Chapter 4
Access escalators to Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio were already crowded, even if it was still early in the morning.
When they got closer they could see the immense height of the statue, the impressive arms spreading above the valley and the entire city, as if permanently watching and embracing life from above, palms turned up and head bent down to see the world spreading to the horizon.
As they went up the stairs, to the top of the hill, the bay revealed itself out to the ocean, with ships as small as matchboxes and the white cubes that were the buildings in the city. The distant cliffs and islands were majestically guarding the bay, but none taller than the imposing statue.
It was morning and the clear blue sky added to the serene atmosphere. “El cielo”. Kevin remembered the singer’s words. Maybe she had meant the sky knew the truth.
“How long to the top?” Jackie asked impatiently.
“There are too many stairs, my feet are already hurting.”
“Just a few more steps”, he answered, looking preoccupied through the crowd.
Where was Consuelo? And suddenly it dawned in his mind about the singer’s ghostly words: maybe she had said “Consuelo”, not “el cielo”. Maybe she wanted to warn him to protect the dancer. Was it Consuelo or el cielo? He couldn’t be sure though.
He knew he had to find the dancer soon. She was in danger.
“They can’t be far”, Aysun spoke with the same certainty that had a reassuring effect.
Jackie gained speed, jumping over two steps at a time, until she arrived at the top.
“I made it!” she said playfully, leaning with stretched arms, like a flying bird, over the valley.
“Energetic woman”, Aysun remarked, a bit amused, staring after her, while Kevin was also watching her admiringly.
Jackie surprised him most when she was in full action. Sometimes he would look at her with the same daze when she was driving, switching the gear on and off, left and right, making unexpected moves, shifting the car on the road – she was an expert driver.
Aysun noticed his glance. He turned to check the crowd that had gathered near the monument. His mind went back to the present situation: they had to find the Spanish dancer, and fast.
“Consuelo… where are you?” he wondered anxiously.
He realized the old man would not attempt to harm her as long as they were mixed in the crowd. Smirk would want to get them separate and isolated, and that could be done only at the back of the statue.
“Let’s go round”, Kevin said.
They walked on the edge of the terrace that overlooked the city, the mountains and the ocean to the horizon.
“Good morning”, they heard a familiar voice.
They turned to see Sonia and the group, including her grandfather, the Spartan and Consuelo.
Sonia smiled.
“Have you come to see Cristo Redentor? It’s impressive, isn’t it?”
The teenager wanted to play the guide. She started speaking easily, enjoying being the one with the most information from the group:
“The statue was restored after it was hit twice by lightning. Now it is waterproof. The monument is 30 meters high and it weighs 700 tons. By the way, it’s standing on the 700 meters Peak of Corcovado Mountains... how about that, huh? Makes you dizzy to look down. The interesting thing is it was built by an international cooperation: Brazilian engineer, Polish-French sculptor… and the face with the contribution of a Romanian sculptor as well. The four-month restoration in 2010 included installing lights in green and yellow at the base, so you can see it brightly shining at night. But the most important is the symbol of redemption that it provides.”
“Sonia, enough with the explanations”, her grandfather interrupted, frowning displeased.
“Did they pay you for this? Let them hire a guide.”
Kevin glanced at Consuelo. She was apparently relaxed, but lost in thoughts, looking at the panoramic view of the valley and the ocean. Her long hair was fluttering slightly over the edge, as she was holding her small bag closely, almost being afraid to drop it over the cliff. He was relieved to see her safe, for the moment. He promised himself to not let her out of his sight again.
“Let’s take a picture together”, Aysun proposed.
They gathered next to the group. The old man stepped aside, not willing to appear on camera.
“I was here once when there were clouds over the city”, Sonia spoke again, taking advantage of the fact that her grandfather was out of sight for the moment.
“You should have seen this at sunrise, with colors reflected over the clouds, and the monument emerging above them… it was splendid… it was magical. It was a once in a lifetime view.”
“I can imagine”, Kevin said.
“Was your grandfather with you then?”
“No. I get out on my own sometimes. I don’t need to tell him everything”, she grinned.
“Let’s go get some lunch”, the Spartan said.
“I’m hungry. We can call the others and have lunch together”, he said.
They occupied five tables in the restaurant. The dancers grouped randomly and sat wherever the impulse of the moment led them, or according to friendships they had established.
Kevin was glad to see that the old man hadn’t joined them for lunch. However, Consuelo was sitting right next to the tall blond Slovenian, who suddenly had an interest to talk to her and be near her. His girlfriend Natasha was at another table, a bit upset.
“What’s going on with Boris?” Kevin asked Aysun, who was sitting in front of him.
“He broke up with Natasha and is probably looking for a new girlfriend now.”
“He seems to be interested in the Spanish girl…”
Aysun didn’t comment, but her eyes glimmered, amused. Kevin kept watching Consuelo. She was distracted and didn’t take part in the conversation too much, even though in the beginning she seemed curious about what the Slovenian was telling her. Later, she took out her phone and started staring at it absently, probably choosing to browse the online connection instead of participating in the loud conversation between male dancers at her table. At some point, Kevin could almost believe she had raised her eyes for a second to look at him.
“Is she checking out what I’m doing?” he wondered. She was still preoccupied by her phone when the waiters brought the food.
It wasn’t something unusual for people to be browsing their phones instead of talking to each other. However, Kevin could sense some melancholy in Consuelo’s attitude. She had been absently staring away from early in the morning. Something was on her mind, he guessed.
“Mhmm, they brought the food. It’s a lot of food”, Aysun remarked, watching the big plate and wondering how to deal with it.
Then she took out her phone too and started touching the screen to write a message.
“What are you doing?” Kevin asked her casually.
“Are you going to eat with that phone in your hand?” he said teasingly.
She looked at him and smiled, then she turned the phone off and placed it down on the table, next to the plate.
“There”, she said.
“Okay now?”
He hadn’t expected her to take his words seriously, yet she obviously had more consideration about what he was saying than he had imagined. It suddenly made him trust her more. He felt he could tell her anything.
“I’m worried about Boris”, he said.
“He seems drunk and who knows what he’ll do with that gun, if he gets the chance.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him”, Aysun said. “Now let’s eat.”
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