Corruption's Price: A Spanish Deceit (13 page)

As if prompted there came,
"Condesa
. How good to see you again. Welcome back. How is your family?"

"They are all good, thank you, Tomás. This is my friend, Davide whom I intend to introduce to your excellent food and to the Morlanda."

"Welcome, Señor. I hope you will enjoy yourself here. The Morlanda is coming now,
Condesa
. We opened it an hour ago and you will be pleased to hear we have just received a new delivery."

Inma indicated towards the table. Davide followed her over. As he drew back a chair for her, Inma commented dryly, "Ever the English gentleman."

This time, when she smiled at him, Davide comprehended just how on edge she was. He sat opposite as the Priorato arrived. This was tasted, approved and poured for them (his white wine having magically disappeared en route to their table). He sipped the Morlanda. It was enormous and very different to the other Spanish wines he was accustomed to drinking. He wondered whether
tío
Toño knew of it.

"This is quite delicious. I've never heard of Morlanda. Indeed, I know little about Priorato."

"I'd never come across it either until encountering it here. As I mentioned, it's become a family favourite, almost a tradition. I'm glad you like it."

They each took another couple of sips, savouring and enjoying its rich tones as well as putting off what to say next.

Inma broke the lengthening silence: "Should we order or talk first?"

"As we have the wine, why not talk until they come for our orders?"

"Sounds good to me." Inma became quiet again, before plunging in: "Davide, I'm bereft. I don't know what to do."

"Why? Miriam?"

"Yes, Miriam. Did I mention on Saturday that she went back to New Jersey to be with her sister?" He nodded. "She and I spoke yesterday. There were enough complications beforehand with her sister and boys staying in Miriam's house, plus her sister starting divorce proceedings from Noach. Now I gather their father and his weird sect in West Virginia are adding to her troubles.

"My problem is there seems little chance that she'll be back anytime soon. And this comes at a point where I'm not sure whether Miriam wants to stay here with me or remain permanently in her own country. I know she loves Yuste and likes Madrid and sees possibilities here. Yet the pull of her family may be so great as to ..."

Tears welled up.

Davide was about to interrupt when Tomás reappeared to take their orders. Inma pulled herself together, rapidly asking for
una
selección de la casa para picar
and requesting that this should not come too soon, explaining that they would choose main courses later
.
Tomás departed discreetly
.

"Sorry, Davide. I'm thinking only of myself. Was that Caterina I saw you with the other night?"

"Yes," confirmed Davide, puzzled by the abrupt change of subject, though not unhappy. Handling a weepy Inma was not something he was prepared for. She had always seemed so much tougher. "She's travelling with another Australian. Both are staying with me, though this evening Caterina's alone." For some reason he could not place, he added, "And she does not look happy about it."

"Pobre
. I know that feeling all too well at the moment. Do you think we should invite her to join us?"

"That's up to you, Inma. I thought that you wanted to talk to me. Wouldn't she inhibit what you want to discuss?"

"I do, and you are sweet to think of me. Yet misery recognises misery. I should know. It seems mean to leave her alone. Why not call and ask her to come here? If she agrees, I'm sure I can tell you everything before she arrives."

"That's fine with me." Actually, Davide had his doubts. Caterina had never liked Inma's Miriam and he felt pretty sure this antipathy rubbed off onto Inma herself. Nevertheless, he phoned Caterina, whose voice audibly caught when she answered.

"Aren't you with Inma?"

"Yes. She wonders if you'd like to join us."

"What? Why?"

Inma, who could just about hear what was being said, motioned to Davide to pass her the phone.

"Caterina, it's Inma. I know you didn't like Miriam but hope that doesn't pass onto me. In any case, Miriam's not here." Her voice cracked a shade. "Davide and I are enjoying an excellent wine. Come join us. No, there's no need to dress up. Just don't stay alone. It's not always good to do so."

Caterina dithered.

"Caterina, if you'll permit me, I insist. I'll explain why when you come."

Grudgingly Caterina agreed. Inma passed the phone back to Davide who gave directions and told her to come to the back of the
restaurante
when she arrived.

"See you in 15-20 minutes," he said before closing the connection, betting to himself it would be half an hour or more.

"It's kind of you Inma, especially when you're not so happy yourself. So, tell me more."

Wednesday: Madrid

Though Davide had said 15-20 minutes it was nearer 40 before Caterina's taxi pulled up in the calle
Arieta near the Alabardero. As she paid her driver, he pointed down the calle
Felipe V and said, "It's on the right. I envy you; the food's excellent there."

As she walked doubtfully towards the entrance, Caterina wondered if this was a good idea. Why had she let herself be sweet-talked?

It was too late to turn back now, unless she called to say she wasn't coming. Her feet had minds of their own. She found herself walking up the
restaurante's
steps and asking for the back room where her coat was taken from her.

Davide rose when she entered, as did Inma to Caterina's surprise. Inma seemed ... Caterina couldn't identify the right word. 'Edgy and teary' was the best she could find. Her second surprise was Inma giving her a big hug and a kiss, welcoming her as if they were old friends.

After sitting down, Davide smiled encouragingly, pouring some wine and pointing to the selection of
jamón
and other delicacies in the middle of the table. Caterina tried the wine, taking a swig. She needed it.

She swallowed and spoke without thinking: "Wowee! That's a big wine. It's incredible." She took a more lady-like sip the second time. "Yes, that's really different. What is it? Am I supposed to know?"

She looked up to find both Inma and Davide regarding her, almost in a relieved way though she didn't know why. She pulled herself together.

"Thank you for inviting me, Inma. Your timing was good. Any later and I would've had to eat the last eggs in Davide's fridge."

"Is that all he has? That doesn't sound very promising, Davide. Even so, it's a pleasure to see you again, as well as knowing I have prevented you from sliding into eggy-boredom."

Even Caterina had to smile at that. She relaxed, remembering her manners by asking Inma what she'd been doing. What had happened since Rome?

"I was telling Davide some of it." Actually, this was not exactly true. Inma had spent most of the preceding half-hour pouring out her fears about Miriam to Davide, who had proved as good a listener as before. "You know that Miriam and I were 'excused from prosecution', for want of a better term, because we obtained no personal benefit and we cooperated."

Caterina nodded.

"Once the no prosecution agreement was confirmed I left Opus as well as resigning from the company I'd been working for in Madrid. I set up my own reinsurance firm. At the same time Miriam looked at the property market, deciding that the way that estate agents work, if that's the right term, in Madrid is archaic, primitive and without any sense of customer service compared to the US. With my support she began investigating what it would take to create a professional US-style agency exploiting the Internet."

Inma's eyes turned moist for a moment. She recovered herself before continuing by describing how for the next few months she and Miriam had worked in parallel on both initiatives. Initially all looked promising for Miriam but gradually obstacles had arisen. For her these came in two unrelated forms. The first was simple resistance to changing of the status quo accompanied by the size of the investment to create a full-service Internet site. The second was her sister, who'd moved into Miriam's New Jersey house and who started to ask for ever more.

"And you?" enquired Caterina, reluctantly admitting to herself she was more interested than she either expected or wanted to be.

"I was finding out the hard way that establishing a reinsurance firm is much tougher than expected. At my previous company I was a director and had all the connections and interconnections that came with the business and from Opus Dei. On my own I lacked the reach or scale as well as the financial resources to be able to recreate and seed reinsurance pools that would be profitable. Indeed, when I look back, I fundamentally misunderstood my own strengths, which I've come to realise is all too easy."

"How so?"

Inma described how, as time progressed, Miriam found herself blocked by the status quo. Her frustrations were amplified by ever greater demands issued by her sister. At the same time Inma was discovering, more by accident than design, that what the non-Opus Dei insurance world wanted was advice and input. Instead of establishing her own reinsurance business she was building, in effect, a boutique consultancy where others could seek advice to exploit her understanding of reinsurance for their benefit. It took her some time to work out how to make money from this but once she had conquered her reluctance to ask to be paid she found she was in demand, not only in Madrid, but further afield.

"This became fun. I've always liked travelling, but it had the downside that I was away from Miriam ever more."

Eventually, however, my absences, plus those increasing cries for help from Miriam's sister as well as the obstacles here to her founding her own online real estate firm, meant it was probably inevitable that Miriam would head back to the East Coast.

"Of course, and to my infinite regret, I did not see this coming until she told me she'd booked a flight for three days later. As soon as she left I was desolate, and have been ever since. That's why I was at the night club on Saturday. My sisters were trying to distract me, to cheer me up. Meeting my cousin Ana was not what any of us had expected, nor was my finding Davide there."

"I'm sorry, Inma. I should've behaved better. I was suspicious. I'd no right to be. I can taste your disappointment about Miriam. That must've been so hard."

As she said this Caterina found, to her surprise, it was true. This was a sensation she had felt herself. "Thank you for inviting me here and for insisting I come."

"When Davide mentioned you were alone, something told me you needed extrication from yourself. I did worry that your dislike of Miriam, which I don't understand but it doesn't matter, probably deflected onto me. But that wasn't a good enough reason to let you fester, especially not after the festering that I've been 'enjoying alone' – something which Davide was doing his best to lance before you arrived."

"Me? I was just listening; nothing more."

"That's what you do so well," coincided Caterina and Inma.

Davide gazed at them. Something had changed. On her arrival Inma had been defensive and nervy. Similarly Caterina had looked likely to produce her worst Australian bolshie persona, something she could do only too readily. Now each was relaxing the other. Would that similar wonders might occur so easily.

Wednesday: Malasaña

Caterina and Davide let themselves in through the
piso's
front door. Both headed urgently for their respective bathrooms before returning to the
salon
.

"What would you like to drink?" asked Davide.

"You're not serious? More? I thought we Aussies could drink most people under the table. But Inma ... My God! We put away four bottles of whatever it was called."

"Morlanda. It was good, wasn't it?"

"It was great. I don't remember such a deep-tasting or satisfying wine. I loved it. I wonder where you can buy it."

"According to Inma, only at that place. She told me she's been unable to obtain it anywhere else, not even direct from the producers. It keeps her and her family going back."

"I don't blame them. I'd go back too, just for that, but not tomorrow. In truth, I feel a bit drunk. Don't you, even having walked home? Is there any mineral water that isn't that salty Vichy Catalán?"

"Let me go look. Think I saw something more normal yet less fizzy. I'll join you. It's probably the sensible thing to do."

He found some Fontana and poured two large glasses, downed one and refilled it before taking both to the salon. Caterina had made herself obviously relaxed on the principle sofa.

"Here you are. May I join you?" He sat down at the other end but turned to face her. "What did you make of Inma?"

"Ah, the fifty billion dollar question. I wondered how long it'd take you to ask." Caterina held up her hand: "No, I'm not trying to be nasty. Just trying to gather my somewhat inebriated thoughts. Actually, if anything, I'm ashamed."