by Ines Galiano
Saying this, both Setti and Col stood up at the same time
- They should stay at a safe distance though, as the contact will not talk to me if they are too close.
Shara made an attempt to go out the door but Neil stopped her:
- I'll go! - He said.
- You know he will not talk to you either - she answered, dodging him.
- We will follow you, miss - Setti and Col muttered.
- But ... - Lowe started, trying to regain control of the situation and over his subordinates. However, he realized at once that this was the best solution and waved them on with his hand.
- I will follow you too, Shara - added Neil.
- No, nothing of the kind - said Lowe quickly. He was not going to allow all his suspects to disappear at the same time.
Lowe watched Shara leave, followed by the two policemen and sat down again at his table. Neil did the same, returning to his slouched position in the chair.
- Smoking is not allowed here, right? – Said Neil breaking the silence.
- No - the inspector replied in a bad mood.
It had been almost an hour since Shara and the others had left, and Lowe was starting to get impatient and could not stand any more of Neil's absurd questions about other confidential cases, so he decided to go out and take a breath.
There was no one on the street, just a cat walking cluelessly.
Without wanting to go to the location of the bakery where the meeting was going on, he decided to take a walk in the other direction. Twenty minutes went by that seemed eternal, thinking about what could be happening.
He wondered if it would be too obvious to go to the bakery where Shara was meeting with the stranger. Shrugging his shoulders, he thought that it could not hurt if he carefully approached to the spot where Setti and Col were positioned.
He started down the street looking for them, but there was no sign of them. Puzzled, he kept coming closer and closer to the bakery, but there was no sign of the cops anywhere. He was starting to get angry. He could not believe that they had left Marst alone at the bakery or that they had left following her without having told him anything.
With two more steps he found himself in front of the window where he had been infatuated with a cream bun a couple of days ago. The buns were still in the same place, as if they were waiting for him, but the show behind the counter was very different.
His heart suddenly quickened, as he ran through the heavy glass door.
The body of the baker was the first one he stumbled over, but ignoring her, he hurried to get to Setti, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. His eyes were closed, but he did not appear to have any wound nor did he seem to be bleeding.
Lowe shook him anxiously and upset.
Setti seemed to open his eyes with effort, completely disoriented. Lowe sighed in relief. It seemed it had only been a blow to the head that had knocked him unconscious, but nothing serious.
- Boss ... - tried to say Setti, while Lowe raised him up and helped him to sit down in a chair next to a small and round table for customers.
- Tell me what happened - Lowe said, while repeating the same operation with the owner of the bakery.
She however, did not seem to be able to recover that quickly, so he rested her head on the small table.
- Chief ... - Setti seemed to be recovering his memory completely - Chief!
- Yes, yes, tell me - said Lowe, with patience
- Where is Col? - Col! - Yes, Col.- Col has left ...
- I can see that – said Lowe frowning.
- The blow ...
- Did they hit him too?
- No, boss ... Col gave me the blow, I'm sure - Setti said, confused, running his hand across the back of his neck, as if remembering.
- What are you saying? - Lowe bent down to look at him more closely.
- Chief! Col is involved! - Setti shouted suddenly and tried to stand up with effort.
Lowe forced him to sit down again.
- Of course not, Setti, what happened is that you hit yourself very hard ...
- Boss! Listen, there was no one else but us - Setti began to relate -. We had been waiting here for more than half an hour. She was sitting there - he pointed to the table he was sitting at - and we were over there - he pointed again, this time to the table furthest from the door, next to the toilets.
- Nobody came? - Lowe asked alarmed.
- No, nobody came! We were waiting until Shara decided to return to the police station. I got up to follow her and suddenly - he again brought his hand to the nape of his neck, to the exact spot where they had given him the blow that had made him fall to the ground -, he hit me with a vase!
Lowe looked at the vase that was being used as a centerpiece to decorate the tables and thought it would be a good blunt object to kill someone.
Shaking his head, he asked:
- How do you know that it was Col?
- There was no one else in the room - Nervously, he looked towards the corner table again, surrounded by the stone walls -. nobody could have appeared from that side! Lowe checked that the corner had no hidden door or place to hide. It was clear, Col had betrayed them.
The inspector got nervous, how could he trust his two subordinates? What else could go wrong? If they had a mole in the police station, how many things could he have changed? The records ... Lowe remembered that the records of the last six months had mysteriously disappeared ... Could it be possible?
And the time Col opened the door of the police station and hit him just as Lowe was firing? Would that have been on purpose also?
- Chief? Lowe blinked and turned around. Setti looked at him worriedly from the table where he had placed them both unconscious.
With a silent gesture, Setti pointed to the lady, who was beginning to move. Quickly, Lowe moved a chair from another table and sat with down with her.
- Ma'am, do not be afraid, he told the owner of the bakery when she blinked with effort. Are you okay? What's your name?
- No ... she said, bringing a hand to the back of her head, where they had probably hit her.
- María. - Be calm. Maria, I'm police inspector, Lowe, and we'll take you to the emergency room to take some tests.
- Urgencies? - The lady asked, confused, opening her eyes wider. When it seemed that her pupils were finally adjusting to the light, she looked at Setti and seemed to recognize him. Now opening her eyes much wider a look of panic came over her.
Lowe took her hands to reassure her.
- Madam, he began. She looked at him then and frowned.
- You ... - she said, letting go of his hands -, you bought me two cream buns ...
- Yes, ma'am.
- There was a man on the other side of the window, watching ...
- Yes, ma'am, but now what I want you to remember is what happened right now. The baker turned to look at Setti and pointing, said:
- Are you a policeman?
- Yes, ma'am.
- And how can I know?
- Madam - the inspector intervened -, I can guarantee you that he is my companion of ...
- Just like the other? The animal that took the girl?
- What are you saying? Please, ma'am, please tell us everything you remember.
Maria sighed deeply and tried to calm herself. It took a few seconds to sort out her ideas.
The girl came in first and sat at this table. A couple of minutes later the two cops came in and sat down at the corner table. The truth is that I thought that if this was a mission, it was quite obvious that they were following her ... - she said, and the grimace Lowe gave Setti seemed to confirm that.
The minutes passed, and the girl asked for a cup of tea while she waited ...
- No one came in to meet with her? - Lowe asked.
- No, she was alone until she got tired. Half an hour had passed, and the tea had run cold. She paid me and got up to leave. I went back to the bar, carrying the cup of tea, when I heard a thunderous noise behi
nd me - Maria had begun to get nervous again and as a result the speed of her story was increasing. I turned immediately, fearing for my porcelain vase and someone standing there with a regretful gesture.
However, none of that: he - pointing to Setti - was already on the ground and the girl was looking at the other policeman with of a frightened face.
I realized that this was not going to be all right and I tried to bend down to call the police, although I realized that they were the police ...
- Madam, I assure you that the police would not do such a thing and that we are going to discover the infiltrator immediately. Maria looked at him suspiciously but did not protest.
She continued telling: - The girl tried to run away, and I thought that that was the best idea, so I followed her, but he caught up with me before I could escape. The push he gave me threw me to the ground and jumped over me. I saw how he caught her and forced her to get into a car waiting on the street. I think that’s when I fainted.
Nervous, Lowe had stood up toward the end of the story.
- A car, did you say? - He asked -. What was the car like? What brand?
- I do not know, detective, the truth is that I do not understand brands ...
- What color? Do you remember that?
- Yes, I know exactly what color it had and what it had written. Black and white ... - she began, confirming Lowe’s fear -, it was a police car.
- Shit - Lowe exclaimed, halfway towards the entrance door - Setti, fast!
- But, boss, aren’t we going to take her to the emergency room ...?
- We'll call an ambulance on the way! Excuse me, ma'am, this is urgent ...
- Do not worry, Inspector - he heard her say behind his back -. I do not think I need to, I'll simply close and rest for a while.
The noise of the door opening prevented him from hearing the rest. They went out into the street and the breeze hit them in the face.
- Where are we going, boss?
- First, to the police station, to get him.
- Him? Do you think Col brought Shara to the station?
- No, Lowe said simply as they ran down the street.
They immediately entered the police station, where they encountered a great commotion. Everyone moved with haste, but many voices and the confusion prevented them from understanding anything. Lowe grabbed the shirt of the first boy he ran into and asked,
- What's going on here?
- Inspector, the boy replied with panic in his eyes. The man has left your office armed ...
- Have you let him go?
- He shot the security guard in the leg, sir.
- Has he taken a car?
- How do you know? - The boy asked, confirming his suspicions.
- Let's say I've guessed it.
Lowe let go and the boy put his shirt back together.
Listen to me, when this is clarified - he said, pointing to the commotion of people around the security guard -. I need a search and arrest warrant in the name of Col Park.
The boy's eyes widened, and he looked at Setti, but did not dare to contradict him.
- Yes, sir.
- Come, the inspector told Setti, on the way to his office. Setti followed him and together they herded round the body of the guard. At first glance it did not seem serious, and the ambulance should be on the way. They would attend to him immediately.
Lowe reached the door of his office and flung it open, without the need to insert the key into the lock. For a few seconds, Lowe observed what had been an orderly dispatch so far. They had checked all the drawers. Hundreds of papers were strewn on the floor, along with personal items taken from their drawers. It seemed that Neil had been looking for something, as if he really wanted something and did not want to bother him. With a sigh, he picked up his daughter's picture and realized that the glass was broken. Resigned, he motioned Setti to sit in the same chair where Shara had been before and closed the door behind him.
CHAPTER 16
Explanations
Shara regained consciousness and opened her eyes but could not see anything. There was only darkness around her. A pain in her head bothered her. At this point and with so many blows they were going to leave me silly, she thought. She tried to move her hands, but immediately saw that they were tied. She was not surprised, but she was fed up. First Red, then the shoddy inspector, and now the other cop? But who did he think he was? She thought that perhaps he could find the murderer by himself ... No, he was probably on Red's side.
She regretted not having been able to tell Neil where the safe was, in case it was necessary to open it and bring those documents to light. One thing was clear, she was not going to let Red get them and take control, no, before that could happen I will give them to the inspector.
She realized that she was moving, that she was not in a static place. She felt around her using her feet and found out that the space was quite small. A few small jumps produced by bumps in the road confirmed that she was in a trunk. Great, she thought. This imbecile is going to be very sorry.
She noticed that the car had reached its destination and the as engine went off. With an effort, she turned to the side where she sensed the trunk door was and prepared herself. A noise outside told her it was about to be opened and the first rays of light blinded her momentarily. However, she did not wait for the door to be fully open but pushed it with her feet with all the strength she was capable of.
The person who had tried to open the trunk was hit hard in the stomach and was flung out on his back. Shara took advantage of the fact that her feet had not been tied and jumped out of the trunk, adjusting her eyes to the light.
Two figures looked at her surprised. One lay on the ground, probably the one she had hit, and the other, standing up, was pointing a gun at her. Narrowing her eyes, Shara recognized Neil with the gun.
- But what...? - She shouted, angry.
- Quiet - said Neil, with a half-smile.
- I should have tied her feet ... - Col said, from the ground, pressing his stomach.
- What do you think you're doing? - Shara asked with disdain.
- Shara ... - sighed Neil, lowering the weapon a little -. I would like it to be easier, but you have not left me another remedy.
Shara looked around and saw that they were in the middle of a field, where no one would hear them.
- You're going to kill me? Really? - Shara laughed, looking at Neil again.
- Only if necessary - Neil replied, suddenly serious. You see, you're a very stubborn person, I told you not to publish this thing about the documents ...
- How? - Shara was confused.
- I told you it would not be a good idea, that some people might get the wrong idea ...
- Half Pireia believed it - she spat in response.
- I know, I know, and that's the problem ... I cannot take care of an organization where its members are afraid. You have instilled fear. More than half of the boys no longer obey Red, they no longer obey me.
- Are you with Red?!
- No, let's say Red is with me.
- Dumbass!
- Well, well, do not get like that. What did you expect? Did you really want me to be your butler? Me? How many years have I been your father's right hand? Do I not deserve something better?
- Nothing corresponds to you.
- I know, I know. No one will agree with me, but Red does.
- Ret? He has the same rights as you! Not any!
- And that's where you're wrong, Shara. If you had bothered to understand your father better, you would have discovered many things that you did not know. Shara ... - Neil looked at her as if he really cared about her and was not pointing his gun - Red is your brother, don’t you see?
- My brother? You've gone mad?
- Think a moment, okay? Red is the lost son of Karla.
Karla has been working for your father in the tavern for more than thirty years, and we know that they were together at some point. When it became too obvious, your mother forced yo
ur father to get rid of the problem, but your father did not want to. He sent Red to some distant relatives, until Karla brought him back to the tavern years later. Your mother did not recognize him, and in any case, she had already separated from your father, so she did not care. You brought the enemy home.
- Shut up, you do not know what you're talking about - Karla interrupted, furious.
- Believe me, I know ... I've been around the tavern for years and I'm much nicer than you, you know? People open up to me.
Shara grimaced, as if disgusted with the idea, and asked:
- So what? What does that matter? What do I care?
- It seems to me you do not understand ... Red owes me a very big favor, you know, about Lisa.
- Lisa?
- The night of her death. Do you remember that I called you on the phone? Lisa was there, plotting, offering Red money to leave together. She said she was in love, what stupidity. But what I did know was that Red could not do it alone. Red was not born to be a leader, and his mother neither. - Neil let out a laugh -. There she was, trying to love him up without success, until she made that mistake.
- Which? - Shara asked, reluctantly.
- She thought that if she could not convince him with money, she would threaten him. Lisa knew what happened to your father. She knew it was Red who prepared the accident
- Shara clenched her fists, and tried to free her arms, stretching the handcuffs of the police that Col had put on her -.
- Yes, Shara, what happened to your father was not an accident either ... but deep down you knew ... But let's not stray from the conversation. Lisa threatened him in front of me, he said he would tell the boys. They would lynch him. Never kill a leader, right? How silly he was. Red lost his patience and gave her a tremendous blow with a bottle to her head. She fell to the ground, dead instantly.
- Then you called me?
- Yes, Red and I decided that the best thing would be for you to find the corpse. Everyone knew about your aversion to her and no one would be surprised, also we did not want to stain Red's reputation so soon. Poor guy, he loses his calm too easily ...
- Do you really want Red to be your leader?