“Let’s go over this,” Noud began, barely audible but irritated. “Heidi saw you.” He raised his thumb from his clenched fist.
Bernard nodded grimly.
“Carlos noticed you too—his ridiculous breakfast made that obvious.” He opened his index finger. “And if that crazy guy spotted you with his homemade telescope, then Ted, with his professional equipment, definitely recorded you in his notes.”
“Fine,” Bernard replied dryly, also whispering. “Let’s assume he saw me too. But,” he continued accusingly, “don’t forget that you called me by a different name, which anyone could have heard with the door open.”
“That’s true,” Noud agreed curtly, his face flushed. “We both screwed this up. We need to lay low for a while. No more movement for at least a month.”
“Damn it.”
“It was bound to happen.”
Carlos arrived at the German family’s dinner table with a platter of freshly grilled king prawns, roasted tomatoes, and bruschetta.
“Günter, my dear friend,” he greeted the father enthusiastically.
“Carlos! So good to see you! Have a seat, join us.” The German gestured to the chair beside him.
“Uwe, ladies,” Carlos bowed slightly toward the others before sitting down.
“What an amazing aroma,” Viktoria inhaled deeply.
“Enjoy, my dears.” He slid the tray toward the hostess and Heidi.
Like everyone else, Carlos was well aware that the German teenage girl smoked by the pool every night. If he wanted a clearer picture of the true identities of the two men living next door, he needed information. And for that, he needed Heidi. His instincts told him she had witnessed something very important the night before.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” the old man began cautiously, “but it seems like there was a stranger in the complex last night.”
Heidi’s head snapped up in alarm. She didn’t dare speak. Her gaze met Carlos’s. The old man knew he was on the right track with her.
“What makes you think anyone could have gotten in, with all the security?” Günter asked in surprise.
“I saw some unusual tracks in the back, near the storage area.”
“What kind of tracks?” Viktoria asked, suddenly uneasy.
Carlos decided it was best to back off.
“Never mind, maybe I was just imagining things. Forgive me, Viktoria, I didn’t mean to upset you! Günter is right—no one can just waltz into this complex.”
By the time dinner ended, before saying his goodbyes, Carlos locked eyes with Heidi one more time. Warmly, encouragingly—making sure she would break.
The sun hadn’t set yet when Heidi hesitantly stopped in front of the old Canarian man’s terrace.
“Can we talk for a bit?”
Carlos didn’t bother pretending to be surprised. His eyes gleamed as he ushered the girl into the living room. He placed a silver tray with Licor 43 and gofio on the table, then closed the large glass terrace door.
“Go ahead,” he encouraged her in a honeyed voice. “Don’t be afraid—no one can hear us here.”
Bernard let out a startled scream when Noud barged into the bathroom.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?” he gasped, trembling.
“Heidi just went into Carlos’s place.”
“Oh, no…”