Closer Than You'd Imagine..
Closer Than You'd Imagine..
Orely
After a few minutes of the maid vanishing in a snap of the fingers due to a moment of inattention, I find myself standing at the corner of the corridor, my heart beating wildly. I can't believe this kind of situation is happening right under my nose, and I can't stand by here, doing nothing, after all Santiago is doing to protect me. There is no way I am going to let him down, not after the tension of this situation pushes me to act.
"Who is that bitch in cahoots with," I murmur in a low voice, watching the silhouette of the maid through the half-open door.
She is on the side of the rectangular table, facing the gas stove, with the phone pressed to her ear, then to compose a message. What is she doing? Is she sending information about everything that is going on in the house, or what?!
"Teresa, come and help me, I can't do everything on my own. Go and wash the vegetables and stop playing with your phone," calls the cook suddenly.
Caught off-guard, Elle jumps up and immediately slips her cell phone into the front pocket of her apron.
"All right, Paula, I am coming," she shouts.
I can't help but smile as I see the panic on his face.
"Ah, so that is her name," I thought, scrutinizing her, squinting.
Her words from earlier still echo in my mind. She sounded nervous, almost panicky, speaking in a low conversational tone on the other end of the line.
"If I can get my hands on her mobile phone without being spotted, it will be easy to find out who is behind all this!" I thought.
Meanwhile, I am taking note of Teresa's every move and even the inflection of her voice. I suddenly feel like Sherlock Holmes. I think of Santiago, the enemies who are always on his back, even trying to kill him at the slightest opportunity. I imagine it is not always easy every day, that he can seem even as a person, as I would say, 'invincible', to be constantly on his guard. Seeing her heading towards the corridor where I am standing, I hurry, without wasting a second, to sneak up behind the giant plant in the corner, pretending to wonder that I have just arrived and am intrigued by this beautiful creature of nature.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. Do you need anything?" she asks as she sees me.
"No, I am fine, thanks, I am just passing by to look at this beautiful plant.
"It is true that she is beautiful and a real eye-catcher with her impressive size. Well, I will leave you to it, I have got some plants to water in the living room," she informs me as I flash her my biggest hypocritical smile to be friendly.
Hmm, this seemingly ordinary and innocent maid is in fact at the heart of a far more far-reaching and dangerous conspiracy. I continue to observe her, keeping a furtive eye on her, noting every interaction, every furtive glance she exchanges with the other employees, and I tell myself that every detail counts. That is when I decided to tell Santiago that I need to speak to him urgently.
×××
A few minutes after sending a message to Santiago, a man named Leopoldo knocks on the door. He introduces himself as my hero's right-hand man and asks me to follow him out of the house. Without asking any questions, we head for the sea. He tells me that his boss has received my message and has asked him to cross-question from me, in order to find out what it is about until he returns. I believe him, because Santi then tells me by message that he won't be able to be there for a few hours, so I have to trust Leopoldo, his faithful Italian ally. This man is a darling!
\[ S: My Sweetheart, I don't know what is going on, but I can feel the anguish in your words. I don't know when I will be back, so I am sending Leopoldo, my right-hand man, to help you and listen to what is on your mind until I get back. Take care of yourself, my gorgeous one. \]
\[ O: Take care of yourself too my hero, kisses. \]
I explain the situation to him in as much detail as possible, straightforwardly, and I can see in his eyes that he is intrigued and determined to protect Santi and me, reassuring me that I'm safe after this revelation. He has ordered even more men to further strengthen my protection, according to my handsome Mexican, and that this bitch Teresa won't get away with it, according to Leopoldo. I feel as if bags of potatoes weighing more than ten kilos have been lifted from each side of my shoulders after revealing what I discovered just a moment ago. He advises me to act as if nothing happened and to continue playing the game. He came up with the idea of asking the cooks to keep an eye on Teresa until his men can come discreetly to catch her. It is a precaution, in case there is someone else like her accomplice in the house. Not a bad idea! Clever! He really thought this one through! I suppose it is also the experience gained over the years that makes one as cunning as a fox!
We decide to go along with what we have planned, going ahead and returning inside the house. Leopoldo picks up his phone and makes a call. I assume he is informing Santiago, briefing of what I have told him. While the partner takes care of the rest, I go to the kitchen for a glass of water and look at our spy, who is pretending to fold the tea towels when she has just put her phone back in her apron as soon as she sees me coming. She gives me a slight innocent smile so inwardly I'd like to give her a kick up the arse!
"Ah, Bitch!" I mumbled.
The moron, so busy pretending in front of my eyes, does not realize that I am watching her very closely. It is a good thing she does not suspect anything!