Felipe Alfau - Locos - A Comedy of Gestures

Doña Felisa rose and left the men to finish the hand alone.

“You win, Padre Inocencio, I have had terrible luck tonight, not a single hand. You are too strong a player for us.”

Suddenly the voice of Doña Felisa was heard in the other room shrill and broken, also the voices of Gaston and Carmen. Only snatches could be heard:

“My Lord, you two. ”

“Don’t be silly, mother, you are seeing things. ”

“This is the worst curse that can befall a family. Carmen, you little puta , come here.”

There was a silence. Don Gil inquired aloud:

“What is the matter?” He was disregarded.

The voice of Doña Felisa was heard again:

“Thank God, I arrived in time.” Her voice sounded broken and damp as if wrapped in tears.

“But I tell you we were only playing. ”

“In my own home, who could suspect such a. ”

Don Gil started to rise, but Padre Inocencio held him down. Don Gil shouted again:

“Felisa, what is the matter?”

But there was no answer.

There was another silence, a longer silence. Don Gil stirred the brasero. Padre Inocencio was toying with the crucifix that hung on his breast, the other man began to look at the cards as if they were an object of the utmost curiosity. Steps were heard down the corridor and the front door was banged.

And then Doña Felisa entered carrying a tray with the chocolate. She was deathly pale and her eyes were very red.

“What happened, Felisa? What was all the noise about?”

“Nothing, Gil, the usual scold to the children.” She addressed Padre Inocencio and the other man: “Now you behold home life in all its glory, a mother always after her children. They do not give me a moment’s peace.” She smiled, but as she laid the cups on the camilla her hands were trembling.

“But I heard the front door bang, Felisa. Who went out?”

Doña Felisa gave her husband a reproachful look for pressing the matter. Then she smiled again:

“Oh, that was Gaston. He went out to get something.”

Padre Inocencio was tactful. He dipped a biscuit in his chocolate and exclaimed:

“Oh, the delightful socunuco.! Gaudemus . “

They all began to dip their biscuits and no one said a word. The doorbell rang.

Don Gil made a motion but his wife got ahead of him. She walked down the corridor and after a little while her voice was heard:

“Why, Benito! We thought you were not coming, you are just in time for the chocolate.”

When they entered the room she was saying:

“But of course you must have time for one cup.”

The Prefect appeared concerned and nervous. They all greeted him and Don Gil rushed for another chair.

“Please don’t bother, I tell you I cannot stay. I just came to get Gil. It is a matter of importance which requires my immediate attention. Gil, can you get your hat and coat and come with me right away?”

“Yes. certainly.” Don Gil moved away to gather his coat and hat.

“What is it, Benito? I hope it is nothing bad.”

“Of course not, Felisa. I am sorry to take Gil away from you and break up the gathering.” The Prefect smiled politely at the audience.

Padre Inocencio and the other man made a noise like the one the acolyte makes during the Mass, which meant that it was perfectly all right, and from that noise the voice of Padre Inocencio rose like a litany:

“I think we had better go, too, it is getting quite late.”

“Please don’t, yet. Padre Inocencio, wait until Gil gets back. I am afraid to be left all alone. Besides, I want to speak to you.”

“You are not alone, Doña Felisa,” said the other man. “You have your children.”

“Yes. but let Padre Inocencio stay a little longer.”

Don Gil had his coat and hat on. He gulped down his chocolate:

“I am ready, Benito, let’s go,” and then added in a whisper: “Did you get the other partner?” Don Gil felt sure that his brother-in-law had a duel at hand.

Don Benito gave him a sad look and then said good night to Padre Inocencio and embraced his sister with exaggerated fondness. The other man also said good night and the three of them walked down the corridor. From the door Don Gil shouted back:

“Don’t worry, Felisa, I shall be right back. Keep her good company, Padre Inocencio.”

Downstairs the Prefect’s carriage was waiting:

“If we were not in such a hurry, I would offer my carriage to take you home.”

“Don’t think of it, I live nearby.”

When the other man departed, Don Gil inquired:

“What is it all about, Benito?”

“I will tell you when we get to my office.”

“Are we going to your office?”

“Yes.”

They rode through the streets of Madrid, sometimes the carriage bouncing noisily on the cobblestones and then with a sudden change gliding smoothly over the asphalt pavement. When they arrived there was a light in the office.

Don Benito closed the door and turned on Don Gil with an expression of amazement:

“Gil. Gil. were you mad? I never thought you capable of doing such a thing. Gil.!”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you needed money, why didn’t you come to me before doing. My Lord, I cannot believe my own eyes.”

“But what is it, what is it, what are you—?”

“Your fingerprints, Gil, your fingerprints. You know that they never lie. ”

“Of course, they never lie, but what about my fingerprints?”

“You know very well, Gil, at least don’t pretend to me. You know; Matias, the moneylender. Murdered. robbed. strangled. Gil. your fingerprints found on his neck, on his safe, everywhere “

“My fingerprints!”

“Yes, on his clothes, on the bed. everywhere. ”

“Everywhere!”

“Yes, on the walls, on the mantel. even on the soles of a pair of shoes. everywhere. ”

“My fingerprints. everywhere. ” He repeated mechanically.

“Never were there so many fingerprints found from a single individual. plain, outstanding, clear, accusing. an inexorable rain of fingerprints pointing at you. Gil.!”

Don Gil looked at his brother-in-law sideways:

“What is the idea of bringing me all the way out here for a joke?

Come on, let us be serious, tell me what you brought me here for?”

“Gil, you know very well it is not a joke. But, by God! We cannot be so apathetic before such a disaster. Here we are discussing it as if it were politics. I never suspected that I could receive news of such magnitude without collapsing. let me at least raise my voice. let me work myself into a paroxysm. Men should not fail situations to such a degree. Gil. Gil!. Why did you not come to me?. Why did you not think of Felisa and the children?. Of the blow that this means to my career?. Gil. Gil.! Tell me that there is an error somewhere, tell me that you did not do it. Give me your alibi, a strong alibi that will leave no way out. Let us collapse. Tell me that fingerprints fail. that it is a false theory. say something!”

“Fingerprints never fail.” Don Gil was beginning to feel dizzy, he was beginning to realize that it was serious and he questioned Don Benito, fearing his answer:

“How do you know that those were my fingerprints?”

“Garcia, the expert, the very man you recommended for his skill. He took the photographs, he went through the records looking at the fingerprints there without looking at the names on the top of the sheets. After he had recognized the prints he looked at the name and he wished he had never looked, for they were yours. He was loyal to you, Gil. At first he did not want to give you away, but then conscience got the best of him and he told me and left me to decide what to do. What could I decide, Gil? When I took office I swore to myself never to falter in the performance of my duties. There has been too much underhand work and too many crooked police officers in Spain and I did not want to be one of them, and I swore to myself, I swore. But, by God! Gil, now I hesitate in the performance of those duties. Tell me, Gil, I swore to myself, I swore. ”