Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

Chapter 3. The note on the hot chipboard counter

Seven firemen, four cops, the insurance technician, and the
president of the residents' association went into the gallery and
none of them saw the note on the hot chipboard counter until
Antonio arrived. And, even by then the judge was already with the
removal of the body, homicide inspector, Lidia Calvio, found it
interesting to let him think she hadn't realize it was obvious he
had left it there; it wasn't that she over trusted her people's
powers of observation, it just was obvious it had been him. She
made a little scene of "oh, how could we miss watching on the
counter which is right in front the eyes as we step in?", she put
it into an evidence's bag and she read it aloud as she was
internalizing it.
She found it interesting and amusing, Antonio insisted on blaming
himself for the emptiness the artist had fallen into.
- He died of success - He was whining.
Meaning that, thanks to him, Tobas was stinking rich, prestigious
and famous; but, unfortunately, he wasn't able to manage it,
Tobas, not him, making it clear that the actual responsible for
his murder was himself. Stepping up was fine as long they didn't
take him for the real murderer. He also needed to be crystal that
it was Tobas for the insurance thing, he had raised the policy
during the exhibition arrangements and he didn't want them to
think he had started the fire on purpose to make up for the
potential drop on the value of the paintings because of the Sara's
patterns copy scandal.
The investigation met a dead end after the forensics report said
he died of a head injury, that could be caused by a fall owed to
his high alcohol level in blood. And after the fire department
explained that the fire started on the first floor by a short
circuit in a hair iron with a bad wiring. There still were a few
loose ends: how had Tobas entered the gallery if he didn't have
the key and the doors were closed and with any sign of being
forced? Or that the person living on the first floor was a two
metres tall bold bodybuilder, that was in a bodybuilding beauty
contest that week on the other side of the continent, and that was
so waxed that it made improbable the need of a hair ironing. But
Lidia was of those distance runners with infinite patience, she
made a list with the names of the people that would benefit from
Tobas death and she knew that she only had to wait for things to
calm down so one of them made false move.
The press, specially the Informer, did a thorough following of the
case and, without official confirmation, they closed it as a
Raquel Couto Antelo

Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

suicide. Tobas became a local celebrity and the discussion about

the copy of Sara's pattern was forced into the background.
Antonio Chantalo was preparing a biography about the artist
talking about the paintings missed under flames, of which,
luckily, he had a broad photo album. Universal Bank had begun the
paper work to bring "Catharsis", his first work, into their
cultural holdings, price didn't matter, what really mattered was
that it came home with its creator. No, madness didn't reached the
point of asking for his remains to rest in the illustrious
galician vault, maybe because his parents thought the family names
would do better on his own vault.
Above all, "Catharsis" had jumped that line that separated the
modern art from the master pieces and, even it was a matter of
fact that the Universal Bank would made an offer attractive enough
to get it, in the private collectors world unleashed a not very
healthy interest for the painting; not that healthy that Antonio
thought about painting a few and say they were drafts of the next
collection, he surely could do as good as Tobas. On the other
hand, the devastated parents rescued the proofs behind the
wardrobe considering what to do with them and, again, with no
healthy interest.
- They say the Universal Bank bought it - He spoke from the other
side of the phone.
- I see - I said not showing interest.
- They pay well - He tried to provide an incentive.
- How much is well? - I asked still not interested.
- Twice the last time - He suggested.
- Twice... - I worked it out.
- It's a good offer - He insisted.
- Not that good, things are quite warm, it's too risky - I put on
the table.
- I might get something more - He tempt.
- I may give it a chance - Not too interested.
I knew the figures would grow, they always did; the first number
used to be half they offered him. I didn't care, he saved me
dealing directly with people and minimized my risks.
Raquel Couto Antelo

Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

Raquel Couto Antelo