The Domingo Armada Mysteries Box Set

by Jefferson Bonar

  “And this Julian, he was threatening Gregorio to leave the election?”

  “They threaten everybody! I get threats too. It’s all part of the game. But no one’s ever taken it this far before. Can I leave here now? I’m innocent! I don’t belong here, I’m an academic, not a criminal.”

  Enrique moved toward the bars as if he were about to grab Armada, who stepped back instinctively.

  “Not until my questions are answered,” Armada said. The fact that he had no power to release Enrique didn’t seem relevant at the moment.

  Enrique pounded on the steel bars with his palms, then rubbed them as the pain throbbed.

  “How much do you know about Gregorio’s trips to Madrid? Did he ever mention them to you?”

  Enrique looked at Armada and smiled. “Madrid? Who told you that?”

  “Did he ever mention them?” Armada said firmly.

  “Gregorio has never stepped foot in Madrid,” Enrique said before snorting.

  “No?”

  “I’ve only been at this university eighteen months or so, but I can tell you in that time I never saw Gregorio leave town. He was always around. We worked in the same department, and I would either see him in his office, or walking around the streets in San Polo. But I rarely went a day without passing him somewhere. If he disappeared for a few days at any point, it would have been a blessed relief for me. Believe me! No way he left town.”

  It was becoming clear Gregorio was not the man he purported to be to anyone in his life. What if someone found out? It was still possible it could have been a woman, or perhaps he even had another family somewhere. No man with a wandering eye, at least none Armada had ever come across, ever had two families in the same city. That was just foolish. So, if Gregorio wasn’t leaving town, what was he doing?

  “Tell me about the argument in the tavern,” Armada said.

  “Did Arturo tell you about that?” Enrique said. “He’s never respected me. He’s always wanted to see me fail.”

  “Just tell me what happened.”

  Enrique made an exaggerated sigh. “It was drunken silliness, that’s all. Gregorio and I ended up in the tavern that night by accident. Some of the students started to taunt us into performing an oposición. We’d all had too many ales. It just got out of hand.”

  “What is an oposición?” Armada asked.

  “It’s part of the election. Every candidate for a teaching position gets up in front of an audience of students and tries to read their best lecture. Then the students vote on who they thought the best one was, and that’s who gets the post. It’s how these things are decided.”

  “And you did one in a tavern?”

  “It was a bit of spectacle. Those students are the ones who decide these things, so it always helps to show them you can be part of the fun. I gave them an old lecture I do on common land enclosure and if I remember, Gregorio gave them some rambling diatribe on grazing rights. You have to do anything to make yourself memorable to these boys. For both of us, the students just wanted to shout insults the whole time and…things just got out of hand, as they do in taverns.”

  Yet for some reason, Armada thought, Gregorio didn’t want his wife to know he was there. Why hide it? Perhaps he was there for something else and got distracted. It sounded as though the oposición was spontaneous, so he must have been surprised by it. Was he perhaps there to meet Teo? Or someone else?

  “So, can you let me out of here yet?” Enrique said, interrupting Armada’s thoughts.

  “I’m afraid not,” Armada said. “I don’t have the authority. Only the ayuntamiento can do that.”

  “What? But I told you everything I know! You said you could let me out of here!”

  Armada’s ears had had quite enough of Enrique’s frenzied screeching. “I don’t remember ever making such a promise. And I’m not fully confident yet that you are not the killer. My investigation will continue, and I will be in touch should I need anything further. Good afternoon, Professor.”

  Armada’s last statement finally stunned Enrique into quiet. He stared at Armada, shocked that he was still being considered a murderer. Armada strode out of the jail and went up the stairs back to where fresh air awaited him.

  There was a lot to think about now, and over the years he’d gotten used to sorting it all out by talking to Lucas. It didn’t used to be this way, in those early years before Lucas had come into his life. He also wasn’t quite sure when it happened, like when one develops a bad habit. One day, you just become aware that it is there, that you do things a new way now, and feel a bit powerless to change it.

  So, he would find Lucas. It was only when Armada started on his way he made the realisation that he’d given the map to their accommodation to the boy, but hadn’t looked at it for himself.

  Cursing his absent-mindedness, Armada made his way through the busy city toward the university, knowing there was an hour or two of aimless wandering ahead of him.

  Chapter Five

  Lucas was startled when Armada finally came through the door. He thought the old man would be home much earlier.

  “A bit of light please, Lucas, if you’re finished resting.”

  It was nearly midnight, and Lucas had been trying to stay awake for Armada’s return, in case he wanted anything to eat. He’d spent the afternoon settling them into their accommodation and it had been hard work. The stables were all the way on the other side of a large courtyard from where their room was. Lucas had to carry every sack, two at a time, all the way across it and then up a narrow set of stairs to their room. The sherry barrel had been the worst. It was bulky and heavy, and he couldn’t allow anyone to see him do it. There were stiff penalties for breaking the King’s ordinance forbidding drink in one’s private room, especially an entire barrel of it. It was tantamount to having firearms, or walking about with an unlicensed sword in the daylight. Even when covered in a cloth, it was clear what it was from how Lucas was required to hoist the barrel over his shoulder, so he’d had to wait quite a long time for the courtyard to clear of any curious bystanders before risking such a move.

  The room was sparse and his bed was miserable, but the one window opened up to a view of rooftops, just beyond which he could see most of the northeast corner of the courtyard of the Escuelas Menores, where he’d seen the boys playing with the ball before. He learned that with the window open, he could pick up snippets of the conversations of the students as they wandered past, unaware Lucas was listening above their heads. Much of these conversations involved gossiping about their professors or their fellow students, but some also talked at length about aspects of theology or civil law they had just learned, talking excitedly and using large words Lucas didn’t understand. They also talked about their dreams and their hopes for the future. There was a feeling of excitement here. Everyone was ambitious and full of passion, and nothing was dying or decaying, as in many of the tiny villages he and Armada usually visited. This was not a place of backbreaking manual labour, crippling taxes, living in the shadow of famine and disease, or of mourning the many dead that seemed to be piling up in Spain’s crumbling countryside.

  No. Here, people were focused on the bright futures that awaited them after university and the fortunes they would earn. And it was intoxicating.

  After unloading the cart, organising the provisions in their room, and sorting out the beds, Lucas then headed to the local lavadero to give their grimy clothes a good wash. They were now hung up, filling the room with a dampness that was already fading away. Then he made sure the mule had everything it needed for the night and finally returned to the room to await the old man’s return. Could Armada blame him for being tired? He felt as though he’d only been sitting on the bed for a minute, but when Armada came bursting through the door, the sun had very suddenly gone down.

  The room was dark now. Lucas fumbled about with a candle and finally got it lit. The room had gone cold, as he’d left the window open. He closed it, but as he did, he was surprised to hear all the shout
ing and singing and chanting coming from every corner of the courtyard.

  “Please shut that, Lucas. The noise is very distracting. I don’t see how we’re going to get any sleep tonight.”

  Lucas didn’t care. He liked that sound. It meant things were happening out in Salamanca tonight. Students everywhere would soon be out, having fun and causing trouble, leaving a wake of destruction in their path and creating stories they would tell for the rest of their lives. Lucas had overheard a few of these wild student stories in the past, and he wondered if he would have a few of his own someday.

  “Is there any food, Lucas?” Armada asked as he plopped down in the chair that sat against the back wall. “I’m quite exhausted.”

  “Yes, sir. I bought a bit of bread from the bakery earlier today. It’s all we have until I can get to the market tomorrow.”

  “Just give me that with a glass of sherry, that will do for tonight. Thank you.” He gobbled up the bread and washed it down with a bit of sherry.

  “You’re back quite late, sir.”

  “Yes. I wanted to take a walk tonight to consider all I’ve learned.”

  On the first day? Lucas thought this sounded odd. He wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Armada had given him the map to the room without looking at it.

  “Did you learn something, sir?”

  “Yes. Our victim was leading a double life. He told his wife he was going to Madrid every few weeks to look for better employment, employment he was unlikely to get without first advancing in his university career. And his colleague, Enrique, seems to think he rarely, if ever, stepped foot in Madrid. Which means he was up to something else here in town.”

  “Another woman?” Lucas asked. It was the usual reason for men to hide their movements. They had come across the situation many times in the past, but it always surprised Lucas. How was one family not enough? Having two was very expensive and could easily land one in prison for bigamy. Or worse, in trouble with the Inquisition. It was a secret that was difficult, if not impossible, to keep. So why take the risk?

  “Possibly. But I doubt it. There are always rumours swirling about when it comes to adultery, and I feel I would have heard whispers of it by now. No, I’m getting the sense Gregorio Cordoba was up to something more devious than that. Something that would have landed him and his family in prison if anyone ever found out. I think he was protecting his family. But from what?” Armada sighed again and took another swig of his sherry. “This is where I will start tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Armada gave Lucas a curious look, as if considering something he wasn’t sure of.

  “What is it, sir?”

  “I’m trying to figure out if you’re old enough.”

  “For what?”

  Armada squinted his eyes. Whatever was weighing on his mind, he had already decided to do it. Now, the old man was just making his peace with his decision. It excited Lucas. It meant he would be offered an opportunity to contribute something significant to the case.

  “We have to consider that Gregorio Cordoba’s murder may have nothing at all to do with his secret life. It may be related to this student election for the university chair, of which he was a candidate. Apparently, the methods used to swing elections one way or another can get out of control. Even violent. There is a chance one of the colegio boys took things too far one night while trying to convince Gregorio to drop out of the race.”

  “It’s possible, sir.”

  Armada stood and began to pace, swinging his half-empty sherry glass through the air, a sign the old man was still organising his own thoughts.

  “But in order to confirm anything, I would have to speak to the boys of the colegio San Bartolomé. Specifically, this Julian de Benaudalla. But I doubt they would tell me anything.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because these are the offspring of the patrons of the colegio mayor of San Bartolomé. They are titled nobility, wealthy industrialists, judges, lawyers, and people who sit on the Royal Council, and they use that college as a way to guarantee a path for their children into the upper ranks of our society. As such, these boys know there is little anyone could do if they misbehave, especially when it comes to a student election. Young men like that resemble a pack of wolves, and wolves protect each other from outsiders like myself.”

  Armada approached Lucas, putting a hand on his shoulder.

  “So, I need an insider.”

  “But I don’t know them, sir.”

  “You will. The thing about a wolf pack is they are always looking for new members. If they decide they like you, they might let you in just long enough to learn something useful.”

  “I…I wouldn’t know how, sir.”

  “I need you to do this, Lucas,” Armada said in a soft voice. “I know it seems daunting. But one of those boys, named Julian, has a strange connection to our victim. Which means he either knew Gregorio’s secret, or he was a part of it. At the moment, he is the only one who can help us unlock Gregorio Cordoba’s secret life.”

  Lucas wasn’t sure what he felt. He didn’t have any friends. Not like normal people. Ever since he’d been in Armada’s employ, he hadn’t had the chance. So how was he ever supposed to learn how to do it?

  The anger gave way to fear. What would students of a colegio be like? He’d never met one. Were they cruel? Were they like a true wolf pack that would tear him limb from limb? Was his life going to be in danger? He’d heard of students dying at university all the time. They were always fighting each other or doing drunken stunts. Would he have to do such things as well? It all seemed so mad.

  “I don’t even know where they are, or what they look like…,” Lucas mumbled.

  “That’s fine, Lucas. I found out during my walk today that the boys of San Bartolomé are housed in a pupilaje just north of the university building. It is run by a man named Ambrosio, whom I spoke with. He mentioned he was looking for someone to clean the house. Apparently, the last boy he hired was more of a thief than a cleaner. I told him I knew someone who would be perfect.”

  “So, I’ll be a cleaner?” There was a strange relief in that for Lucas. At least that part of the job he knew.

  “Yes. But it will also give you an excuse to be around when the boys are there. To listen in, introduce yourself, and see if there is a way in for you. You are younger than all of them, so they may not view you as a threat.”

  But what if they do? Lucas thought.

  “Um…yes, sir.”

  “I’ll take you over there in the morning. We won’t mention anything about how you are employed by me. As far as this Ambrosio is concerned, you are just someone I’m vaguely acquainted with. Nothing more. And as long as you do everything he asks of you, I doubt he’ll have any suspicion.”

  Lucas nodded that he understood.

  “Now, let’s get to bed. I’m sure we’re both exhausted from a long first day.”

  Soon, the old man had undressed and slipped into his bed. Lucas did the same and expected to be asleep well before Armada, which was the usual procedure.

  But tonight was different. Tonight, the old man was suddenly snoring away. Of course he would, Lucas thought. He’s not the one who had to face the boys of San Bartolomé tomorrow. Armada had always struggled to sleep. Memories from his horrific past as a soldier in His Majesty’s army in Peru usually came in the night to haunt him.

  Lately, however, the old man had discovered that if he talked to Lucas about them, it helped to settle his mind enough to rest. Lucas had been happy to hear about these stories, but felt there were still big pieces Armada was leaving out of them. It was a start, though, and meant fewer sleepless nights and less morning grumpiness from Armada.

  Tonight, however, would be Lucas’s turn for a sleepless night. Sleep was rarely such a problem from him. He didn’t have a past full of nightmares to keep him up. No, tonight it would be the future that would worry his tired mind. What was Armada asking him to do? What would he have to say to entitl
ed rich boys who’d sooner beat him than speak to him? What did he have in common with them? Nothing. Which meant they were going to beat him. There was no doubt in his mind. It was only a matter of time.

  And for the rest of the night, Lucas only became more convinced of that.

  Chapter Six

  “Who?”

  “He would have given the name Teo. I was told he was staying here.”

  The old woman staring at him through the gap in the door narrowed her eyes.

  “There’s no Teo staying here.”

  Armada noticed she glanced at his green sleeves before answering. Teo must have paid her off to keep quiet. But her eyes revealed she was having doubts.

  Armada fished a handful of maravedís from his pocket and held them up where the woman behind the door could see them. He wriggled his fingers about so the coins made that characteristic tinkling sound as they swirled around his palm.

  The landlady’s eyes locked on to them.

  “Are you sure? I had it on good authority he was here.”

  The small metal flap suddenly shut and the woman’s eyes disappeared from view for a moment. Then there was the sound of an enormous bolt being slid back, and the whole door opened. The old woman was dressed in soiled clothes that wreaked of animal fat. She stood in the doorway, her stocky frame filling it almost entirely and making it clear Armada was not to pass unless she let him.

  The woman held out her hand, and Armada put the coins into it. Her hands were dried out, as if they’d been sitting in the sun too long. They were in stark contrast to the oiliness of the rest of her skin that came from working in her humid basement all day.

  The landlady, who hadn’t seen a reason to give her name, counted the coins before slipping them into an unseen pocket of her dress.

  “He’s not here. You’ll have to come back later.”

  “May I see his room, then?”

  The woman held out her hand again. Again, Armada filled it with coins. The landlady finally stepped aside.