Free Corruption's Price: A Spanish Deceit by Charles Brett

soon disappeared in her mirror.
    Some kilometres later Marta turned right, down a country lane, making her way through fields and trees towards where she expected Alfredo's house to be. When looking up the area on Google she had been surprised to find how high it was and that there were 2500M mountains only a little further north, ones where she could now see snow. Whether this was a leftover from last year or the product of an early cold blast from early autumn was unclear.
    After a further ten minutes Marta finally drove into El Rollo. It was smaller than she had imagined. Shortly she came to a rather handsome Spanish-baroque parish church with multiple storks nests on almost all corners as well as the bell tower. She regretted that the storks had left. They must look fine when swooping to land. But that was a spring and summer pleasure, not one for this time of year. The storks had wisely migrated to warmer places.
    Marta now realised that she'd made a mistake and gone too far. Alfredo had advised that if she reached the church she would have driven past his place. She retraced her route and found an open entrance to a rather imposing house, quite unlike those in the centre of the village. It was neither small nor secretive but tall and open with large windows and more than a suggestion of wealth. Marta parked and looked around. There were a handful of similar houses nearby. She wondered why. This did not look like a rich area. The fields looked too unproductive.
    As she emerged from her car and locked down the convertible's roof, the front door opened and a lady with short white hair cut in a modern style stepped out. Looking more closely, the woman was probably not that much older than herself, though slenderer and definitely without her own generous curves. She had the look of a smoker, or ex-smoker.
    "Marta? I'm Purificación de María, though call me Puri. Can I help with your luggage or anything?"
    Marta was uncertain how to react. Was this a neighbour of Alfredo's? Was it his cleaning lady (though she seemed too self-possessed for that to be likely)? Something more formal? A housekeeper? A girlfriend? She opted to kiss Puri, albeit puzzled.
    "I can see bemusement in your face. Let me be open. Alfredo and I are more than occasional lovers. I live in the house over there." She pointed to one, rather smaller, across the road. "I keep an eye on this one when Alfredo is not here. We have good times together. By the way, the reason I'm meeting you is because Alfredo's running late. He called to ask me to welcome you if he hadn't arrived on time. He sent a text message ten minutes ago, stating he was filling his car at a gas station just south of Soria. He should be here any time."
    "It is a pleasure, if unexpected, to meet you, Puri. How long have you known Alfredo?"
    "Not as long as you. Yes, Alfredo told me that you were at university together, including how he lusted after you yet failed to get anywhere. Impressive that you resisted him."
    Marta blushed. This was way too direct to make her comfortable.
    "The simple explanation is he's not my type."
    "I understand. I also understand that you were concerned that he might start misbehaving while you were here. Regard me as your insurance policy. He'll be as a beautifully trained mascot in front of me."
    She laughed at Marta's overt discomfort.
    "Don't worry. All will be fine. I know, and you probably recognised long ago, that Alfredo is really only interested in influence now that he has the money to drive him onward. I accept that. I know my place, as does he. If he misbehaves in front of me there'll be hell to pay. Speaking of which, here he is."
    Puri gestured to the car driving up from which emerged Alfredo.
    After kissing Puri more tenderly and respectfully than Marta would ever have imagined, Alfredo turned to her, barely touching her cheeks. He bade both enter his house.
    "I'm not staying, Alfredo. I've prepared tea, knowing your fondness for that ridiculous English