The Time In Between (Sira Quiroga, #1)

by María Dueñas

“He’s alerted us”—she went on, her head bent down again—“not to put through any calls from certain Englishmen he used to be on good terms with. And this morning he had a meeting in the basement with two men, two ex-convicts he sometimes uses for protection; from time to time he’s found himself in trouble. I was only able to overhear the end of the conversation. He ordered them to deal with these Englishmen, and, if necessary, to neutralize them.” “What did he mean, ‘neutralize them’?” “Get them out of the way, I guess.” “How?” “Use your imagination.” The congregation stood up again, and again we joined them. They began to chant with fervent voices, and I felt my blood thundering in my temples. “Do you know what the names of these Englishmen are?” “I’ve written them down.” Stealthily she pressed a folded piece of paper into my hand. “I promise I don’t know anything else.” “Send someone again if you hear anything new,” I said, thinking of my open balcony doors. “I will. And please, don’t use my name. And don’t come by the office anymore.” I couldn’t promise her that I’d do as she said because like a black crow she immediately took flight. I remained a short while longer, sheltered between the stone columns, the off-key chants, and the murmur of the litany. When I had finally managed to get over the impact of what I’d heard, I unfolded the piece of paper and confirmed that my worst fears were not unfounded. Beatriz Oliveira had given me a list of five names. The fourth was Ma...