Mexico City Noir by Paco Ignacio Taibo II; Achy Obejas

Author:Paco Ignacio Taibo II; Achy Obejas
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: ebook, book
ISBN: 9781936070749
Publisher: Akashic Books
Published: 2010-02-01T10:00:00+00:00

Neighbors Cassette. Side B.

July 16, 2007

[Same problem as Side A. Impossible to get these people to talk one at a time.]

I want to know why Lalo didn’t give a statement. He’s a journalist. The police don’t usually like it when journalists snoop.

Wait and see what he says.

I was the first to make a statement.

And what did you say?

I told what little I knew about Violeta.

Did you see a strange man or woman hanging around the block a few days ago, yesterday, today, this afternoon, tonight? Did you hear a struggle, screams, anything out of the ordinary?

This neighborhood has been run over by cops, it isn’t what it used to be. With a zillion restaurants, bars, theaters, and all that other trash, it’s just packed with outsiders.

So how can you tell if those outsiders are potential killers, petty thieves, or rapists? How can you distinguish a cry for help from a wild scream or some drug addict or drunk losing his mind? This is Mexico Park, one of the prettiest places in the whole city, and they killed her right across the street. Nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything.

I saw Mikel say goodbye to a girl in the park while I was walking my dog. It was after 12. We said hello in passing.

Then Mikel couldn’t have killed her because Lalo said the murder occurred between 10:30 and 11. That’s certainly a relief. Just imagining we might be living with someone who’d kill an old woman makes my skin crawl. It couldn’t have been Mikel. She spoke so well of him, and he of her. Besides, he’s a very courteous young man, very responsible.

Poor guy, I hope they treat him okay and set him free. It’s not fair to blame an innocent person.

Mikel Ortiz Cassette. Side B.

July 17, 2007

The rabid one asked me what time I got home the night of the crime. I told him, “Late, after 12. I went straight to my room, trying not to wake Violeta up.” Then he wanted to know what time I usually get in at night. “Between 8:30 and 9, then I watch a little TV and go to sleep because I get up at 6 in the morning.”

“But that night you got in after midnight. Why?”

“I went to Mass at 8 at Coronación parish and afterward I talked for a bit with a young woman I’ve chatted with a few other times. She invited me to coffee and then we went for a walk in the park. We agreed to meet again next Sunday, at the 1 o’clock Mass.”

“Let’s see … you go to Mass every day?”

“No, just on Sundays and special occasions.”

“What was so special that evening? Were you going to ask forgiveness for killing your landlady?”

“I didn’t kill her! I went because it was the anniversary of my grandmother’s passing.”

“Name and surname, phone number, and address for that young woman. Is she a student? Does she work? Where? Who does she live with?”

“Beatriz. Her name is Beatriz, but I didn’t get her last name.

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