by Wudson Silva
— You old cow! Tramp! One day I will blow your head off!
It is awful to wake up with someone yelling around. My neighbor is a master in scandals, during the day or at night. I have to curse her to see if she realizes it!
The worst is that she named her son Isaías. With all the names in this world, why picking exactly the same name as mine?
I had a nightmare.
I dreamed that Clóvis was an attorney that wanted to persuade me not to look for justice, asking retribution for the death of Gabriel, my youngest son, who was inside a coffin; and the funeral was in my living room.
Madalena was crying, and Clóvis talking constantly:
— What do you want retribution for? Will it bring your child back?
I pushed him with violence and went towards the coffin. I couldn’t believe my son was dead. I took off the veil covering his face and got surprised when it was not Gabriel, but my mother who was there.
— Isaías! — she yelled opening her eyes.
She raised from the coffin and stared me bitterly. I tried to run away, but my legs wouldn’t move.
— Isaías, get over here!
Marta, my mother, forced her nails in my shirt and started shaking me. Her eyes were wide open and saliva was running down her mouth. I couldn’t stand it and woke up relieved when I realized it was only a nightmare. However, even awake, I heard another yell:
— Isaías, get over here, now!
I jumped. My heart was beating so hard I almost had a stroke. I got off the bed, opened the drapes to let some light in and, even so, hear my name being yelled again.
— Isaías! Don’t make me go there!
Actually, it wasn’t my mother yelling, it was my neighbor ordering her son with the same name as mine to get back home. In front of my house she called little Isaías desperately, but he didn’t mind.
I am the one that got traumatized by the shock and with such a bad humor that I stared at the her with hatred, and I couldn’t help myself: I cursed her until my voice was gone. Worst, I told her that one day would blow her head off.
I left my bedroom bitter and went to the bathroom, but the telephone rang and, to make everything worse, there was no one to answer it, and I, who was in such a bad mood, had to answer it.
— Hello!
— Isaías?
— This is he.
— You are late for work.
— Who is this?!
— This is the Chief of Police, Jonas, schmuck, or did you forget how my voice sound is like?
— But today is Saturday and I…
— I don’t care what day it is. Orders are orders!… Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu! Tu!
The bastard hung up on me. And I have to deal with this! What is the hurry in finding out who killed that girl? Will this bring her back?
After going to the bathroom and having the terrible coffee that my incompetent wife prepared, I went to the police station and found the Chief of Police sitting down in his chair as if he were the Godfather.
— Good morning, Isaías! — he said.
— Maybe to you!
— I know this is your day-off, but our orders are to solve this case as soon as possible. Therefore, it would be better if you do something.
— He will never solve anything in this world by looking to the corners of the walls! And why don’t you follow the investigation from now on?
— Because I am going to the Mayor’s farm to get some rest and I don’t want to be disturbed. Besides, since you are following it since the beginning, it is best not to transfer the responsibility to somebody else, once it may impair the detective's investigation.
I sat down in one of the chairs at his office, put my head down and struggled to hold my cry inside. Worst than working on Saturdays and Sundays, it is to learn that the Chief of Police is going to a farm to look at the Mayor’s daughter, who will be walking around the pool on her bikinis.
— Did you find out anything? — asked Jonas.
— Nothing so far… by the way, do you know Elias, the butcher?
— Yes.
— He was Judith’s lover, but the detective didn’t incriminate him and further promised that he wouldn’t say anything about his romance. I didn’t promise anything, that is why I am telling you.
— Any leads on the murderers?
— Oh!… He insists on the old gate, with footprints, with lovers, with guests of her birthday party, with prince charming, but not with murderers… not at all!
— What? Prince charming?
— That is what I said! Elias told him that Judith used to talk about a prince charming in their dates and the detective created a bunch of theories.
— I was told he is weird. But, Isaías, have patience, go on and see what he wants and doesn't interfere too much with his work.
— That is exactly what I am doing.
The rest of the morning was monotonous. I did not speak to the detective, and he did not speak to me. I took a path to avoid the city traffic. I was sick of people trying to see the detective that appeared on the television.
Finally, we had only one picture left, which we would probably conclude today, since the great majority of the guests photographed were repeating.
The afternoon was even more monotonous. The detective didn’t say a word to me, and started to intrigue me. But the countdown for the investigation that was a shot in the dark cheered me up.
We only had five people left to see. Tobias, João, the bar owner, and other three of Judith’s cousins. The first one didn’t need to be interviewed because Clóvis had already inquired him enough. That is, we had only the cousins, who are three fools, and the bar owner, João.
I took a path so that João would be the last one interviewed, so that as soon as the investigation was concluded I would be exactly on the cracked glass counter begging for a cold one. The detective will have to leave on foot!
Having said and done. We concluded the interview very quickly with the relatives residing on the street right under the Catholic Church, almost at the corner with Judith’s house alley. Clóvis asked some bullshit and they replied in the same way.
Well, João, the owner of the bar in which I keep my tab, is the only one missing. I could barely believe that this investigation was about to end. To make it better it was about to end in the one place I love to be.
In our way to the bar, we saw that the church square was filled with kids. Some playing hide-and-seek and others throwing rocks at the pigeon that made its nest at the palm tree.
When we passed over the speed bump, the boys booed us when they heard the car floor scratching against the bump.
— Wait! — ordered the detective, with a look of doubt. — How many vehicles in this town do not scratch when they come through here?
— No one.
— Wrong. Do you remember that Tobias said something about the priest’s car?
— Oh, yeah! He was talking to Abel, and you needed to return Judith’s mail chest at her place.
— Do you know if there is any other car that doesn't scratch when it comes through here?
— No. Where are you going with this?
— Elias, the butcher, said that one night, on his way to Judith’s, he didn’t hear the car going through here at the time he was in the alley. It is odd that, in a probably silent night, a scratch like this wasn’t heard. He said, also, that the engine was off. Why would the driver go down the square so silently?
— To save fuel — I replied. — Do you know how much gasoline costs these days?
Clóvis shook his head negatively.
— What about this noise with the speed bump that was not heard?
I thought a little bit about the detective’s theory. If Elias didn’t hear anything that night it is because the car that almost caught him getting inside Judith’s house did not scratch on the bump. And, Tobias drives a car that doesn't scratch.
— So what? — I asked. — Tobias is the priest’s driver and is available at any tim
e of the day or night.
— Does he work every night? By the way, where the priest’s jeep is parked?
— At Tobias house — I explained. — Since there is no garage at the parish house, the priest allows Tobias to keep the car.
— Have you seen him driving the priest’s car during the night?
— Yes.
— Tobias hides something that I still haven’t figured out. We need to interrogate him.
It was easy to find the suspect. Just by driving through a street on the back of the church and we saw the jeep parked in front of the square. I saw Tobias leaving the parish house and getting into the car. I immediately got off the police car and prevented him from leaving, while Clóvis was still coming his way.
— Where do you think you are going?
— I am going to pick up Father Lázaro — Tobias replied.
— Why in such a hurry?
— Because he called me and asked me to meet him.
— Well, he will have to wait. We need to talk to you.
— Now?
— Now. Get out of the car!
Ignoring my order, Tobias ran away with the priest’s car in high speed.
I ran to the police car and went off in his pursuit without Clóvis help, who yelled my name so that I would wait. However, my police instinct prevailed and I couldn’t stop the car.
I saw the suspect's car still within the city limits, but the fugitive opted for taking the dirt road, out of town. The dust made my work difficult, but I kept on going and followed him with bravery, even with such a poor view of the road.
All of a sudden, the dust cleared and the fugitive car disappeared. There were no crossroads in which Tobias could have gone into. From the left side of the road there was a tall mount and, on the other side, a barbed wire fence surrounding the cliff that obstructs the cattle access to the road. I parked the police car and wondered what was going on. I got out of the car and noticed that the fence was destroyed: Tobias had lose control over the car.
I took some steps towards the fence and saw the priest’s car down the cliff, upside down.
I had trouble to get to the car. The bushes were tall and the sticks were hurting my skin. Tobias was alive, but, unconscious and bloody.