Wet Gold

13

We had set up, temporarily, in a small classroom on the ground floor. The walls were an unnecessarily clean white, free of any kind of personalisation that I might have expected in a classroom, and with a large, interactive whiteboard at the front of the room that must have cost an absolute fortune to source and bring all the way to Cordoba. As the Detective set out the chairs, I wondered how many years ago the computer and the whiteboard must have been built, given that they had to be from before the collapse.

The girl was brought in by campus security, and directed to her chair. Upon sitting, she immediately demanded a lawyer, and Detective Diaz laughed.

'No such luck,' he said. 'You're not under arrest for a start. You're here to help us find out what happened to your friend. Don't you want to help?'

'I do want to help,' Sari Hofstad Paz said, chewing a strong smelling mastic gum, glaring at us. 'But I don't want to say something and have you two decide that I'm a criminal. That's your job, after all.'

'What could you say that would make me think you're a criminal?' Diaz asked.

'Anything,' she said. 'I know how you police types work.'

'My job is to find the truth,' Diaz said. 'No matter how long it takes.'

'There's truth,' she said, 'and then there's what you decide is the truth.'

'Hardly the truth if I can just pin the crime on whoever I want,' Diaz said, 'is it?'

'I just want a lawyer.'

'And I just want to ask you a few questions.'

'Perhaps,' I interjected before the conversation could loop back on itself again, 'it would be wise for us to explain what we know first, and if we get anything wrong, you can correct us.'

'You're a silent partner,' Diaz said.

'Your friend Antonio is dead,' I said. 'He was found tied up, in his bathroom, drowned in his bathtub.'

'God,' she said. 'It's true, then.'

'Furthermore,' I said, 'it seems that he was having sexual relations with an unknown man at the time-'

'What?' she said, almost choking on her gum, reaching her fingers into her mouth to pull it out. She flicked it onto the floor, where it landed somewhere on the carpet. 'With a man? That can't be right.'

'Evidence would indicate-'

'He- Antonio,' she said, 'he and I, we are- we were- we were together. We've been together- we were together for- for five years. Since we were little kids. We- he-'

'And did you,' Detective Diaz interjected, 'ever have reason to suspect he was engaging in a homosexual affair?'

'Of course not,' she said. 'Do I look like I had reason to suspect that? I- no. You've got something wrong. You must have something wrong. Antonio was like his father. They both, they were- they hated gays. At least, that's what he always said, that's what he told his father- I mean, I have no problem with them, you know, and he- this can't be right. There's been a mistake.'

'Fairly certain there hasn't been,' the Detective said. 'I understand that you weren't aware, but, not to be crass, let's just say there's very definite evidence that Antonio was engaged in male to male sexual relations when he died, and, reason to suspect that he was having them with someone he trusted. Now, I understand that this is news to you-'

'It's not news, it's not true.'

'And that this isn't the nicest way to find out, but-'

'It can't be true-'

'We would like to know if there is anyone that he, that Antonio, might have been intimate with.'

'I don't know,' she said. 'I don't know who it could have been, if its true. It could have been anyone, if- are you sure? You are sure, aren't you? Oh God.'

'Take your time,' Diaz said.

'Manuel will be devastated,' she said.

'Manuel?' Why?'

'He- he confessed to me, once, that he had a crush on Antonio. But I mean, it was years ago, and I told him how Antonio is with- was- and to find out that he, that they could have- oh God. And if- and if it was him? If it was Manuel?'

'What can you tell us about Manuel? I asked.

'I don't know, I mean, he- do you think it could have been him?'

'What is he like?'

'He's, he's so sweet, so quiet. He's always hanging around us, he helps me with my homework, he's just- he's chill, he- and-'

'How did you meet?' I asked. 'Through school? Or did you know each other before you came here?'

'No,' she said. 'Obviously not.'

'Obviously not why?' I asked. 'I knew many of my school friends before we entered secondary education together. Why would it not be the case for you and Manuel?'

'Because he was here on some kind of, I don't know, scholarship ticket or something,' she said. 'He's from the river.'

It came out as a sneer, even through the desperate sadness. Four words proclaimed as a condemnation. Diaz was moving the dirt of his beard around with his fingers.

'From the river? On a scholarship ticket? Fairly strange that, no?' he asked.

'No,' she said. 'I mean, I don't know, I never asked. I didn't really care. He was better than that place anyway, so, that's all I know.'

'And how did he and Antonio get on? Were you all three good friends?'

'Of course,' she said. 'We, those two, they were best friends, they were- you know. Boys. Together. You couldn't, you couldn't separate them, you- this is madness. This can't, it can't be true. It can't.'

'Okay,' the Detective said. 'Okay. Look, I tell you what. This has been a lot for you. We're going to go and speak to Manuel, and we'll give you a day or two to process. If you can think of anything else that might prove useful, you come and see us, right?'

She didn't say anything. She just nodded, stood, and left crying. Diaz stood moments after she had left the room, and was leading me by the arm to the door.

'I think that I've got our motive,' he said. 'Strong suspicion. Let's go find out. We're going to go ask at reception for Manuel, who I strongly suspect will not be here.'

The receptionist, after a long winded complaint about our impertinence, confirmed the Detective's suspicion.

'And do you have a photo?' he asked.

'Well, we wouldn't be doing much of a job of record keeping were we not to have the images of our students on file, would we?' the receptionist said. 'Honestly, what-'

'The photo, please,' Diaz said, taking it out of the blustering receptionist's hand. 'This is the boy you saw the other day, right?'

I looked down.

'It is,' I said. 'How did you-'

'A hunch,' he said. 'Think I can see where this is going. I'm going down to the river to see if I can't find the boy. I assume you're coming with me?'

'You assume correctly.'

'Shall we then?'