LOST HIGHWAY

by Zac Funstein

“Some light reading for when you get there eh?” said Galbassi indicating a huge pile of books in a cardboard box.

  “There's a problem here, an interesting one if one is concerned about reading as an act of pleasure as opposed to literature as a field of scholarship. I like books-they don't value families; having the authority to control others or punish them at their pleasure-but which one that is the question.”

  The classics which had kindly been donated but not mentioned rested on top.

  “We human beings are glutinous. We feel smart because we are very civilized, we have so much technology, we have become rich comfortable even but we seek refined pleasures that should be denied us. Happiness is the art of taking pleasure in what you have. Just one -rather than many would perhaps be better.”

  Galbassi never liked ‘leaving’ per se-of anywhere that is. Once conscripted in the foreign legion the heat plus the loose sand made the trail seem like the road to Armageddon. The straps of the packs bit into the men with bitter finality. Sensing that this was a sticky wicket the neighbour was about to change tack when they were interrupted by another neighbour who having seen them (Mr. Halfred Bolge, a manufacturer, who was in his tiny workshop in his yard-a disused gazebo)-decided to come over to see what the fuss was about.

  The ill-fated teen who proved again to be very good at public relations wished him well.

  The address of the Bolge’s known as Multon always had a certain sinister tinge being as it was the scene of a terrible assault on the previous owner Maxima Branlyzuck. The events which excited very great interest, was remarkably similar to that of the Sigismond Hubb Case that had titillated the nation earlier that same Easter. But here only one miserable person was on the premises not several as with the Hubb’s. To this was added however the raising of the building ( of which Halfred Bolge was now the owner of the rebuilt shell), in order to conceal the robbery. The young woman both helpless as well as defenceless was brutally attacked; then the house destroyed to conceal the evidence. Flavusia Zaragamba lived next to the Schreibers, at the time Multon’s was decimated; Flavusia knew Maxima Branlyzuck well. That fateful juncture Maxima came to the witness's house to ask her to stay, Branlyzuck was frightened to be alone. The witness crossed the road with her as Zaragamba returned to her fate; it was then almost over. Maxima safely ensconced at Multon just watched everyone go past. Flavusia heard a lock then a bolt go across, that was the last Maxima was related with. When next seen Branlyzuck was dead. Branlyzuck had told a neighbour when last seen that going away was in the offing -nothing else was mentioned.

  Orlando Galbassi who lived upstairs at Multon at the time, was disturbed by a noise- got up then heard Miss Branlyzuck was in a state of distress. The tenant, ran along a passage, then having stopped at the lounge entrance saw the unfortunate lady lying there seemingly motionless; Orlando dragged her out, but perceiving no sign of life undressed the unfortunate woman, who had her under petticoat grasped so tightly that breaking of this grasp had to be done physically to the accompaniment of a painful cracking in order to return to a semblance of normality. The garment had held fast before giving, groaning its displeasure at the shabby treatment it has recently received.

  Such were the circumstances of enormity plus atrocity.

  Pilato Cavazos Carrasquill -the one believed responsible-had been seen going to Multon in seeming very disagreeable mood, even spoke of Miss Branlyzuck’s growing inheritance immediately before. It had prevailed that thus this had been accumulated which had excited cupidity within him; her retired manner of living gave anticipation of gratifying that cupidity. Pilato spoke of her interest, if a key witness at the trial that followed should be believed,— knew no reason why this should not be mentioned—that if they cared to ‘stick with him’ they would find him that night upon an intent that would make everyone ‘sit up ‘n listen’. Earlier Carrasquill had been in scruffy clothes; next seen neatly dressed, having a bundle, (no unimportant circumstance). In short Pilato had every appearance of having changed his attire. On one occasion Pilato said could an alibi could be established of his whereabouts. The boarding-house in Halifax Nova Scotia that had been stayed at would vouch for his inclusion. That certainly ought to have been believed, but would be proved by the muster-roll to have been absent. No record of Pilato had ever been seen.

  Bolge never liked mention of Halifax-since his great grandfather, torn from her husband/ child, passing through in the chaos of the Revolutionary War, was shipped there until joining a group of freed slaves on a harrowing return odyssey to Nigeria.

  “Don't be tempted to go anywhere without appropriate breakdown cover, if you are travelling to Europe, check you are covered there too,” offered Marius Rosing another neighbour who had come to see what the fuss was about. They had had to pile ‘comfort on top of luxury’ recently too-much to his chagrin (Marius’s name for Kimbra Rosings insistences as to what they should take-to him wasteful luxuries).

  When they arrived Marius made love to her angrily, relentlessly pushing her deeper into the haze of desire, until Kimbra arched beneath him, on the verge of shattering not really knowing what made him so cross.

  “Well said Marius,” replied Bolge who knew him if not well-then reasonably so. “I couldn’t have put it better myself. I trust Leonor Correia Goncalves is as well as can be expected.”

  “Nursing support staff do a wonderful job on Leonar but are constantly under pressure from ever dwindling resources. Goncalves is still full of humor, as I say, even though when I saw her last time the physician assistant was obviously very unwell cursing the Suzuki Vitara that went so wildly onto the sidewalk.”

  Marius stretched lazily, a pleasure seeping through him as if to say pain does not remain forever -- something releases us from it -- but we cannot sense enjoyment all the time either.

  His piercing gaze held the teen for a moment, then his expression softened ever so slightly.

  “I’m still not quite sure what brought this on-something to do with your father I suppose getting away from it all.”

  The persona of the recluse, hermit or misanthrope seemed easy to him, if a little unusual in one so young. A young female patient who considered her father ‘contaminated’ who would therefore avoid any physical contact with him had recently been a media sensation so was a great contemporary influence-maybe dads were ‘out’.

  “I suppose-it’s more complicated than that-yes it’s in there somewhere but there is more so much more.”

  “A word of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast... a part-time crusader, a moderate fanatic. Save the other half of yourself for what comes next-whatever this might be.”

  An image came to him- security men were holding a crowd in abeyance to let a shaken minister plus the officials get into a waiting Lancia Ionos.

  “Which is Marius-fill us in ‘cos I’d love to know?”

  There was a certain stress like a patient who already having received preoperative medication in an effort to promote relaxation now had woken up to what had been done as per surgery.

  “That’s for you to find out-no one else can know look for those things that give you the biggest reward, happiness wise, for the least amount of effort. That's what smart people do. That's what happy people do, too. We should perhaps concentrate on the performance of your chosen automobile here.”

  The gleaming surface of the automobile-as it was called- was enjoyed in tactile fashion. It was as artifacts/ possessions take on the character of the person who owns them, rather than the person from whom they are detached-that is the maker or designer.

  The one leaving didn’t really know if pushed just why this was occurring only that nothing had seemed more important than to get away. This was what moved her with an intensity that it was hard for anyone else (apart from herself) to understand.

  “Certainly the car holds the road well steers nicely, positively, whether on rural rides or .slamming it down the motorway. I got her up to some fairly nifty moving I can as
sure you-although the ride can be a little stiff at times, that's only to be expected with something this sporty.”

  “If you’re travelling in this country try to take only the barest ID. We are very concerned that someone is attempting to get hold of original certificates, which could then be used to obtain false documentation such as passports or for other fraudulent purposes.”

  The session continued smoothly Marius was rather surprised that they had touched on such crucial emotional issues, however when Rosing got home-Ellen telephoned him, was very concerned/anxious:

  “Are you sure my daughter is ready for this?”

  Marius tried to reply reassuringly, but so much was happening so fast that Rosing could only concentrate on not making himself look like a fool.

  “The one intent has said doing something very serious is a very distinct option if this trip doesn’t go as planned. Ready or not I believe this a journey that has to be made.”

  “Are you sure you’re not making this up Marius?”

  It is in moments such as these when we square off our dreads that laughter is especially welcome, that the comic/ tender is held dear.

  “Perhaps-maybe I am reading too much into this-please tell your daughter to be careful anyway-that is a very dangerous piece of highway.”

  C

  The deceased was found in her car alongside a dirt road approximately near where her parents were told that their daughter was going. At first no one considered that anything was wrong. Her passport was found in the glove compartment next to the books that had been given. It had not been touched since it had been put there. Alihan Sheripov-her boyfriend-was told of the news too by Paulo Melo Araujo who had the unpleasant task of informing everyone of the events. The young-man immediately broke down then wept exclaiming that rest would not be his until whoever was responsible had been brought to task but more than that happiness would never be his. Needless to say the entire community that had known the deceased was in a state of shock-not only her family, but friends teachers etc. The ripple effect of one person's decision has rocked everyones life over ‘n over again. Such things simply did not happen here. The Dean of Students said that they preferred not to comment-it was just too terrible.

  The accused teenager (in so far as anyone who was around was accused) gave a location to Mr. Carlos Martins Fernandes of where the car could be found-but denied any knowledge of the incident, only that it had been seen repeatedly in passing which was what aroused suspicion. It had been believed initially that the vehicle was just abandoned-joyriders or one that had broken down. They were eventually exonerated. The authorities concerned went almost straight to where the dead woman’s car was by following the directions given to them by the accused. They seemed to know instinctively what had happened. The car in which the deceased was presumably attacked was on a concrete verge near the side of the road. It was parked near to the boundary fence of a disused storage-bay which was why it attracted little suspicion. It could have quite easily been there for a while for such was not unknown. There is no evidence of the car being involved in particular with an impact with anything either in the area where it was parked or nearby. It was to all intents purposes the same as when G left having bid goodbye to her folks. The battery of the car was completely flat when examined although if this had been drained or this was by accident no one knew. The car had a tarpaulin draped over the front passenger side extending down that of the vehicle. It was tied to the front exterior rear vision mirror (again on the passenger side of the vehicle) then wedged in the boot of the car as observed by the official-party on their arrival at the scene. Kauã Rodrigues Goncalves was asked to inspect the general vicinity- although many were sure of course that what was seen on view was not evidenced in the trial. It was to allow to better comprehend the evidence that the defence claimed could not be ignored, but in court was deemed vague. The accused (who denied any involvement) was arrested at his home not far from Penticton where the deceased was found in her car. The view demonstrated that, although the region comprised several large properties set in many acres, it was nevertheless quite isolated.

  Schreiber was lying on a mattress which was positioned across the interior of the vehicle. Reclined at a unique angle from the photographs taken at the scene it was particularly disturbing even to those hardened to situations such as this. Although quite what made it so was difficult to pin down. The lower half of the dead girl was covered by a continental quilt (what Americans call a pacifier) further up with a denim jacket, although not the one. The deceased was wearing track pants which were not pulled up completely resting around just below her T-shirt-suggesting hiding something was attempted by the assailant. G wore a top which was not only inside out wrong way around. This was badly torn. The deceased wore mens underpants as well as panties under her track pants. Male socks were worn too. Schreiber who showed signs of extensive trauma, had started to decompose but not enough to be noticeable.

  Dr. Miklo Cardoso Rodrigues went to the scene examined the dead teenager in the position where it was found in the vehicle. Miklo gave opinionated evidence of his observations at the scene of what observed when the post mortem was conducted. An experienced/highly qualified pathologist they had no reason to doubt Rodrigues expertise. A summary of the essential observations made by Mr. Vinicius Souza Xima of the Forensic Response Section (his assistant) were as follows.

  Photographs of the scene were taken by Mr Xima. They depict the general area plus the deceased’s car with the tarpaulin positioned over the passenger side. The tarpaulin had been pulled back by Mr. Diego Sousa Costa plus the others when they arrived at the scene earlier. The photos showed the remnants of a small encampment. It does not appear like this was from the residue in the photograph. In the same area, near the camp, earth had been pulled from the ground then strewn to one side presumably to put this out. From the photographs the area around the car/ camp do not give the appearance of a site used by anyone apart from the teenager herself.

  The driver’s side of the vehicle was unlocked- the window of the driver was down a smidgen. All other entrances were locked, side- windows were up. There did not seem to be any immediate sign of forced entry.

  There was no evidence of any impact damage either to the vehicle or to any fence posts nearby so any kind of accident was ruled out-at least a collision-although collapse from imbibing drugs was not ruled out. The autopsy however was to rule that as far as could be discerned no illicit substances had been imbibed-that is the deceased was stone cold sober-whatever happened to her did so without any self-administered anaesthetic. The battery of the Volvo ( Halfords Lead Acid Battery) as already mentioned was described as ‘dead flat’ to the point where none of the interior systems operated. Jump leads thrown nearby suggest some salvaging had been attempted. There was a battery-charger in the boot which under test conditions worked but at reduced capacity. This had not been tampered with-it was ostensibly in the same condition that it had been in when it left the Schreiber residence.

  There were no signs of tyre or skid marks in the area-that is of any analogous vehicle that had to leave in a hurry. Whoever had been responsible was very careful to cover up their tracks.

  Danilo Souza Carvalho was a school counsellor at Rodrigues Martins Primary School where the victim attended when news of the terrible incident got out. Danilo spoke of an occurrence whilst G was under his auspices-there had been numerous complaints. It had upset him before but it had not been mentioned. Somehow this seemed a culmination of what had been observed.

  The deceased turned up at school whom Danilo described her as being in a highly disturbed state. Schreiber was not fully dressed was obviously physically hurt, swaying as well as being huddled over. There was obvious signs of a struggle- bruising all over- on her extremities. Carvalho was so distressed that help was called for. Another school officer, Ms. Took, came to assist. Together they took the deceased to the legal-dept for immediate appraisal. The officer on duty said that they should go straight to the hospit
al. It was after visiting the hospital that they were referred to see Dr. Vowler at his surgery. Vowler said when first observed Schreiber was curled up very distressed-it was one of the most pathetic examples of neglect ever seen. There was severe bruising all over to the extent that communication was only in a whisper because of the extensive bruising. That there were worse abrasions, multiple other bruises plus scratches some of which appeared to be healing but similar scars which refused to heal on account of repeated attack was evinced when her clothes were removed. Her visible surface (that which wasn’t hidden by flimsy clothing) was then generally either tender or split but the unseen was worse. In his opinion the injuries were caused recently although some of the others were probably older-they did not notice any burns anyway which was encouraging. When asked the teen gave no indication why such a state was hers. Repeated entreaties to reveal the source of the attack met with similar refusal. When next seen however G had internalized a treasure of healthy experience gained from being part of a recovery environment. Both parents oblique mirrors of their daughters highly disturbed, apocalyptic emotional state said they noticed the improvement.

  Douglas seemed to be more at ease to the counsellor than Danilo had ever seen him before. Again Carvalho wondered why, but decided liking this side of him might be a better option. As for Ellen Danilo could tell that G’s mom was upset, but just what this maternal element was upset about wasn’t known.

  Ms. Gabriela Edwarns-another teacher- indicated that prior to this occasion the deceased had been seen with injuries of a similar nature. Recounting under oath specific occasions would present no difficulty such was her strength of sentiment. One time the deceased came into her office unannounced- disorientated, not very coherent, had garbled speech was agitated was scratching herself repeatedly as well as biting her available extremities. At one stage the yong girl was so disturbed that her conversation stopped mid-sentence. She was unkempt moreover appeared dirty-was an obvious victim of neglect. She said that the deceased wanted to use the phone to ring someone although who this was was not discerned. G used her phone list to call people, each of whom were asked for help in paying for fashion-clothing needed. Although only some of those contacted helped her, she was able to acquire enough before eventually being stopped. Gabriela discouraged her from doing that lest it would precipitate further attacks although if they were related was not known.