I Am Not a Monster by Carme Chaparro

Author:Carme Chaparro [Chaparro, Carme]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503905375
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Published: 2018-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

21

ANA

Nori had wanted to tell her in person. He would have preferred to go to the train station to pick her up and be at her side when he delivered the bad news, to see how she reacted, to be able to help her handle it. Anything but calling her while she was trapped inside a train. Our friend’s son might have been kidnapped by the same man who took Nicolás two years ago and Manu four days ago. How do you say that over the phone? How do you give that news to somebody who’s locked in a cage like a rabid dog?

But hours had already passed since Pablo’s disappearance, and soon all sorts of media would be buzzing with the news. Inés was a well-known TV personality. On top of that, she was covering The Taker case. Morbid interest in spades.

And, further, dozens of people had witnessed the moment when Inés had started to scream and scream and scream until she blacked out. It was a miracle the news hadn’t spread already. It was a miracle no video had shown up on YouTube. Surely right now, someone was bargaining over how much money their cell phone images of Inés fainting would bring in.

As soon as the media got wind of this, all hell would break loose. So Nori had to tell her, even if she was stuck on the train. Better that way. Better a shock than a heart attack.

In the Madrid division of the Judicial Police, all leaves, sick days, and vacations were canceled. Three four-year-old boys, physically similar, were kidnapped from the same mall. This was something the country couldn’t tolerate, something that struck fear into politicians because it could easily be held against them. So those running the country demanded that the ones in charge of the police give the case absolute priority. “The sky’s the limit in terms of resources,” the Minister told the director general of the police. “Whatever you need, you’ve got it. People, time, equipment. Find those kids.”

The majority of the Judicial Police left whatever they were doing to focus on the disappearances of Nicolás, Manu, and Pablo. National headquarters in Canillas dispatched part of the special group on kidnapping and extortion to collaborate with the investigation.

“Where’s Chief Inspector Arén?” demanded Major Ruipérez, his voice echoing through the room. “Where the fuck is the chief inspector in charge of this case? It’s just been made the top priority for the entire national police force!”

One. Two. Three. Four seconds. Silence. Hands stopped typing, mouths snapped shut. Everything came to a sudden halt. You could cut the tension with a knife.

“Does anybody hear me in this place? Where-the-fuck-is-Chief-In-spec-tor-A-rén?”

The commander was turning red. Adrenaline had sped up his pulse, and the blood vessels in his face had filled, making him look like a Christmas-tree ball coated with metallic paint. His jugular vein, pulsating under the skin of his neck, threatened to burst from the pressure.

Charo started to stand up, but Nori stopped her. Let me do it, the look on his face said.

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