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“Will you take us to them?” Amara asked.
Chapter Thirty Five
“YES, I WILL TAKE YOU,” Gabriela said. “But remember that Frederik has painted a terrible picture of you. All of us at the villa were eager to believe everything he said. I reasoned it must have been something serious, something awful, to cause him to return home so unexpectedly. My parents think the same, I am sure. And I will have to tell them of their son’s death. They will be …they will be heart-broken. Perhaps to wait would be better. Until —”
“I can’t,” Amara interjected. “Please, Gabriela. I can’t stand not knowing. He’s my son. Please.”
“Please,” Quint repeated.
Amara was shocked at the sound of his voice. It was ragged, as it had been the day she met with him at the Forsythia. More and more by the moment, it became clear to her that during most of the ordeal they’d gone through, Quint had been propping himself up to be her pillar, even though he was still damaged inside and out from the crash and his ordeal afterwards.
She cleaved to him more tightly, wrapping both her arms around him.
Gabriela watched them both, taking stock perhaps. “I don’t know how I will tell them about Federico. He is — was their only son. I fear for us all.”
“We understand,” Amara said. “And I feel for you. I do. But you’ll have to forgive me. I feel for myself and Quint more. And for Hampton, most of all. Your brother nearly destroyed our lives, and for all I know, has destroyed them. I have to know. I have to know now.”
Gabriela blinked and then nodded once with conviction. “Yes. You are right. It is the baby I should be putting first. The Orlandos owe you much for what Federico has done. We will go to my parents now. I will make them understand where our duty lies.”
Amara let herself be raised up with some hope. “Then let’s go.”
“And quickly,” Quint added. “Before the police arrive. I have to think they’ve been contacted by now. No way in hell I’m going to be interrogated about what Frederik did before I find my son.”
“They will be slow in answering calls with the celebrations going on around the city,” Gabriela said.
“Good, then we should be able to get down the cliff before they can stop us,” Quint said.
The two women agreed, and they headed to the car Amara and Quint had driven to the site. Destination: the Orlando estate.
IT WAS NEARLY MIDNIGHT WHEN the trio stepped in front of the ancient door at the Orlando villa. Gabriela’s hand shook as she reached for the doorknob. She took a deep breath, and her shoulders slumped.
“If you’d like,” Quint said, “I can tell them about Frederik’s death.”
Gabriela didn’t turn toward them. “No, it must come from me. Thank you.”
She opened the door and welcomed them inside.
The home was a huge, rambling affair, in classic, Spanish colonial style. The front section of the house appeared to be the oldest, and as they moved through the home, the structure took on a newer appearance.
Through a pair of open doors, Amara caught a glimpse of a low-lighted, interior courtyard, replete with plants, stone fountains and wrought iron. It seemed a mysterious, mystical place at night.
The house was quiet, and Amara assumed most of the inhabitants must have already gone to sleep. Or perhaps they were out in Montevideo, celebrating with everyone else. Gabriela led them to an ornate sitting room and left them there.
“I shall go tell my parents now. Please wait here,” she said and then slipped away, closing the door quietly behind her.
Amara could hardly take in her surroundings, and found it impossible to sit. Quint stood as well, pulling out his phone and furiously sending texts.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m notifying my pilot to get the plane ready. They’ve been waiting on standby. As soon as we get Hampton, we’re leaving.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought. Yes, that’s good. Our involvement in Frederik’s death could be a problem, couldn’t it?”
“We were witnesses. We weren’t involved. He did what he did all alone and without any help from us.”
“I know. I simply meant —”
“I know what you meant, but the authorities might not. And that’s exactly why we’ve got to get out of here as soon as we can.”
