"Wow, I guess the walk’s off then,” said Gus, resigned, taking his jacket off again.
"Hold on a second, let's see if I can get out of it.”
Carlos moved away from them for some peace and quiet while he spoke. On looking at the phone’s screen, he saw that the number did not belong to the station. He answered it, wondering who it could be.
"Hello?"
"Is that Inspector Carlos Vega?"
"Yes, who’s speaking?”
"I'm Doctor Martínez, I don't know whether you remember me. We spoke a few weeks ago in relation to some files you asked me for."
"Yes, I remember. What can I do for you?”
"I've been giving a lot of thought to the information you and your colleague gave me about the case you are investigating, and I think I have some information that could be of interest to you."
"What kind of information is it?” asked Carlos, eagerly.
“I would prefer to speak with you both in person, if you don't mind calling in here. It's to do with a file that could fit in with the person you are searching for and which is, as undoubtedly you know, confidential. To tell the truth, I shouldn’t be saying anything to you about this without a warrant, but given that it's about something so important... Well, I think I can trust you both."
"Don't worry about that. In the eventuality that the information does turn out to be relevant to the case, we won't use it until we've got the corresponding warrant. When would we be able to come and see you?"
"I'm going to be here all evening. You can stop by whenever you like."
"Good, we'll be there in half an hour."
"I'll be waiting for you. Goodbye."
Carlos hung up and approached Gus and Natalia, who were looking at him, intrigued. He took Natalia by the arm and pushed her towards the door.
"I'm sorry, Gus. We'll have to leave the walk for another time."
"But what's going on?" asked Natalia, stopping in the middle of the hall. "Who was it?"
"One of the psychiatrists who we consulted about the files you asked for," replied Carlos, feeling restless. "He says that he has important information about Charon, and he wants us to go and talk with him as soon as possible. He's going to tell us something about the case of a patient of his who could be him."
"Okay, let's go then," she had caught Carlos’s excitement, so she headed quickly towards the door.
"All right, Gus, you stay here. We'll be back as soon as possible," said Carlos, saying goodbye.
“You’ll be all right, won't you?" said Natalia, returning to the living room and looking worriedly at Gus.
"Of course I will. I've already spoken alone with Charon many times," replied Gus, winking at her. “You can leave without worry; I'll be able to handle the situation."
They left the flat at full speed and, after spending what felt like an eternity in the lift, they headed for the car.
"Do you think that what he has to tell us could be important?" Natalia asked him as she sat down beside him. "After all, Gus believes we're on the verge of catching him... This psychiatrist could have given us this information a few weeks ago, before we were so close."
“I was thinking the same thing. The truth is that, if the doctor had given us the killer’s identity then, it would have spared me a lot of trouble,” answered Carlos, as he pulled away in the car.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Aguirre would take it mucho better if I were to resolve this because of receiving information I requested back when I was still on the case. I don’t think he’ll like it very much if he finds out that we’ve carried on with it even after he’s forbidden us,” said Carlos as he brought his hand to his pocket. “And speaking of Aguirre, I’m going to turn off my phone in case he thinks of making another one of his little calls to me again.”
“But you’re supposed to be accessible,” objected Natalia.
“I know, but I can tell him my battery ran out. He’ll believe it, you don’t have to worry,” Carlos smiled at her. “The advantages of being a walking disaster. And turn yours off as well. He could think that we’re together and call you.”
Natalia took her mobile out of her bag and complied. She tried not to get her hopes up too much. There had already been too many occasions when it had seemed to them that the solution was close, just to find themselves later on back in the same place as before. Nevertheless, this time felt different. It was the first time that anybody seemed to know anything about Charon’s ghost; the first time that anybody thought they could offer some information about his past or his personality. It was possible that this time they would be in luck.
***
Gus remained for a few minutes looking out of the window, until he saw the car disappear behind the first bend. Then he turned around and walked back to the computer.
“Well, Art, it looks like it’s just you and me again. So we’ll wait together,” he said to the dog, which had lain down between the chair legs.
He turned on the computer and connected to ICQ, in case Charon had returned. After a little while, he got up from the chair and headed towards the kitchen to see what was in the fridge. Art followed him, wagging his tail.
“Since we’re both going to be bored here together, I’m going to start turning you into a trained dog,” Gus grabbed a Coca-Cola and went back to the living room. “Let’s begin with the little trick of sitting on my command and, if you do it well, maybe I’ll have time to teach you how to shake hands. You’ve no idea how many biscuits you’re going to get with that one.”
He began teaching him without getting the dog to do anything other than look at him without understanding a thing, and then pounce to steal the biscuits that he had shown him as his reward. He was already starting to give up when the sound of an incoming message made him look back towards the screen. It was from Charon. He looked at his watch. Time had really flown by for him. He sat down in front of the keyboard and accepted the chat request.
–Hello, my love. Have you missed me?
−Well, as a matter of fact I have. I’ve been sitting here for ages waiting for you to come online. It’s felt like an eternity. You can go along asking for my forgiveness.
−There’s not going to be any need. When I tell you the surprise I have ready for you, you’ll forget everything else.
−And what surprise is that?
−Well, I already told you yesterday that today my grandparents were coming over for lunch, and that for that reason I wouldn’t be able to sign in until six.
−Yes, but the thing is it’s past seven.
−Yes, I know... Don’t interrupt me now, I don’t have much time. My grandparents hadn’t seen me since before Christmas, so they hadn’t been able to give me my present for Reyes, and today, when they came over, they gave me a ton of money. Can you guess what I’ve gone and bought?
−I don’t know. A webcam so I can see you?
−No, better. A bus ticket to Bilbao.
−Seriously? For when?
−An hour ago. I’m in Bilbao, talking to you from an Internet café. I’ll be at the rugby field in about two hours. You’ll be waiting for me there, won’t you?
He felt a rush of desperation. Damn it, why right now? He was alone, he didn’t know what time Carlos and Natalia would be getting back, or whether they would be able to deploy the entire police force to catch him in such a short space of time. But nor could he refuse and lose Charon forever now that he was so close.
−I don’t know... Didn’t you say you were laid up?
−Yes, but I’m fine now. I don’t know whether it’s down to the excitement of going to see you, but the truth is I’m feeling wonderful. Silvia, answer me. I have to go now, or I’ll miss the train. Will you be there?
Gus cursed his luck. What could he do? He took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves. So this was Charon’s new strategy: don’t let the girls have any chance to react, don’t give them time to regret or ask for advice. Very well, he just had to do his
job. There was nothing for him to worry about. He would accept the date and, once he had finished speaking with Charon, he would call Carlos to organize the whole thing.
−Of course, I’ll be there.
−Good, but wait for me on the rugby field, don’t go off anywhere. Bear in mind that we don’t know each other more than from some photos, and we could cross paths without realizing it. Will you promise me?
−Yes, don’t worry.
−I’m leaving now. We’ll see each other around ten. Goodbye, my love.
−Bye.
As soon as Charon signed off, Gus hurled himself at the telephone and dialled Carlos’s number. A recorded message told him that the mobile was either switched off or out of reach. This could not be happening; it had to be switched on. Very likely, with his nerves being as they were, he had made a mistake when dialling the number. He called again, and heard the same message once more. He hung up, feeling more nervous by the second.
He picked up the phone again and put in Natalia's number. After all, they would be together, so she could pass it on to him. A message identical to the previous ones made him slam the receiver down, furious. They couldn't do this to him. He had got the date, and suddenly they were both disappearing. What was he going to do now?
Taking big strides he crossed the living room again to grab a cigarette. He lit it, took hold of an ashtray, and went back beside the telephone. He sat down on the floor and began dialling the numbers again, first Carlos's, then Natalia's, over and over again. Maybe they were going through a tunnel, or they were somewhere without signal, but at any moment, they should to start working again.
Quarter of an hour later, he hung up the phone, feeling desperate. They must have their mobiles switched off; there was no other possible explanation. Considering the fact that it was assumed that there was not going to be any date with Charon that night, they should have decided to take the rest of the day off, and left to go and have fun alone, as they were having such a weird fling... But, why did they have to have chosen precisely that day to leave him hanging? What was he going to do now? If nobody showed up for the date with Charon, they would have lost the opportunity to catch him forever; he would never trust Silvia again. They would have to start all over again, placing new bait and waiting for him to choose one of them as his victim. And, all the while, he would still keep talking with other girls, committing more murders. They could not waste an opportunity like this, but what could he do?
Perhaps he should do it himself. No, he mustn’t even think about that. It was foolishness. What was he going to do? Besides, Carlos would go through the roof, what with the number of times he had told him that he had nothing to worry about because he would not even have to go anywhere near where the date would be... It was not going accomplish anything him going. He would stay sitting where he was, calling them on the telephone again and again until they answered... And the date would go by, and soon there would be other faces to add to Bianca’s, Vanessa’s, and Patricia’s, to torment him in his nightmares. He could not allow that.
He looked at the clock, concerned. There was less than two hours to go until the date, and the place was very far away. If he was going to go, he needed to decide now. After all, it wouldn't even be dangerous. Charon would be waiting for a fourteen-year-old girl, so he wouldn't do anything to him. If he could at least just see his face, to be able to describe afterwards to Carlos what he looked like... Besides, he could carry on calling Carlos and Natalia from every phone box he went past. Surely they would answer him before he could get there. He sprung up and ran back to the computer. He sent a message via the Internet to both Carlos and Natalia's mobiles, informing them of where he was going to be and the time of the date, in case he could not contact them. Then he turned off the computer and picked up his jacket. As he was getting to the door, Art appeared, barking, and began walking around him.
"No, Art. It's not time for a walk. I have to go and do something important," he crouched down to pet the dog. "You don't like being alone, do you? I don't like it either, and I'm going to like it even less in the place where I'm going. You know what I've just thought? You could come with me. You're going to be my alibi. It'll seem less suspicious if I'm out walking my dog than if I'm standing still in the middle of the mountains not doing anything.
He put on Art’s lead, and they quickly left the flat, in the direction of the nearest taxi rank. He would take one as far as the cable car, and then they would walk up from there. He would have liked to have been able to take the taxi to the place of the date, but he did not have enough money on him and, if Charon was there waiting and saw him, he would find it highly suspicious that somebody would take a taxi to the mountain to walk their dog. Art was pulling on the lead, trying to stop and sniff every streetlight and bush he saw.
"Not now. We’re in a hurry," said to him, pulling on the lead. "We have a very important date, and we can't be late for it."
***
Carlos drove through the gate to the psychiatric hospital and parked close to the entrance. There were quite a few cars there; it must have been visiting day. Nevertheless, he could not see anybody walking around through the well-kept gardens. Night had already fallen, the air was very cold, and the sky was very overcast. It would not be long before it started raining again. They got out of the car and headed towards the door.
“Bloody traffic,” grumbled Carlos. “We’re three quarters of an hour late.”
“Don’t worry; he’ll be waiting for us. Besides, it wasn’t our fault a lorry turned over on the motorway,” said Natalia, trying to reassure him.
Carlos nodded, but even so he picked up his pace. He pushed open the door and walked resolutely towards the reception. A nurse smiled at him from the other side of the counter.
“Good afternoon. How can I help you?”
“My name is Inspector Vega. We have an appointment with Doctor Martínez.”
“Yes, he told me to bring you to his office as soon as you arrived,” she replied. “Shall I come with you?”
“No, thank you,” said Natalia. “We know the way.”
They walked through the white corridors at full speed to reach his office. Natalia knocked on the door, and the doctor’s voice indicated for them to come in.
“Good afternoon. We’re sorry we’re late,” apologised Carlos. “There was a traffic jam on the motorway.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve been going over a bit of work I was behind on. If you will be so kind as to sit down...” he said, indicating the seats to them.
Doctor Martínez took out of a cupboard the folder containing the file that he wanted to show them. Then he sat down on the other side of the desk and observed them for a few seconds before starting to speak:
“Well, as I already told you on the phone, I've been going over and over the profile of the killer you're searching for. The details you provided me with felt familiar to me, so I ended up going back over the files of all of my patients from recent years, trying to find anyone who might be a good fit. Finally, I found the file of one person who has many points in common with the one you're looking for, although there are also other points that don't completely agree, and as such it could mean this information may be of no use to you. Because of that, I'm going to ask you for the utmost confidentiality regarding their history," explained Doctor Martínez.
"Of course. You mustn't worry about that," Carlos hurried to reply. "And we thank you in advance for the trouble you've taken."
"Okay, let's begin then," said the doctor, opening the file. "The case I'm going to be talking to you about corresponds to that of a female patient who was admitted on two occasions, both times for attempted suicide over the last year."
"Excuse me, Doctor," Natalia stepped in. "Did you just say a female patient? We're looking for a man."
"I know. That's why at first I didn't initially make the connection between the information you provided me with and this particular case. But there are many details that are similar; too many for i
t to be a coincidence," the doctor waited for them both to nod before continuing to speak. "For example, you mentioned to me that the killer contacted his victims via the Internet, and this girl suffered a serious depression caused by a love triangle and by how impossible she found it to choose between the only boyfriend she had ever had, and a young man whom she had met over the computer."
"Yes, that's it," exclaimed Carlos, anxiously. "Would you be able to tell us the name of this girl? Is it Mónica?"
"Yes, Mónica Iraza,” replied the doctor, surprised. "You know her?"
"No, but we heard a witness talking about her. We are virtually convinced that her boyfriend is the person we're looking for," explained Natalia. "Do you know his name?"
"Yes, he was called Rubén. But he's dead; he committed suicide in July of 2004. I think it's Mónica herself who we ought to be talking about."
CHAPTER SEVEN
The two of them remained in silence, inviting the psychiatrist to continue talking. The man leafed back through the papers he had in front of him, as if trying to organise the information in his mind before continuing to speak.
"As I told you both before, Mónica was an inpatient here on two occasions. The first was in July. Her boyfriend had committed suicide on the thirteenth day of that month. After the funeral, she disappeared from her home. The following day, the man in charge of the cemetery found her virtually bled out alongside Rubén’s grave. She was admitted to the Cruces University Hospital until she recovered from the blood loss, and then they handed her case over to us.”
“Would you be able to tell me which day she was missing?” interrupted Carlos.
“Yes, of course,” the doctor searched for the information amongst his papers. “The 16th of July.”
“The date of Alex’s murder,” confirmed Carlos. “It all fits.”
“Are you saying that Mónica killed somebody before trying to kill herself?” asked the doctor.
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