📸 Photo

MARCHING POWDER

forgotten that amount of money, so why was he pretending not to remember? And why was he looking at me as if he didn't believe me?

'But you definitely haven't got any more of his money?' he asked me in an even tone.

'Julián, you were there,' I repeated, and that empty feeling in my stomach began to grow. 'You counted the money yourself. Don't... I mean... What, are you accusing me of cheating him?' Then a thought occurred to me and I felt my legs go weak: What if Julián was the one trying to set me up? He had been the witness for the loan contract with the Velascos. He had been the witness for when I gave Aregon's wife the money. He had been my witness at the police setup. He had sat on my case at the discipline committee meeting. He was the one I relied on to send messages to Aregon. What if he had been against me the whole time? Who would ever believe my word against his?

'No, Thomas. I'm not accusing you of anything.' Julián's face relaxed. 'I'm sorry that I had to ask you that. I just wanted to make sure.'

'Make sure about what? Why? What's happened? What did he say?' I was in such a state of confusion that it took a while for his answer to sink in.

'Aregon's dead.' Julián paused. 'He died in Chonchocoro yesterday afternoon. I'm sorry, Thomas.'

'How?' I eventually managed to ask.

'Suicide. He hanged himself.'

I was still stuck on the idea that Julián was the one betraying me, so my first thought was that he had had Aregon killed and was trying to make it look like a suicide. But I was wrong. Julián had nothing to do with any of it.

Even though Chonchocoro was a maximum-security prison, it seems that prisoners were still allowed television sets. Aregon had cut the electrical cable at the back and had it ready when his wife visited him in his cell. He turned his stereo up loud and strangled her. No one heard a thing. Afterwards, he hanged himself. Julián had just been doing his duty to Aregon's family by asking me those questions about whether he had any money left over.

'Is there anything I can do?' he asked gently.

'Yes. Get my television back for me.' Julián looked at me strangely,

330