by Ines Galiano
- Hi, dad - said a child's voice at the other end. He was forced to open his eyes, trying to wake up completely.
- Good morning - it was impossible to hide the hoarse voice of someone that had just gotten up.
- I have had toast, but I wish they had been prepared the way as you do - said the girl.
- Were they burned? - Lowe asked, sarcastically.
- When are you coming back? - All of a sudden the girl changed the subject.
- I just got this job and ... There was a voice from a woman in the distance:
- Again calling so early? Give me the phone right now - there was a pause in which Lowe imagined the little one giving the phone to her mother. I told you not to call her at this time.
- But I... - Lowe began to speak, but immediately stopped, realizing that his wife had hung up the phone.
In a bad mood, Lowe got dressed and left the room. He looked at his watch, it was almost eight o'clock.
His companions were waiting for him at the door of the closed office, just as he had indicated the night before. He wanted to get to the home of the witness soon, so he could be back early and be able to investigate what had happened with the records. The three of them got into the detective's car and headed for the harbor.
Setti, who was sitting next to him, looked at the paper with the address and tried to locate it on the map that was displayed on the phone's browser.
They finally arrived at the house, which stood a little isolated, and from where the silhouette of the mountain with the tunnel was clearly visible.
Indeed, one could, without difficulty, see the cars enter on one side and exit on the other. Lowe imagined that at night it would look even better, when the cars had their lights on. It was quite another thing though for someone to stay awake until four in the morning, watching the tunnel.
They got out of the car and walked up over the driveway. They rang the bell. There was no answer.
Lowe knew what three cops, standing on the doorstep, would look like when peeking through a peephole.
However, the witness was waiting for them. They kept calling, again and again, without getting an answer. Then they heard a noise that came from inside, like a slight moan, which could have been from a pet left alone at home for too many hours.
Again, another moan. Lowe put his ear to the door, it did not sound like an animal anymore. Another moan. It was as if someone was trying to call them. Convinced, he said to the others:
- Help me to break the door down.
Between the three of them, they started to kick, and because it was an old door and probably also with a rusty lock, they managed to break the closure down.
The door opened just a crack. Lowe pushed the door wider carefully. The moans became louder. There was no doubt, it was a person. With their guns at the ready they listened for the sound, which came from the back of the house. It seemed that the sound was coming from the last room.
After Lowe’s signal, they opened the last door to a scene of blood and death awaiting them. The witness, to mention him somehow, lay on the ground, pressing his stomach with his hands in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.
Lowe advanced quickly and sought for vital signs.
- Call an ambulance.
Setti left the house to make the call, looking for coverage and Col began to investigate the scene of the crime by order of his boss. Lowe sat by the witness, who moaned and seemed to want to say something. Lowe could not understand him, but he could make out some words.
- Not me, not me, the witness at times repeated. I will not tell. No. I will not tell. Promis ... It seemed clear that someone had tried to silence him. And successfully so.
He thought they would have to put him under extreme surveillance in the hospital if the ambulance arrived on time to save him. He looked at the wound, it seemed to have been produced by a bullet. It was bleeding, but Lowe did not have enough knowledge to help him and he feared worsening the situation.
He got up and looked around. It was a very simple room, with cheap furniture and worn sheets. A bedroom with a bed and a desk. There was a written piece of paper on the table. Lowe took it, as if knowing it was addressed to him. Someone had written with what Lowe wanted to believe was red ink and not something more macabre: This happens to the curious.
He could not believe it, in all the years that he had been with the police he had never been threatened. But this seemed to be, without any doubt, a warning. They did not want him to investigate, they had already made it clear to him several times. They did not want to know who had killed Lisa. Or they already knew, but they just did not want him to know. They had other means, Karla had said.
Col returned to the room, with several objects in a bag that they would analyze later. Lowe handed him the note, without saying anything, gesturing him to add it to the other evidence. Col picked it up and read it. His face went pale in an instant and he looked at his boss.
- This ... this does not ... he stammered.
- Yes, it is directed to the police, I'm sure.
Col began to move his feet without moving from the place, nervous.
- We can ..." - Col thought aloud -.
- We can dismiss the case for lack of evidence. We can ...
- What are you saying? - Snapped his boss, angry -. We are not going to close any cases. We are going to discover who has written that piece of paper and so will spend his life behind bars.
- But ... - the anguish on Col's face was noticeable. Listen to me, boss. Our previous inspector also wanted ...
- I'm not going to let myself be blackmailed!
- It did not end well Col said, a man died - and he started talking very fast, as if he was having an anxiety attack -, it should not continue like this, we cannot face them, there are things that are better forgotten and buried, they are not our problems, they will fix their ...
- That’s enough! - Lowe interrupted him and said seriously. Just do your job. At that moment, Setti arrived, breaking the tension in the room.
- The ambulance is here, they are coming with the stretcher.
His words were followed by a group of people in green uniforms, carrying a folded stretcher and asking everyone to leave the room. Lowe went out of the house and looked towards the mountain with his back to the stretcher and the ambulance.
Sure enough, the tunnel was perfectly visible. But why would someone stay awake watching the tunnel until four in the morning?
When Lowe arrived at the office with his colleagues it was already open, and the workers were at their desks. The three companions entered Lowe's office, which showed an unread message on the answering machine. He pressed the button and the three of them listened to the voice recording of the forensic doctor:
- Good morning, inspector, you told me to call as soon as I knew something. The autopsy is now finished. Lisa Lewis died about 3 in the morning, but did not die from a gunshot wound, as what seemed at first, but from a blow to the neck. I would say from a hard and elongated object, like a bottle. Anyway, I'm going to make a report with all the details right now and I'll send it to you as soon as possible. Have a nice day. The telephone answering machine beeped and went off, leaving the coroner's words floating in the air.
Lowe was the first to move.
- Beaten with a bottle, he repeated aloud. That means that Lisa Lewis died before entering the tunnel.
- In Red's room, boss?
- Probably.
-Do you want me to put a search and arrest warrant? - Asked Setti.
- No. How do we know it was him?
- You said she died in Red's room ...
- But we still do not have proof - Lowe said -.
- Lookout for him please, I want something that incriminates him.
- Where?
- Did you not go to Red's old apartment?
- Yes, but it was empty, Col said. The owner told me that he had only been there for a few months and that he hadn’t spent much time there either. He spent the day outside and came
in always late. He barely spoke with him.
- Just a couple of months before going to live at the tavern?
- Yes. No one knows where he came from before, but it seems that he was not from around here.
- Have you looked for his name in nearby towns?
- No. - Well, time to start than.
- Yes, sir. Col was about to leave the office, but Lowe interrupted him, drawing the attention of both.
- Guys - the two policemen looked at their boss, who had lowered his voice -.
- Be careful. We are talking about someone dangerous. Someone who would not hesitate to kill a possible witness.
- Do you think that Red had anything to do with the witness?
- He or a friend of his. The witness saw something more than what he told us last night. They have not allowed him to tell it.
- But, boss - Setti seemed very agitated suddenly and said, hesitantly.
- How did they know we were going to visit the witness?
- Lowe froze for a moment, as if those words had been a physical blow. He remembered the words of the old woman who had rented an apartment to Lisa Lewis. Do not call, she had said. Could it be true? Would they have dared to go so far? Spy on the police communications? A chill ran down his spine, realizing for the first time that the matter was much more serious than he thought. For them there were no rules or limits. But how? Did they have an infiltrator here in the office?
His companions had remained silent too, not daring to say out loud what everyone was thinking. How could they trust each other? Lowe saw the fear in their eyes and decided he could not panic. He had to give them a little security.
- Okay, Lowe said, not very convincingly. From now on, do not use the phone unless it is necessary. Lowe then thought about the forensic message they just heard. Would Red, or whomever was interested in the research process, listen to the message as well? And why would those people not have tried to stop the autopsy process? Surely, they would not want the details to be known either. Or if ...? As a precaution, Lowe went to the machine and erased the message.
- Setti - Lowe said -, I want you to go to the hospital and be near the witness. I want you to be sure that nobody else approaches him. And I want you to listen to anything he may say, whether he’s conscious or sleeping. Write it down, I want proof.
Setti swallowed, as if he did not like the task he had been asked to perform, but without saying anything, he left the office, followed by Col.
CHAPTER 6
Encounters
Lowe would have arrived at Mrs. Rios's house much earlier if two things had not happened along the way first.
The first had been the interruption by his boss, the director of the police department of the region, the same one who had assigned him to that town, and who had just learned that a possible witness had been wounded moments before Lowe and his subordinates had planned to interrogate him.
The moment Lowe had been about to walk out of the door the phone rang. Hesitating for a moment, but curiosity caught him, and he picked up the receiver.
- Inspector Lowe - he said impatiently, looking at his watch.
- Lowe, I want an explanation - that authoritative voice always made him nervous. I cannot tolerate more scandals, do you understand? The one two weeks ago is still way to recent.
- What happened two weeks ago? - Lowe had not been warned before he began to take over the position. No one had said a word to him until his companions had mentioned some of it the day before. Nobody had asked him if he really wanted to deal with an office in a similar state.
- That does not matter - his boss sighed -.
- Lowe, I want you to keep the press out. I do not want stories about what could or could not have happened. And, that the doctors at the hospital should not open their mouths.
- Yes sir.
- And do not let him die.
- But ... - Lowe had not understood the last sentence of his superior. I'm sure the doctors are doing the best they can, but it seemed very serious ...
- You are not understanding me - interrupted the director -. Regardless of what happens to the witness, do not let him die.
- Do you want me to hide him?
- Do not exaggerate either, just postpone the news a bit, you understand me – He noticed that his boss was being interrupted at the other side of the line.
- Look, Lowe, it's not a good time for the department, we're having problems.
- Try not to create another scandal, okay?
- Yes sir...
- I know I can trust you.
With those words he had hung up the phone, leaving Lowe completely disconcerted. Never before had his boss asked him to do such a thing and he had never before hidden the truth, not for the press nor anyone else. A murky thought went through his head: well, there was something he had hidden. But of course, he had never played dirty at work. It seemed that in this town the laws worked differently.
Realizing that he was not going to solve anything by staring at the headset, as if he were going to have the same conversation all over again repeatedly until things got clearer somehow, he chose to hang up and end the communication also from his side of the line.
Again, upon leaving the office, the second thing happened that made him delay his visit to Mrs. Rios.
He had not been walking for more than a minute when he realized that someone was following him. Quite normal, he thought at first, because this was one of the busiest main streets in town. But then he did not have any idea that this was the same man who had been following him since the investigation began.
He began to suspect something when he turned into a deserted alley where he entered a small bakery, to buy some lunch, the man who was behind him waited for him at the door of the store.
Lowe looked at him from the glass window case, perplexed, as he tried to pay attention to what the shopkeeper was saying.
- Two fifty, sir - he thought he heard while the stranger watched him through the glass.
It was weird that he did not bother to hide, it did not matter that the detective noticed his presence. In fact, the man who was following him now had a different intention. It was time for Lowe to understand that they were watching him. It was time to let him know that his actions could have certain consequences.
Sure enough, Lowe realized the presence of that man, since he did not stop observing him for a moment through the shop window of the shop. He looked at him so intensive that the detective had no desire to eat the bun he had just bought.
With a regretful air he put it back in the paper bag they had given him to carry it and asked about the bathroom.
He considered escaping through the window, as he had seen in the movies, but it seemed a bit fanciful. Also, the window was quite small. There was only one option left. He pulled out his cell phone and called Col.
- Are you in the office? - He asked point-blank.
- Yes, yes, I am ... - Col.
- Listen, come right now to the bakery at the corner.
- Do you want me to buy you something, boss?
- No but bring a patrol car.
- A car...?
- Quick!
Lowe cut the connection and left the bathroom. The man who had followed him was still on the other side of the window, unperturbed, while a confused baker tried to invite him to come in.
- Do you want something, sir? - he asked, gesticulating through the glass. But the man did not answer, and kept looking to the back of the store, until his eyes returned to settle on Lowe, when he left the bathroom.
The owner of the place noticed that and turned to the detective.
- Does your friend want something?
- Yeah, bun as well - Lowe lied -. You see, he is very shy, you know?
- Well, he only has to ask for one, I'm not going to eat him ... - grumbling, the baker put another identical bun in another paper bag and gave it to Lowe.
The inspector paid the second muffin, took the bag and left the store. He took two steps forward
and immediately the man imitated him. Lowe stood on the edge of the sidewalk, barely looking at his pursuer.
- What a good day, don’t you think? - breaking the silence.
The mysterious man looked at him without any dissimulation. They stayed that way for a few minutes until he decided to talk.
- Get away from where they don’t call you - said the man, with a voice set to make it sound more serious than it really was.
Lowe looked at him and tried to feign a funny expression.
- I've only come for breakfast - he said innocently -.
- By the way, this is for you.
Lowe put the bag with the muffin in the man’s hands abruptly, so that the man had no choice but to take it. It was that or let the bun spill on his shirt.
At that moment, the patrol car which Col had been driving stopped beside them. Without giving him time to react, the inspector got into the car using the passenger door and shouted:
- Let’s go!
The surprised policeman, did not dare to disobey an order like that and stepped on the accelerator with all his might, leaving the other man behind, with an expression of astonishment while squeezing the pastry bag against his chest with both hands.
Lowe watched him in the rearview mirror, as they drove away, and saw the man throw the muffin on the ground and leave. running in the opposite direction. Probably looking for his car.
- Turn left and make several turns.
- Lowe told Col, a little calmer -. When we have lost him, I want you to leave me at Mrs. Rios's house and return to the office.
- Mrs. Rios? But she lives only two minutes from here ...
- Do what I tell you.
- Boss, walking is good for your health, my mom always tells me ...
- Faster!
When Lowe finally knocked on the door of Mrs. Rios’s home, it was almost eleven o'clock in the morning, time at which lunch was punctually taken.
That's why the old lady was in such a bad mood because she had to put her fork aside, with a bit of food already on it, and had to walk the whole aisle, leaning on her cane, on an empty stomach, to open the door.