Sangre De Toro (Old Draft - Now Published!)

Chapter 17 - Setting the Record Straight

'Would you like to explain this?' Gabriel Sanchez yelled at Rita and Dominguez as they stood in front of him. A video was open on his computer.

Rita watched, an awful sinking feeling in her chest. The video showed Pepelito eating something out of her hand in the street. It showed Dominguez and Alfonso coaxing him into Silvio's truck, and the four of them enjoying a cigarette.

'Rita, your brother-in-law is a murder suspect, in fact, Jesus, you spent most of the other day questioning him! You know how discredited that man is, and how bad it looks for the whole department to assist him in anything right now, or to take a side in this stupid culture war? For my officers to hand over, what I'm sure isn't, but appears to be a gentle, sweet natured animal?' Sanchez glared at both of them.

'Señor, you know that I would never, ever assist Castella,' Rita said, saying the matador's name as if it was a swear word. After the grilling she had got a few years ago, she couldn't stand the thought of Sanchez thinking she'd helped him.

'What on earth did you think you were doing, then - you thought you could get some money without consulting me, or the department first, or considering how bad it would look?' Sanchez spat.

'We're all under enough pressure to improve our cleanup rate, the British cops may pitch up here next week over the McKenzie investigation, and I could frankly do without threats from animal rights extremists!' Rita could hardly believe what she was hearing after the events of two days ago. All she could manage was 'Yes, Señor.'

'Actually, we were doing the opposite,' Dominguez mumbled. Rita wasn't sure whether this was a very good or very stupid idea. Sanchez's eyes bulged.

'Doing the opposite? What on earth do you mean, Jesus?'

'Castella sent a group of thugs who work for the local plaza to look for the bull, they chased him into Rita's, obviously terrified out of his mind. You won't believe the damage that beast caused, all her doors are destroyed and there's cow shit everywhere. Most of her house was ruined. Anyway, we managed to catch him and put a rope round him after they'd gone, and rung an animal charity to pick him up.' Dios mio, Rita thought. He didn't drop me in it. Sanchez looked completely unconvinced.

'This is certainly a story that raises more questions than answers. Where are these thugs now - why weren't they arrested?'

'Well, some of them are sitting in the cells downstairs.'

'What happened to the bull?'

'Oh, I don't know,' Dominguez said. 'Not my problem any more.'

Rita took a deep breath. 'Señor,' she said. She was in enough trouble as it is. And Sanchez clearly didn't believe Dominguez's story.

'Yes?'

'That's not quite what happened.' Dominguez gave her a horrified look and nudged her hard.

'A week ago, I found Pepelito lying in my doorway. He was horrendously injured after escaping from Castella's corrida. I got veterinary advice on how to treat his injuries. I've been looking after him ever since - until the thugs from the ring tried to force their way in. He was petrified so he bolted. At which point, Jesus and I caught him and arranged someone to pick him up, and that's what you see in the video.' She carefully left out the part implicating Alfonso.

'Looking after him where, half the country must have been looking for him at some point?'

'In my flat.' Sanchez's mouth dropped open and shut and open again like a goldfish. He stared at her as if she was crazy.

Perhaps she was.

'So it was you? You hid Castella's bull in your flat for a week?'

'Yeah.' As she spoke, Sanchez buried his head in his hands.