Perhaps the current would also take with it, forever, the anger and the pain now rotting inside him.

“Daniel?”

He looked up and saw Bea. He hadn’t heard her come in.

“Daniel, are you feeling all right?”

He nodded.

“You look pale. Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine. A bit tired, from not having slept. That’s all.” Daniel gave her his sweet smile, the one he’d been dragging around since he was a schoolboy, the smile he was known for in the neighborhood. Good old Daniel Sempere, the son-in-law all good mothers would want for their daughters. The man who hid no shadows in his heart.

“I’ve bought you some oranges. Don’t let Fermín see them, or he’ll eat them all in one go, like last time.”

“Thanks.”

“Daniel, what’s the matter? Aren’t you going to tell me? Is it because of what’s happened with Alicia? Because of that policeman?”

“Nothing’s the matter. I’m a bit worried. It’s normal. But we’ve gotten out of worse fixes. We’ll get out of this one.”

Daniel had never known how to lie to Bea. She looked into his eyes. For months now, what she saw in them had scared her. She drew closer to him and hugged him. Daniel let her put her arms around him, but he didn’t say anything, as if he wasn’t there.

Bea walked away slowly. She put the shopping bag on the table and lowered her eyes. “I’m going to pick up Julián.”

“See you soon.”

9

Four days went by before Alicia could get out of bed without help. Time seemed to have stopped in midair since she’d arrived in that place. She spent most of the day swaying between wakefulness and sleep, without leaving the room where she’d been installed. The room had a brazier, which Isaac fed every few hours, and the gloom was barely broken by the light of a candle or an oil lamp. The medication Dr. Soldevila had left to ease the pain plunged her into a heavy drowsiness from which she occasionally emerged to find Fermín or Daniel watching over her. Money might not buy you happiness, but chemicals can sometimes perform miracles.

When she did recover a vague sense of who and where she was, she would try to utter a few words. Most of her questions were answered before she asked them. No, nobody was going to find her there. No, the dreaded infection had not happened, and Dr. Soldevila thought Alicia was making good progress, although she was still weak. Yes, Fernandito was safe and sound. Señor Sempere had offered him a part-time job making deliveries and picking up sets of books bought from private owners. He was always asking after her, but, according to Fermín, not quite as much since he’d bumped into Sofía in the bookshop. He had managed to beat what seemed impossible: his own infatuation track record.

Alicia was happy for him. If he was going to suffer, let it be for someone worthwhile.