“Isn’t that going to kill her?” asked Hendaya.

“Not with the right dosage,” said Leandro. “At least for now.”

The doctor put his instruments back in his bag, covered Ariadna, and left the bedroom. As he walked past the mirror, he gave a respectful nod.

“Anything else?” asked Leandro, hearing Hendaya’s impatient breathing behind him.

“No, sir.”

“Then I’m grateful to you for having brought her to me safe and sound, but there’s nothing more for you to do here. Go back to Barcelona and find Alicia Gris.”

“She’s most probably dead, sir . . .”

Leandro turned around. “Alicia is alive.”

“With all due respect, how can you know?”

Leandro stared at Hendaya as if he were a beast of limited intelligence in a stable.

“Because I know.”

6

Alicia opened her eyes in the dim candlelight. The first thing she noticed was that she was too thirsty to be dead. The second thing was the face of a man with white hair and beard, sitting next to her. He was gazing at her from behind tiny round lenses, and his features reminded her vaguely of the God figure in one of the catechism books of her years in the orphanage.

“Are you from heaven?” asked Alicia.

“Don’t get carried away. I’m from the neighborhood.”

Dr. Soldevila took her wrist and felt her pulse, checking his watch. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m very thirsty.”

“I know,” said Dr. Soldevila, without making any move to offer her something to drink.

“Where am I?”

“Good question.” The doctor pulled back the sheets, and Alicia felt his hand over her pelvis. “Do you feel the pressure?”

She nodded.

“Pain?”

“Thirst.”

“I know. But you must wait.”

Before covering her, Dr. Soldevila’s eyes paused on the black scar wrapping around her hip. Alicia could read the horror that his eyes were trying to hide. “I’ll give you something for that. But be careful. You’re still very weak.”

“I’m used to the pain, Doctor.”

Dr. Soldevila sighed and covered her up again.

“Am I going to die?”

“Not today. I know this sounds silly, but try to relax and rest.”

“As if I were on holiday.”

“Something like that. Try to, at least.”

Dr. Soldevila stood up, and Alicia heard him murmur a few words. Footsteps approached, and a circle of figures appeared around her makeshift bed. She recognized Fermín, and Daniel and Bea. There was a man with them. He had sparse hair and eagle eyes, and she had the feeling she’d known him all her life but couldn’t quite place him. Fermín was whispering to Dr. Soldevila. Daniel smiled with relief. Bea, next to him, was looking suspiciously into Alicia’s eyes.

Fermín knelt down beside her and placed his hand on her forehead. “This is the second time you’ve almost died on my watch, and I’m starting to get fed up to my back teeth. You have the mien of a corpse, granted, but other than that, you look like a million pesetas, so how are you feeling?”