Chapter Five

Of Deceptions and Deceits

A bittersweet yet satisfied and composed smile creased Sofía Louisa Catalán's lips as she placed her hands on her growing belly. She briefly wondered what to call the little one. Not that names mattered much to her; she had so many pseudonyms she wasn't even sure what name was her real name anymore. Life as a scout and spy across Europe required cunning, planning and a lot of luck, not to mention a lot of fake identities. However, that life was soon to be over and she could begin anew in Brazil with her contact Alberto Cardoso.

Sofía laughed suddenly as she imagined the look on Carlos Villanueva's face had he lived on to find out he had been double-crossed. She remembered the first time they'd met, it felt like a lifetime had passed since then. The representable and fair businessman; a widower and a proud father of two daughters with a company that was about to run out of money at any second. The shoe business in Spain hadn't exactly been flourishing. People where poor and weary of the World War that raged through Europe. The only shoes that would sell at the moment where military boots and other various types of sturdy boots, the fashion business seemed to have hit a snag lately.

Carlos had decided to look abroad, to brighten his horizon and sell large quantities to France and Germany. He let Pedro take care of the business back home at the factory while he began to travel and scan the market. Europe was a cold and suspicious place at the time being and he had to be careful and find the right contacts to make progress. Somewhere along the line of his third journey up north, through France, he decided it was time to cross the border to Germany. Through a common friend he had run into Sofía Plazaola, a woman who was fluent in both Spanish and German and told to be the best interpreter there was to find.

She smiled as she recalled him telling her the story of his life. He hadn't seen the backside of life as she had. He was still fairly wealthy, properly dressed and ran a business. The man had been desperate to find a working companionship that would bring income to his company and Sofía used that to her advantage. She in turn had been looking for some way to satisfy her German contact within the military.

It didn't take long for her to ensnarl him in her web of lies and deceit. She wasn't in a hurry so she could afford to put some time and effort into this new friendship of theirs. In the end, if everything went according to plan, she would be rich. Perhaps she could even start anew somewhere else in the world. After having spent a few evenings together and planned out how to make Carlos a richer man she followed him to Spain and the factory to set everything up. The production order from the military had already been fixed and his brother Pedro Villanueva had already begun to buy raw materials while his daughter Carolina oversaw the production itself and hired both hands and trucks for the shipping of the merchandize.

Sofía purposely stayed away from the daughters of Villanueva, she didn't want to mix with other people than Carlos and Pedro. The brothers weren't daft so she had to be really cunning to settle this deal and see it through but considering all the gold the Germans would pay for both the shoes and the smuggling she was fairly certain that Carlos wouldn't mind. Pedro was another matter; it was clear to her that he didn't trust her.

Carlos was beaming at her as he held out his arms, walked up to her and gently embraced her in a soft hug. "Sofía my dear," he exclaimed jovially. "I thought they joked when they said you were worth your weight in gold."

She crinkled her nose and her lips curled upwards at his warmth and kindness. It almost made her feel sad about what she was about to suggest to him. She leaned in to his embrace and closed her eyes briefly. "Carlos, I regret to ask this of you but I need a favor."

He broke the hug and turned to look at her with a smile. "Anything to such a smart and beautiful woman," he volunteered.

"There are troublemakers in France. They're going to ruin everything unless we take care of the problem. There is not much you need to do actually," she explained. "I need to borrow your trucks and I need a signature from the office at the factory and a clarification from a doctor."

"Clarification from a doctor?" he echoed with a frown. "Sofía what is this all about?"

"The resistance needs to be dealt with. Lately they've become aggressive. If my people can round them up, your trucks could serve as transportation through France. No one would question an army supplier like you," she reasoned softly.

He hesitated. "These people, they're only fighting for their country, Sofía, like I would have done had they invaded Spain," he explained. "I don't want anything to do with it."

"Do you want to keep your new contract or not?" she asked coldly.

"I work with shoes, not people," he protested.

"You'll get paid in gold and your company will be safe," she encouraged. "Do you want to tell your family that you're broke and that there's no future for the factory? Is that what you want?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not," he whispered as he averted his eyes from her intense stare.

She reached out to gently squeeze his shoulder. "You're only going to loan your trucks to us. No one will ever know about it," she said kindly.

"My brother is no fool. There will be questions," he replied.

"Trust me and there will be no problem, only money," she replied seductively.

Sofía smiled at the memory and once again caressed her belly. Poor Carlos, she would have turned him over to the authorities the moment they'd gotten ashore.

OOOOOO

Verónica plucked down in a chair at the mansion in a daze, she felt terrible for having told Dimas to leave her alone but she was feeling miserable and wanted to be on her own at the moment, she didn't need him to be sorry for her. She cursed the name Marín a long time as she sat there staring out through the window, her mind miles away from Brazil.

Her mother was everything to her, she was all she had. It wasn't like she could mix with Eva and Carolina Villanueva, to them she would always be a servant, not an equal. They might object to that thought but in the end that was the truth, Verónica was a loser, a nobody with hopes and dreams far out of reach. She sighed, she knew she was feeling sorry for herself but she couldn't help it at the moment. Maybe her mother had been right? Maybe it was time for her to find someone to start a life with? That thought made her even more agitated. She had tried just that onboard the ship and look how that went? Sebastian lost half his fortune and Dimas quit his job. The latter got his patent back but what would it matter without someone to back him up financially?

She ran a hand over her tired face and then smirked. She needed a business of her own, something to sell, she could make it work, she was definitely smart enough.

OOOOOO

Carmen Marín sat on the floor of her cell with her eyes closed and her legs folded before her in what could be best described as the Lotus position as the door to the cell suddenly opened. She looked up in surprise at the man standing behind the officer and hastily rose.

"Papá?" she exclaimed. "Papá what are you doing here?"

Erich took a step forward to detangle himself from the shadows as the older man studied his daughter with a measured look.

Juan Marín shook his head solemnly. "Casandra," he uttered, saying the name with disdain. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately, Carmen."

"Miss Marín," the police officer acknowledged curtly. "Your bail has been paid and you're free to follow Mr. Marín anytime you like."

Erich took a step toward the open door only to be stopped by the guard. "You're not to leave this vicinity Mr. Santos," he said seriously.

Carmen looked from Erich to Juan and then back to Erich again with an apologizing look. "I will come back for you," she promised.

"What's he to you?" Juan asked wryly as they'd stepped away from the holding cell.

"He's been good to me," she replied.

"I came here for business, Carmen, and to say I was unpleasantly surprised to find that my youngest daughter had gotten onboard the newly refitted Codonga – Barbara de Braganza – by a falsified SOS is an understatement to say the least," he admonished.

"Papá," she began softly.

"To hear she was accused of fraud and kidnapping,-" he trailed off and sighed.

She hung her head miserably. "I am sorry," she whispered.

"Didn't your mother and I raise you to be a strong, independent woman? Someone who knew right and wrong?" He asked, his voice filled with disappointment. "I have been looking for you for months. Isn't it enough that I have lost Rosa, been forced to sell one of our biggest ships and had to start all over again with the business?"

"You needn't pay for my release," she mumbled.

"You are my daughter. I would have paid whatever cost necessary to get you out," he assured her softly. "Come on, let's get you into some presentable clothes before we get your sister."

Carmen stopped suddenly and turned to face her father. "You know," she deduced.

"Yes, I know," he replied unhappily.

OOOOOO

Varela smiled cunningly and tipped his hat at Natalia as he stepped into the small room. "Welcome Mrs. de Souza. I am sorry for not being able to visit you earlier," he said.

She huffed and glared at him as he took a seat opposite her and clasped his hands on the table before him. "You might call me Miss Fábregas," she said coldly.

"Very well," he drawled. "I have to say it was not very smart to offer me money for keeping quiet about the so-called accident."

She tilted her head upwards in defiance at his words but remained quiet.

Varela seemed to like the silence and broke out in a wry grin. "You even tried to cast blame upon your brother for the murder of Rosa Marín. You wanted the shipping company for yourself, didn't you? What a treat that would have been. If only it hadn't been for Carolina Fábregas and the fact that your brother was innocent you could have gotten away with a fair share of the company. Sadly, now you have nothing – no company, no husband, no money."

Natalia leaned closer to him, her eyes cold and her temper flaring yet she managed to speak in an even voice devoid of emotions. "You like to rub it in, don't you?" she said. "That's not what happened. You started to blackmail me, claiming you had evidence to lock me up for something I didn't do. Of course, I handed over the money."

Varela shook his head in disgust. "Listen to yourself Miss Fábregas," he reasoned. "Did you just suggest that a former detective and now security officer would blackmail you? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're accusing me of being corrupt."

She leaned back in her chair and averted her eyes as the anger evaporated and morphed into fear.

"Clara Roman had something you lack; a conscience," Varela said seriously. "We both know what happened so it's time to stop pretending. Acting Captain Vázquez ordered Second Officer Laganza to launch an investigation about the murder of your husband. Unfortunately, for you, Officer Laganza is pretty bright and Clara happened to be the love of his life. It didn't take that long for him to understand what happened since Clara willingly let him in on your little secret. "

Natalia swallowed; her mouth dry.

"Tell me one thing," he said curiously. "Your husband was violent, he hit you and humiliated you, yet you stayed with him. Only this time his aggressiveness peaked, didn't it?"

A single tear finally escaped the tough woman's eye. "He would have killed me if Clara hadn't turned up when she did," she whispered.

He narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why?" he simply asked.

The door suddenly opened to reveal Fernando Fábregas. "Varela," he demanded. "What's the meaning of this? Can't you let my sister recuperate and mourn her husband in peace?"

The security officer slowly rose from his seated position. "We both know, Mr. Fábregas, that mourn Aníbal de Souza is the last thing she will do," he drawled sarcastically.

Fernando looked at his sister and saw her wipe away a tear.

"You know what happened," Varela countered. "It doesn't suit you to play stupid Mr. Fábregas. It's what we don't know about this so-called accident that intrigues me."

"Intrigues," Natalia echoed. "What in the world are you insinuating?"

Varela ignored her statement and shrugged as he turned to Fernando. "I suggest that you return home to your wife, Mr. Fábregas. Your sister will be staying here until she can be heard properly but the evidence against her involvement in her husband's death is no longer only circumstantial."

"I am not in the mood for your cryptic suggestions," Fernando replied sourly. "Tell me what the bail is and I'll pay."

"Maybe you should hear me out? Then perhaps you might be of a different opinion," the former detective suggested.

"Cut to the chase, Varela," Fernando replied unamused, his voice cold. "If you insist on blaming my sister for Aníbal's accident you might find that you have no place onboard the ship as her security officer anymore."

"Threatening a police officer is a crime, Mr. Fábregas," he drawled as he lit his pipe. "I might write his death off as a tragic accident but I can't put a blind eye to what she drove the poor vocalist to do."

"I didn't kill Clara," Natalia protested.

"Why complicate matters?" Varela pressed. "Why not simply tell me what happened in the first place?"

Fernando sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Why did you want to dispose of the body?" he added. "Since it was an accident in the first place why shift the body and make it look like another accident?"

She stared down at the table, her eyes glazed. "No one would have believed us," she replied in a subdued voice.

"Natalia," Fernando said sadly.

She glanced up at her brother and pursed her lips into a thin line.

"Very well," Varela said at length. "Take her with you but don't let her leave the country."

OOOOOO

To be continued