Charon's Net

by Gemma Herrero Virto

  "It's all right, it's all over," he whispered to him. "Help is on its way.”

  He looked around, not knowing what to do. He could not go down through the forest with Gus on his back. The way was very slippery, and they could fall. Furthermore, he did not know whether Gus might have any injuries that would prevent him from being able to be moved. Perhaps he ought to go and search for Natalia. She had medical knowledge, and would know what they had to do, but he did not want to abandon Gus in the rain, and afraid. Gus had taken hold of him now, as if he had recognised him and did not want to let him leave. His hand was very cold and his skin was beginning to take on a pale tone that was almost bluish. If they went on like this for much longer, he would bleed to death. He hugged him, pressing him against his body to give him heat whilst he decided what he should do. Then he smiled and held even more tightly onto Gus's hand, trying to get him to listen to him.

  "Hold on a little longer. Help is on its way now."

  The forest had lit up, tinted by the blue lights from the patrol cars.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Aguirre listened in silence, and then remained thoughtful for a few seconds whilst he tapped his desk with ballpoint pen. Natalia had decided to tell him the whole story, but now she was wondering what might be going through his head, and how the whole thing was going to end.

  “As soon as Inspector Vega is finished with the removal of the body, he'll come here to speak with you, and I'm certain that he will confirm everything I've told you, point by point," she concluded. "I take full responsibility for what has happened. I convinced him to let me work with him, and that we needed the other young man to help us with the computer aspect of the case. Here you have my letter of resignation."

  She handed him the piece of paper on which she had written it a few minutes before entering the office. Aguirre took it, skim read it for a moment, and looked at her.

  "It's highly laudable of you to try and take on all the blame. But I've known Carlos for years, and he's no fool. He wouldn't have allowed himself to be convinced into doing anything he didn't want to do," he remained quiet for a few seconds, reflecting. “All right, here’s what I'm going to tell the press. At no point are we going to talk about the fact that Carlos was taken off the case. It would not look very good to people if our officers were presented as going around acting without regulation, and as such, under those circumstances, we would have to dismiss him, something which, for this time, I am not going to do. At all times, we will speak about the resolution of this case as an operation by the homicide team, and we will deny all rumours regarding the fact that ‘your team’ has solved it alone.”

  Natalia nodded. She no longer cared about the recognition. And, besides, it would be of little use to her now that she was going to be leaving the station forever.

  “Regarding what that friend of yours was doing in the forest playing policeman,” continued Aguirre, “we’ll say that he was going to be the next victim on the list. After all, Mónica had already murdered another young man some time ago, so it will be believable.”

  “That’s no problem for me,” she agreed, wishing to leave. “Anything else?”

  “Yes, you can take this back,” he told her, handing over her letter of resignation. “I expect to see you here on Monday. I’m not going to take measures against you. I think it would do us good to have someone with your talent here, although, from now on, I expect you to be able to control your initiative and adapt to the rules.”

  “I appreciate that, sir. But, even so, my resignation still stands. I’ve been offered a position in Barcelona, and I’m going to accept it,” she stood up and held out her hand to say goodbye. “It’s been a pleasure to work here.”

  She left the office, feeling dejected. It was done now; there was no going back. She did not know what was going to become of her life from that moment on, or where she would go... The only thing she knew was that she could not carry on there. She had failed, in everything. She had made Carlos take the investigation down incorrect routes; she had confused them, meaning that they were not able to see the clues... And it had all been there. It was so clear now... Because of her, Carlos had been on the verge of being sacked, and Gus could have died. She had not even known how save Mónica. And her complete loss of control during the moments of stress made her wonder whether she was prepared to deal with those kinds of situations.

  The frozen wind was still blowing hard, and her ankle sent her continuous jolts of sharp pain, but she ignored it and began to walk. She did not know where to head towards; she had no desire to go home. All she wanted was to give herself time to think in peace, to walk aimlessly, and to try and find a course for her life.

  ***

  The lift finally arrived on the top floor of the hospital. Carlos stepped out and stopped for a moment, not knowing what to do. The most likely thing was that Gus’s family would be in the waiting room, and that they might say something to him, but then again, perhaps they would be too worked up to talk to him at that moment. He headed towards the recovery room and, ignoring the no entry sign, he went in and began walking down the long and solitary corridor. A few seconds later, a nurse came out of one of the rooms and approached him with an angry expression.

  “Excuse me, but you’re not allowed to be here. You have to wait until visiting hour.”

  “I’m Inspector Vega,” Carlos stopped and, after bringing his hand to his pocket, he showed her his badge. “I’m in an official investigation. I need to know the state of Agustín Guevara.”

  "Wait a second."

  She went back into the room that she had just left. Shortly after, there appeared a doctor ready to help him. Carlos introduced himself again. The doctor started walking, indicating for him to follow him towards the area with the cubicles.

  "Mr Guevara is in a stabilised condition,” explained the doctor. "It seems that he has not suffered a fractured skull, nor has there been any brain damage. He has lost a large quantity of blood, but we have since carried out a transfusion. We will keep him here for a few days to monitor his progress."

  "Could I see him for a moment?" asked Carlos.

  "Right now he is very weak and needs to rest. I don’t think it's advisable for you to be asking him questions," replied the doctor, furrowing his brow.

  "It’ll just be a few minutes. I promise not to bother him.”

  "All right, two minutes," he stopped and pointed to one of the cubicles. "He's in there.”

  Carlos went up to it and stood looking through the glass doors. It seemed that Gus was sleeping. He was very pale, and his body looked even more small and slim in that hospital bed. A dramatic bandage was wrapped around his head. Carlos pressed the button go in, and went inside. The sound of the doors caused Gus to half open his eyes. He looked at him for a few seconds, disorientated and, at last, he smiled.

  "Wow, you look quite a sight,” he whispered to him in a faint voice. Carlos cast a glance at his mud-covered clothes and at the cuts and scratches on his hands. It was highly likely that his face didn't look much better. He returned the smile.

  "Well, you're not exactly looking your best right now either. How are you feeling?"

  "Tired... And it feels like a train’s gone over my head. What happened to me?"

  "The girl in the forest was Charon, but you don’t have anything to worry about now. It's all finished."

  "A girl? Damn, I don't understand it at all. And what’s happened with her? Has she been arrested?" he asked nervously.

  "No, she committed suicide... We couldn't do anything to stop it."

  "Well, at least it's all over."

  He closed his eyes for a few seconds. He seemed peaceful again, so much so that Carlos was afraid that he had fallen asleep. Then he opened them again and looked at him intently.

  “Where you with her when she killed herself?” he asked him.

  “No, Natalia was. Why?”

  “Did she tell you what she saw in her eyes? Do either of you know why she did all of this? Ho
w she could do it?”

  “Well, her psychiatrist explained it to us. She was ill. I’ll tell you about it soon enough once you’re better.”

  Gus slowly shook his head in denial. He closed his eyes again and, through his eyelids, there escaped a tear.

  “No, I’m not referring to that. I need an explanation for so much death, for so much pain... I would have liked to have looked her in the eyes and to understand how a person can do all that...”

  “Well, you yourself had her in front of you; you were able to look her in the eyes. Did you see anything? Did you find your explanation?”

  Gus shook his head again, whilst tears of anger continued to streak down his cheeks. Carlos went up to him a little closer and squeezed his hand.

  “Maybe there isn’t one, but at least it’s over. There will be no more girls on her list,” Carlos consoled him.

  The doors to the cubicle opened, and a nurse indicated to him that he needed to leave. Carlos nodded.

  “Well, I have to go. I still have to visit Natalia. She fell in the forest and broke an ankle.”

  “I’m sorry. Say hi to her for me,” Gus fell quiet for a few seconds, and lowered his eyes before continuing speaking. “I’ll miss you both.”

  “I don’t think so; we’re not going to give you any time to. I’ll be here tomorrow.”

  “Really?” his eyes seemed enormous, shining through the tears, like a little boy’s.

  “Really. I don’t have so many friends that I can afford to lose one of the best,” he smiled at him, jokingly, “even if most days I think you’re a pain.”

  Gus smiled, feeling calmer, and closed his eyes again. Carlos left the cubicle and made his way back towards the lift. His mobile began to ring, causing the nurse to fix a look of hatred on him. He ran out of the recovery area and began going down the stairs at full speed. As soon as he felt that he was far enough away, he answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Carlos? It’s Aguirre. I need you go stop by headquarters right now.”

  “But I’m at the hospital, and I still have to visit Natalia...”

  “Natalia isn’t in the hospital. She just has a minor sprain. She’s already called in here. I have to talk to you about her, as well.”

  “About her? Why? What’s wrong?”

  “She’s handed in her resignation. Come, and we’ll talk,” Aguirre asked him. “I have to meet with the press, and I want you to tell me what happened. Would you be able to come?”

  “All right. I’m on my way.”

  Carlos hung up and quickly made his way in the direction of the hospital exit. He was worried about what Aguirre might tell him, and how he would take the fact that he had disobeyed his orders. And, above everything else, he could not understand Natalia's behaviour. Now that everything had finished... Aguirre's tone had not seemed hard enough to him for her to have felt forced to resign. He left the hospital and ran towards his car.

  ***

  Natalia crossed the bridge, heading towards the park. The intense cold was clearing her head, making her feel alive. It had stopped raining, and the clouds had disappeared. Even a timid sun was beginning to forge its path between the mountains, flooding them with a golden glow. The city was dormant and silent as the final streetlights bordering the estuary went off one by one. Even the air seemed to be cleaner, as if the rain of the previous night had made everything purer again, renewing it.

  She began walking through the solitary park, with the sole company of the statues adorning the façade of the museum. Her footsteps resonated along the paved way. She felt just as peaceful now as she had done on that other dawn, in that very same park. It seemed as though an incredible amount of time had passed since then, but in her mind the memories of that night had been repeated many times, as if they had been burned into it. She sat down on the same bench, with her gaze riveted on some point in infinity, allowing the tranquillity of the place to calm her thoughts. The tears continued flowing, calmer now, like a gentle rain taking away her pain and cleaning her within. The sound of some footsteps along the path brought her back to reality. She recognised the gait and smiled. He had remembered the place; perhaps that night was important for him too. Carlos slowly approached, sat down beside her, and took out two cigarettes, offering her one.

  “Do you know how Gus is?” she asked as she accepted it. “They wouldn’t let me through to see him.”

  “He’ll make a full recovery. He was awake, and sends you his regards,” she looked at him, surprised. “Now, I actually was let through. The advantages of being a homicide inspector.”

  Natalia responded to his joke with a forced smile, and looked away again, turning all her attention to smoking in silence.

  “How are you feeling?” Carlos asked her. “How’s your ankle?”

  “Fine, it’s just a sprain. They’ve bandaged it up for me and recommended I rest for a few days,” she answered, turning around.

  “How did you do that?” he asked her, pointing to her face.

  “I’m not all that sure. Everything’s so confusing... I could have done it when I fell in the forest, or in the fight with Mónica. I don’t know. Seems it didn’t go all that well for you either.”

  Carlos looked back down at his clothes and hands, and smiled, shrugging his shoulders. They continued to smoke without speaking, gazing at the park, enjoying the tranquillity of the morning.

  “By the way, I lost your coat in the forest. Remind me to buy you another one,” she said.

  “Don’t worry about it. It had been crying out to be retired for years. The truth is you’ve done me a favour.”

  They fell quiet again. Natalia was pleased that he was still joking, and that he did not steer the conversation towards any topic in which she could lose control again. Maybe Aguirre had not told him anything about her resignation. She did not think she had the strength to give any explanations. She did not want to cry in front of him.

  “Why do you want to leave the Ertzaintza?” he asked her, as if he had read her thoughts, to find the precise one she feared the most.

  “Well, it was part of our agreement, wasn’t it?” she replied with a bitter smile. “You would let me take part in the investigation and, if I failed or caused you any trouble, I would leave and never bother you again.”

  “But, what kind of nonsense is that?” Carlos became angry. “Do you really think I want to be rid of you?”

  “No, it was a joke,” she said, looking away. “I’ve been offered a job and...”

  “If you’re going to carry on lying to me, I’m leaving, and that’s that. I know they haven’t offered you a job anywhere, because you would have told me. Where’s all this come from? And where have you got this ridiculous idea that you’ve failed?”

  “It’s the truth, Carlos. I’ve not done anything right since the investigation began,” replied Natalia, bursting into tears. “I’ve been getting it wrong time after time.”

  “But it’s all over. We’ve done it.”

  “No, you and Gus did it, and the fact is that every time I opened my mouth, I sent you in a wrong direction: saying that it was definitely a man, that he had a physical deformity, that he was homosexual... All the clues were there, for whoever wanted to see them, and I did nothing other than confuse you both. I even had her name in my hands; she was there on the list of attempted suicides. My eyes passed over it again and again, and I ruled her out...”

  “God damn it, Natalia... And I was talking with her on the beach, but you yourself said that none of that mattered any more. It’s done.”

  “But all of those girls... If only I could have been able to do something more... I was so sure of myself, of my theories, that I couldn’t see it. It was right in front of my eyes the whole time...”

  “That isn’t true, Natalia,” said Carlos, taking hold of her hand. “It all fits now, and can seem very easy, but it wasn’t. You were there, and you know how lost I was. And, after all, we found her thanks to your insistence on asking for a ton of files
on attempted suicide cases...”

  “...Which were no use for anything,” she interrupted him.

  “Yes they were. In the end we did it, and it was also thanks to you, to your help, to your hypotheses, to your will to not give up. Without you, I would have been making shots in the dark.”

  She did not reply. She limited herself to continuing smoking, staring intently at the ground, searching for the reasons to lose heart which had been torturing her the entire night and which now, with him by her side, seemed to be weakening.

  “If you go now, I’ll be right back in the dark again,” continued Carlos. “You’ll stay, won’t you?”

  She raised her head and looked at him. Did he really need her as much as it seemed? Had she spent her entire life searching for somebody who would need her like this? Somebody who loved her with all her defects, and who could see the real Natalia−the one who got scared, and who cried−, without rejecting her? And it seemed that she had found him. She nodded.

  “And what are we going to do now?” asked Natalia at last. “I’m feeling so lost now that it’s all over... I feel as if during the last few months I’ve been living in a novel, and that now the time has come to close the final page.”

  Carlos smiled and drew closer to her. Natalia looked at him in surprise, whilst she felt that her whole field of vision and her thoughts were overwhelmed by the sparkle of his green eyes.