Chapter 26
Sitting on the bench across from the public clinic, Becker wondered what he was supposed to do now. His calls to the escort agencies had turned up nothing. The commander, uneasy about communication over unsecured public
phones, had asked David not to call again until he had the ring. Becker considered going to the local police for help–maybe they had a record of a red-headed hooker–but Strathmore had given strict orders about that too. You are invisible. No one is to know this ring exists.
Becker wondered
if he was supposed to wander the drugged-out district of Triana in search of this mystery woman. Or maybe he was supposed to check all the restaurants for an obese German.
Everything seemed
like a waste of time.
Strathmore’s words kept coming back: It’s a matter of national security… you must find that
ring.
A voice in the back of Becker’s
head told him he’d missed something–something crucial–but
for the
life of him, he couldn’t think what it would be. I’m a teacher, not a damned secret agent!
He was beginning to wonder why Strathmore hadn’t sent a professional.
Becker stood up and walked aimlessly down Calle Delicias pondering his options. The cobblestone sidewalk blurred beneath
his gaze.
Night was falling fast.
Dewdrop.
There was something about that absurd name that nagged at the back of his mind. Dewdrop. The slick voice of Señor Roldán at Escortes
Belén was on endless loop in his head. “We only have two redheads…
Two redheads, Inmaculada and Rocío… Rocío… Rocío…”
Becker stopped short. He suddenly knew. And I call myself a language
specialist? He couldn’t believe
he’d missed it.
Rocío was one of the most popular
girl’s names in Spain. It carried all the right implications for a young Catholic
girl–purity, virginity, natural
beauty. The connotations of purity all stemmed from
the name’s literal meaning–Drop of Dew!
The old Canadian’s voice rang in Becker’s ears. Dewdrop. Rocío had translated her name to the only language
she and her client had in common–English. Excited, Becker hurried off to find a phone.
Across the street, a man in wire-rim glasses followed
just out of sight.
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