Ring of Lies (8 page)

‘
Besides, I’m not feeling well.
I’ve a terrible headache.
’

‘
Yeah?
That’s not surprising is it
?
You should be looking after
our daughter rather than spending the eveni
ng drinking with your friends.
’

‘
You don’t understand
, Jack
.
I can’t cope
with her on my own
.
Not when she cries all the time.
’

‘
It’s what babies do.
You’ve
got
enough
brothers and sisters with kids
to know that.
I can’t be around all the time, Rosa.
I have to
go back to work
at some point.
’

‘
But not yet.
Please, Jack, stay at home a little longer
.
At least un
til we get her
settled
into a routine.
’

‘
Another week, that’s the best I can do.
The condo is a mess.
There are dishes stacked in the sink, laundry waiting to be done
. I
t’s about time you start
ed
pulling your weight.
I can’t be expected to look after the baby, as well as cook, clean, and fix up the nursery.
Y
ou’re going to have to learn
to
manage
on your
own
.
’

As if on cue, Emilia started
bawling
.

Rosa put her hands over her ears.
‘
For God’s sake, what’s the matter with her?
’

‘
She’s hungry.
’

Rosa rested a hand on his arm
and offered him a smile
.
‘
Can’t you feed her, Jack?
She always settles after you’ve fed her.
’

Jack put down the brush, and removed her hand from his arm.
‘
No.
I’m busy.
You might try breast
feeding her for a change
. I
t’s the motherly thing to do.
’

‘
No way!
I’ve seen what breastfeeding does to a woman.
’
She wrapped her arms around her
generous
chest.
‘
I don’t want my tits
ending
up
down by
my knees.
’

‘
In that case, t
here’s a bottle of formula in the fridge.
You can nuke it
in the microwave.
No
w
go on, go and feed our daughter.
And don’
t forget to burp her before
you
p
ut
her back down.
’
He pushed
her
in the direction of the
lounge
.
She
hissed something in Spanish
, but did as she was told.

The following afternoon, w
ith his ears still ringing from
their
latest futile argument, Jack pulled the black
Ford Explorer
into a vacant
parking space
at
the airport
.
He glanced at his watch
. T
wo o’clock
.
H
e locked the SUV and walked the short distance to the main terminal building.
With half an hour to kill before Grace Elliott’s flight landed, he headed to the nearest coffee shop.
He chose a stool at the counter nearest to the exit and ordered a double espresso.

Airports fascinated him
,
not because he wondered where everyone was going to
,
but rather what they were hiding.
He rubbed the dark beard on his cheeks
.
H
e didn’t like the
man
he’d become
—
cynical, bitter, and when occasion demanded, tou
g
h and mean
.
He had
the Bureau of thank for that, or rather fourteen years
working
as an undercover agent.

Jack
drained the last of his espresso and headed for the
international
arrivals hall.
The officer on the customs desk
recognize
d him and waved him through.
If anything
,
the hall
was more crowded than the concourse.
He glanced at the overhead display.
Three flights had landed in quick succession
:
a British Airways flight from London, an American Airlines flight from Bogota, and an Air Taca flight from San Salvador.

Angry voices filled the air as people jostled for trolleys and stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the carousels waiting for their luggage.
To his left, a small, wizened man
was
arguing
with the
custom
official
in a mixture of Spanish and halting English over the inspection of his luggage.
Jack grinned.
It reminded him of his arguments with Rosa.
Whenever she thought she was in danger of losing the point, she revert
ed
to her native
tongue
.

Out of habit
,
he watched the arriving passengers for
telltale
signs of nervousness and anything that seemed out of place.
A sniffer dog and its handler worked the luggage from the Columbian flight.
The dog gave no reaction, but
Jack
knew from experience that agents from the DEA
—
the Drugs Enforcement Agency
,
would be closely monitoring the passengers, selecting those who acted suspiciously
,
for a more thorough examination of their luggage.

He turned his attention to the c
arousel for the London flight
and
recognized G
race straightaway.
She stood to
one side
waiting for her luggage.
Dressed all in black,
she was thinner than he remembered and her complexion more translucent.
She looked more ethereal than ever,
if that was possible.

More than one man
glanced in her direction, openly appraising her.
Jack
grinned.
He wasn’t the only man to find her attractive.
He
started
to turn away
,
but
one individual in particular caught his attention.
A short, stocky man, dressed in a well-cut suit, continued to stare at Grace from the opposite side of the carousel.
Without seeming to, Jack memorized the face.
He
wasn’t sure if Grace had noticed, but
something unnerved her. She
constantly put a hand to her throat.
He
shrugged and
put her
nervous
behaviour down to a combination of
jet lag
and unfamiliarity with her surroundings.
It took him several minutes to cut th
rough the crowd and
reach
her
side
.

‘
Grace?
It’s good to see you again
.
I just wish it could have been under happier circumstances.
’

She offered him a tremulous smile.
‘
Me too.
Thanks for coming,
Jack.
How have you been?
’

‘
I’m fine, all things considered.
You look tired
.
How are you holding up?
’

Her
blue eyes
clouded with tears
, she lowered her gaze
.
‘
Oh, you know.
Some days are better than others.
’

‘
Did you get any sleep on the flight over?
’

‘
Not much, t
he
passenger
in the row
behind me
had a young baby. I
t cried for most of the
journey
.
’

Against his will, he smiled
.
Despite what she said, she looked great.
All the
‘
if only
’
feelings he fought to contain threatened to spill out.
He looked away.