INSTEAD OF STAYING at the Santo Mauro again, where the staff already knew her from a few days earlier and might have been surprised by her checking in under a different name, when she returned to Madrid she decided to stay at a small hotel on Valdemoro Street.
First, upon arriving, she showered and chose a less conspicuous outfit. Already dressed in well-worn jeans and a maroon blouse, she applied light makeup in front of the mirror, just to add a hint of color to her cheekbones.
Then, she holstered her automatic weapon in the holster she hid behind her back, along with a hunting knife, which she concealed in a belt tied around her ankle. After putting on a wig of wavy brown hair, she left the room feeling like a different person.
She knew the address the master had given her by heart, but to avoid making a mistake, she wrote the directions on the back of the photograph, which she tucked into her pocket. He had planned to monitor Geovanna's movements for a few days, especially to learn her habits and attitudes.
One of the fundamental tasks was to investigate whether she lived alone; another was to wander around the area where she lived, to determine what type of alarm had been installed on her floor and find a way to deactivate it when the time was right.
Shortly thereafter, Sephy's Corvette was traveling through the wide avenues of the capital, until it reached Velazquez Street. After showing the security guard a badge, forged by The Master's men, he descended the ramp that led to the parking lot of the building where the auction company's headquarters were located.
He walked slowly all the way, intent on finding the car he was looking for. There it was, at the end of the basement, near the elevators. He checked the numbers and letters on the license plate with those written in the report he had received the night before, and they matched. He parked in a distant spot. The lights went out, and the place was once again plunged into darkness.