Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

Chapter 8. Inspector Estanislao versus inspector Calvio

Constantino's Cleaning Company wasn't what you can call a 2.0, 3.0
or whatever .0 company, so when Brais asked for a copy of the
signing sheets from November the 4th 2015, he received in response
a Constantino's puffing and panting and a scared stiff "from
November the 4th?". He tried to explain with the easiness it gave
someone asked him for papers, policeman or not, that it would take
a while because they were in the archive; of course, being in the
archive didn't mean find a folder, it meant being in a box full
with invoices, maybe not very related to the business, payslip
copies and some TC. And get Constantino to put them in order
required more than the word of a cleaning lady or the insistence
of a police inspector. Ins understood at first time, she plenty
knew that lack of enthusiasm; but Brais took seriously the company
owner's word assuring he would have a folder with all the signing
sheets.
- We'll have to pass by and don't leave until they gave us the
folder - Brais was talking to himself aloud losing his faith in
reducing the time bracket.
- Yeah, that would be great, it doesn't look like they are sending
them - Ins answered.
- Yeah - he said unenthusiastically, he had never felt the need of
asking twice for things.
Until then, he only had to said firmly his post and his first
family name and his orders were complied and, without time for
recovering, inspector Calvio came in through his office's door.
He didn't know her, well, he knew her from sight, from exchanging
a "Good morning" from time to time, from her bad reputation and
from being one of the "keep away" according to his entourage. But
inspector Calvio was like that just for the most conservative
section that didn't know how to deal with people that don't let
others walk all over them and that choose their wars hoarding
patience, with those able to get what they want not using their
contacts.
Brais felt surrounded by candles in a witches' sabbath in the
middle of an open ground in a far-off forest, that case had put in
his way three women that didn't do more that uncover his
inferiority complex of boss' pet; or shouts didn't work with them
or he couldn't reach the tone.
- You are in charge of the Tobas Cotarelo painting's case, aren't
you? - she asked without preliminaries.

Raquel Couto Antelo

Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

Ins looked at her disconcerted, Brais appalled.

- Yes, why? - he answered getting lost in the papers not to look
at her right into the eyes.
- Because it crosses over mine about its author's death, what
else? - Lidia took offence at the question.
- Oh, that; I saw it was open, but I thought you left it that way
just not to close it - he said it without malice, this time he
did. He had one or two open just in case he needed to disappear
for a few days.
But Lidia didn't like the doubt and stuck her sight up to raise
his head, he looked at her, for a few seconds, the time he
withstood the pressure.
- I'm grateful
adamant.

you

keep

me

informed

she

dropped

calm

and

Adamant, it was an order, that probably Brais thought about

ignoring, but Lidia would make him fulfill, because she was used
to ask for things three or four times. She wasn't moving forward
in Tobas Cotarelo's murder. None of the involved had made a false
move and she began to think about quitting, giving in, giving up,
taking suicide as cause of death. It wasn't, she was convinced,
but there couldn't be such a perfect crime. Every day, every,
before leaving she opened the folder and look through her notes.
Nothing. That was the only thing she got every time.
Since the fire, Antonio redesign the gallery completely, and he
kept the rest of the compensation in the bank. It neither was too
much to redesign, it was a ground-floor with a few partitions to
built the different atmospheres. Now the partitions were floating
and sliding, he could push them to the walls creating one only
open space. He tried to take the columns down but it was so
expensive that would take away handy the safety net and, after
all, they had to hang the fire extinguishers somewhere. During the
renovation he wandered around the old Europe, so his social
networks showed, he bought some small jewel in some option and he
steeped himself in beauty in Florence. Nothing suspicious,
Antonio's economy before the disaster was fragile tending to
stable, he wasn't a genius of finances, but he was lucky or has
the wisdom of an old fox. She didn't rule him out as suspect
because they found in his computer the originals Tobas based
every one of his paintings on, "Catharsis" included, and she
considered it motive enough for killing; maybe not with excessive
planning, but enough to act on impulse after a talking with the
artist. He might feel it was the only way to prevent public to
Raquel Couto Antelo

Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

notice how far he had let that sham go, he compromised that many
people that, maybe, it was his only way out.

Raquel Couto Antelo