Days of the Dead by David Monnery

Author:David Monnery
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008155520
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2015-10-20T08:44:29.552000+00:00

9

Carmen and Shepreth managed to get seats on that evening’s flight from San Andrés to Cartagena. They neither sat together nor acknowledged each other on either the short hop across to San Andrés or the hour-long trip south to the mainland, which they shared with a strange mixture of Colombians on business and gringo travellers leap-frogging past Panama on their way from Central to South America. At Cartagena airport they went through a pantomime of running into each other, then took a taxi together to her flat.

As Carmen had hoped, this was one of the weekends which Pinar spent in Bogotá with a tour group. It wasn’t the possible lack of room which had worried her – Shepreth could easily sleep on the sofa in their living room – but the avalanche of questions which his presence would have precipitated. It had been a long time since she’d invited a man back to her home.

He hadn’t wanted to come, of course, and had argued that it would be safer for her if he stayed in a hotel. She had talked him out of it, fearing that having got her away from Providencia he might just leave her high and dry.

The fridge was low on supplies, but there were enough vegetables for a stir-fry, which they ate in front of the TV. Both were conscious of the fact that they’d been thrown together by circumstance rather than choice, and felt somewhat awkward because of it. It was not much past ten when Carmen announced that she was tired enough for bed, and wished him goodnight. She lay down, intending to get her thoughts in order, but the next thing she knew it was morning and there was no sign of him in the flat.

A few angry moments later she noticed that his bag was still there. She’d just finished showering and dressing when he returned with a bag full of pastries for breakfast. ‘It’s a lovely day,’ he said.

They sat out on the small balcony, eating the pastries and drinking coffee, enjoying the sunshine and the slight breeze blowing up from the sea. A month ago Carmen would have taken such simple pleasures for granted, but now she found herself treasuring each minute.

‘You’re going to call Victoria’s aunt?’ Shepreth asked, breaking the spell.

‘Yes, I’ll do it now,’ Carmen said, getting up.

The aunt, whose name was Elena Marín, answered the phone almost immediately, as if she’d been sitting with a hand poised over the receiver. Carmen asked how Victoria was, and after a short pause Elena replied that she was no worse. ‘Are you coming to see her?’ she asked hopefully.

‘This morning, if that’s all right?’

‘Oh yes. That would be wonderful.’

Carmen went back out on to the balcony and told Shepreth, who said, ‘While you’re seeing Victoria I’ll take a look at Sánchez Construcción.’

Ten minutes later the taxi arrived to take Carmen out to Elena’s house on the outskirts of the city. She hadn’t earned any wages for several weeks now, and she’d intended taking the bus, but Shepreth had insisted on giving her the fare.

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