Chapter Text
“You gonna check in or just loiter, mate?”
Reyes looked up from what he was doing into the eyes of a very disgruntled innkeeper. Granted, he'd been standing there looking through the guestbook for a good five minutes, which wasn't exactly normal behavior.
He was looking for a name, one he did not see had checked in.
“Sorry, uh, yeah, I’ll get a room.”
This was the place, Gabriel was sure of it. His sources told him his target had been here for nine days. It was a tasteful little inn, though a bit on the cheaper side. They were about a two-hour drive south of Dublin, near a ferry port that carried travelers across the sea to Britain and France. A waypoint for passerby, though this one hadn’t yet made a decision on where to go.
“How many nights?”
“Just one for now.”
Gabriel took a pen in-hand and signed the guestbook himself. He used an alias, naturally. His credit card shared the same fake name, and he had a number of them to cycle through, depending on where he was going. He was used to it by now.
“Ya don't sound like you're from around here, you from Interpol or something?”
Reyes chuckled at the accusation. He was a big guy, well-groomed and deathly serious-looking unless he made an effort not to be. No matter how casually he dressed, he couldn’t seem to shake that aura of authority.
“Something like that.”
He signed his name - one Matías Cruz, and marked the date in the column beside it. Only after he finished did he consider his target might do something similar.
She hadn't committed any crimes, she wasn't part of any secret organization where changing your identity frequently would benefit you, at least none that Gabriel knew of. But there were other reasons to leave a fake name besides security concerns.
With one last glance at the guestbook, Gabriel spotted a name that caught his attention. It was the only one with the title of ‘Dr.’ before it. He smirked - pride might be the one thing to give her away in the end.
“Do you think you could tell me which room this person is in?” He asked, pointing to it.
The innkeeper cocked a brow and shook his head.
“Not some kinda stalkery ex-boyfriend are ya? I'm sure she'd prefer to be left alone, y’know.”
“Just doing a wellness check on an old friend,” Gabriel lied, slipping a few extra Euros across the counter. “Not looking for any trouble. And I'm happily married, thanks.”
“I'm sure you are,” the innkeeper snapped. Despite the sarcasm, he took the money, and slipped a room key across the counter with a little note.
Room 103 was on the ground floor, close to Gabriel’s, though he wasn't sure if he'd need to use it. That all depended on how this meeting went and how soon he was able to get an answer, if he got one at all.
The blinds were shuttered and he couldn't see anything through the window. He might very well be knocking on the room of a total stranger, but he'd never know until he tried.
Knock knock knock.
“Hello?”
He waited a few seconds - there was no answer. But, given she was operating under an alias, that much was to be expected.
“Uh, I'm just here to clean the room?” Gabriel tried something new, shrugging his shoulders.
“I'm perfectly capable of keeping it clean myself. You can go.”
An answer was better than silence, but he wasn't going to give up that easily.
“Then room service?”
“This inn does not have room service.”
“Alright, would a job offer be more interesting to you?”
Reyes caught a glimpse of slender fingers opening a gap in the blinds. He could swear he saw two eyes of completely different colors looking back at him, but they didn't linger long enough for him to be sure.
“No. Now go away.”
Gabriel put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. He looked around, being sure there was no one else listening or watching. Even if the place was clean, he needed to be careful about how much he divulged.
“Look, Dr., uhh, Agatha O’Reilly was it? I know who you really are and I'm not here to get you in trouble or grill you for an interview or whatever else you're thinking. I've seen your work and I was impressed. Do you think we could just talk? If you don't like what I have to say, I'll leave.”
Another bout of silence. Gabriel tapped his foot and waited. He wasn’t going to force anything, this was just an idea he had. It wasn’t life or death if he failed, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try his best.
Finally, after what seemed like eons, he heard the sound of locks unlatching, and the door opened for him.