immediately of his son Carlos and the last days he'd spent with him.
"Father, you are an exceptional man. And you have no idea how pleased I am to be able to count on you in these hard times."
The priest was comforted by those words. He could see in Esteban's eyes the hope that, maybe one day, his son and his granddaughter would be back with him.
"I cannot guarantee anything. I can only assure you that I will do everything within my power."
"I know..."
"Praying together every day, at this altar, will give us the strength and the faith we shall need to trust in God and the future. This will also heal our wounds."
"Our wounds?" asked Esteban, not understanding.
"We are facing an evil entity that will try to confound us and, if it's within its reach, to take our souls."
Esteban knelt down again on the cold ground. He put his hands firmly together and whispered a short prayer. He was no longer afraid.
"You can count on me. I feel like I've failed my son and that is tormenting me. No goddamn demon will stop me now that I know I can make up for my mistake."
VI
B eatriz's house was on the outskirts of Madrid, in a leafy residential area made up of large gardens, nice streets and carefully maintained terraced houses, which formed a sort of labyrinth. Elena already knew that she was one of Alicia's closest friends. Possibly the closest, except for Ana, and that was the reason why she'd decided to begin her investigation on Carlos's wife there.
"Hello, I'm Elena. I called you a while ago."
A woman with a pleasant, beautiful face was looking at her from the doorway. After processing this information, she let her in with a formal smile.
"Of course, come in please. As I said before, my husband has taken the kids to the cinema and so we can talk in peace."
"How many children do you have?" asked Elena politely, and also trying for an atmosphere of relative confidence between them.
"Three. They really are a bunch of cheeky monkeys, but I adore them. To be able to have some peace, my husband and I have an agreement: each week, one of us takes them out: to the park, to the cinema, to the zoo, so the other one has a few hours to be on their own at home. And, to be honest, I love the day I have to take them out as much as the day I can enjoy my time alone."
"I think that's a great idea."
"Did you say earlier that you were a psychologist?"
"That's right. And that's why I can assure you that the plan you and your husband have made is a very healthy idea," laughed Elena.
Beatriz led her to a large living room decorated with superb taste. There were two French doors that gave on to a lovely inner garden. On a coffee table there was a teapot and some pastries.
"I've allowed myself the liberty of preparing a little afternoon tea for us."
"You're most kind."
Elena sat down on a comfortable armchair and thought that she was about to ruin the wonderful atmosphere that had been created. Unfortunately, she wasn't there to make new friends. Something far gloomier had brought her to this agreeable woman's house.
"Did you want to know more about Alicia...?"
"Indeed. It's a sensitive issue, as you know."
"Yes. It was a terrible accident. And only yesterday I heard about Carlos's suicide. It's horrendous..."
Elena knew that the version given to the couple's acquaintances had been a rose-tinted version of the reality. Not everyone could handle such a nightmare, and there really was no need for such a thing at all.
"Did you know Carlos well?"
"Hardly. I was Alicia's friend, and I think the two families only met a couple of times to have lunch or do something together. On those occasions, he spoke more to my husband than with me. You know what I mean?"
"Yes. In the end, it's like when we were children: boys all end up on one side and girls on another, each talking about their own things."
They both laughed. They both felt that sitting in front of them, there was a stranger that could well become a good friend in the
"Father, you are an exceptional man. And you have no idea how pleased I am to be able to count on you in these hard times."
The priest was comforted by those words. He could see in Esteban's eyes the hope that, maybe one day, his son and his granddaughter would be back with him.
"I cannot guarantee anything. I can only assure you that I will do everything within my power."
"I know..."
"Praying together every day, at this altar, will give us the strength and the faith we shall need to trust in God and the future. This will also heal our wounds."
"Our wounds?" asked Esteban, not understanding.
"We are facing an evil entity that will try to confound us and, if it's within its reach, to take our souls."
Esteban knelt down again on the cold ground. He put his hands firmly together and whispered a short prayer. He was no longer afraid.
"You can count on me. I feel like I've failed my son and that is tormenting me. No goddamn demon will stop me now that I know I can make up for my mistake."
VI
B eatriz's house was on the outskirts of Madrid, in a leafy residential area made up of large gardens, nice streets and carefully maintained terraced houses, which formed a sort of labyrinth. Elena already knew that she was one of Alicia's closest friends. Possibly the closest, except for Ana, and that was the reason why she'd decided to begin her investigation on Carlos's wife there.
"Hello, I'm Elena. I called you a while ago."
A woman with a pleasant, beautiful face was looking at her from the doorway. After processing this information, she let her in with a formal smile.
"Of course, come in please. As I said before, my husband has taken the kids to the cinema and so we can talk in peace."
"How many children do you have?" asked Elena politely, and also trying for an atmosphere of relative confidence between them.
"Three. They really are a bunch of cheeky monkeys, but I adore them. To be able to have some peace, my husband and I have an agreement: each week, one of us takes them out: to the park, to the cinema, to the zoo, so the other one has a few hours to be on their own at home. And, to be honest, I love the day I have to take them out as much as the day I can enjoy my time alone."
"I think that's a great idea."
"Did you say earlier that you were a psychologist?"
"That's right. And that's why I can assure you that the plan you and your husband have made is a very healthy idea," laughed Elena.
Beatriz led her to a large living room decorated with superb taste. There were two French doors that gave on to a lovely inner garden. On a coffee table there was a teapot and some pastries.
"I've allowed myself the liberty of preparing a little afternoon tea for us."
"You're most kind."
Elena sat down on a comfortable armchair and thought that she was about to ruin the wonderful atmosphere that had been created. Unfortunately, she wasn't there to make new friends. Something far gloomier had brought her to this agreeable woman's house.
"Did you want to know more about Alicia...?"
"Indeed. It's a sensitive issue, as you know."
"Yes. It was a terrible accident. And only yesterday I heard about Carlos's suicide. It's horrendous..."
Elena knew that the version given to the couple's acquaintances had been a rose-tinted version of the reality. Not everyone could handle such a nightmare, and there really was no need for such a thing at all.
"Did you know Carlos well?"
"Hardly. I was Alicia's friend, and I think the two families only met a couple of times to have lunch or do something together. On those occasions, he spoke more to my husband than with me. You know what I mean?"
"Yes. In the end, it's like when we were children: boys all end up on one side and girls on another, each talking about their own things."
They both laughed. They both felt that sitting in front of them, there was a stranger that could well become a good friend in the
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