Michael Pearce - A dead man of Barcelona

‘Oh, progressing,’ said the governor.

They both laughed.

‘I shall not ask you about it,’ said Seymour, ‘but there is a little point — you will certainly think it a little point — which I would like your help on.’

‘Big things I probably can’t help you on; little things, just possibly I may.’

‘You will probably think this trivial, and, anyway, there may not be a record of it: but while Lockhart was in the prison, did he have any visitors?’

‘Senor Seymour, I am mortified to have to tell you — yes, he did.’

‘Why mortified, Senor?’

‘Because it reveals all too clearly the situation in the prison which my superiors falsely believe I have under my control. I think I told you that as soon as I found out that Senor Lockhart was among those admitted, that he was, in fact, in my cells, I sent someone down to see him. So I did. And it was then — then only — that I learned that he was dead. Well, I couldn’t believe it. I summoned the doctor — I think I told you I summoned the doctor?’

‘You did.’

‘And it was only then that the full enormity of what had happened was revealed to me. But this was several days after he had been admitted, and all that time I did not know that I had Senor Lockhart in my prison. I did not know, but — but it appears that half of Barcelona did! That is what is so mortifying! There were no fewer than three requests to be allowed to visit him. I have only just found that out. Following your visit the other day I went back through the papers. And it was then that I found the records of the requests.’

‘The requests were not granted, I presume?’

‘Two of them were granted. The third was from a lady known to me. Known, in fact, to all of Barcelona. Known as one of the biggest liars in Catalonia! I turned it down. Goodness knows what might have got out if she had had a word with him!’

‘This lady — her name wouldn’t be Dolores, by any chance?’

‘My God!’ said the governor. ‘You don’t mean — you don’t mean that you already know about her? Have, perhaps, talked to her?’

He struck himself a blow on the head with the heel of his hand. ‘But that means she has been telling everybody about what she saw in the prison! Even though she didn’t see it!’

‘Actually, Governor, I think it’s possible that somehow or other she may have wriggled her way in.’

‘Oh, my God!’

The governor took a great gulp of the coffee that had now come in.

‘It fits,’ he said, sunk in gloom. ‘Didn’t I tell you, when you came before, that I was surrounded by anarchists? There are anarchists everywhere. In prison, out of prison. Spain, I sometimes think, consists entirely of anarchists. And they are all bent on subverting the system.’

‘Tell me about the other two,’ said Seymour, ‘the ones you did allow in.’

‘Not I,’ said the governor. ‘I had nothing to do with it. My subordinates — my alleged subordinates — agreed it without reference to me.’

He hesitated.

‘I think I can understand it,’ he said. ‘One of them was an important lady, the wife of a very important person, high up in the Administration, and I don’t think they felt that they had much choice: if they wanted to stay in their jobs. At least, that is the impression she gave them.’

‘You couldn’t give me an idea of her identity, I suppose?’

‘No,’ said the governor decisively, ‘I couldn’t. Because if I did, my own wife would never let me hear the last of it. The lady knows her and would be round to our house in a flash. No.’ He shook his head regretfully, but firmly. ‘No, I couldn’t. Life would not be worth living. You see, Senor Seymour, there is a kind of romantic solidarity among Spanish women.’

‘Especially where Senor Lockhart was concerned.’

‘Exactly. Especially where Senor Lockhart was concerned.’

‘And the other lady? She was a lady, I take it.’

‘She was, but this was rather a different case. It was made on compassionate grounds. By Senor Lockhart’s daughter.’

‘Senor Lockhart’s daughter?’

‘Or so she claimed. And I think there may have been some truth in it. For although every woman in Barcelona who wasn’t Lockhart’s mistress claims to be his daughter, I think in this case it may be with more justice. Or so I gather from the police at Gibraltar and, more reliably, my wife.’

‘Her name?’

‘I do not think that would help you, Senor. For while it is a good, honest Spanish name, it is not the name of her true father. A matter of considerable joy to the ladies of Barcelona. Including my wife.’

‘It is true,’ admitted Hattersley, ‘that he did — well, put himself about a bit. There were rumours about the child. A daughter, I think. And yes, I’ve heard the other story — about the wife of the high-up official. Not to mention,’ he said with a wink, ‘plenty of others. And some of them were true. I can vouch for it myself. But I’m not so sure about those two. Still, if you’ve had it from the governor…’

They had met Hattersley on Las Ramblas.

‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I am switching a lot between the two just at the moment — between Gibraltar and Barcelona. I’m having a big argument with Spanish Customs, and British, too, but the Spanish are worse. They take up more time. But I’ll get there, I’ll get there.’

He had suggested a coffee and taken them to a little place they had not discovered, where you sat outside and had a good view right along Las Ramblas. And it was there that Seymour had put it to him.

‘These two women,’ he had said, ‘have you any idea who they might be? The daughter, I think I might know; but the other?’

‘I couldn’t put a name to her,’ said Hattersley, ‘but I’ve heard the story. The wife of a high-up. On the judicial side, I think. But, you know, there are always these stories and, in fact, I have my doubts about this one.’

‘Why?’ asked Seymour.

Hattersley hesitated.

‘Well,’ he said, ‘on the whole, in recent years at least, he’s not been that taken by Spanish women. By women, yes, but not Spanish women. Some people say it goes back to the one he had the child by. A difficult customer, apparently. Prickly, certainly. The trouble was, she was devout.’

‘I can see that might cause difficulties,’ said Seymour.

‘Well, yes. And why he got entangled with her in the first place! And she was married, too. Already, I mean. Well, of course, it didn’t make things easy for her and she certainly didn’t make things easy for him. Since I’ve known him, he’s tended to steer clear of Spanish women. I used to tease him about it. If you are going to have these affairs, I would say, why don’t you pick a beautiful Spanish woman? A Catalonian, for example, since you’re so fond of them. There are lots of lovely women in Catalonia.

‘ “But they are all so virtuous!” he would say. “And religious!”

‘I think that came from his previous experience. “It just makes for a lot of trouble,” he said. Well, I don’t know much about it really. I’m a bit of a bachelor, confirmed, myself. But I’d noticed, you see, that although he was unfaithful to Leila, he always seemed to go for someone like her. That striking Arab look. A bit like you, yourself, if I may say so, Miss de Lissac. Lockhart would have fallen for you in the first five minutes.’

‘Well, thanks!’ said Chantale, laughing.

‘You may not think it, Miss de Lissac, but Leila Lockhart was quite like you when she was young. Shorter, yes, and smaller all round. But the face, the eyes, the dark hair, and something in the manner. Anyway,’ said Hattersley, becoming embarrassed, ‘he always used to fall for people like you. And Leila. He was faithful, you could say, in his own fashion.