by Ines Galiano
- Do you think there could be a body in that bag?
- No! Well, I ... I do not think so, you know? I think he just took his things.
- Why are you so sure?
- Well, because when I entered later the room was empty!
- Did he say anything to you when he saw you?
- No, he had his back turned to me, he did not see me. He closed the door and went downstairs. I went to the bathroom and did not give it any importance. They do not pay me to keep an eye on customers, you know?
- He has not returned after that all day?
- No, nobody has come in all day today except Shara, Ricardo and you.
- Ricardo? Who is Ricardo? - Lowe asked, that name did not sound familiar.
- Ricardo is one of the guys from the harbor. You know ... sometimes helps around here ...
- Help with what?
- Some odd jobs when needed. Mr. Marst was very fond of him.
- Is Ricardo a friend of Red? Do they get along?
- I would say yes. But come on, it's not that one always knows who gets along well or badly around the neighborhood.
- What did he come in for to this morning?
- I do not know, I've seen him go to the back room. He wanted to talk to Shara, but I think Shara was not in a talkative mood.
- Why do you say that?
- We are all tense with the situation.
- Did Sarah speak with Ricardo?
- Yes, well, they were only in there for fifteen minutes and then Sarah left right away.
- Have you heard what they were talking about?
- No, of course not, you are not implying that I spy on the owner of the place right ... ?
- No, no, and Ricardo? Did he leave after that conversation?
- Yes. Well, maybe he went to the bathroom first, yes. He left after going to the bathroom.
- Do you think that he had time to go up to the second floor while you thought he was using the bathroom?
- Oh, I do not know. I don’t know how long he took, you know?
The detective had written down everything Karla had said in his pocket notebook. With a sigh, and much calmer, he asked again:
- Tell me, Lisa was staying here, right?
- Well I would not exactly say stay ... - Karla blushed and looked away, as if afraid to speak ill of her -.
- Please, I need you to tell me everything you know encouraged the detective, changing the tone of his voice and speaking more gently than before.
- Lisa began a relationship with the owner, with Marst. She moved into his room.
- How long ago?
- I do not know exactly, because it was a gradual thing, you know? But I would say a year or so ago.
Lowe hastened to write this new information down.
- Did you get along with her?
- We hardly spoke, she did not lower herself to talk to me. The truth is that she had an air of greatness ...
- Did you know her before?
- No, I met her when the owner brought her here. I would say that she was the worst of all ... but it is not for me to criticize the owner's girlfriends.
- His girlfriends? Were there many?
- Well, you know how it is ...
- No, I do not know - the detective told her, inviting her to continue.
Karla blushed again but continued speaking.
- Marst did not have very long relationships since ... since Shara’s mother.
- Did you already work here by that time?
- Yes, I was and here I continue. Almost thirty years already, how time flies ...
- What happened to Shara's mother?
- She left. About ten years ago, maybe.
- Where? And why?
- Listen, they do not tell me everything that happens around here. Also, it is often better not to ask ...
- Do you have a family?
- I have a son, but he also left a long time ago. I have not talked to him for many years.
- Where did he go and why?
-To find something better ... - Karla said, in a melancholy way.
The detective decided that he would not continue to press the issue, since it was not relevant to the investigation either. In spite of his job, Lowe respected, the privacy of the people. There were things that he himself had never confessed about his family. He understood that feeling.
- Tell me about the night Marst died. - Lowe wanted to change the subject. Shara threw Lisa out, right?
- Yes - Karla's face lit up, as if proudly. No more women will come to take advantage of the tavern.
- Lisa did not return to the tavern? - No. she did not dare set a foot inside.
- And yet, Lisa returned last night to the tavern ... In Karla's eyes an expression of anguish formed.
- I know ...
- Do you think that you would recognize any of Lisa's personal belongings?
- I suppose so. - I may bring you some tomorrow that I want you to see. I think that's all for today.
They went down the stairs together and Lowe left.
Karla remained in the doorway, watching him walk away through the harbor.
Lowe was walking through the harbor area, thinking about what Karla had told him. Red had left the scene early. Did he know at that moment that the girl was dead? Surely, yes, he would not have disappeared had he not known. Would he have killed the girl himself or would he just have found out and decided that it was better to put in some distance?
Lowe looked at the sea, which was quiet, convinced that everyone here knew more than they would tell. And where was Neil? Would they be together? At that moment his mobile phone rang. He picked up the call without stopping to walk. He heard Setti's voice on the other end of the line:
- Boss, are you available?
- But you know I went to question ...
- Ah, well, yes, but you never know ...
Lowe, astonished, interrupted him:
- Setti, if I say I'm going to interrogate than that is what I’m going to do - and added roughly -.
- What do you want?
- A witness has called in.
- A witness?
-A man who says he saw a car go through the tunnel last night.
- How does he know that we are interested in what he has to tell?
- He says he saw the car enter at about four in the morning and was surprised because it took more than twenty minutes for it to leave at the other side.
- Where did he see that?
- It seems to be that from his home you can see the tunnel in the distance. One can observe the lights of the cars entering on one side and leaving at the other.
- What was he doing awake?
- He has not told us more, boss.
- Have you written down his number and address?
- Yes.
- Ok, I will be there. in a few minutes.
In a hurry, immersed in his thoughts and not realizing that someone had been following him with care. Someone who wanted to know the movements of the detective, someone who was trying to guess if he was making progress, someone who was considering whether Lowe was a risk.
To all this, Lowe entered the building and went straight to the office, where his two companions were waiting. He flung the door open and caught them with their feet on the table, smoking a cigarette. They both jumped up at the sight of their boss and hurriedly stuffed them out, squeezing them in the ashtray and making hand gestures to dissolve the smoke, in a vain attempt to hide their wrongdoing. Lowe looked at them seriously but chose not to say anything, going straight to the point:
- The witness, what's his name? Setti realized he had been addressed and fumbled impatiently in the pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and read it with a half-closed look, as if he had difficulty discerning his own handwriting:
- Well ...
Lowe tried to stay calm.
- Well, he did not tell me. - He said at the end.
- How come he did not give his name?
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- Well, or I did not make a note of it...
At that moment Setti saw the look on the face of his boss and hurriedly added: - But I have written down the phone number and the address. He said he would be willing to talk to you as soon as possible.
Lowe took the piece of paper Setti handed him and read it. The address referred to a house near the port, from where it was very likely that the tunnel could be seen.
- Okay, I'll go see him at the first opportunity - he answered, keeping the paper in his own pocket. And he added, probably remembering the cigarette they had just put out in front of him:
- The three of us will go. His companions nodded, without questioning. Lowe asked them,
- What do we know about the autopsy?
- Still nothing, boss, the coroner has not called yet. It's still early.
-And what about Lisa's objects? What about the necklace?
Setti got up and went directly to the file cabinet next to the door. He pulled out an ocher-colored envelope and handed it to Lowe.
- Fake. All the stones are fake.
Lowe picked up the jeweler's report without being surprised. The necklace was not common, it was not a design that used to be labeled as an imitation, which did nothing more than corroborate the same hypothesis.
I have seen many cases in which someone had requested to make a fake necklace imitating one they had previously possessed. They were usually people who had needed money at a certain time, but they did not want others to notice the absence of the usual jewelry.
If he was not mistaken, Lisa would have sold the original at some time because of economic difficulties.
- Ask the pawnshops and buyers of second-hand jewelry, to see if Lisa sold them a similar necklace recently - Lowe said, without addressing any of his two partners in particular.
Lowe, with his eyes directed upward, was still thinking about the necklace. The fact that it was fake would explain why her murderer had not taken it, although that also meant that the murderer must know they were fake stones ... No, he shook his head to himself, it was not a robbery, the money found in the purse confirmed it as well.
- Why would Lisa need so much money? - Lowe asked, thinking aloud.
Setti hesitated and Col answered with a simple:
- I do not know ...
- Find out - Lowe counted on his fingers -. We know that two weeks ago, Lisa had to leave the tavern and pay rent for an apartment. However, that necklace was worth much more than the down payment on any apartment. Why did she need the money, if she lived with the wealthy Marst?
- Perhaps a whim that Marst would not want to buy her? - One of the cops ventured.
- I doubt it. But research the surrounding stores anyway, find out if she bought something of high price recently. A gift, maybe. Col wrote down what his boss was saying, nodding.
- What about the other objects? - Lowe asked. The brush with the initials ...? As he said it, an idea came to his mind as if it had always been there. How had it taken him so long to notice?
- LM They are the abbreviations of Lisa Marst ... The two policemen gaped at him and Setti said:
- I do not think so, boss ... - Why?
- Old Marst did not remarry after Shara's mother left.
- How do you know?
- In this town one learns fast about everything ...
- Setti looked at Col, as if asking for support -. We would have heard something about this ...
- What if they did it in silence? Clandestinely? Col looked at him worriedly and replied.
- You see, boss, this family does not hide things like that. They want everyone to know ...
- Go and look for the records of marriages in the last year - Lowe interrupted again -. Right now.
Setti sat back in his chair, facing his computer, and began typing quickly.
Lowe took the opportunity to use Col's computer to find the exact location of the house of the witness. It was where he thought it would be. It was almost funny that in such a short time he had come to know almost all the streets of the town. He picked up the telephone receiver on the table and dialed the number that Setti had written on the blank note.
He got several rings but did not get an answer. Looking at the clock, he was convinced that maybe it was not a good time to keep trying. It would be getting dark and soon it would not be a decent time to call anyone, especially according to the customs of the place. I will visit him first thing in the morning, as he had said before. He hung up the receiver and looked at Setti, who was still immersed in his search. -
- I'll be in the other office, Lowe said, but only for half an hour and then we can leave. The three of them needed a break.
- Wait, boss, Setti called him, before leaving the room. There's something weird here.
Lowe came over to him and stood behind his chair, also to have a look at the computer screen.
- It's as if the records of the last six months ... - Setti began to speak.
- They have disappeared - Lowe continued, after checking it with his own eyes.
CHAPTER 5
Witnesses
Shara was smoking, while sitting in the gloom of the living room, waiting for the correct hour. Ten more minutes till midnight, at which time Karla would call her. She exhaled a puff of smoke, trying not to think about the fact that Neil might have betrayed her.
The phone rang. Shara looked at her watch, it was five minutes to twelve. Puzzled, she got up calmly and went to the desk, where she picked up the telephone receiver. She did not say anything and just waited. A male voice was heard on the other side:
- Shara ...
It seemed like it was hard for him to breathe. | Shara's heart sank when she recognized the voice:
- Neil?
What was wrong with him? Shara thought, where was he?
- Yes, it's me ... - the choked voice answered.
- Where are you, Neil?
- I'm in ... - Shara heard like the sound of a blow over the phone. They are beating him, she was sure. Helpless, she twisted the telephone cord with her fingers.
Another voice, also male, spoke this time:
- Shara, what do you say now? - A wave of anger ran through the girl upon recognizing the voice of Red.
- What do you think you're doing? - She asked, in anger.
- I cannot kill the boss's daughter, you're right - Red explained, slowly, as if gleaming -. But I can kill the errand boy.
- Don’t! - Shara exclaimed, covering her mouth instantly. She bit her lip and tried to remain calm. Do not do anything that you will regret.
- You're not in a position to threaten me, Shara - Red's furious voice responded -. I'm not asking you anymore. Now you are going to do what I tell you. Or I will kill him.
- How did you find him?
- Let's say I prevented him from running away. He was leaving without you...
- Do not talk about what you know nothing about - Shara snapped.
- Okay - Red did not flinch - tell me what I do not know.
- Tell me where he is,
- No.
- Are you going to let Neil die?
- Are you not going to...
- You have until tomorrow at midnight. Twenty-four hours to think about it. Don’t tell me that I do not treat you well ...
Shara insulted him and hung up the phone with a bang. How dare he threaten her? She, Marst's daughter. I will not give him what he wants. never. But he had Neil ...
Anyway, where had Neil gone? Had he really tried to run away? She remembered the appearance of his kitchen that afternoon. Had they really kidnapped him? And yet, she had also seen Red a few hours before and he had not mentioned anything at that time. She knew Red, and he would not have missed that opportunity. What had happened to Neil last night then?
She thought then of the previous night and the crude images came to mind. No, she shook her head, Now is not the time to focus on that. Although the police would come around to ask, and when the autopsy came out ... But she could not
let anything happen to Neil, she had to find him before the police prevented her from doing so. She had to know what had happened at that specific moment. She had to buy time. she lit another cigarette.
The phone rang again. This time it was Karla.
- Tell me - Shara replied.
- Red has not returned and I do not know anything about Neil.
Shara took a deep breath before saying:
- Red has Neil.
- How? - Karla's voice sounded as surprised as hers.
- I need you to take care of the tavern and entertain those policemen if they come back asking.
- This afternoon the detective came to look at Red's room.
- Well, show them what you want, talk to them, let them waste their time. We need time.
- What are you going to do?
- I'm going to help Neil.
- But - Karla hesitated - did he ask you for something?
- Yes, but it does not matter, I cannot give it to him.
- Shara, do not risk your ...
- I'm not going to give it to him, Karla, you know I can’t. You know that job does not correspond to him - Shara's voice was colder than ever. I have an idea.
- What are you going to do? Do you know where they are?
- Yes, it's the only place where they could hide. They could not even be smart about that.
- Will you do it alone? - Karla's voice broke - what can you do alone against ...
- No, I will go alone, I'm still in charge - Shara was tired of being belittled, of being reminded of her limitations, of being told what she could not do -.
- You do what I told you. Entertain the detective. I do not need him to spoil everything.
- And what can I tell him?
- Make up something that makes them look elsewhere.
- But...
- You know as well as I do that the police do not suit us. Do not worry anymore. We have been in worse situations.
Shara hung up the phone and sat back in the chair with her cigarette.
_____________________________________________________________
It was almost seven in the morning and the sun was beginning to rise. Lowe opened his eyes, as if alerted by a noise. He looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Yawning, he got up from the bed and made himself coffee. Taking it hot, he sat down at the table and opened the notebook in which he had written down all the details of the case. The phone rang and with an automatic gesture, he picked it up.