Page 13 of For Better or for Ransom

The staff at the Casanova had told them that the previous night's performance had resulted in the understudy giving an incredible performance. As a result, Palau had been inundated with media requests and interviews, and that was why he’d been unable to talk to the detectives yet.

“The headlines seem to verify that version.” Luke handed Divya his phone with a couple of articles from two of the main local newspapers raving about Palau's powerful work.

“Literally no one knew who he was a couple of days ago. And now they’re writing headlines about him. Leonardo’s disappearance was definitely convenient for Sandro.” Divya skimmed through the articles Luke had found.

“We still shouldn’t jump to conclusions and we should try to talk to him.” Luke sighed.

“Absolutely, but he’s not making it easy.”

“I think we can still find out where he lives.” Luke didn’t want to ask for help. But he would.

The look that Divya leveled at him was all amused curiosity. “We do?”

He sighed again. “Sol has lots of contacts in Barcelona.”

“It’s a good thing that we’re working in Barcelona then.”

“I’d still prefer to be working in London.” Where it was Divya and him who had all the necessary contacts.

“I already knew that,” she scorned him. “Can we have the cheesecake now? Sol told me I really needed to try it.”

He ran a hand over his face, resigned. “Let’s have the cheesecake.”

He was sure he would pack on at least a couple more pounds before they left this food-obsessed city.

···

After lunch they relocated to Divya’s hotel room, which had been purposely chosen in walking distance from Sol’s tiny flat in Barcelona. She was probably still working and Luke preferred not to bother her. Three people working on different things from her not-that-big dining room table was definitely too many people.

Even if the terraced house he and Sol shared on the South Bank of London had been Sol’s property before he’d moved in with her, he now thought about the place as their home. Sol had made all the efforts to make him feel that way. She’d overstuffed certain areas of her closet with her clothes to make room for his things in other areas previously occupied by her. She’d been happy to replace expensive mugs and plates for more informal dinnerware that better suited both their personalities. She’d cleared space for him in her home office that now was also his home office and where he’d hung his prized framed Moonlighting poster. She’d even proposed to change some of the furniture—but he was happy with the selections she’d made.

But when it came to the tiny rooftop flat she had in Barcelona—and even if it was where they’d kissed for the first time—it was her place. Perhaps it was that they only spent a few days there from time to time and he’d had no occasion to put his touch on anything. Had Sol realized that he didn’t feel the flat was his other home—like it clearly was for her? He hoped she hadn’t just assumed that it was because the only place he could really be at home was London. But could that be the problem?

He shook those thoughts aside as Divya sat on the tiny desk of her hotel room and he sat on the bed. His colleague dialed the number and put the telephone on speakerphone on top of the desk. Television producer—and Divya’s romantic partner—Moon Scott picked up the phone after one tone.

“Hi, Sugar. How’s Barcelona?”

Luke smiled in Divya’s direction. She just blushed.

“Hi, Moonbeam. Luke is here with me and you’re on speaker.”

“Oh, hi Luke. How are you? I’m sorry I insisted on keeping you in Barcelona with this case!”

“No problem.” He almost sounded like he didn’t mind. Almost.

“So. What do you have for me? Did you find Leonardo? Is he okay?”

“We haven’t found him—yet,” Divya said. “And I’m afraid we still don’t know what happened to him. Which is why we were hoping for a word with you, see?”

“With me?” Moon’s voice was tinged with surprise.

“We need to understand a little bit better what was going through Leonardo’s mind before he went missing.” Luke explained. “There’s the chance he was kidnapped. Has there been any other communications, other than the note, clarifying what should be offered in exchange for him and to whom?”

“We haven’t gotten anything at Meshflixx. I just talked to his publicist, the family has heard nothing,” Moon said. “You still think he was kidnapped?”

“Don’t you?” Divya asked her.

“He’s just an actor! Everyone loves him. Who would want to take him?” Moon seemed to want to list all the reasons the detectives had to be mistaken.