Valentina's Lost Days Read online

  The former Chief Inspector watches him intently. The young man steps on the accelerator.

  -21-

  Ishmael's heart is out of control. He feels the palpitations in his temples.

  Park the Seat Ibiza in the clearing, between two other vehicles, and go to room 2-18. He can barely control himself. He wants to cry, to bang his head against the wall until he loses consciousness, to stick a knife in his arm as a punishment for his immense stupidity.

  Ishmael climbs the stairs with his head down. He starts crying, and thanks God for not meeting any other student. Once inside his room, closes the door with a double safety lock and, just in case, push his bed a couple of meters in such a way that the opening angle of the door stays obstructed.

  He tore the shirt. The torrent of tears runs down his cheeks. He takes off his pants and underpants. He remains naked, just as he came to this disgusting world. He starts to hit himself. Even out of control, hits are made in places that can be hidden undergarments. He is not so stupid as to punch his face (although he would not want anything else). Form a fist with his left hand and hit on the chest, on the shoulder, on the knees, on the penis ... His blows are strong. He wants to scream in pain every time he hits.

  - "Idiot," -he thinks with every jolt, - "imbecile, bastard, idiot to the core."

  When he's finished frozen stiff with pain, Ishmael lies on the floor. He does not deserve to lie down in bed. The ground is a more appropriate place for idiots of his riff-raff.

  He regrets the stupidities committed. Not just one, but two. And the worst is that the two have happened in less than 24 hours.

  Before getting on in his car, he knew that walking around the ostentatious neighborhood of Marta was not prudent. They would be looking for the person responsible for the crime. But he did it. He convinced himself that this was something he had done on countless occasions. That once again it would not matter ...

  - "Moron!" -shrieks.

  Lying on the ground, he bangs his head against the parquet floor of the room. Once, two, three ...

  - "Moron!"

  He puts his hands to his mouth and forces himself to remain silent. But he bites them. He bites his fingers and feels the taste of his blood dance on his tongue.

  Tomorrow his body will be full of bruises. But he does not give a shit.

  He can no longer boast of a calculator. He can no longer say to himself to be cold and preventive. His behavior has been vulgar.

  This time he hits in the testicles. The impact is brutal and twists in pain. Adopt a fetal posture.

  That man ... That man has seen him. And there is something about him that shivers him more than the pain that runs through him. That guy, the way he looked at him ...

  Ishmael trembles on the floor. He shudders in terror.

  - "I should not have stepped on the accelerator," -he whispers. - "I should have passed by as if nothing. My behavior has been suspicious."

  And he knows it. If he had kept his eyes on that guy, or even greeted him, he would not be punished himself in that way. After all, cannot you drive wherever you want? Are the roads not public domain?

  Ishmael swears never to commit more stupidities. He promises not to wander around Valentina's mother's house again.

  - "I'll focus on my new work," -he thinks, feeling his limbs lose tension. -"I will go to class, I will go myself to the exams of this semester, I will live a normal life, and nobody will suspect. If someone asks me what I was doing in that neighborhood, I'll say that I went for a walk, that I needed to get some fresh air after so many hours of study ...

  That convinces him. Not at all, but partly.

  No more screw-ups.

  Ishmael thinks about all the precautions he took with Valentina and now, with GOTI-K. Stupidity can ruin everything.

  Ishmael raises his head and knocks his neck back against the pavement.

  DAY 2

  -1-

  Lazarus makes decent his duplex. The rancid smell has disappeared, as well as the cans of food scattered everywhere, the dirty clothes under the sofa and the pyramid of beer cans squeezed from the corner of the living room.

  He hardly recognizes his home. Bucephalus seems to like cleanliness: now he sunbathes on the windowsill. The morning breeze aerates the interior of the house. Lazarus, moreover, no longer walks in his underwear or drinks more beer. He knows he must start taking care of himself. To continue consuming alcohol at the rate with which he had done the last weeks, would end up with problems. Also, his biceps, as well as the abdominal tablet achieved in the gym, were in danger of disappearing with so much junk food. Lazarus does not intend to say goodbye to his accomplished physique. Leaving aside the horrible snake tattoo that crawls from his left nipple to his neck, his physical fitness is the only memory he had in prison. And this is good. At 49, he has never enjoyed such good shape.

  Also, Lazarus intends to sign up for the gym, but that will be when he finishes with the one he has already started calling "Valentina File". Now, he is satisfied with a simple routine of crunches, push-ups, and squats.

  On the other hand, Marta's money has given much of itself. At the first time in the morning, he went to the supermarket. He has bought mineral water packs to replace the beer and healthier food: apples, bananas, breast to make grilled, oil, tomatoes, whole meal bread and he also fodder for Bucephalus. Apparently, the cat was fed up with so much veal in sauce. He has eaten the two bowls of fodders that Lazarus gave him.

  - "Little by little I become myself again" -thinks.

  Lazarus, after taking one last look at the living room, goes up the stairs. He has installed his old office. It is a small room but fresh and comfortable. There he has everything he needs: a desk, a bookshelf, and his desktop computer. He has already stored all the boxes with Valentina's belongings there. The boxes form a row, attached to the wall.

  Lazarus runs the window, so the air enters, and he takes a seat in his swivel chair. Before starting to investigate among the belongings of the deceased girl, open the notepad and write:

  21.37 h. from June 3

  SILVER SEAT IBIZA!!

  He does not know the license plate because, before having the chance to read it, the vehicle disappeared down the street.

  He keeps thinking about yesterday. The boy in the vehicle, why did he leave terrified when he saw him? Had he really slowed down as he passed by Marta's cottage? Had it been mere coincidence that he looked away toward the property?

  Lazarus doubts it, although he cannot determine that this young man was the individual of the security recording.

  Then, with quick and safe strokes, write down:

  ASK THE NEIGHBORS

  Does anyone have a silver Seat Ibiza?

  The Seat Ibiza is a good car, but it is a vehicle that can be obtained for less than € 10,000. By contrast, the Marta's Audi S5 Sport-back costs more than € 80,000 (and that without any extra). The economic difference is not subtle. Lazarus suspects that the rest of the cars in the neighborhood are of a range like Marta's.

  Lazarus keeps writing down ideas in his notepad.

  AND THE FATHER??

  He did not ask Marta anything about it since he estimated that Valentina's father had nothing to do with either her daughter's suicide or the window incident. It is evident that who broke the window of her bedroom did so, for personal reasons. And who can have more reasons to make Marta suffer in that way than an ex-husband moved by jealousy and hatred towards his former partner?

  Lazarus continues with his brainstorm:

  RARE NEIGHBOR??

  Seen frequently

  That is another issue that he should be taking care. But he will do it later. The "weird neighbor," as Marta called it, is what matters least to him right now.

  At this point, Lazarus runs out of ideas. Close the pad and store it in the first drawer of the desk. He needs new material, and he knows what his next step is. He turns to the boxes. With a bit of luck, the next clue can be hidden inside.

  -2-

&
nbsp; Ishmael prepares.

  In little more than 30 minutes he must pick up Cynthia at the train station. That gothic little girl hopes that her beloved SUPERMAN is as Gothic as she is. Of course, Cynthia has no idea what it means to be Gothic because if she knew, she would know that would not fit into that underground culture even if she wanted to.

  As reported on the Internet, goths are people with cultural inclinations influenced by literature and horror movies. With just thinking about it, Ishmael laughs.

  - "Cultural inclinations ..."

  It is obvious, as intuited through his painful writing that GOTI-K does not incline culture. It is more than likely that he does not know who Mary Shelly is, Roman Polanski or what the hell means Erotic Power Exchange (EPE)[2].

  Cynthia is, just, a damn dad's girl, idiotic, superficial and full of stereotypes taken here and there. When he sent her a picture of him more than a week ago, Ishmael caught her right away.

  - "She calls herself Gothic because she wears dark, she paints her lips blue and uses cheap whore stockings."

  But besides that, Cynthia likes to fool around with the dark, with the beyond. And that's what attracted him: a baby that thinks he's dark because he drinks mineral water in a skull-shaped cup.

  -But today I will teach her ... Today she will learn what darkness is.

  Ishmael is not in full faculties. The self-beating of last night has left numerous bruises. It has been necessary to bandage the left hand (the one that was bitten to silence himself). And if that were not enough, he has a considerable bulge in the occipital part of the skull (caused by the repeated blows against the floor of the room).

  However, that does not worry him. Knowing GOTI-K, he is convinced that it will make her horny. The very bastard will see his wounds as something Gothic.

  Ishmael checks the bag for the last time. Check that he does not forget anything. Before leaving room 2-18, he touches the back pocket.

  There is his surprise.

  -3-

  Lazarus sees Valentina for the first time. Inquiring into the first box with a photo hidden in the background, buried under a mountain of objects. In the image appears Marta with her daughter. Lazarus is sure that the young woman is Valentina because the date on which it was taken is written on the back:

  5/8/2015

  VALENTINA'S BIRTHDAY

  That must have been her fifteenth birthday. In the photo, Marta hugs her daughter. The woman smiles, unlike the girl. Lazarus looks at the way the teenager poses. Her shoulders are drooping, and there is no sign of joy on her face.

  The two pose on the edge of the pool. Marta wears her beautiful figure with a Caro Cuore bikini with floral motifs. Valentina, on the other hand, tries to hide her fat body in a polka dot print swimsuit.

  - "Marta said nothing about her daughter's overweight." - he tells himself.

  Lazarus looks more closely at the photo. Where are her friends? Where are her high school classmates? The birthday of a teenager is usually celebrated in the company of friends and acquaintances.

  Lazarus slides his gaze around the edges of the image, hoping to find some leg or, just, some shadow that indicates that they are not alone. But he does not see them. And there are no indications that there are guests. The former Chief Inspector looks back at the dead girl. Her hair is black and falls off her shoulders as if lifeless, clinging to her skin just as elongated leeches would. She looks sad. Moreover, she seems dispirited.

  If she had friends, a significant acquaintance in her peer group, undoubtedly, she would not pose with her mother or sketch that expression of deep regret.

  Lazarus picks up the notepad again. In a new sheet that heads with the title of VALENTINA, write down the following:

  15th birthday

  Where are the friends?

  Marta's suspicions are gaining more weight. What if Valentina suffered bullying? What if someone, especially, was venting a rage on her because she was rich or just because she was fat?

  Lazarus knows the cruelty of the young people of the institute. He has already had cases of bullying that exceeded the limits of the law. Lazarus places Valentina's photo on the shelf, leaning it vertically against the back of a book. So, he can see the dead girl. That will encourage him to continue investigating.

  Next, he takes a textbook. It is 3rd of ESO[3].

  - "Latin Spanish and Literature." - he reads.

  Lazarus begins to turn the pages. Leaving aside the indications of homework entrusted by the teacher and some other underlined paragraph, there is nothing. But Lazarus is more interested in the cover. It has a sticker on the lower right edge and, written with a black marker:

  VALENTINA MARTÍNEZ CUSÓ

  3rd ESO - A

  IES MIGUEL HERNÁNDEZ

  Lazarus writes the class to which she belonged. If last year she were in the third year of Obligatory Secondary Education, if she were alive, today Valentina would do the 4th year of ESO*. And more specifically, in group-class A.

  Lazarus is about to delve into the contents of the second box, convinced that it will bring new surprises, but it is time to eat. Check his phone and see that it's only 13:05. It's too early to eat but too late to start digging through the objects of a new box. He prefers to do that after napping and with a full stomach. In prison Lazarus ate once past 2:00 p.m. and he still has his old meal schedule internalized. He has no stomach to digest his grilled breast.

  It is 55 minutes away until two noon ...

  And suddenly, he has an idea.

  - "I'm just in time, but ..."

  The children leave the institute at 14:00 p.m. And if there is a discreet stroll to the exit of the IES Miguel Hernández? What if he approaches and asks some girl about Valentina? What if someone provides him with valuable information?

  -4-

  The train that has taken Cynthia arrives at the station at 13.55 h. GOTI-K has made a trip of more than 300 kilometers to meet SUPERMAN.

  Ishmael laughs. How can one be so unhappy?

  There are still more than 20 minutes left for her arrival, plenty of time to prepare. Ishmael extracts the contents of the bag he has deposited in the passenger seat: black leather pants, a tight black shirt with suspenders and boots (of course, black) with more than three fingers of the sole. With that set, he hopes to look like Cynthia as gothic and pathetic as her ... The only thing missing are a few tattoos, but trust that this is a minor detail.

  Ishmael hates to dress like an imbecile, but he has been chatting with GOTI-K for several months and, as he made her believe, he is also Gothic, so they have a lot of things in common.

  Ishmael slides back the driver's seat of his Seat Ibiza. He has parked in the parking lot of the train station. For his luck, and with the heat that does at noon, there is no one around who can see him.

  Start dressing.

  The function has just begun.

  -5-

  Lazarus does not usually go unnoticed. A man of 1.85 meters, tattooed and robust calls in one way or another attention. For that reason, he has taken precautions.

  Now he is about twenty meters from the exit of the Miguel Hernández Institute and has put on sunglasses. He considers it quite improbable that someone will come to recognize him as the former Chief Inspector of the National Police Force Lazarus del Río, but it is never too much to prevent.

  The alarm of the institute sounds, informing that it is two o'clock s. You can hear the chairs and tables crawling and the increasing loud conversations of the students. Soon after, the main door opens, and the students leave in a horde. The IES also offers Intermediate professional education and High School, so Valentina's list of possible acquaintances is very extensive. Lazarus does not know very well what he is doing there or what he is supposed to be looking for, but he remains alert in search of "something" that catches his attention.

  He looks at a group of older students who, just after leaving the center, start smoking joints. Lazarus detects the smell of marijuana in the league. One of the teenagers notices his pres
ence and alerts the rest of his friends with a non-discreet nod. The young boys look at him and, after concluding that the man does not cause them good feelings, they decide to go to smoke in a quieter place.

  The line of students seems endless ... Students of all ages leave the institute. Finally, there is a group of students who, judging by their age, must belong to 3rd or 4th of ESO.

  Lazarus focuses his attention on a gang of girls. They all talk and joke with their friends ... Except for one. The young woman is about 15 years old and, like the late Valentina, she is quite fat.

  Lazarus cannot help but appreciate a certain resemblance between the two: both are overweight, both seem sad, and both are alone. Lazarus observes her with all the discretion he is capable of. The girl walks with her head down, without looking away from the toe of her sports pants. Lazarus sees how a group of girls point at her behind her back, mutter something and start laughing. The girl blushes but does not make the slightest hint of interaction. On the contrary, she speeds up and disappears from the institute.

  An idea comes to Lazarus. What if that young woman was, in her time, Valentina's friend? Or if not a friend, at least someone with whom she had some confidence.

  Indeed, they seem to have quite in common ... It is not such a crazy idea.

  Lazarus begins to follow her. The young girl walks down a little-traveled street. At each step, the backpack emits a sound, as if it were a pacemaker.

  Once they have distanced themselves enough from the institute, Lazarus hurries the pace until he is at her side.

  - "Hello," -he says, - "did you meet Valentina?"

  This is Lazarus. Straight to the point. Without hesitation or circumlocutions.