Mr Garcia, page 45
This could be the answer, but it could also be the confirmation I’m dreading.
Either way, we have to know.
Penelope begins to type furiously. Jeremy and I sit in silence as we watch on.
Ten minutes later, she hits enter. “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got.”
We hold our breath as we wait.
“Why didn’t you call me before?” she asks me.
“Because this is illegal. Besides, we were told there was no footage.”
“By who?”
“My boyfriend, who incidentally woke up with two women,” Jeremy answers.
“Hmm.” She types at the speed of light.
My heart is hammering hard.
Please, please, be innocent, I silently pray.
Something comes up, and she hits enter. Something rolls on the screen. “We’re in.”
“What?” Jeremy and I sit up. “You’re into the security system?”
“Yep.” She types more things in. “Piece of cake.” She picks up the piece of paper and reads the date. “Do we know the room and floor?”
I scratch my head. I look to Jeremy, and he shrugs. “I don’t, sorry.”
“That’s okay.” She brings up a second screen and logs into the reservations.
“Holy fuck,” Jeremy whispers in awe. “This is the Motherload of fucking motherloads of spying.
Penelope smirks proudly. “Right?” She scrolls down. “Here we go. Sebastian Garcia, room 313, level 3.” She flicks back to the other screen. “What time are we thinking?”
I think for a moment. “He last called me at 8:20 p.m., so sometime after that.”
“Okay.” She scrolls down and hits play, then she narrows her eyes in concentration. “So, this here…”—she points to a door on the right of the screen— “is his room.”
We all lean in and watch.
A man walks down the hall and out of sight. Two women walk out of a room and get into the elevator.
The elevator opens, and we see a security guard struggling with someone. He puts his arm around a man to help him.
“Sebastian,” I gasp.
He’s so out of it, highly intoxicated and unable to walk alone.
The security guard walks into his room with him, and then he walks back out alone after another minute.
“So, that part of the story is true,” I whisper.
Jeremy smiles and taps my leg. “Told you.”
Penelope speeds up the footage and we all sit and watch. She goes forward one hour… then two, and then three.
“This has to be, like, midnight by now.” I frown.
Penelope points to faint numbers at the bottom of the screen. “That’s the time there. It’s 11:42 p.m., do you see?”
“Yes, okay.”
A man walks down the corridor and looks left and right, eventually stopping in front of Sebastian’s door. Penelope puts the footage onto real time.
We all sit up and lean into the screen.
He looks left and right again and brings a key out of his pocket. He swipes it through the lock and steps into Sebastian’s room.
“Who’s that?” I whisper, wide-eyed. My blood runs cold just knowing that someone was with Sebastian while he was unconscious.
“It’s not Helena, that’s for sure.” Jeremy puts his arm around me and pulls me close.
We watch on and wait. Ten minutes. Twenty. Thirty.
“What’s he doing in there? This is a long time,” I say.
The door opens slightly, and the man peers out to see if the coast is clear. He walks out, and we get a full-frontal view of his face.
“Gerhard!” I gasp.
Jeremy’s mouth falls open. “That fucking snake.”
We watch on as he walks to another room before disappearing into it.
“He was staying on the same floor,” I whisper. “What the fuck?”
“How else would he have gotten up to the floor? It’s all secured.”
Holy shit.
Penelope speeds up the footage again and we watch on while I hold my breath.
3:00 a.m.
4:00 a.m.
5:00 a.m.
I begin to hear my heartbeat in my ears. This seems promising.
7:30 a.m., and the door opens. Sebastian strides out, dressed in his suit. He marches down the hall and gets into the elevator.
“It was a set up.” Jeremy claps his hands in glee.
Tears of relief fill my eyes, and I drop my head into my hands. “Oh, thank God.”
Emotion overwhelms me, and tears fill my eyes in relief. “He was set up.”
Penny laughs. “Stupid fucking bitch. We’ve got you.”
Wait a minute. That means…?
My eyes meet Jeremy’s, and he exhales heavily. “I know.”
“Penny, can you look up someone else for us, please?” I ask.
“Sure.”
“The name is Bart McIntyre.”
Penelope flicks through to the book screen and looks up his room. We watch on in silence as she flicks through to his floor.
She puts the fast forward on, and we wait. Bart walks out of the elevator on his phone.
“Do we have audio?”
Penelope frowns.
She plays with some dials, and then Bart’s voice comes to life. He appears tipsy but nowhere near as bad as Sebastian was. He walks toward the camera and stops right in front of it.
“Goodnight, babe, I love you.” He smiles as he listens to whoever is on his phone.
“Is he talking to you?” I whisper.
Jeremy shakes his head. “No.”
My eyes flicker to his.
“We had a fight earlier that night. He wasn’t talking to me.”
Bart listens and then smiles. “When I get home, baby, you’re going to get it good.” He listens and laughs. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll call you when I get back to my room. I’m still with the boys. It won’t be for a few hours.”
His wife.
Jeremy drops his head in sadness.
My mouth falls open. Oh no.
Fuck.
Bart hangs up and then instantly dials another number. This is like watching a car crash happen. You know it’s really bad, but you can’t look away.
“Hello, Felicia, this is Bart,” he says. “I’d like two girls to my room. 624, please.”
He listens and then flashes a dirty smile. “No, I want the ones that were downstairs in the bar just now. Not the two I had last time I was here.”
I put my hand over my mouth. Dear god, this is worse than I ever imagined.
Jeremy’s jaw ticks as he watches the screen.
“Yes, make it quick, please. I’m horny as fuck.”
My eyes widen.
What?
This isn’t happening.
Not only is there proof that Bart is still sleeping with his wife, but he also regularly sees female prostitutes, too.
What the actual fuck?
Mind blown.
We all stare at the screen in silence, unsure what to say.
“And now I know why he would always cause a fight when we were in Bath,” Jeremy whispers sadly.
Oh, my heart.
I put my arm around Jeremy and pull him close.
Penelope lets out an audible gasp. “What a fucking cockhead.”
Bart walks into his room and closes the door behind him. Penelope goes to close the screen down.
“No,” Jeremy says. “I want to see this with my own eyes.”
She speeds it up and, and forty minutes later, the lift opens, and two gorgeous girls walk out. Penelope puts the footage into real time, and we sit in silence. The scantily clad girls knock on Bart’s door, and he opens it with only a white towel around his waist, ready and waiting.
“About time,” he says.
They walk past him into the room, and he slaps one of them on the behind as they pass him. He says something that we can’t understand, and the girls both laugh out loud. The door shuts behind them.
Wow.
Penelope closes the screen down, and we all sit in silence, shocked to our core.
“And now I know,” Jeremy whispers through his tears. He’s staring into space, visibly devastated.
I hate that my joy came at the cost of his heart. I get a lump in my throat as I watch him. I always knew Bart was a scuzbucket, but to see it like that is so raw and hurtful. He never deserved my beautiful friend’s love.
Not even for a day.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I whisper. “I’m so, so sorry.”
The car pulls up at the press conference in Winchester, and I practically jump from the car. I came straight here. I wanted to tell Seb the good news myself.
I walk into the packed hall at the university and stand at the back of the crowd.
Sebastian is on stage, standing at a small podium and delivering a speech.
“As you can see…” He glances up and sees me standing at the back. A frown crosses his brow, and I smile as I go up onto my toes with excitement.
He regains his focus and goes back to his speech. I tap my toes, waiting for him to finish.
Come on.
Hurry up.
I’m bursting at the seams to tell him the good news.
He didn’t do it.
He never went there, he never ……. the happiness beams out of me.
Eventually, he says the words I’ve been waiting to hear. “Thank you all for coming today. I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship. Education is key for our future.”
Everyone claps, and I smile proudly. With one last nod, he leaves the stage.
I stand on my tiptoes to look over the crowd. How do I get back there?
My phone rings:
Aprils Fool
“Hi,” I answer.
“Mrs. Garcia, what are you doing here?” His deep voice purrs.
“I have news.” I smile. “How do I get to you?”
“I’ll send someone out to collect you. Go to the side door.”
“Okay.” I hang up and practically run to the door to wait.
Moments later, the door opens, and one of his guards appear. “Hello, Mrs. Garcia.”
“Hi.”
“This way, please.” He stands back so that I can walk in, and then he closes and locks the door behind him. We walk down the corridor, and I see Sebastian waiting for me. I practically run to him and jump into his arms.
He frowns, surprised by my greeting.
“Where can we talk in private?”
“This way.” He opens a door, and we go inside. He turns to me. “What’s this mood swing?”
I smile broadly. “She lied.”
He frowns.
“Helena was never in your room that night.”
“How do you know?”
“Penelope hacked the security system from the hotel. I watched the footage this morning. The only person who went in your room all night was Gerhard.”
His face falls. “Gerhard?”
“They’re in this together, Sebastian. We have proof.”
“But there is no footage. Bart checked.”
“Bart lied.”
“What?”
“Bart didn’t even look for footage because he was trying to cover his own sleazy ass.”
Sebastian’s face falls as he stares at me. “There’s no baby?” he whispers.
“No.” I smile. “We’re free.”
His nostrils flare, and he sucks in deep breaths as his emotions overwhelm him. I put my arms around his neck, and he drops his head into my shoulder.
Tears fill my eyes as we hold each other, the relief between us palpable.
I've never felt such an overwhelming relief.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this.” He squeezes me tighter.
“We made it,” I whisper, and I squeeze him right back.
Our lips meet, and a door opens behind us. “We need to go,” Bart’s voice interrupts us. “Your schedule had us leaving ten minutes ago. You’ll be late for your next appointment.”
We both turn to look at him.
“Hi, April.” He fakes a smile. “I didn’t realize you were coming today.”
Sebastian’s jaw clenches as he glares at him.
Bart looks between us, sensing something is off. “What?”
Sebastian takes my hand in his. “Go home, Bart.”
“Huh?” He frowns. “Why would I go home?”
“Because you’re fired.”
35
April
“I’m what?”
Sebastian pulls me toward the door. “Fired.”
“W-what are you talking about?” he stammers.
Sebastian turns abruptly. “The security footage from the hotel in Bath. Where is it?”
Bart's eyes widen, and he opens his mouth to say something.
“Don’t you dare fucking lie.” Sebastian growls as we walk out into the crowded backstage corridor.
Bart follows us out. “There isn’t any!” he calls. “I told you that already.”
“That was your last chance. Get out.”
“W-what?” Bart stammers. “You’ve got to be joking?”
“What I am is fucking furious,” Sebastian bellows.
Everyone around us withers and scurries for cover.
Sebastian steps toward Bart. “I know for a fact that there’s footage. April has seen it, and I also know that you’ve been lying to me to cover your own sleazy ass. Do you have any idea how stressful this last week has been for me and April?” he yells. “You didn’t even ask the hotel for the footage, did you?”
Bart takes a deep breath as his eyes hold Sebastian’s. He knows he’s fucked up.
“I didn’t know back then that anyone else was involved,” he says. “I knew I was drugged, and I had no idea what I had done. It was to protect Jeremy. I didn’t want him to see me with those girls. I had no idea that, three months after, you were going to need that footage. By then it was too late. I had already said I couldn’t get it. I didn’t think anyone was going to get hurt.”
I close my eyes in disgust. Except the apparent love of your life. Jeremy.
I can’t hold my tongue for one second longer. “Jeremy has seen the footage.”
Bart’s face falls.
“And it wasn’t even the strippers that you ordered for yourself that was the worst part,” I spit. “It was the conversation with your wife that brought him to his knees.”
Bart’s jaw clenches, knowing full well what this means.
Jeremy knows everything… finally.
“Why you think you can treat people the way you do is beyond me. When this story broke, you could have fessed up and saved Sebastian a world of pain. How could you be so selfish?” I ask.
Bart screws up his face in disgust. “And you are so quick to judge, April. Unlike you, I’m not sleeping with the Prime Minister. I don’t get special treatment.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrow. “Leave. Now”
“You’ll regret this,” Bart spits.
Sebastian’s cold eyes hold his. “I think we both know who’ll regret this.” Sebastian picks up my hand and we walk down the corridor. He takes out his phone and dials a number.
“Melody, change of plans. I’m returning to London immediately. Reschedule the rest of my meetings.”
He leads me out to the waiting car, and we get into the back seat.
Kevin turns to us. “Where to, sir?”
“Downing Street.”
The car pulls out into the traffic. Sebastian makes a call. “Melody, have the police come to Downing Street. Yes.” He listens. “I’m leaving Winchester now. Thank you.” He hangs up.
I hold Sebastian’s hand in my lap, but he’s too angry to even notice. He’s glaring out of the window as he silently fumes.
But that’s okay. I notice.
I’ve got him in my hand, and I’m never letting go. As long as we’re together, I don’t care about the rest of the world or the lies that they tell.
We’ve got each other, and that’s everything.
Sebastian
I’m sitting with the detectives, watching the footage of Gerhard leaving my room.
Furious doesn’t cut it. I’ve never been so angry.
All this time, Helena was working with him. Were they going to split the money?
Or was he on her payroll? So many unanswered questions.
“That’s it. That’s the proof we needed,” one of them says. He picks up his phone and makes a call. “Hi, Anna, this is Steven. Can you do a check on a Gerhard Klein for me, please?” He listens for a moment. “I need to know where he is right now. His home and office addresses. Call me back immediately with the details. Thank you.” He hangs up, and his eyes come to mine. “Are we still pressing charges on your ex-wife?”
“Yes.”
“But you took off the warrant of arrest.”
“Only to bring her out of hiding. I want her charged.” I think for a moment. “I want to speak with her when she’s brought in.”
“Okay.”
Steven’s phone rings and he answers it. “Hi.” He listens. “Who’s he traveling with?” He narrows his eyes as he looks up at us. “Milania Henchworth.” He scribbles the name down on a pad and then he writes the words:
fake passport.
“Get some officers to the airport departure lounge immediately. I want them both brought in.” He hangs up and turns to us. “Gerhard is booked on a flight to Germany this evening at 6:00 p.m. He’s travelling with a Milania Henchworth.”
“You think that’s Helena?” I frown.
“I’ll bet my life on it.”
I roll my fingers on the table. It’s 7:00 p.m. and we are in a restaurant.
“I’m sorry, babe.” I pick up my phone and check it for the hundredth time. “I’m terrible company.”
April smiles over at me. “They’ll get them, Seb, don’t worry.”
“They should have called by now. Perhaps they didn’t turn up for the flight,” I sip my drink. “It probably wasn’t even her.”
“We’ll soon find out.”
I exhale heavily. “If they get to Germany, that’s it. There’s no chance of finding them.”
“Seb…” April sighs.
My phone rings, and I scramble to answer it. “Yes.”
“We got them.”
“Both?”
