on a weak smile.
Joanna noted the drip in the young girl’s arm.
“We’ll come back later.”
“No, stay, please”, Mélanie cried holding out an arm towards them.
Guillermo and Joanna exchanged a look as Mélanie insisted. She needed to talk, even a little.
“We’ll have time to talk later. You need to rest.”
Mélanie paid no attention to her request and began to reveal that she had been witness to a private conversation between Joshua Gaspardin and Cécile Burnier.
“I didn’t do it on purpose... But I was stuck. So I hid. Except that was when Joshua caught me.”
“And Miss Burnier?” asked Guillermo, attentive.
Mélanie shook her head negatively before pulling a face.
“You have a headache I imagine. We’ll come back later.”
“No. Not straight away. I was so alone in that blockhouse... If only you knew... It’s doing me good to see you. For Miss Burnier... I don’t think she knows what Joshua did... She took me home, it’s true, after the party, but that’s all. As soon as she left, I figured out how to get back to my car.”
“That’s where you live, isn’t it, in your car?” Joanna asked, unable to keep quiet about that information that drained her.
Mélanie lowered her eyes, ashamed to confirm it.
“It’s temporary. Just the time for me to find a better solution.”
“You must go home, Mélanie. Your mother is worried to death.”
Mélanie began crying heartily and Joanna reproached herself for her comment. She should have known that all of that could wait. But she was a mother.
“I... I’m so sorry”, the young girl hiccupped.
“It’s over, now. Everything will go back to normal”, Guillermo announced with confidence.
“Joshua?” Mélanie asked, scared.
“We’ve arrested him. You have nothing more to fear, miss.”
She was obviously relieved as she rested her head back on the pillow. Was she really afraid he would come to harass her at the hospital? Joanna preferred remaining silent on the undesirable images that formed in her mind.
Once more, Guillermo Voily told her that she could speak to them when she felt better. She didn’t listen. Instead she took Guillermo’s hand in hers.
“It’s Joshua... You know... He’s not as nice as he seems. I had just parked at the carpark, in front of the sea... That’s where I usually park for the night. There’s a bit of light from the streetlamps. Then a car parked next to mine. It was Mr Gaspardin’s. I don’t know, maybe he followed me from the hotel. I didn’t pay attention... Joshua knocked on my window, but I didn’t open it. I was so afraid. I locked my doors. He wanted me to open it, but he seemed furious. He shouted that we had to talk about what I’d overheard. That it was a misunderstanding.”
87
Mélanie paused for a long time, her lips pinched. She lowered her eyes only to finally raise them towards Joanna, as if she wanted to apologise for her next words.
“I said I would go to the police. And that he should leave. I didn’t expect wh... What happened next.
“He went back to his car, to the boot. When he came back, he had an iron bar in his hands. I grabbed my phone to call the emergency services, but... but I didn’t have any battery left... Joshua smashed my car window. I dropped my phone in the car. I thought he was going to kill me.”
She gave painful details and suppressed uncontrollable chills despite the warmth of the room and the blankets that covered her. Finally, in an almost inaudible voice, she asked for her mother’s presence.
“We’ll make sure we let her know.”
They were about to leave the room when Mélanie added, her lip trembling:
“Tell Dad that I regret what I said... That...”
“I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing, Mélanie”, Joanna intervened.
“Get some rest and everything will be just fine”, Guillermo confirmed.
When Guillermo and Joanna left the hospital, they found themselves in the car, neither one was able to speak. Joanna started the car in the oppressive silence then took the road to the police station.
“Can yo
u take me back to the hotel, instead?” he asked.
Joanna wanted to ask if his leg was hurting. He was wincing in pain too often for it not to be the case. Yet, she changed lanes without any comment.
“You don’t want to speak to me, is that it?”
They had arrived at the carpark, but they remained seated either side of each other in the cramped cockpit of Joanna’s car.
“I don’t know. All this is so... huge! I... I think I need time to digest it all.”
“Will time be enough?”
Joanna didn’t know. When she turned towards Guillermo, his eyes were on her.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I think I’ve lost you.”
“It’s easy for you to say that.”
“Nothing is easy, Joanna. I’ve just arrested your brother and you still think I hung around you on purpose.”
“Because it’s not true, perhaps?”
“I had to get close to the people at the seaside hotel. I knew a deal would go through from there... From your father’s office, to be more precise.”
“That’s why you went into his office... When I surprised you in the corridor that evening?”
“I’d only just closed the door”, he announced briefly raising his eyebrows then pinching his lips.
“I almost caught you red-handed.”
Joanna laughed and was surprised at his recklessness. There was nothing laughable about it.
“Actually it feels good. Enjoy those relaxing moments, Joanna. The next few weeks will be even more turbulent...”
A worried crease replaced his relaxed attitude.
“Is my father complicit in this traffic? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
“No. Your brother used your father’s computer for his transactions abroad. He used several servers to cover his tracks, but it wasn’t enough.”
“You’re going to leave, aren’t you?”
“It’s my job that requires it”, Guillermo confirmed.
“It’s good, I suppose. It would never have worked, us two.”
“I was honest with you, Joanna. You must believe me.”
“Why did you get involved?”
“I didn’t plan it. It just happened. And I don’t want it to stop.”
Joanna didn’t want it to, either. When Guillermo placed his lips on hers, she wanted to believe it was still possible. Yet, she moved back and stopped herself from looking at him.
“You had better get out now.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“You have to leave, Guillermo. And I need to review what will happen with the hotel.”
“I thought you’d handed in your resignation.”
“Joshua’s arrest changes things. I can’t leave my father in this situation. If he wants my help, I’ll go back to my post.”
“Your father’s fiancée could help him out.”
“That’s a big word. And for the moment she’s still at the station.”
“I told you, it’s a formality. She has nothing to do with it. She just had an affair with your brother in the past.”
“You won’t get away from the idea that she has something to hide. I can’t see her being anything but an unfortunate victim. She doesn’t fit the profile.”
“I have information on her, it’s true. But I don’t have the right to tell you what it’s about.”
Joanna hardly appreciated the comment. Yet, she preferred avoiding it.
“And my father in all of this. Does he need to know?”
“Does he need to know? About Joshua and Cécile?”
Joanna confirmed, resentment in her heart. She did not want to be the first one to talk to her father.
“That’s not part of my prerogatives. I imagine it would be best if she told him herself.”
“She will never do that. She knows what will happen. He wouldn’t want her any more. She has everything to lose.”
“And love, Joanna?”
“Because you believe in their romance? Really?”
“I don’t know anything. Why not?”
“Is she at least called Cécile Burnier? Can you tell me that?”
“Even that is confidential.”
“I hate your job.”
“It’s difficult, but exciting”, Guillermo said, going on step further. “And we have such wonderful encounters. Unexpected ones.”
He was tender. She was aware of it. She saw him wading through the water again, pulling her with one arm to help her advance and carry Mélanie over his shoulder. He was resistant, reliable. He had numerous qualities that she couldn’t rule out with the wave of a hand. As the silence went on for an eternity between them, he said softly:
“I’ll still be here for a few more weeks, a few months even; the time to wrap the case up.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
“So we can see how things go between us.”
He tilted his head and wormed a smile out of her.
“My life is here. Whereas yours... Is everywhere.”
“Everyone needs a place to call home. You could be my home.”
It was a promise of possible tomorrows. Joanna guessed that it was more than she could have hoped for. Who knows what her family would think; that would be a whole different ball game. Never mind. She was ready for battle if need be.
Her heart seemed to agree with her mind and she let Guillermo go back to the seaside hotel before starting her car and returning home.
About the author:
Agnès Ruiz is the author of several best-sellers and has sold more than 360,000 copies. She had huge success with her first novel “Ma vie assassinée”. She writes for both adults and children. Her short stories featuring the investigations of detective Rachel Toury have also been very successful in Europe as well as North America. Several translations are available. She is originally from Normandy (France) and lived in Canada for almost 20 years. She is married with three children.
Bibliography
— Oublie la nuit
— Ma vie assassinée
— Et si c’était ma vie ? (la suite de Ma vie assassinée)
— La main étrangère,
— Double meurtre dans les beaux quartiers
— Clous et marteau, c’est toi qu’il me faut
— Demain, Cappuccinos, bikinis #love
— Mon affreux maillot beige,
— Poppy Rose
— Children’s series Pom-pom girls (several volumes)
— Children’s series Elias Sparte (several volumes)
Short Stories:
— L’assassinat d’un prêtre (Death of a Priest; translated by Kirsty Snaith),
— Un striptease de trop (One striptease Too Much, translated by Natalie Paige Jenkins),
— Un cadavre sur la plage,
— L’amour est dans l’ombre (Love in the Shadow, translated by Naomi Hanlon)
— L’assassin de la gare (The Station Killer, translated by Kirsty Snaith),
— Mort sur le St-Laurent
— Pur sang (Racing Blood, translated by Lauren Broom)
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