Are You Guilty? (Gabriel Zas)

Captain Riestra came to visit us that morning in March 1996, smiling and full of vitality. Something interesting had happened to him and that influenced his positive and cheerful mood. With Dortmund we looked at each other and decided to wait before asking something of our friend. After a few minutes, when we saw that the captain did not rescind his vows of silence, we questioned him carefully.

_ I see him smiling, Captain Riestra, more than other times_ Dortmund told him, affably.

_ And is that I have a very good reason that justifies_ replied the captain, jocoso._ We have solved with my investigation team a murder case. The guy did not confess, but all the evidence points against him.

My friend looked at him with doubts and admiration simultaneously.

_ What is the story? _ Wanted to know the inspector with great interest in the matter.

_ I know you distrust the evidence because you usually claim that you never tell the truth. That the truth of the murder is in the story told by the facts themselves, Riestra refuted fervently. But here we have witnesses who agree on what happened. There is no doubt about that. The case is closed.

_ The witnesses are not one hundred percent reliable. The trauma they experience often makes them distort the facts and they often doubt what actually happened. It is very common.

_ They are five witnesses, Dortm und. Doubts do not play a preponderant role here. The story deduces by itself from the homicide, unlike what happens in his thesis.

_ It intrigues me to solemnly hear such a story, Captain Riestra.

With Inspector Dortmund we sat comfortably in front of the captain and he was flattered. And, as expected, his ego revolted in the broader coffers of pride and vanity. However, we listen to your story very carefully.

The victim was Fernando Arrubal. And was found dead or shot in the right temple in the house of the manager of the company for which he worked, Mr. Guillermo Urriaga. Arrubal was an insurance producer in the company Noroeste Políticas. During the last four months, false auto insurance policies were detected that participated in all kinds of crimes. The insurance producer complicit with the gang falsified the insurance data so that the vehicles were not tracked by the police. Then, the cars disappeared to take no risks, they were passed as stolen and the value of the policy was fraudulently charged, whose money was turned with legal appearance to open other new policies and continue with the horde of crimes, and in turn, solve the logistics of the band. Simply put , they washed the silver. Noroeste Policies opened an internal investigation without the knowledge of any of its employees and discovered that whoever was behind all this tangle of frauds was Fernando Arrubal. Mr. Urriaga rebuked him and he naturally denied the accusations. But he was also fired, forcing him to resign on the condition that he not take the case to the criminal court. But a civil trial was also initiated to recover all the money he had stolen. They did not want to take the matter to the criminal field because the company has a reputation to protect, that is indisputable. Fernando Arrubal was in ruins.

But he did not sit idly by. According to his wife, Mrs. Nora Cedeño, her husband investigated on his own and told him the day before his death, that he had been indicted and that he knew exactly who was the real culprit, and therefore, who had charged him. And he expressed his desire to confront Mr. Guillermo Urriaga, the manager of the insurance company, to address the issue. According to her story, she tried to persuade her husband not to do it because it was dangerous but he ignored his warnings and visited him yesterday morning.

The neighbors heard a shot. Fernando Arrubal was dead in the garden of Mr. Guillermo Urriaga's property. The weapon they found lying close to the body had recently been fired and the cap that the experts retrieved from the scene corresponded to the same weapon, which, in turn, coincided with the bullet that the coroner extracted from the body of Mr. Arrubal. There is no doubt about it. Undoubtedly, Mr. Urriaga was behind the scheme of fraud and corruption of the company. And he saw Fernando Arrubal as an easy victim to blame to cover his trail. But he never thought he was going to find out. He went home, got scared and killed him to protect himself.

_ Mr. Guillermo Urriaga confessed?

_ No, as expected. Denied the charges against him and asked for legal advice.

_ It is as if Mr. Urriaga had consented that Fernando Arrubal visit him with the sole objective of killing him, "I mused aloud hesitantly.

_ Interesting proposal, doctor_ praised Dortmund._ Did Mr. Guillermo Urriaga and Mr. Fernando A rrubal previously discussed the crime, Captain Riestra? _ Inquired the inspector, addressing our visitor again.

_ According to the neighbors, no_ replied Riestra, indifferently._ They only heard the shot and immediately called 911.

_ It does not make sense to go to see someone about whose person a high degree of culpability has been demonstrated in a chain of corporate crimes_ said Dortmund slowly, pronouncing each word with an iota of deep concentration. He thought carefully what he was saying.

_ Agreed_ I admitted.

_ Also I_ admitted Riestra with disdain._ At a certain point, it is unlikely that Mr. Urriaga agreed to see Fernando Arrubal in his own home. It would have been more logical for Arrubal to go directly to a judge with the evidence in hand to file the complaint.

"Do you realize that the story told by the facts from common sense differs completely from the evidence, Captain Riestra?" Dortmund inquired with arrogance and an impertinent tone of voice.

_ It is impossible...

_ It is not impossible since it happened.

_ I mean that the connectivity of the events is incorrect. We are looking at the case from the wrong approach. I thought we had it resolved.

We saw the frustration reflected in Riestra's eyes.

_ It was too easy a case, "the captain added later.

_ Not all cases have to be difficult and far-fetched _ the inspector said. _ You followed the signs. He acted according to the protocol of procedures. You do not have to feel bad about that.

_ Yes, because it proves that I am incapable of solving a case without my intervention, Dortmund.

_ That is not true.

My friend patted the captain affectionately on the shoulder, accompanying the gesture with a friendly smile.

_ Is very kind.

_ It's true.

_ How do you propose to continue?

_ I propose to speak with Mrs. Cedeño, the widow of Mr. Arrubal. But leave the matter to me. You will feel much less inhibited if I go alone.

Riestra approved the idea. The question that the three of us asked at that moment was what had really happened.

Mrs. Nora Cedeno was a relatively young woman, respectable in appearance, furtive and somewhat withdrawn. There was pain and impotence on his face.

_ I already talked to the police and the prosecutor_ she said, visibly upset._ I do not know what else they want me to say. I said everything I know.

Dort mund looked at her with affection.

_ Personally, I think something else happened and I want to find out what it is for Mr. Urriaga to pay his guilt completely and not be indulged in any criminal charges, "replied the inspector, in a relaxed and compassionate voice.

Nora Cedeñ or relaxed and gave in to my friend's intentions.

_ Guillermo Urriaga, the manager of the company for which my husband worked, forged insurance policies and laundered money from them to cover his trail of the Police. It secured stolen cars that were used to make who knows how many more things. He made them disappear, charged the amount of the apocryphal policy and the circuit restarted.

_ Did Mr. Arrubal tell you this, Mrs. Cedeño?

_ Yes, inspector. My husband knew that this was happening, he had proof of what he was saying. He had to get too close and it was easier to blame him than to kill him. But Fernando was stubborn. He did not stop until he unmasked his boss. I begged him to slow down but he ignored me. He went to see Urriaga at his house and killed him like a dog.

Nora Cedeño stopped herself on the verge of crying.

_ What did the prosecutor and the judge say about these accusations weighing on her husband? _ Continued my friend.

_ That they were going to be properly investigated. Whatever the result of that instruction, I will be the first to know. They will value the evidence that my husband gathered.

_ Why do you think, Mrs. Cedeño, that Mr. Guillermo Urriaga did not want to take the matter to the criminal jurisdiction?

_ Because he was involved, of course! And if I made the complaint to a criminal judge, I would fall from one moment to the next. And that's exactly what I did not want.

_ But they did take everything to the civil courts to recover the amount they thought their husband stole ... Interesting.

_ They were going to leave us bankrupt. With a couple of papers and accounting documents that they presented before the Civil Justice showing the accusation, they had the judgment assured. Civil Justice is based on the preponderance of evidence in a much less rigorous way. It is based on the possibility that events have happened one way and not another. And if the witnesses against my husband were all accomplices, I think it's all said. Besides, where would my husband get the money from? He left me a lot of debts that I do not know how I'm going to settle. This guy ruined our life .

_ Did your husband suspect someone else besides Mr. Urriaga?

_ If there was someone else involved, I was going to find out.

Sean Dortmund wished Mrs. Cedeno good morning and retired from his house thoughtfully. This woman produced a strange emotion, which even my friend could not explain.

_ She was very evasive_ the inspector told me, when he returned to our apartment. It's as if he were hiding something, doctor.

_ It is going through a terrible situation_ I said with an impassive expression._ I think, Dort mund, that justifies your attitude in a measure, do not you think?

But the inspector was dissatisfied.

Mr. Arrubal, assuming he is innocent, wants to clear his name and starts an investigation on his own, said Dortmund thoughtfully, because it is clear that they blame him for something he did not do. Investigate, gather the necessary evidence, and what does it do? Does the complaint formalize before the authorities? Do not! He blames the person responsible, in this case Mr. Guiller mo Urriaga, in his own home. And he, far from dissuading him, receives it. And what does he do? It kills him! Definitely, the story does not make sense.

_ However, avoid filing the complaint in the criminal jurisdiction but does it in the civil jurisdiction.

_ Exactly, doctor. Tam does not fit. What does that suggest to you then?

But I could not think of a sensible answer to that question.

_ That they have some judge complicit in all this_ Dortmund affirmed with forcefulness after a few seconds._ Now, doctor. What would you do in the place of Mr. Urriaga in a similar situation?

_ Surely, it would not kill him because it would be very risky.

_ But he would extort it under the condition that if he does not ignore his attitude, he would make the report with false evidence. And with a judge friend, the whole assumption is reduced to the slightest simplicity.

_ I guess you're right. A murder would complicate everything. And it is not convenient if there is a criminal judge in the middle of all the drama.

_ He hit the key, doctor.

Sean Dortmund looked at me with his peculiar, impertinent stare .

_ I do not understand, "I said mildly confused.

_ Soon you will understand_ replied my friend, taking a sudden leap from his chair.

He took his coat from his chair and hurried through the door without saying where he was going. I found out shortly afterwards that he followed Mrs. Cedeño cautiously for a few days, without understanding the purpose of such a strategy. At first, her routine was the routine of a woman who lived alone. But on the fifth or sixth day, Dortmund followed her to the forests of Palermo. And he saw how Nora Cedeno took a white handkerchief from one of the pockets of her dress, unwrapped it, grabbed what was hidden inside it and threw it carefully into the waters of the lake. And how with the same protection, he retired as he arrived.

Sean Dortmund smiled victoriously at this scene and as soon as he returned to our residence, he sent me a telegram urgently to Mrs. Cedeno, quoting her for the next day at ten o'clock in the morning.

Nora Cedeño arrived on time without fully understanding the purpose of the meeting. My friend made her pass kindly, offered her something to drink, an invitation that she declined politely; and then offered to sit in a chair that Dortmund prepared especially for her.

The widow looked at the inspector with doubt and stupor, while he watched her with arrogance and provocation.

_ I know everything, Mrs. Cedeño_ Dortmund intimidated her, coldly._ And I will not allow a man to pay for a murder he did not commit.

Sweeping drops of sweat appeared from Mrs. Cedeno's face and an expression of sudden fear seized her face.

_ I do not understand what you mean, inspector_ the woman hesitated, nervously.

_ He lied in his testimony. There are many details in his story that do not add up.

< This is what I think happened: Guillermo Urriaga did falsify insurance policies, did wash the money that he later fraudulently collected from them and was responsible for an illicit association that he formed with other company employees. In short, he is guilty of everything that is accused. Mr. Fernando Arrubal, accidentally or not, discovers what is happening and decides to take everything to Justice. But Mr. Urriaga anticipates the move and sets a trap for him, and makes him remain his husband as the maximum responsible for the problem with false evidence, complicity of other employees, prevarication of a judge, anyway. And with evidence and accusations also unfounded, they initiate a civil case against him to discredit him, to extract what little he had, to destroy him and discourage him from that way of going against them. They had ruined his life, literally speaking.

Mr. Fernando Arrubal could not stand it, it was too much for him, too much pressure for something that was absolutely innocent and they were blaming him. He collapsed and resorted to the only possible solution: suicide > .

< I imagine your shock, Mrs. Cedeño, when you found your husband's lifeless body. Anger and anger took possession of him, he could not control it. And it happens in ceguecida for their violent emotions, blame the man who ruined the life of Mr. Arrubal and took him to death>.

<She took her husband's body, loaded it in the trunk of her car, drove to Mr. Urriaga's house and discreetly left the corpse in her garden through the main entrance gate. Then he took the same weapon with which his husband took his life, made a shot in the air and left the weapon abandoned at the scene. Immediately, he returned to his vehicle and undertook a fleeting escape to avoid being seen. Ingenious, really ingenious > .

_ It is wrong...

_ Of course not. A person who kills another in similar circumstances shoots at the chest or front of the skull, but never at the sides of the temples. On the other hand, my visit to the house again made her uneasy, it made her nervous and she was quite elusive in some sections of the conversation, as if she were hiding something, as if she was afraid to discover what she was trying to hide treacherously. . I thought it was too much to pretend to hide simple details of the story. So, I took the immodesty of following it secretly for a few days. And then I saw it. She threw the bullet casing that killed her husband to the lake of Palermo to make disappear the only proof of his suicide. If it was found, all its skillfully crafted history would fall. You really murdered your husband.

Nora Cedeno looked at the inspector with hostility.

_ Is it strange that I did what I did to protect the dignity of Fernando? And you have the insolence to call me a murderer! To me, my lord!

_ It was a murder because it was an act committed of its own accord. You may not have pulled the trigger , but it's still a murder. Her husband died because he did not have the courage or the resources to face a problem of such magnitude. And even if it seems good or bad, it was his decision. His and nobody else's. And it must be respected despite all the pain he feels in his soul.

< Mr. Urriaga will remain in custody for the whole racket of crimes and scams that he promoted in his capacity as manager of the insurer. But he will not pay unjustly for a homicide he did not commit. I will not allow that from any point of view, Mrs. Cedeño > .

< Think about this. Is it worth ruining the life of a human being ... To a human being for not respecting the wishes of his deceased husband? Is it really worth it? >

Nora Cedeno looked at Dortmund somberly.

_ No, honestly it is not worth it _ she answered regretfully.

_ Her husband managed to get Mr. Guillermo Urriaga to fall. Her death was not in vain, if that makes her feel a little more relieved.

_ To some extent, yes. But it is something I will never be able to overcome.

_ Withdraw, please. We're finished

Mrs. Cedeño rose shyly from her chair and walked away from us without even greeting us. A few seconds later we heard the door close softly behind us .

"I'll tell Captain Riestra the truth about this case," said Sean Dortmund more crazily.

_ Will you accept it? _ I inquired with indecision.

_ With a good dinner in between, of course!

_ I die for a good portion of roast.

_ Desire granted, doctor_ my friend replied frequently .