Marco’s face stiffened slightly.
Then his face returned to normal and he said with a smile: “But you are very self-sufficient”.
Allyce did not take kindly to Marco’s change of pace to congratulate her.
“Mr. Pastrano just say what you have to say, for us as a couple you are an outsider so you only see the surface, you don’t realise that I can do other things without fear because of the security my husband gives me”.
A cold look crossed Allyce’s eyes.
She had been right to feel uncomfortable with Marco as a man from the start.
When he spoke to her, although his manner seemed light and friendly, he always gave the impression that he was pressing.
Allyce could be sure that Marco had something else to ask her.
Marco finally changed his attitude to Allyce’s words: “Since Mrs. Betances said so, I’ll be honest.
With a wave of his hand, he pulled a photo from his pocket and handed it to Allyce.
Allyce unconsciously looked down, and when she saw who was in the picture, she paled slightly.
That was Adán and Amado Mejía in the photo.
The scene seemed to be on a street somewhere, Allyce couldn’t say exactly where.
Did Marco find out about Amado Mejía a long time ago, or had he been investigating Adam’s impersonation of “Desiderio” for a long time?
Allyce looked at Marco incredulously, “What does Pastrano mean by this, sir?”
In fact, she knew in her mind that Marco was looking for her to ask about Amado Mejía.
“I think the person in the picture is someone you should meet.” Marco looked at Allyce with slightly narrowed eyes.
“Of course I know him, he’s my uncle, and this man looks familiar too, but I’ve never been able to remember him.” Nor could he pretend that he did not know Amado Mejia, for surely it was Marco’s ability to find out that Allyce had met Amado Mejia before when he had done a charity project in the mountains.
“I think Mrs. Betances should know that I have a duty and I need to know something about this man, his name is Amado Mejía,” said Marco, staring at her, but his finger was pointing at the Amado Mejía in the photo.
“Amado Mejia?” repeated Allyce, puzzled, before saying a moment later, as if suddenly remembering something: “I remember him, he’s the teacher in the village where I was doing a charity project, but how did he end up with my uncle?”
Marco’s eyes sparkled and his voice was serious: “Didn’t your uncle mention this man to you? Did something unusual happen to him in the small town at that time?”
“My uncle didn’t mention this man, what about Amado Mejía? He’s just a teacher, why are you investigating him?”. Allyce kept pretending she didn’t know anything. She didn’t like to meddle in these things, and anyway she wasn’t present when Severo met Amado Mejía.
Marco’s expression became slightly strange.
Allyce frowned slightly and looked at him with a puzzled expression: “Signor Pastrano?
“Ama Betances think about it, your uncle really didn’t tell you anything?” Marco’s expression changed.
Allyce also stopped hiding her bored look, “Monsieur Pastrano if you have any further questions you can address them directly to my uncle, but my uncle is abroad for treatment for an old illness, he is a very gentle and courteous man, I am sure that even if he is not well now he is still very willing to co-operate with you.”
His implication was that Marco had no manners.
Even if he knew something, he found Marco’s questioning of the prisoner offensive.
Probably because Allyce’s displeasure was so evident, Marco, as if he had finally realised that his behaviour was inappropriate, smiled and said: “Sorry to interrupt Mrs Betances’ dinner, let me pay for this dinner.
Do I have to eat if you want to invite me?
Allyce smiled, wiped her lips with a tissue and said, “Mr. Pastrano, you don’t have to be so polite, Neto is a good friend of my husband’s and naturally a friend of mine, and you are his brother, so you are also half a friend. I don’t mind that little thing, but I have other things to attend to and I have to get back, so enjoy your meal.” ”
Allyce said and got up and left at the slight change in Marco’s face.
…
It wasn’t until he was back in the car that he gave a contemptuous grunt.
Although she knew that this was someone from the government department who must also have means, she was just trying to have dinner and felt annoyed at being bothered in this way.
She would have been willing to cooperate if Marco had asked her some questions in a professional manner, but he had given her the runaround from the beginning, and that had put her off.
He had to go back to the hotel and call for a dinner order to be delivered to his room.
While waiting for dinner, Allyce called Severo to tell him that she had met Marco here.
The call was quickly answered, but it was not Severo’s voice, it was Alonzo’s.
“Mummy!”
Allyce’s voice took on an involuntary smile, “Alonzo?”
The phone was amplified and he heard Severo’s melodious voice gently teaching Alonzo to say “Ask mummy if she has eaten”.
Then he heard Alonzo say, “Has Mummy eaten?
Those sentences were not short for him, so once he spoke, those were the only words Allyce heard.
At the sound of Alonzo’s voice, Allyce’s mood, which had previously been discouraged by Marco’s interruption, instantly improved.
“Mummy is preparing dinner, has Alonzo eaten yet?”
This time, Alonzo was quick to reply: “Noodles”.
He ate the noodles.
“OK, phone for Dad. It was Severo’s voice, and because Alonzo was spaced out, his voice came out of the microphone at a low volume.
Alonzo seemed reluctant.
Allyce vaguely heard some of what he said.
It was a while before Severo picked up the phone: “I’ve sent Alonzo to watch the cartoons.
Allyce smiled and said: “I didn’t think you were very good at babysitting.
The two talked for a while before Allyce told Severo that she was meeting Marco at the restaurant.
Severo was quiet for a moment, his voice vaguely displeased, “Don’t bother with him if you don’t want to, it’s not like he can do anything to you.”
Allyce couldn’t help but smile as she hugged the phone, she was right, it was thanks to Severo that she could do other things without fear, she didn’t feel so self-sufficient, there was no shame in depending on a man.
After all, Severo was the only one who could be trusted.