Thirty-Four

The El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore lived up to its name. It had been a theater, built in 1919, and still looked like one, though where there had once been rows of seats, there were now rows of books. The walls were cream, with elaborate gold accents decorating the surfaces. The stage was still intact, but the red velvet curtains, hung on each side, now partially hid a cafeteria. A small sign said that Carlos Gardel was among the performers that had once graced the stage. Like Eva Perón, he was everywhere in the city.

Hollis and Finn walked around the main floor before climbing the stairs to the first balcony, then the second and third. On each floor, people were curled up in the areas that had been box seats but were now nooks for reading and quiet discussion. It was a lovely, respectful use of a beautiful theater and Hollis found herself standing at the railing of the third floor, looking down, mesmerized by the view.

“Buenos Aires has some amazing buildings,” Finn said, his voice filled with the wonder of a kid in his first toy shop. “You have the phone, right? Take pictures.”

“Who’s the tourist now?” She took out the phone and snapped a dozen pictures, but it was impossible to capture the place. She zoomed in on a few of the decorations. “What are we supposed to be doing here?”

“Who cares? Let’s see if they have a section on Argentinian history.” Finn wandered off. When Carlos suggested the store, it was unlikely he realized he was focusing on Finn’s biggest weak spot. So why did he want them there, she wondered.

She took a few more photos, looking down from the balcony to the floor below. As she zoomed the camera she noticed the head of a bald black man. She didn’t look for Finn. She went straight to the staircase and down to the floor where Peter was browsing the travel section.

Once she got there she wasn’t sure what to do. Peter was paging through a guidebook, as any tourist might. He didn’t look up as she approached or seem to be aware that she passed him. She moved to another aisle and watched, trying not to look like she was watching.

He put the book back and took another guidebook, paging through that one. Then he picked up another one. Behind him an employee stocked a shelf with guides to Patagonia.

“Perdon, Señor,” Hollis said. “Do you sell address books?”

The man smiled. “Sí, Señora. Second floor.”

“Gracias. My friend lost his address book and he really wants one. His birthday is tomorrow, so I have to get it now.”

The man nodded in that polite way people do when they don’t care.

Peter put one of the books on the shelf behind him, at a slight angle so it stood out from the rest, and kept walking. Hollis waited a moment for the employee to leave the aisle, then she picked up the book. Essential Argentina. Now all she had to do was find Finn.

That wasn’t easy. There were multiple floors, and on each floor there were places where he could be sitting. She tried the main floor, then went up one, walked in almost a complete circle, then up another staircase. He didn’t have a phone anymore so there was no point in texting him. Not that it would matter. He wouldn’t look at it anyway if he’d found a book that he liked.

Or if someone with a gun found him.

She walked up another staircase.

English language books. If he were safe, he’d be here. She wandered the rows, trying not to get her attention pulled by the alluring covers and the promises of new authors and new books. It was a drug she and Finn shared. But he wasn’t in the section. She circled the floor just in case, finally finding a pair of long legs sticking out from a small corner nook.

She sat next to him. “What are you reading?”

“I have no idea.” He showed her the book, a novel in Spanish. “I’m hiding, actually. I saw Eduardo.” He looked at the guide book to Argentina in her hands. “What about you?”

“Peter was looking at this, then he put it down pretty much in front of me. I figure it has a clue in it.”

“We need to get out of here.”

“But before we go, we need to figure out why Carlos sent us here. What did he want us to find?”

“They have an excellent map section.”

“Do we need a map?”

“No, but I did want to check it out. It’s on the ground floor.”

“Let’s focus. We can order a map online.”

“Says the woman with the suede coat and the guidebook to Argentina. Where’s my souvenir?”

“Fine. Map. But also, Carlos. He wasn’t just suggesting tourist attractions.”

They made their way down the stairs toward the front door. Hollis saw Eduardo wandering the aisles on the second floor. They could try to avoid him, as was Finn’s plan, or they could just acknowledge that he was there.

“Let’s just leave without him noticing. We have to go to La Boca,” Finn reminded her.

“First we have to figure out why we’re here.” She handed him the guidebook, took a deep breath, and walked over to Eduardo.

“Hola,” she said. Eduardo nearly jumped.

“Señora McCabe. You have found me.”

“I found you? Weren’t you following us?”

“No. This is my day off. I am …” He searched for a word. “Browsing. I do this every Sunday.”

“Carlos sent us here.”

Eduardo’s face fell. “Yes, okay. I will not make a fuss. I will go with you where you want.”

As tempted as she was to ask what he was talking about, she just said, “Good,” and looked for Finn. He wasn’t where she’d left him, so she walked down the aisle to where she knew he would be. Eduardo followed, head down.

Finn was, as expected, searching through the maps.

“Seriously?” Hollis swatted his shoulder. “I go over to Eduardo and you don’t at least stay close enough to make sure I’m okay?”

“Why would I hurt you?” Eduardo asked.

“It’s a bookstore full of people,” Finn protested. “And anyway, I walked five feet. I could still see you.”

“He could have put a gun to my back and forced me out of the store. Your priorities are just insane.”

“I told you not to go over to him,” Finn said. “You insisted. How are my priorities insane?” He looked over at Eduardo, then back at Hollis. “Don’t you have your gun?”

Hollis patted her purse. “Of course, but you should have been watching.”

“You brought him to me. You can’t feel that afraid of him. What’s the plan now, anyway?”

“He’s the job Carlos mentioned last night. We’re supposed to kill him,” Hollis said.

Finn looked over at Eduardo, who just looked sad. “What did he do?”

“He’s involved with Teresa. I should have figured it out sooner. The way she smiled at him last night. The thing Declan said about wanting to help someone in love. And what Eduardo said yesterday. The comment about wanting to be us. He didn’t mean he wanted to be a hitman, he meant he wanted to be part of an old married couple.”

“You and Teresa?” Finn put his hand on Eduardo’s shoulder, which made the guy flinch a little. “That’s great. You guys would make a nice couple. And don’t take us seriously,” he said, gesturing toward Hollis. “We argue, but marriage is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Hollis smiled. “Back at ya. But we still have to do something with him.”

“I’m in love with her,” Eduardo said. “She should not be with that old man. She should be somewhere safe, with a man who can give her a life and grow old with her. Declan said he would send help. But instead …” He was on the verge of tears.

“Is this an international crime ring or a dating service for killers?” Finn asked.

Hollis stared at him.

Finn rolled his eyes. “Okay. The three of us leave together. We’ll take him to La Boca with us.”

“Is Bryan here?” Hollis asked Eduardo.

“No. He knows nothing about Teresa and me.”

Finn grabbed a poster-sized rolled map, clutched the travel guide to his chest, and headed toward the counter.

“What is he doing?” Eduardo asked.

“Buying a map.”

“Why?”

“He likes maps.”

Eduardo nodded as if he understood. She wanted to comfort him, to let him know that everything would be okay, or at least she hoped it would. But there was no way of knowing if anyone was watching, so it was better to keep being Tim and Janet McCabe until they could get him away from the store and tell him he was safe.

The only problem with that was if they didn’t kill Eduardo, then Carlos would kill them. And as Carlos had proved last night, he wouldn’t think twice about it.