L I A R.
act 2, scene 3
THE INSPECTOR FELT as if she had began to pity Inés. No matter how many times she was reminded to stay focused on the questions she was asked, the girl always seemed to gaze off into the nothingness with dull eyes. She was a shell of who she was before everything started to self-destruct.
"Inés, do you know if anything could have happened to make him disappear off the radar?"
Inés managed to shake her head with whatever energy she had left, her eyes still staring at the blank wall behind the Inspector's head. "He'd never leave without telling someone." She answered.
"Is it possible he tried to?" The woman suggested, flicking through her pages of notes.
"What do you mean?" Inés frowned, snapping her gaze over to the Inspector.
"Well, maybe he tried to tell you he was leaving, but you decided not to listen?"
──── T H R E E MONTHS EARLIER
"OYE, INÉS!"
LU'S VOICE WASN'T one Inés expected to hear as she jogged through the streets of her neighbourhood. Carla had advised her to take the day off school, knowing she would inevitably blurt something out about Christian if she attended.
He was going to a clinic in Switzerland to keep him quiet. Carla's father was paying for his silence.
"Has something happened?" Inés asked as she caught her breath, stopping to take out her earbuds and walk over to Lu's unrolled window.
"Get in. We're going for drinks at the new girl's house." She answered, reaching over to unlock the door for Inés.
"What about Marina's mass?"The girl sighed out a reply, only shuffling slightly closer.
"Guzmán doesn't want anyone to go." Lu grumbled, flipping her hair over her shoulders like she usually did when she was annoyed at her boyfriend. "Are you getting in or what?"
The brunette frowned as she glanced down at her appearance. "I'm wearing leggings and my hair is literally dripping with sweat." She replied, shaking her head at the suggestion.
"Put it in a bun and nobody will notice." Lu scowled, climbing out of the car herself to pull Inés inside. "I brought you a dress to wear too."
"You're ridiculous." She remarked as she buckled her seat belt in the back of Lu's car. It was true - she was the only girl in the whole of Madrid who would drag her friend straight off the streets to a party with no prior warning, and Inés was the only person who would actually take up her offer.
After a lot of awkward shuffling and help from Lu, Inés managed to change clothes in the back of the car by the time they had arrived at the house, both sets of eyes widening as they climbed out and scanned the gorgeous house for the first time.
"Lucrecia, welcome!" The girl greeted, smiling widely as she skipped down from the entrance to meet her friend. She kissed Lu's cheek warmly before turning to Inés with an even brighter grin. "I'm Cayetana."
"Inés." The brunette nodded with an honest smile, eyebrows raising when Cayetana pulled her into a hug.
"I know!" She giggled, pulling away to look at her face. "Lu told me all about you and I know already that we're going to get along."
Inés laughed at her forwardness, raising her eyebrows at Lu in question of the mention of her name.
"Your house is beautiful." Lu sighed as she removed her sunglasses to get a better look. It was a lot nicer than she had expected it to be, and although she didn't know it yet, Inés' head was spinning as she tried to remember someone moving in. She brushed it off as forgetfulness, but she knew she had ran past this house countless times and couldn't remember it ever being up for sale.
"Should I give you a tour?" Cayetana laughed, "Or would that be distasteful?" She nudged Inés shoulder gently as Lu cooed her name and laughed along too.
"I brought some pink champagne. Yay for bad taste?"
"Yay." Cayetana nodded, dragging the two girls into her house, her running beside them. She began showing them around as soon as they entered her home, a proud smile resting on her face as she gestured to different parts of her house.
"Do you really live here alone?" Lu asked as the girl took the pink champagne bottle from her hands and put it to chill.
"No!" Cayetana laughed, "With Imelda. But I gave her the afternoon off so we could be more comfortable."
Inés liked Cayetana. She new how to carry herself and seemed to always be happy, even if they had only known each other for 5 minutes. She was different to Rebeka. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with her.
When your family life is a lie to keep up appearances and you've spent the last summer covering up a murder, you get quite good at spotting liars.
The sound of the doorbell broke Inés from her quizzical thoughts, Cayetana rushing over excitedly to let whoever rang it in.
"Are you expecting someone?" Lu asked with a frown, suddenly becoming sceptical of the whole situation as she stepped closer to Inés.
The voices of Valerio and Guzmán soon made it clear the two weren't the only people invited to the little get-together, the two boys walking in armed with every substance imaginable. Lu scoffed as her boyfriend offered her his joint, Inés scowling at Cayetana quite obviously.
It wasn't like the blonde knew about the recent rifts between the friends, but it was common courtesy to make sure everyone you invited to your house are actually friends.
"Hola, Inés." Guzmán smirked as he walked over to the frowning girl. It was clear his arrival had gotten under her skin and he intended to take full advantage of her annoyance.
"Why aren't you at Marina's mass?" She asked, knowing he would tease her before he even knew himself.
"Why aren't you? Haven't you got a ghetto boy to comfort?" He fired back with a sigh. He hadn't expected her to be quite so hostile with him, but he hid his surprise well and attacked Samuel instead.
"Haven't you got a dead sister to mourn and a grieving mother to comfort?"
Guzmán raised his eyebrows at Inés, a small smirk forming as he elicited the reaction he wanted - one she would feel guilty about within the next hour. Inés Almero might have been a bitch, but she wasn't heartless.
"That was too far, Ins." e smirked, watching as she bit her lip and tried to hide the regret she instantly felt. But he could see right through her.
"Cayetana?" Inés called as she turned away from Guzmán, "Can I use your bathroom?"
"Of course!" She grinned widely. It was hard to not smile when Cayetana was around you. "It's just down the hall; the door right at the end."
Inés excused herself quietly, Lu sending her a glare as she was left practically by herself. When she reached the toilet, her phone started buzzing, almost as if the caller had read her mind.
"Where are you?" Carla's voice chastised down the phone, "Your parents are asking me where you are and the mass is starting soon."
Inés felt bad that Carla was going to inevitably take the heat if she didn't show up, but she was halfway across Madrid and scantily glad. There was no way she could make it in time for even the end of the mass.
"We're not coming." Inés sighed, biting her lip as she heard Carla mutter angrily to herself.
"What do you mean 'we', Inés? Who else isn't coming?"The blonde seethed. Inés could picture her best friend scowling into the phone, just like she was doing in real life, but she never would have thought she would have been doing it at Samuel's side.
"Lu and Guzmán. We aren't coming." Inés answered, wincing as she heard cheers and splashes from Cayetana's living room. "Are Polo and Ander there?"
"Yes, why?" Carla answered, her voice still laden with annoyance.
"If I send you the address, will you tell them to come and take Guzmán home?" She mumbled quietly just in case someone got nosy and tried to listen to her conversation. "He won't listen to me but they will be able to convince him."
"Send me the address." Carla answered sternly, ending the call after the brunette mumbled her thanks.
It wasn't long until the two boys arrived to rescue her and Lu, the two girls only having to consume half of the platter Cayetana's maid had left for them to put up with the other three's partying.
"How much has he had to drink?" Ander asked once Guzmán has greeted the pair and had taken back to his dancing, allowing the boys to sit beside Lu and Inés, watching on with worried eyes.
"All of it, Ander." Lu groaned, "All he has left is the water from the pool. Let's see if you can manage to take him away from this."
Guzmán's head snapped towards Lu as she spoke those words, a frown immediately forming on his face. "Take me away?" He scoffed, "No."
"Who's staying?" He smirked, smiling over at Cayetana and Valerio, both of the nodding in confirmation as he stepped back with his arms wide. He laughed to himself until he collided with a concrete pillar, tripping over and sending a vase shattering on the floor. "Fucking hell! Sorry."
Lu gasped as it broke into pieces, cringing at her boyfriend's stupidity. "Mierda." She cursed, storming back over to Inés in frustration.
"I'm so sorry." Guzmán apologised honestly, "Was it expensive?"
"I think my mother bought it at one of those Sotheby's auctions, it's one of many." Cayetana dismissed happily, picking up her drink to finish the last sips. "She won't miss it."
Inés rose to help clear up the shattered pottery, but her phone buzzed in her hand before she had made her way across the room. Expecting either her father or Carla to have messaged her, she quickly unlocked it to check the text, not realising Guzmán was peering over her shoulder. The others, with the exception of a very high Valerio, discussed the best way to get him out of the party without causing trouble whilst Cayetana searched for a brush to sweep up the pieced of her broken vase.
Meet me at the club. I need to talk to you.
"Is that Samuel?" Guzmán asked before Inés had even processed who the text was from. She jumped slightly as she heard his voice in her ear, not knowing he was so close.
"So what if it is?" She replied, turning around and shielding her phone from his eyes. She glanced down to see that it was in fact from Samu, Guzmán interrupting her before she could send a reply.
"I'm not trying to make you hate him." He mumbled, tripping over his words as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He smelt of vodka and weed, the scent alone making Inés pull herself out of his grip. "I'm just looking out for you."
"I know, Guzmán." Inés smiled lightly, gathering her things from the table beside them. She had to leave quickly or Lu would notice and beg her to stay, quizzing on her as to where she was disappearing to so as well. "I just wish you'd be nicer to him. He's not his brother."
"I'll try." Guzmán smiled, ruffling the girl's hair ash she darted quickly out of his grasp and towards the door. "Just for you."
"Gracias, Guzmán." She grinned back, leaving unnoticed as she relished in the feeling of having her friend back, even if he would take back every thing he said in the morning.
The cab she ordered didn't take too long to arrive at all, the girl only wait on Cayetana's driveway for a matter of minutes. The ride to the club, however, took an agonisingly long time, and by the time she arrived she wondered whether Samuel would have even waited for her.
She spotted him almost immediately, luckily, as his eyes were trained on the entrance. She walked over slowly keeping the eye contact he initiated as she got closer and closer.
"I'm surprised Guzmán let you out of his sight. Does he know you've come to meet me?" Samuel began, resting his arm against the bar as she took a seat in the bar stool.
Inés didn't bother to call the bartender to order a drink - she wasn't planning on staying long.
"He means well." The brunette sighed, biting her lip as, unbeknown to her, Samu analysed each and every one of her movements.
He shook his head, "You can't let him control your life any longer or you'll end up like Marina." He spat.
Inés flinched at his words and furrowed her brow, confused by his hostility. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked with the same bitter tone.
Samuel visibly gulped before he leaned in close to Inés' ear, his lips bumping against it as he spoke. "I know you know something about what happened to Marina."
Inés pulled away instantly. She couldn't do this. Not tonight.
She slipped off the bar stool, marching as quickly as she could to the only place she could think to find refuge from his comment. Her breathing became shallow and her palms started to clam up as she heard his footsteps behind her.
"Inés, please!" Samu begged as he followed her into the restroom, cornering her against the wall.
She couldn't move. She was pressed against the tiles between his legs and there was no way for her to escape.
"Why do you keep lying to me?" He asked lowly, the croak in his voice making Inés' insides do things they definitely shouldn't have in a situation like this. One that could get her arrested if it went sourly.
"I'd never lie to you." Inés pleaded, reaching up to press her palm against Samu's cheek. He leaned in to her warm hand, something she wasn't expecting him to do, and closed his eyes as he let out a sigh.
"I feel like I'm going insane." He mumbled, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "Promise me, you'll answer me honestly. Whatever I ask, you have to tell me the truth."
"Of course." Inés nodded after swallowing harshly, still caressing his cheek. She leaned up to press her lips against the other gently, Samu only leaning in more.
"Does Carla know what happened to Marina?" He asked, Inés' breath hitching as she continued to brush her lips against his skin. When she failed to answer, Samuel pulled his head away, only slightly. "Is she involved?"
"No." Inés answered breathlessly, her eyes lulling shut as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat and ignore what he was asking her. She began to regret drinking so much at Cayetana's when her head started spinning at such a serious moment.
Inés grabbed Samu's face with her hand so she could finally kiss his lips, then moving his hands with her own to her waist once he started to kiss back.
"So Carla isn't involved at all?" Samu asked, pulling back again as Inés' hands slid down to unbuckle his belt.
She stopped her actions almost immediately and sighed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "Stop talking. You're killing the mood."
"I'm sorry." He mumbled as he leaned back in, only satisfying her wishes for a second before disconnecting their lips again.
"Samuel." Inés said sternly, rolling her eyes as her jaw clenched involuntarily.
"I know." He whispered, placing both his hands on her cheeks. "I just need to know one more thing."
Inés trailed her hands down his chest as he waited for permission to ask her, a reluctant (and drunken) nod coming moments later.
"I need you to tell me Rebe is wrong."
"What do you mean?" Inés mumbled.
"I know it's stupid, but I need to hear you say it." Samuel started urgently, making the girl he was pressed against push him away, a frown forming on her face.
He didn't care if he was fucking up his one chance with the girl he was beginning to feel so much for. He just needed to know the truth - for Marina's sake.
"I don't get it." Inés hook her head, hands flying to her hair again, "What has Rebeka told you?"
Samu contemplated not telling her, in order to enjoy the moment he had found himself dreaming about recently, but he had to find out. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if Rebe's hunch had turned out to be correct and he hadn't have listened to her.
"She thinks you're involved." He stuttered our, flinching as Inés' face immediately dropped. "She thinks you know who actually killed Marina."
That fucking bitch.
"Don't be fucking ridiculous." Inés spat, trying her best to convince Samu she was offended at the very accusation she could have done such a thing.
"It sounds crazy, I know." He began, walking back towards her against the wall. "But I need to hear you say she's wrong."
"You shouldn't need to hear me say it." She whispered, pulling on his neck to bring them closer together. She couldn't lie to him again - she could only distract him from the truth. "You know I could never keep something like that from you."
"Please." Samu begged again, biting his lip to stop himself showing Inés that distraction techniques were working. He couldn't let her know just yet that he was putty in her hands.
"No." She answered him between kisses, a red mark already showing on his collarbone. "I don't know what happened to Marina."
"Why don't I believe you?"
"I don't know, Samuel." Inés mumbled, "But you should. Because it's the truth."
"I don't know if it is anymore." Samu grumbled out once more, making Inés know she had to say what he needed to hear or she would never get what she wanted from him.
"Fine!" She almost shouted, pulling away from his neck in frustration. "I know Nano didn't kill Marina because I was there and I saw who did it. Now shut up and start kissing me." Inés sighed, pulling one final time at his belt and reattaching their lips once more.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
this is so so so long i'm so sorry laugh out loud !!!!!!!! i literally HATE this episode but i wanted her to be friends with cayetana (even tho i hate her too...) and obvs had to get that samu content : ) but yoooo have u seen ursula corberos instagram she making me nervous for the last money heist season yikes i'm not ready for it....