at that moment, Juno walked in through a door at the back, followed by Ramona. Álvaro moved to the right and stood in front of the white porcelain urinal, he undid his fly.
“Amazing party, Juno!”
“Completely wild”, said the man who was drawing the lines of powder, white as sugar. “Check this out, it’s pure snow… We’re going to spend the whole night skiing, aaaaa-ooooh”, he lifted his head, imitating a wolf.
Juno watched them, he looked at Ramona and nodded.
“I’ve told you before; I don’t want to see that shit in my house”.
Ramona went up to both men, without hesitation, she pushed them, opened the tap, put her hand under the running water and cleaned the surface, dissolving the white powder in the sink. Then, she quickly checked the two silent men’s pockets and found two sachets full of white powder on their coats. She threw them into the bathroom and flushed them away. Neither of them dared question the authority of the spectacular woman who towered over them.
Juno went to one of the urinals to the left of Álvaro, undid his fly and stared at the wall ahead. Ramona stood behind him. The other men remained silent like two boys who had just been told off by their teacher.
“I promised to bring something tonight that you’ve never seen before”, said Juno above the sound of the liquid hitting the white porcelain.
“Oh Juno, we apologize. We did it out of habit, we trust you…”
“Yes, amigo, you always surprise us for the better”, agreed his companion.
Juno did not look at them, he did not answer, but turned his head to his urinal neighbor. Álvaro stared at the pink Carrara marble wall ahead and zipped his pants.
“Have we met? I’m Juno Coentrao”, the man urinating in the uncomfortable silence of the bathroom said.
Álvaro washed his hands in the sink. He had unzipped his pants, but had not actually done anything.
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Coentrao, I’m Armando Manzanero. My apologies for not shaking hands”, said Guzmán as he placed them under the running water.
“Manzanero… The name is not in my radar…” Juno shook the hand that was out of view. He was finishing.
“Of course, I’m here with TJ, with the lawyers”, he said the first thing that came to mind and moved to dry his hands. “A pleasure to have met you”.
He placed his hands under the dryer and it started blowing hot air.
Juno went to the tap closest to the dryer. Ramona waited calmly behind. The hand dryer’s noise added some distance to the conversation between the infiltrated policeman and the owner of the house.
Juno finished, washed his hands and wiped them dry with one of the white cotton towels that were neatly folded on a table.
The hand dryer went silent and Guzmán walked to the door.
“I hope you enjoy the party, this has only just started and the evening is going to be full of surprises”. Juno waited for Ramona to open the door and left without waiting for an answer, his blonde shadow followed close behind.
As soon as they were gone, the two men sighed in relief.
Guzmán left after them. In the corridor, he found himself face to face with Carlo Stamas. They looked at each other; they knew the other’s face from somewhere, but neither remembered from where.
***
Guzmán returned to the garden, to the present. He listened.
“Who’s in charge?”
He raised his soaked head and looked at the elegantly dressed man who had posed the question so energetically. He recognized him; the State attorney Eduardo Aster. Juno stood beside him, glaring fiercely at Guzmán.
“Ask after commissioner García, my communication gear is all wet”.
The attorney now addressed the policemen who had arrested and handcuffed Ramona.
“I am the State attorney, Eduardo Aster, and I demand that you free this woman right now. Remove those handcuffs”.
The elegantly dressed man addressed the uniformed policemen in black balaclavas who were guarding Ramona.
“This is a private property and a gun-free private party”, the attorney insisted, and the police agents glanced at each other doubtfully. “Where is the court order? I want to see a court order right now… I have told you to free this woman… More than one person here is going to find themselves in deep trouble”.
The police agents hesitated.
Álvaro stood up, completely soaked, and faced Aster.
“This woman has shot and possibly killed an inspector of the Police department”.
“Identify yourself before you address me…” The attorney was furious. “And let me tell you that your colleague opened fire in public, endangering many innocent people; she did not identify herself before shooting, and damaged objects of someone else’s property”, he said and added, pointing at the bottom of the pool, “on the other hand, this woman of the security services, who holds a gun license, acted in self-defense in the face of such a shocking irresponsibility… And, who are you? Show me your badge”.
Aster did not bother hiding the superiority and disdain he felt towards the man who had jumped into the pool.
Álvaro bent down, he lifted his pants’ cuffs slightly and took his weapon and badge from his ankle. Standing up, he pointed his gun at the attorney’s head, his hand steady.
“Identify yourself… Son of a bitch. This is my badge”. He stretched out his hand holding the department’s shield up to Aster’s face. “Where is yours? On your knees and hands behind your head. Remain silent until you have been spoken to. These are your rights: you have the right to remain silent and everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law”.
Guzman’s temerity paralyzed Aster and he dropped to his knees trembling. The soaked policeman continued aiming exactly at the point between Aster’s eyes while water dripped from the gun’s butt. The attorney remained silent and on his knees, and slowly he lifted his hands to place them behind his head. Álvaro Guzmán extended his free hand, and without saying a word or shifting his gaze, received the handcuffs that his colleague was handing him, then he approached the attorney’s back with tense and measured steps and handcuffed him.
A tense silence filled the garden.
Juno took a step forward, then looked at Don, who stood next to his daughter Esther; he shook his head; they had to stay calm and keep their distances, always discrete.
“Take this idiot away from here and interrogate him”, said Guzmán, as he walked towards the house. “Oh, and don’t forget to read his rights!” He looked at his watch where a drop of water magnified the time; 22.00h.
***
Ramona and attorney Eduardo Aster were
