A Thunderous Whisper (12 page)

Mamá would never let me pass up a chance to make a sale. That would be equivalent to sacrilege.

“No, no problem.” I pulled the basket off my head and placed it by my feet. “I just don’t have my scale because I was taking these home to be sold later. But I can estimate how much each one weighs and give you a price … if you like.”

“No need. I always buy them at the market on Mondays, so I know how much six should cost.” She peered into the basket. “So, these are very fresh, right?”

“Yes, just caught this morning,” I answered, searching for the largest of the sardines and putting them on the ground next to me.

“Here you go. Will this do?” She showed me the coins in the palm of her hand.

It was exactly what I would’ve charged. Mamá would be happy about this sale. “Yes, that’s perfect,” I said, picking up two of the six fish and handing them to her.

“But aren’t you going to wrap them up?” she asked.

“Oh, I …” My unexpected sale was slipping away.

“Of course not.… You just said these were to be sold later.” She looked around. “No problem. Poochie, be a good son to your pregnant mother and untuck your shirt. You can make a little cradle with it and carry them for me until we get home.” She gave me a wink and patted her small belly. “Have to satisfy these cravings!”

“But I’ll stink like sardines all day!” Sabino complained, already untucking his shirt for me to place the fish on.

“Not at all,” I said in an exaggerated tone. “You’ll just smell like the sea.”

“That’s the right attitude,” his mother said as she ruffled his hair.

Sabino glared at me.

I smiled.

As they walked away, I yelled, “See you later, Poochie!”

The days of Sabino calling me Sardine Girl were over.

Within five minutes, I’d dropped off the basket of sardines and was back outside with only one thought: find Mathias.

I raced through the familiar streets of Guernica, my feet barely touching the cobblestones as I dodged people strolling home for lunch. Soon I found myself under the theater’s marquee, which listed
La Fuga de Tarzan
as the new movie that was playing. I took a deep breath and rang the bell by the side entrance. Even though the theater was closed at this hour, I hoped Mathias would be home helping his father or having lunch with his family.

I waited a few seconds before ringing the bell two more times. Someone had to be home.

The door creaked open just enough for me to see a woman’s face looking down at me.

“
¿Sí?
Can I help you?” she asked in an accented voice, still standing behind the partially closed door.

“Um, is Mathias home?”

“No, I’m sorry.” She took a step out into the open, and I could see that she was a tall, slender woman. She wore a simple flowered dress with buttons down the front, a black
sweater, and an apron wrapped around her waist. “Are you … Ani?” she asked.

I nodded.

She smiled and took my hand in hers. She gave it a small squeeze and introduced herself. “I’m Mathias’s mother. It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, ma’am.” I gave her a quick smile. “Do you know where he is?”

Mathias’s mother didn’t seem to pick up on my urgency. “He speaks very highly of you, and it’s nice to see him with a friend. Moving around so much … makes me worry, you know?”

Unconsciously, I had started to tap my fingers against my thigh. I glanced down and stopped myself. I didn’t want to be rude, but I was wasting valuable time. “Um, yes. He’s a good friend. Do you—”

“Would you like to come in and wait for him?” She fidgeted with the sleeves of her sweater. “I’d love some company. It’s so rare for me to go out these days.”

I shuffled my feet. “Maybe another day. I just need to find Mathias right away. It’s important. Can you tell me where he is?”

She stiffened up a little.

“Oh! Of course. He’s at the Garza farm.” She got closer to me and lowered her voice. “Is everything … okay?”

“Um …” I stared at her, not quite sure if she knew that her husband was a spy. “It’s nothing … really,” I said, playing it safe … just in case.

“Well, then, I hope you’ll visit another day.” She waved me off.

As I took a step back and started to turn, she said, “Remind Mathias not to stay out too late. I want to eat early since his father’s out of town.”

Her words stopped me in my tracks.

Mathias’s father was gone? I thought Mathias would go with me to talk to his dad. Who would we tell now?

NINETEEN

I
had run at full force halfway up the mountain, but now I was slowing down. The cool air was coming in and out of my lungs in short little pants. I bent over to take a deep breath before starting another sprint to the Garza farm.

As I straightened up, a figure caught my eye. The silhouette of a boy walking with a
makila
toward one of the fields farther up the mountain. From the way he took each step, I knew it had to be Mathias.

“Mathias! Mathias!” I yelled, waving my hands over my head.

I saw him lift his
makila
in response. He then turned and walked away from me.

“No!” I yelled. “Come back!”

With a sudden burst of energy, I raced up the mountain path. I was almost there when I saw Mathias coming back to meet me. When we got closer, I could see the worried look plastered across his face. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have school?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”

I shook my head but had to pause for a moment to catch my breath. “Mamá … she had me go with her to Bermeo and …”

“Oh.” His shoulders relaxed. “I thought something had happened. I told Garza that I had to leave early.” He started walking down the mountain again. “Well, guess I’m done now.… Want to hang out by the tree?”

“No.” I pulled him by the elbow to make him stop, my heartbeat finally slowing down. “Something did happen.”

Mathias eyed me and then smiled. “You got some information, didn’t you?”

I nodded, but had to wait for the cascading thoughts in my head to settle down.

“So, tell me!” he begged, unable to wait any longer.

“I think something might happen.… I mean, he wasn’t very clear about things, but—”

“He who?”

I took a breath. “This drunk guy in Bermeo who said—”

“A drunk guy?” Mathias scrunched his eyebrows. “Doesn’t sound too reliable.”

“I know, but he said certain things … made me believe that …”

Mathias scratched his head. “What kind of things?”

“He talked about a ship coming from France that wouldn’t be making it to Bilbao because of an explosion.”

“Explosion?” Mathias cocked his head to the side. “Wait, you think he wants to bomb it?”

I could tell by Mathias’s reaction that he thought this might be important information. “Not him personally,
but he may have given information about a ship to Franco’s men.”

“Franco’s men? Why do you think that?”

“Because he was mumbling stuff about a payoff even if it meant some Brits got hurt. He’d been stumbling around the pier yelling about getting what he deserved, and then he’d ask his friend to forgive him.”

“Forgive him?”

“Mm-hm. His friend pretty much ignored him, but when his friend left for a minute, he started talking to me.”

“Talking to you?”

I put my hands on my hips. “Could you stop repeating everything I say?”

“I’m not doing that.” He paused for a moment. “Did he say anything else? Think of his exact words.”

I felt as if the entire scene in Bermeo were being replayed in my head like a movie. “He muttered something about the Brits being money-hungry and that there’d be flying potatoes—”

“Flying pota—” Mathias clapped his hand over his mouth, realizing that he was about to repeat what I’d just said. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “And his friend didn’t say anything about all this?”

“No, his friend wasn’t there for any of it. I was stuck watching him … making sure he didn’t fall into the water and drown. That’s when he told me.”

Mathias bit at the corner of his fingernail. “You don’t think he was just playing with you?”

I shrugged. “I think he was too drunk to lie, but I can’t be sure.”

Mathias’s lips twitched back and forth. “We should tell my father, but if he asks how we know about the ships, we’ll just say it’s because of what’s been in the newspaper. We don’t mention opening the envelope, all right?”

I nodded. “But we need to tell someone else; your dad isn’t home. Your mom said he’s gone until tomorrow.”

“Wait … you were going to tell him without me?”

“
Por favor
, don’t be stupid. I went there looking for you. And don’t worry, I didn’t tell your mom anything.” I stared at him, seeing the wheels turn in his brain. He was putting together the pieces just like I had. “Mathias, you think this could be real too, don’t you?”

Mathias didn’t say anything but let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know … maybe. But we do need to tell someone … just in case. Any suggestions?”

I’d been thinking of this ever since I’d left Mathias’s mother. Of all the men in the spy ring, there was only one I felt I knew. Only one I trusted.

“Okay, c’mon.” I pulled on his shirtsleeve. “We have to go to church.”

TWENTY

I
banged on the rectory door. No one had answered when we’d politely knocked a few seconds earlier. I thought Padre Iñaki would be at the church, but finding the place empty, we’d run over to the rectory, hoping he was having a late lunch at home.

“No one’s here,” Mathias said, stating the obvious.

I banged on the door once more and turned to face him. “Fine, now what?”

Mathias tapped his finger against his
makila
. “Maybe … we stop the ambush ourselves.”

“You and me?” The idea was ludicrous.

“Why not?” A slight smile snuck across his face. “Think about what the guy told you. Did he say when or where it was going to happen?”

Leaning against the door of the rectory, I went over the conversation again in my head … word for word. “He never said when it was happening, just that it’d all be over tomorrow.”

“Uh-huh.” Mathias started tapping his
makila
against the cobblestones. I knew he could see himself saving the day. “So it’s probably happening tonight, right?”

“Yeah, I guess, but he never said where it would happen or which ship would get hit. And unless you know how to get in touch with the ships over in France—”

Mathias stared at me. His tapping was now a fast drumbeat. “But you said the people were Brits. So it’s a British ship in France.”

I widened my eyes and straightened up. “
Do you
know how to get in touch with those ships?”

His tapping suddenly stopped. He dropped his eyes, and his shoulders slumped. “No,” he muttered.

I fell back against the door. “Well, we need to tell someone who does. Maybe—”

“Mathias! Ani!”

We both looked toward the entrance of the narrow alleyway to see Lupe walking with a large bag in her hands. Carmita was already racing toward us.

I crouched down and opened my arms. Carmita jumped into them. Visiting her was the closest thing to having a little sister I’d ever experienced.

“And what brings the two of you here on a Thursday afternoon?” Lupe glanced around. “No sardines … so is this just a friendly visit?”

“Actually, we’re looking for Padre Iñaki,” Mathias explained as I stopped twirling Carmita around and set her back on the ground.

“Well, he’s out visiting the sick. Maybe I can help? Unless it’s a question of faith.” Her eyes twinkled. “That I leave to him.”

A dizzy Carmita stumbled as I got closer to Lupe.

I bit my bottom lip. “Um, I don’t think …”

Lupe tilted her head and gave us a sideways stare. “You two are up to something. I can tell.”

“No, it’s nothing,” I said quickly. “Just a question.”

With a slight smirk, Lupe nodded. “Suuure, if you say so.”

Carmita tugged on Mathias’s sleeve. “Come!” she demanded.
“¡Ven!”

“No, really, Lupe. Nothing’s going on,” I said as Carmita pulled me toward the rectory.

She smiled knowingly. “I understand. Secrets are meant to be kept.” She shifted the bag in her hands. “You can try to catch Padre Iñaki tonight around eight. He should be back by then.”

Carmita was now leaning back, using all her weight to pull Mathias and me closer to the rectory. “Come on. We can play hide-and-seek.”

Mathias bent down to be at eye level with Carmita, forcing her to let go of us. “Not today, Carmita. We’ve got to go. We’re in a hurry.” He clasped her hands in his. “We’ll play next time. Promise.”

“Why?” she whined. “Don’t you want to play?” Carmita asked, looking up at me.

Lupe put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder and steered her away from us. “Not today, little one. Plus, I need your help
putting away some of these things. There might even be a special treat for you if you do a good job.”

“¿Dulce?”
Carmita asked, her eyes getting large with excitement at the thought of something sweet to eat.

“Maybe …” Lupe gave me a wink as she pulled out her key. “But say goodbye to our friends first.”

“¡Adiós!”
Carmita shouted as Lupe opened the door and the two of them disappeared.

Mathias and I turned away from the rectory and refocused on the problem of what to do next.

“So, should we walk over to the bank?” Mathias pointed to the left with his
makila
. “It’s close by and we could wait for Señor Goicochea there. I’m sure he’ll be back when he’s done with lunch.”

I took a deep breath and thought about it for a second. “I’d rather tell someone else.”

Mathias scrunched his eyebrows. “Why?”

“There’s something”—I shrugged—“I don’t know … strange about him. I don’t trust him too much.”

“Hmph. Seemed nice enough to me. Always giving us a piece of hard candy when we make his deliveries.”

“I think that’s part of the problem. Felt like he was buying us somehow.”

“Candy won’t buy us,” Mathias muttered.