The She-Devil in the Mirror (10 page)

Vanidades
. Let's look out the window. What I want is for a patrol
car to park right here in front so that murderer won't have the slightest doubt
that if he gets anywhere near this house they'll nab him. That's the only way
I'll feel safe. But the police must be around somewhere. You're right—what an
idiot I am. They don't want to tip him off. Finally! I'll answer it. Hello.
Deputy Chief? I've been trying to get hold of you all day. I urgently need to
speak to you in person. I sure did see him. What? You don't believe me? It was
RoboCop, in front of my house in Santa Tecla. But I also want to talk to you
about some other things: the relationship between the collapse of Finapro and
Olga María's murder. I'd rather talk to you in person. Are you coming here? In
how long? I'm not planning on going anywhere with that psychopath chasing me.
Come as soon as you can. In half an hour? I won't budge; not on my life. But
make sure your agents are as nearby as possible, because if that murderer shows
up I don't want him to have time to even ring the doorbell. The most important
thing, Deputy Chief: you have to send policemen to protect the girls, Olga
María's daughters. RoboCop is going to try to hurt them. I'm positive. They must
have around-the-clock protection. It's your responsibility. I hope so. Goodbye.
That imbecile doesn't believe I actually saw RoboCop: I could hear it in his
tone of voice. I held my tongue because I need him to come—I didn't want to give
him any excuse to leave me in the lurch; but he isn't convinced that RoboCop was
waiting for me in front of my house. You're going to have to change the
upholstery on this armchair; it's very worn out. Where did Marito go? Call the
agency again. No, wait a minute. I'm going to call Pepe Pindonga, maybe he's
already gotten to his office. What are you seeing, my dear? Oh no, oh my God!
That's the car! Definitely! It's RoboCop's car! Did you see it? It's here! Call
one-two-three! It didn't stop? But that was him. It's busy. What are we going to
do? You say there was only the driver? I didn't notice. I only saw it from
behind. But it was going very slowly, as if they're looking for the house. I
left my car right in front—how stupid of me! I should have put it in the garage.
I'm sure he already recognized it. He followed me, my dear! I knew it. Call
one-two-three again or call Handal. Oh, my God. Move over, we don't want him to
see you at the window if he drives by again. Are you sure only the driver was in
the car? That's even worse, my dear. That means RoboCop already got out and is
sneaking around nearby. Don't open the door for anything in the world. Let's
double-lock it. Did they answer? Give me the phone. Quick, it's an emergency, I
must speak with Yésica Ramírez! Hurry, the murderer is here, outside the house!
Call the patrols! RoboCop's red car just drove by the house! No, it didn't stop.
There was only the driver. That means RoboCop is hiding right here, in the
doorway, waiting for someone to leave. No, I haven't seen him but I know he's
there. They have to get here immediately! Do you hear me? Idiot. She asks if I
actually saw him. She wants me to go out to the street so that murderer can
shoot me. Oh, my God, such terror. Let's pray. I know that man is outside. I can
sense it. Why don't the police cars show up? That stupid woman hasn't called
them. They should be here already. And Deputy Chief Handal? Why is he taking so
long? They didn't want to give me his cell phone number. The secretary says he
doesn't have one, they communicate over their walkie-talkies. But that's a lie:
when have you ever seen a chief of police without a cell phone? I'm going to
have some more tea. Listen! Listen! A car just parked in front of the house.
Peek out the window. Shit, I tripped on that fucking table. Damn! I banged
myself really hard, right on the knee. Is that the police? Let me see. Move
over. Oh, my God! It can't be! It's RoboCop's car! Where are the police? What
are they waiting for? They're both coming, the same two who were waiting for me
in front of my house in Santa Tecla: RoboCop and the driver! Look at them,
they're getting out of the car. They're coming this way! What should we do? My
God! It's not the driver: it's a woman! His accomplice, my dear. Hand me the
telephone. Let's go into the back, in case they start shooting at the door and
the windows. Run! One-two-three is busy. Why don't the police arrest them? I
don't hear any cars or sirens. They're ringing the doorbell! We're lost! Let me
dial Deputy Chief Handal's number. Don't even think of opening the door! Those
criminals keep ringing the bell. What are we going to do? Handal's number is
busy, too! They're going to kill us, my dear! We have nowhere to run! They don't
stop ringing the bell! They know we're here! Why doesn't Deputy Chief Handal get
here already? They're trying to break down the door! Look: it's that woman with
the short hair, that's RoboCop's accomplice, the one who looks like a man! What
are you saying? Did you hear? They're shouting my name! What's wrong with them?!
Do they think I'm going to open, that they're going to trick me?! Those
criminals are crazy! Let me call one-two-three again! Hello! Hello! This is an
emergency: put Yésica Ramírez on the line! Hurry! Yésica! Call the police
immediately: RoboCop is here, he's trying to break down the door! I don't
understand why the police aren't coming to arrest him! He's with a woman! Listen
to how they're banging on the door! They want to kill me! Help! How am I
supposed to calm down when those murderers are right outside my door?! Any
minute now they're going to break in! I'm not going to hang up until I hear the
sirens! The sirens are the only thing that will scare them away! Call Deputy
Chief Handal! He told me he was on his way here! What's wrong with that idiot,
why isn't he here?! Don't hang up! Call him on another line! I'm ordering you:
don't hang up! It's the only way I can feel a little safer: if they come in here
and kill me at least you'll hear it! They keep banging on the door! They're
about to break it down! The woman is calling out my name! Oh, my God! The
sirens! They're getting closer! Thank you, Yésica, you've saved my life.
Goodbye! The sirens are out in front. They've stopped banging on the door.
Probably the criminals are trying to escape. Let's be careful, my dear. Any
minute the shooting will start. They turned off the sirens. Maybe they already
caught them. I can hear voices outside. Let's peek out the window. Hopefully
they're taking them away. Look, I don't believe it: the policemen are talking to
the criminals! Why don't they round them up, put them in handcuffs, and get them
into the police cars once and for all?! Look at them: they're coming this way,
acting like old friends! I don't understand, my dear. Something's fishy here.
Something very strange is going on. They're ringing the doorbell again. We're
not going to open it. They must be co-conspirators. That's why that criminal
escaped, because the police are in cahoots with him! That's the only
explanation! Let's just keep quiet! I know what they want: when we open the
door, feeling safe because the police are here, RoboCop will gun us down and
then they'll let him escape. That's how they're going to get rid of us, so we
don't tell anybody what we've discovered! I bet RoboCop and the police work for
Toñito Rathis and Alberto! Another siren, my dear! This'll ruin their plan!
They've stopped ringing the doorbell. Let's look out the window again. Don't
show yourself. It's Deputy Chief Handal! What a relief, we're saved! But what's
going on?! He's talking to the criminals, too, like they're old friends! Now
we're really lost! They're going to kill us! Handal is the one behind the whole
operation! I should have guessed! Filthy! Corrupt! Oh, what terror! They're
taking advantage of us being here alone. Help, Papa! They're ringing again! It's
Handal's voice! What are we going to do?! They're going to break down the door!
I can't stand it anymore, my dear! There's no escape! That Arab Handal is a
traitor! We can't let them kill us in here! Our only hope is to get out into the
street, so the neighbors will see, so they'll know we've been captured alive!
I'm going to open the door and run out, screaming! Are you ready?! Now! Traitor!
Handal! Help!!! Don't kill us!! Murderers!!!

9. THE CLINIC

G
OOD THING THEY LET YOU IN,
my dear. They've had me incommunicado
since I got here. Only my parents have been allowed to visit me. The truth is
I've been sleeping most of the time. It's been almost three days and it feels
like nothing. The one who visits the most is Dr. Romo; he's so understanding. He
says I'll get better soon, I had a nervous breakdown because of all the stress
of Olga María's murder and RoboCop's escape. Good thing you managed to escape,
otherwise they would have shut you up in here, too. I don't remember anything
after we made that dash for it and those policemen attacked us. The wretches.
They sedated me: I spent a whole day sleeping, that's what Dr. Romo explained to
me. Papa's very worried. He says I'll need to leave the country to be able to
relax and recuperate, I need to be in a different atmosphere, forget all these
calamities. The worst part is that the minute I woke up I started worrying about
the girls and what RoboCop might do to them. Can you imagine, waking up after
sleeping a whole day on sedatives, in a strange bed, in an unknown room? I
thought they'd kidnapped me, I thought RoboCop and Deputy Chief Handal realized
they couldn't liquidate me in front of the neighbors so they brought me here.
And it was precisely at that moment that the nurse came in: I was standing up,
rummaging through the drawers, checking the medicines on the bedside table,
peeking out through the blinds, figuring out how to escape. I was scared to
death when I heard the door open; I thought it was them. The nurse was
surprised, too, seeing me standing up. She told me to get back to bed, I still
needed to recuperate, I needed absolute rest. That was yesterday about
mid-morning. I flooded her with questions: where was I, who'd brought me here,
who'd visited me, when could I leave this place. The poor thing didn't know what
to say, but right then mama appeared behind her. She hugged me, she was crying,
as if I'd risen from the dead; she asked me to lie down again and told the nurse
to call Dr. Romo to come and check on me. I felt horrible, my dear. I warned her
that there was no way I was going to allow the doctor to see me looking like
that. I went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my hair, make myself
look vaguely presentable. The doctor is so elegant, so distinguished looking,
and I wasn't going to receive him as if he were a servant or something. God help
me. I already told you a ton about him: I've been going to him for three years
once a month. Good thing mama brought a few of my things, and I could fix myself
up a little, though this hair, my dear, if I don't go to Mercedes's salon, it
looks atrocious. But, guess what. Dr. Romo couldn't come right away, so I had to
listen to my mother's version. She says I suffered an acute attack of paranoia,
that's why I mistook a couple of journalists waiting for me in front of my house
with RoboCop. I don't believe her. Mama swallows anything they feed her. She
told me not to worry about the girls: the police are certain RoboCop has left
the country, they think he went to Honduras, so we're not in any danger. That's
what Handal and his henchmen told her. That's when I asked her who brought me to
this clinic and how it happened. According to her, when we dashed out of the
house, my nerves gave out and I collapsed right in front the police. Did you see
me do that? As far as I'm concerned, those swine took advantage of the uproar to
beat me up or inject me with some narcotic. Because I don't remember anything,
as you know. The thing is, when I fainted, Handal called the house and mama told
him to bring me to Dr. Romo's clinic. But I didn't keep talking to mama about
it, especially after she came to me with her song and dance about how if I went
to church more often, if I led a more devout life, I wouldn't have so many
problems with my nerves. When she talks like that, I can't stand it. That's why
I changed the subject. I asked her about the Brazilian telenovela. It made me so
mad to be missing the last few episodes. The doctor has forbidden me from
watching television for a week: he says the news could upset me. He hasn't
relented, even though I've sworn I won't watch anything other than the
telenovela. Good thing mama has been telling me what's going on: I just hope
that Holofernes—he's so gorgeous—doesn't get killed. That's what mama was doing,
summing up the episodes of the telenovela I'd missed, when Dr. Romo came in.
That man is so elegant, my dear, he's so debonair, so tall and handsome. Right
off the bat I told him how horrible I felt, how I'd never want him to see me
like this, without my hair done or makeup on, as is only proper. He told me I
looked beautiful, even my tired face was a delight to look at. A man like that
is very disarming, my dear. I'd only ever seen him in his office, where we've
only just talked. But yesterday, after he asked mama to leave us alone for a
moment, when he started examining me, and I felt his hands on my body, I swear I
got so hot. It was overwhelming, my dear, I got wet when he touched me to check
my blood pressure, my pulse, and all the rest. I felt like pulling him into bed
with me right then and there. I don't know, maybe from too much sleep, or
because of the drugs, but the truth is I felt a lot going on down there between
my legs. I was melting. And that man was aware of everything that was going on,
because he immediately took his hands off me, he said I was doing much better
but I needed a week of absolute rest to effect a complete recovery. There was
one moment, I swear, when I was on the verge of grabbing his crotch and starting
to rub him; I had this uncontrollable urge to put it in my mouth. That's why he
moved away, in his best professional manner. He said this breakdown was very
serious, I shouldn't take it lightly, and once I get stronger we'll talk more. I
wanted to hold onto him, ask him about the medications, about the relationship
between what he called my schizophrenic tendencies and the attack of paranoia.
The only thing he said was that the stress was to blame; I haven't been able to
get over the death of my best friend, and then that murderer's escape provoked
the crisis. That's how he explained it. Then he said he had to go, he'd check in
on me later in the afternoon. Since then he's always come in with a nurse, like
she's his bodyguard. I've been tempted to tell him that I need to talk to him
alone, but I haven't had another episode like that first one, when I felt so
aroused. At least when I'm awake, because that same afternoon I had the
strangest dream about Dr. Romo: we were in a restroom at the airport, I don't
know which one, and I pulled down his pants and his underwear, and the doctor
just let me do whatever I wanted, I rubbed his balls between the palms of my
hands, and just as I was kneeling to take him in my mouth, Olga María appeared
behind him and started scolding me for such behavior in a public place, and then
I was surrounded by Pepe Pindonga, Deputy Chief Handal, Yuca, Alberto, and they
were all threatening me, demanding I be arrested for crimes against public
morality and decency, and when I turned to Dr. Romo for help, he'd disappeared.
That's when I woke up, terrified. Quite a dream to have in the afternoon, maybe
that's why I haven't gotten so turned on by Dr. Romo again in quite the same
way. But I was telling you about the morning. When the doctor left, mama came in
again and warned me that Deputy Chief Handal has made it his business to get
into my room. According to her, as soon as he finds out I've woken up, that
detective will try to get in and question me. But the clinic has strict orders
not to allow this. Only with a subpoena, papa said. No way I'd want to see that
fool's ugly face. If he finds out everything I've discovered about the
relationships between Olga María, Alberto, and Toñito Rathis, who knows what
he'd be capable of. Even worse after what Pepe Pindonga told me. What, I didn't
tell you yet? Well, yesterday afternoon, after that weirdest of dreams about the
doctor, when I opened my eyes, who do you think was sitting in that very chair,
acting like Mr. Nice Guy? I thought I was still dreaming, until the famous
detective said hello and asked how I was feeling. At first I got cross, what
nerve, sneaking into my room without authorization. I told him to leave
immediately, I said he was being disrespectful, I'm sick and the doctor has
strictly forbidden me from talking to imbeciles. I gave it to him straight, no
room for any doubts. I warned him that if he didn't get out immediately, I'd
start to scream. He begged me to calm down, he said that if he'd made such an
effort to get in here it was so he could tell me something that might interest
me. That got me curious, because it was obvious this Pepe Pindonga had found out
something new about Olga María's case. I asked him how he'd managed to get into
my room. He told me he bribed a nurse, but he didn't want to reveal her name.
I'm sure he used some other trick. Did you know my father put one of his own
personal security guards on duty outside the door of this room? How could that
Pepe Pindonga have gotten in, eh? I learned from him that the journalists in
front of my house were Rita Mena, the reporter, and that photographer nicknamed
Zompopo. Pepe says I got Zompopo and RoboCop confused: they've got the same kind
of square head and, sitting in the car, without seeing their bodies, it was easy
to make that mistake. I finally believed him at noon today when the nurse told
me that a lady journalist from
Ocho Columnas
has tried to get in to see
me but was told I'm not allowed visitors. Pepe explained that that busybody
wants to interview me in connection with Olga María's case: she's writing an
article about RoboCop and now that the killer has escaped she's in a rush to
finish it. Filthy rat, how could she imagine I would talk to her after what she
did to Yuca? By the way, Pepe talked to Yuca and mentioned to him my idea about
Alberto and Toñito Rathis being behind Olga María's murder. He was in shock.
Here's what Pepe told me: Yuca opened his eyes very wide and asked him where I'd
gotten such an idea. Seems I hit the nail on the head, my dear, by the looks of
it. Yuca didn't know about the
affaire
between Olga María and Alberto,
and he didn't tell Pepe Pindonga anything, but based on his reaction, I know I
got it right. I bet Yuca tries to call me any minute now, but they aren't
letting any calls through either, doctor's orders. I hope Yuca decides to come.
I've given him all the clues he needs to find out who's plotting against him.
Now, with the scandal of Finapro's crash, it'll all be as clear as day to him.
Like it is to me. The only one who refuses to understand is that Deputy Chief
Handal. Why would he want to, though, since he's part of the conspiracy? He's
probably been receiving money from Toñito Rathis: that's why he let RoboCop
escape, that's why he wanted to be there for Toñito's arrest, to make sure he
was treated well. You know what he's come up with now, according to what Pepe
Pindonga told me? He's started investigating some of RoboCop's commanding
officers in the Acahuapa Battalion during the war. Only somebody interested in
confusing the issue would think up such nonsense. It turns out that one of them,
some major or other, went into business once the war was over, offering security
services to important businessmen and landowners, one of them being papa. Can
you believe what that cop wastes his time doing? And since he doesn't dare
question papa, because that's getting in way over his head, he wants to talk to
me to find out if I know anything about this Major What's-His-Face, who might
have hired RoboCop to murder Olga María. What an idiot. I don't remember that
major very well, I might have seen him a couple of times when I visited papa, if
it's the same man; he might even be somebody I introduced to Olga María—pure
coincidence—because she happened to come by the house while he was waiting in
the living room. I wouldn't be surprised if Handal tried to throw suspicion on
me so I'd be forced to keep quiet about what I know. Easy, my dear: he could say
that RoboCop was hired by Major What's-His-Face, on my orders, because I was
fighting with Olga María over Yuca. Those bastards are capable of claiming that
I hired somebody to kill my best friend because of a man, as if Yuca would be
worth it. I swear: they're capable of saying anything: I was jealous of her, I'm
under psychiatric treatment, she was like my alter ago I had to get rid of, Yuca
has always been the man of my life, and he never paid any attention to me
because of Olga María, I still resented her for destroying my marriage with
Alberto, I hated her because she always put me down, any old nonsense. I get
furious just thinking about all the money they waste paying that gang of corrupt
policemen. Just wait, you'll see how they'll do absolutely everything they can
to divert the investigation of Olga María's murder away from the paths that lead
to Alberto and Toñito Rathis's fraudulent schemes. Because Pepe Pindonga told me
another rumor that fills in the gaps: it turns out that Finapro's money was used
to pay a debt Toñito and his group had with the Cali Cartel; that's what they're
saying in the inner circles of the police and the media: they didn't steal the
depositors' money for the electoral campaign, or for the soccer team's travel
expenses, or to cover up holes in the other Rathis companies, but to pay off
debts between drug traffickers. Do you remember that scandal about a
multimillion-dollar shipment of cocaine they found in a container in the Port of
Acajutla, in the warehouse of a shipping company Toñito Rathis owns stock in?
There's the key, my dear. Who knows what Olga María might have found out, and
that's why they killed her, for being nosy, for sleeping with people she
shouldn't have slept with. That's exactly what I told Pepe Pindonga, before
telling him to leave, because I felt tired, or rather disheartened, depressed.
It's awful, my dear, with Olga María's murder the same thing will happen that
happens with all the crimes committed in this country: the authorities will
never find out anything and people will simply forget about it. That's what I
was thinking about after Pepe Pindonga left. It's awful what I'm feeling:
something between sadness and anger. I want to do something so that everybody
will know that Toñito Rathis and Alberto have something to do with our friend's
death. But in here, I'm screwed. That's why I don't know if I'm going to
tolerate being cooped up in here for very long. I'd like to get out, I want to
really stir things up. Though maybe nobody would give me any support, not even
Yuca: as you know, politicians have their own interests. Papa won't let me,
either. I'm so sick of mama: she says my nerves are a mess, there's something
wrong with my head, since Olga María died I've changed, I spend all my time
talking to myself, I always go out alone, as if she didn't know I was with you.
She says she's very worried. The same old story. The only thing for me do is to
leave the country, like they're recommending, take a long vacation, especially
if that Deputy Chief Handal tries to harass me with his Major What's-His-Face.
I'll leave and go to Miami, to Diana. Maybe she'll give me some support and from
there we can do something, but without that trash, Pepe Pindonga. Anything is
possible. What worries me is what will happen to you in my absence—who will you
talk to, who will you go out with, how will you keep from getting bored. If only
Olga María were still . . .