Chapter 3

“My name is Walsh, sir. I’m terribly sorry.”

The silence was suffocating. Benjamin’s breath froze in mid-air. He finally nodded. “In that case, please accept my apologies, Mr. Walsh.”

“No problem, sir.”

Benjamin offered the blond man behind the door a final bitter smile, then turned and headed for the stairs. He ran down at breakneck speed. Once back in the sun, he stopped to catch his breath, one hand resting on the wall, and the other on his chest.

He stared at the people purposefully walking along Gibraltar’s streets and alleys, feeling like a stranger in this world. An awkward spectator of his own life. He started walking in the opposite direction from the one he had come. He wandered, eyes down, hoping to work the frustration out of his system. He felt ridiculous and just wanted to forget the whole thing.