Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

Chapter 5. February the fourteenth, 2016

Obvious aside, February the fourteenth, 2016, was the first Tobas
Cotarelo's birthday once he died. Was, as well, the day they chose
for the "Catharsis" final transfer to the premises of the
Elecfusin Foundation's Modern Art Museum. They had prepared a
whole room for it, a whole room with perfect wooden flooring, a
small perfect wooden no back bench right opposite to the art-work,
immaculate white walls, maybe classical music, although it was a
contradiction, on the piped music. That was the result of all the
pressure within their reach, both father's and mother's and that
much it was that the Universal Bank, not to set a precedent,
handed the painting over for free and the Xunta's president got
the suit ready for the second picture.
Luckily, specially for their public image, they had took the
precaution of getting the painting ready before the official
delivery. February the twelfth was the day they notified the
Universal Bank's smallest branch of the two it had in Barcelona
Street, to pick up the painting.
- You can come whenever you want, here it is, right where you left
it - An unconcerned Manel said, not taking the trouble to check if
what he was saying was true; on the other hand, who was going to
steal such a thing?
They turned up at 8:00 hours of February the twelfth, the father,
the mother, the branch's manager, the art critic, the preservation
technician of the Bank's cultural holdings, a very professional
and well-known photographer, two Bank's maintenance workers and
two local policemen. And I really regret, the same I thanked it
before, there weren't any surveillance cameras at meeting room,
because the faces of those on the procession should be worth
seeing. Unluckily, no picture came to light and I bet the
photographer had time enough to take a couple.
- Here you have it - Manel pointed at the air, talking to the
entourage while he was opening the door.
All the alarms went off, just a figure of speech, of course.
Claudina remained breathless, Indalecio hugged her like if it was
a tragedy. Manel's hand still was pointing at the air not
understanding that awful faces, the painting was terrible but it
hadn't gotten worst with time.
- Good heavens! - A bewildered, and dramatic as always, Antonio
broke the silence, at last, in front of the empty wall inside the
very frame he had chosen.

Raquel Couto Antelo

Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

- What is the problem? - Manel asked as if they were blaming him

for the junk they bought hadn't gotten better.
- The problem? - Antonio stepped ahead the upset family - The
problem is that the painting is not there!
Manel looked at the empty frame and, far from making a scene like
the rest, he laughed to himself up to the point he had to focus on
the floor for a few minutes to get his act together. In his
understanding of interior design, he figured someone fed up with
that shit had thrown it away, he would do it himself but feared
they made him pay for it.
- I want to see the recordings! - The journalist Claudina had
inside came out.
- What recordings? - Manel asked.
- Surveillance cameras'! What else would be? - Indalecio got angry
- I'm calling the police.
- Please, calm down! - One of the policemen that escorted the
procession ordered - They are on their way, make sure you do not
touch anything.
And, even that was the smallest of the two branches the Universal
Bank had at Barcelona Street, its no opening at 8:30 as it should
made the Robbery Unit inspector struggled to cross through a nosy
crowd. Brais Estanislao, that was his name, went straight to the
meeting room without talking to anybody, he stood in front of the
empty frame, looked at the picture in his phone and rubbed his
chin.
- We have to talk to the neighbours and check if they heard
something weird last night - He addressed to one of the agents
around.
- Well, about that... - She answered.
- You have to talk to them, period; I know it's boring but you are
paid for that - He interrupted playing the boss.
- The thing is that - She resumed - nobody knows how long the
painting has been missing.
- I beg your pardon - He said.
- Nobody can assure that the painting is only missing since
yesterday, on the recordings we didn't find anything out of the
Raquel Couto Antelo

Drawing the perfect plan up and executing it in sin

ordinary, an agent is checking them again - She answered.

- We are trying to find the cleaning lady, according to the
manager she's the only one that enters the meeting room every day
- Other agent pointed out.
- I see, our main suspect - He concluded with no more information.
- Of course, the cleaning lady... - The first agent said in low
with sarcasm.
- Well, maybe she smudged it with the cloth when she was cleaning
and wanted to save the telling-off - The second agent told her
laughing, also in low.

Raquel Couto Antelo