Antonio Hill - The Summer of Dead Toys

By the expression on Enric’s face, Héctor gathered that he too had read Marc’s blog. He didn’t know how he’d learned of its existence, but it was clear that the name Iris was familiar to him. Salgado continued with his tale: he outlined the story of abuse and death to them, without giving more than the necessary details. He then went on to speak to them about Inés and Marc in Dublin, of his decision to bring the truth to light, and came to the plan devised to coerce Fèlix, who’d refused to reveal to his nephew the name he was demanding. He recounted the perverse trick for which he’d used Natàlia, and graphically described photos he hadn’t seen. Doing so, he watched the Castells’ expressions and saw what he had expected: his was a mixture of apprehension and interest; hers of disgust, hatred and surprise. He finished by telling them of Aleix’s intervention to prevent his brother’s name coming out. It was a succinct but clear summary.

“Inspector,” began Enric, who’d listened to Salgado attentively, “are you telling me my son was trying to blackmail my brother? He wouldn’t have done it. I’m sure of that. In the end he would have backed out.”

Héctor shook his head, with a doubtful air.

“That we’ll never know. Marc and Gina are dead.” He put his hand in his pocket and took out the USB Aleix had given him an hour before. “This is the USB that Gina took from here, the one she then gave to Aleix. But there are no photos on it. In fact, it’s not even Gina’s or Marc’s. It’s yours, isn’t it, Glòria?”

She didn’t answer. Her right hand was clenched on the arm of the sofa.

“It has your notes from university on it. Haven’t you missed it?”

Enric raised his head slowly, not understanding.

“I haven’t had much time for studying lately, Inspector,” replied Glòria.

“I believe you. You’ve been fairly busy with other things.”

“What are you suggesting?” Enric’s voice had recovered some of its characteristic strength, that of the lord who doesn’t allow anyone to attack his family in his own home.

Héctor continued. He spoke in a calm, almost friendly voice.

“I’m suggesting that fate has played a dirty trick on everyone. The USB with the photos was here for a few days before Gina took it. And Natàlia, innocent and playful, did something that’s fun for her these days. You said it yourself to Agent Castro when we were here. Natàlia took the USB with the photos and left it beside her mother’s computer, and took the one you had, with the notes of the correspondencecourse degree you are studying for, to Marc’s room. And he, not wanting to have those photos on the computer again, gave it to Gina without realizing the error. But you. . you opened what you shouldn’t have opened. And saw those photos of Natàlia: photos of your daughter naked, photos suggesting a whole world of horror. You knew Marc had confessed to having posted that video of a schoolmate on the internet. You didn’t trust him, or love him. After all, you weren’t his mother. .”

Glòria went red. She said nothing; she tried her utmost to stay calm. Her hand had become a claw clinging to the arm of the sofa.

“You saw the photos?” asked Enric. “You didn’t tell me-”

“No,” Héctor intervened. “She didn’t tell you anything. She decided to punish Marc on her own, isn’t that right?”

Castells jumped up as if on a spring.

“I won’t tolerate one more word, Inspector!” But his eyes showed doubt. He turned slowly toward his wife, who remained still, like a rabbit in the headlights. “That night you didn’t sleep with me. You went to bed with Natàlia. You said the little one was afraid of the fireworks.”

There was a moment of extreme tension. Glòria took a few seconds to answer, the time needed to stop her voice trembling.

“And that’s how it was. I slept with Natàlia. Nobody can prove otherwise.”

“You know what?” Héctor intervened. “In a way I understand you, Glòria. It must have been terrible. To see those photos without knowing what else they’d done to your daughter, fearing the worst. The same would have happened to any mother. There’s something powerful in a mother’s love. Powerful and implacable. Even less aggressive animals attack to protect their young.”

Héctor saw the hesitation in her eyes. But Glòria wasn’t easy prey.

“I’m not going to continue talking to you, Inspector. If my husband doesn’t throw you out of our home, I will.”

But Enric seemed not to have heard the last statement by his wife.

“The following day we had to stop for petrol. I didn’t even remember. Fèlix was driving because I wasn’t capable of taking the wheel. But the tank wasn’t so empty when we went up. . I haven’t thought about it since. .” He faced his wife and whispered to her, unable to raise his voice. “Glòria, did you kill. .? Did you kill my only child?”

“Your only child!” The bitterness exploded in a hoarse shout. “And what is Natàlia? What would you have done if I had told you about the photos? I’ll tell you. Nothing! The excuses, the justifications would have started. . The little one is fine, it was a joke, teenagers are like that. .

“What did you say when he posted that video on the internet? ‘He’s had a difficult life-his mother abandoned him’. .” Her words oozed rancour. “And Natàlia? The years she spent in the orphanage? Don’t they count? This daughter doesn’t count for you. She’s never mattered to you at all!”

Glòria looked at the inspector. She was trying to make him understand the truth. To justify herself somehow.

“I couldn’t forgive him, Inspector. Not this time. Who knows what else he would have done to my little girl?” She’d started and now she couldn’t stop. “Yes, the night before San Juan I told you I would sleep with Natàlia, but I went down to Barcelona in the car as soon as I heard you sleeping. I’d made sure you would sleep, believe me. I didn’t know what I was planning to do. Accuse him of it all and force him to leave without you knowing, I suppose. I wanted him out of Natàlia’s life and out of mine. I got home just as Aleix was leaving. I saw the light go on in Marc’s room and then go out. A little later, I saw him leaning out of the window. I crossed the street quickly and went up to the attic. He was still there, and at that moment I couldn’t help it. I ran toward him and pushed him. . It was an impulse. .”

And you put the ashtray on the sill back in its spot, automatically, thought Héctor, not saying a word.

“But killing Gina wasn’t an impulse, Glòria,” said Héctor. “It was a crime in cold blood, committed against an innocent young girl-”

“Innocent? You haven’t seen all the photos, Inspector! They did them together, the two of them. They took advantage of a night she came to babysit Natàlia. She was even in one, although I suppose they planned to delete it.”

“They didn’t hurt her,” murmured Héctor. “They were mistakenly trying to hunt down an abuser of minors.” “But I didn’t know that. God, I didn’t know! And I told myself that if Marc had died, she had to die as well. Also-”

“Also, you didn’t even know she’d stayed over that night and when you found out you panicked. Luckily for you, Gina was so drunk that she fell asleep immediately and heard nothing. But when we saw you here, and you realized the case was still open, you were frightened. And you decided that Gina’s false suicide would put a full stop to it all. You went to her house that evening, spoke to her, you certainly drugged her a little, as you did your husband on San Juan. Afterward you brought her to the bathtub and with utmost cruelty you slit her wrists. Then you wrote a fake suicide note, trying to imitate the style of young people when they write.”