Mystery by the Sea

by David Sal

  They both stepped out onto the deck and sat in the two chairs situated on the ship’s stern. The sound of a Jet Ski caught their attention. The boy steering it waved to them in passing. Alexis raised the bottle he had in his hand to return the gesture.

  “I don’t know why, but I’ve never been interested in them,” said Lorenzo, referring to the Jet Ski that was passing so close by that it sprayed them with water.

  “Maybe because you’ve never ridden one,” replied Alexis. He was right. Lorenzo had never ventured onto one despite the infinite invitations from acquaintances. But for him, enjoyment of the sea was not found in speed or noise. He found it by wrapping himself in the natural environment and breathing it in as much as possible. That was what his body asked of him day after day to maintain his balance and sense of existence. Perhaps someday he would try riding one so no one could say he never had, but it was not at the top of his list.

  Lorenzo got up and peered into the port to look at the sea’s depth, which was clearly discernable thanks to the water’s clarity. The image of his face seemed to be deformed in grotesque shapes in the salty liquid. Alexis put his beer on a small table sitting next to him and stretched his hands behind his head, intertwining his fingers. He could not help but smile from pleasure.

  “Ahhh! This is the life, isn’t it? At least for a little bit. And to think that Leyda didn’t like it when my old man invited us here. Another positive point. I always try to look for the bright side in bad situations. There’s always something good. If you look for it, I promise that you’ll find it,” Alexis said to Lorenzo while leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed.

  “I don’t think that applies to my case, if that’s what you’re implying,” responded Lorenzo, taking his eyes off the water and sitting along the edge of the boat.

  “There’s always a positive side. But sometimes we don’t dare to look for it because we’re afraid of finding it.”

  “Why would you be afraid of finding something positive in a negative situation?” asked Lorenzo with just a touch of skepticism.

  “Because some people feel guilty about it. For example, say someone sacrifices years of his life caring for a sick family member. This, in and of itself, is something good: an act of love. When the family member dies, the caregiver suddenly finds himself free to move on with his life, something positive within the tragedy of losing his loved one. But he rejects feeling good because he feels like he shouldn’t after what happened. He feels guilty.”

  “In other words, I should look for a reason to be happy because Doris won’t be at home for God-knows how many years?” asked Lorenzo, raising his eyebrows.

  “Of course not. I’m just saying that every situation has a positive side and I always try to find something good in everything.”

  Lorenzo, who, up until now, had barely even had a sip of his drink, put the glass to his lips, tipped his head back, and did not bring it upright until he had finished his drink completely. Then he let out a deep sigh.

  “I don’t know what’s going on with me. I feel relaxed, yet I can’t stop thinking about the case. I want to ask you so many questions, clear up so many doubts…”

  “No,” interrupted Alexis.

  “Yeah, I know, I know,” Lorenzo cut in. “I’m sorry. It comes with the territory. But I don’t think we’ve looked at all the possible angles,” apologized Lorenzo, shaking his head.

  “Here we go again. Go on, let it out. See if it helps you any,” said Alexis, coming to terms with talking about the case yet again.

  “Which of Pedroza’s three guests that night do you think could jump from the terrace to the study’s balcony?” asked Lorenzo, leaning toward Alexis.

  “To commit the crime and then return? Man, I don’t think…”

  “Follow my train of thought, please,” asked Lorenzo as he stood up to get even closer.

  “Okay,” proceeded Alexis with his answer, “Irma…definitely not. Javier is an athlete. Besides, he’s tall and strong. Jessica, I don’t know. She’s too ‘goody two-shoes’ to even picture her doing something like that.”

  “But she’s in excellent physical condition. She can perform acrobatic leaps and she’s very flexible,” said Lorenzo, referring to the abilities that Jessica had developed thanks to her dance career.

  “Okay, yes, that’s all well and good, but explain to me how one of them could have done it without being seen by the others. They were together that entire time,” said Alexis, challenging Lorenzo’s theory. He was curious to know how far Lorenzo would stretch it before it blew up in his face.

  “What if it weren’t necessary to do it without the others seeing?” questioned Lorenzo, getting to the point that was most pressing. “Maybe everyone was in on it. They all knew and silently cooperated.”

  “Motive?” asked Alexis, challenging the theory.

  “Irma planned everything because of the hatred that she herself accepts having toward Doris. Javier, to become the company’s president,” answered Lorenzo a bit uncertainly.

  “What about Jessica? Remember, they all had to be involved.”

  “I don’t know, maybe for Javier’s position. Vice-president and a seat on the Board of Directors, stock shares. There has to be money involved. Money and power, like always. Or maybe she just turned a blind eye while it happened and swore silence out of loyalty to her colleagues, or fear,” suggested Lorenzo while Alexis shook his head. He was not convinced.

  “You know what you need? Evidence. We can come up with countless formulas of how it could have happened, but without evidence, they’re nothing more than pure speculation. I’m sorry,” resolved Alexis in the hope of putting an end to the mental exercise. He was sure that it was a complete waste of time, but even so, he wanted to give Lorenzo space to vent his doubts and suspicions. Hearing them out loud would surely help him realize how ridiculous they were, he thought.

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry, too,” apologized Lorenzo, once again taking a seat along the port’s edge and grabbing his head with his hands. “Uh, I think my head’s going to explode! It won’t stop running circles around the problem,” exclaimed Lorenzo mournfully.

  Alexis studied him carefully for a few seconds. He could see that Lorenzo was defeated and the only thing left to do was try to soften the blow so there would be as little negative impact as possible. It occurred to him that he should offer Lorenzo what, in his case, had always helped him achieve exactly that. Something that contributed to clearing his mind, even if just for a little bit, of all traces of worry and stress.

  “You know what? I have the solution for that. C’mere,” said Alexis, getting up out of his chair and standing next to the cabin’s glass door. Lorenzo followed him with his eyes, without moving.

  Alexis opened one of the covered storage cabinets. He searched through the inside until he found the first of the pieces he was looking for. He tossed it in the air toward Lorenzo, who did not need to wait for it to land in his hands to know it was a diving mask with an attached air tube.

  “Down there, trust me. You won’t even have the opportunity to think about anything else. Goodbye to the case,” Alexis assured him, gesturing with his hands to emphasize his point. Lorenzo could not help but get excited. If there was anything that he enjoyed more than silently contemplating the peace and calm of the sea, it was submerging himself in it and exploring its beauty and wonders first-hand. It meant direct contact, being one with the body of water and sharing the space with the creatures that inhabited it.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve jumped in,” confessed Lorenzo with the hope of counterbalancing any excuse that might float into his mind to refuse the tempting invitation. Although he was strongly pulled to this activity, he knew that he did not take enough time to practice it. It had been many long months, perhaps years, since the last time he went diving.

  “This should work,” said Alexis as he tossed him a wet suit. Lorenzo caught it but was still undecided. He felt guilty enjoying something that would certainly
produce pleasure and relaxation while Doris was suffering from chronic depression, confined to a hospital.

  “I don’t know. I’m not up to it,” answered Lorenzo, standing up.

  “Exactly,” said Alexis with a malicious smile as he entered the cabin, leaving Lorenzo alone with his indecision for the moment. Lorenzo examined the suit to see if it was his size when something made him stop cold. His face went blank and his blood ran faster through his body, raising his temperature and producing instantaneous beads of sweat on his forehead.

  Alexis came out of the cabin with another wet suit and mask in his hands.

  “I knew I had to have another set around here,” said Alexis before noticing the change in Lorenzo’s demeanor. “What happened? You don’t think it’ll fit? Put it on and see,” insisted Alexis when he saw that Lorenzo was frozen stiff. He did not utter a word but looked Alexis in the eyes with a penetrating stare. Alexis smiled uncomfortably, confused.

  “What’s wrong? Is it too small?” asked Alexis, positive that Lorenzo’s look could not be from something so trivial.

  “It was you,” Lorenzo let loose.

  “What do you mean? What was?” asked Alexis with barely a remnant of the smile that he had displayed only seconds earlier.

  “Pedroza. You did it,” said Lorenzo sharply. His mind was processing a host of information at break-neck speed, linking together ideas that were becoming clearer by the minute.

  “What are you talking about? Pedroza? I did what?” asked Alexis, getting up and waving his hands.

  “Now I understand. It’s all becoming clear. How could I have been so stupid?”

  “Lorenzo, enough. This isn’t stupid. It’s ridiculous. Ridiculous! How could you even think of making that type of accusation?” exclaimed Alexis, clearly angry.

  Lorenzo ignored the impulse to believe him and continued painting, with words, the picture that his mind was so clearly presenting to him.

  “You were Pedroza’s partner in his construction project, Vistamar Courts, maybe through your dad. You’re the one involved in the scam that has the project on hold. I was wrong about you. I thought that you didn’t care that everyone in your family was rich except for you. Now I see that it was exactly the opposite. You wanted to get there, too, and fast,” explained Lorenzo to Alexis, who looked dumbfounded.

  “Look at you. First a detective and now a psychologist,” exclaimed Alexis, annoyed. But Lorenzo could tell that he had struck a chord and something about his words bothered and annoyed Alexis. His voice was breaking and his lips were trembling uncontrollably. He was sweating copiously and his face was turning red.

  “You didn’t cover your footprints well enough after whatever fraudulent scheme you employed and they figured you out. And, as we all now know, Pedroza doesn’t forgive. If he was merciless with Doris because of a simple error in a report, I can’t even imagine how crushing he would be with someone who so brazenly stole from him. When I spoke with Javier Estrada, he confided in me that Pedroza had an intense discussion with an attorney, swearing to ‘ruin him.’ But he didn’t say his attorney, Mr. Centeno, he said with an attorney: you. Once he made everything public and formally accused you, you’d be done for. It wouldn’t matter if, by some miracle or legal slight-of-hand, you came out of the trial intact. You’d still be done for. You’d be stripped of your license as an attorney and not only would your name be tarnished but your entire family’s name, who would surely distance themselves from you, leaving you utterly alone. And you couldn’t allow that. You simply couldn’t. That’s why you decided to cut the problem off at the root,” analyzed Lorenzo, trying to control his breathing so he could express himself fluidly.

  “Yeah, sure, Lorenzo, that’s it…” said Alexis, unsuccessfully feigning calm. “Let’s see, tell me how I did it. Because it’s physically impossible.”

  Lorenzo fit the avalanche of thoughts and ideas that had accumulated over the last few days together like the pieces of a puzzle, trying to articulate a convincing response.

  “You knew Pedroza well. I’m sure you went to his house many times, thanks to the tight relationship he had with your father. You knew, like many others did, that every night, without fail, Pedroza spent hours in his study and that he left the door open to better enjoy his view of the sea. You simply used your boat, swam to the beach, jumped the fence, climbed up using the ladder that the painters were using and patiently waited for Pedroza to arrive. Evidently, you also knew that the security cameras in that area weren’t working. What you didn’t know was that Doris would have a discussion with Pedroza, right in front of you. That was your golden opportunity and you didn't hesitate to grab it. As soon as Doris left and Pedroza was ready to leave the room…that’s when you did it, using the trophy that Doris had left behind. You disappeared, closing the door behind you and all the commotion helped you escape without anyone noticing anything,” explained Lorenzo without taking his eyes off Alexis. He did not fail to notice the small involuntary reactions that each one of his words triggered in Alexis.

  “Lorenzo, enough already. While you can think up the most plausible story in the world and you can invent whatever motive necessary, you have nothing. You can’t prove anything that you’ve just said. It’s just another ludicrous theory from a desperate husband.”

  “Thanks to you, I can prove it,” said Lorenzo, putting the wet suit that Alexis had just given him in the air, taking it and reaching out with his fingertips to show him the front. It had a large, ugly, green stain on it. “It appears that in your rush to escape, you didn’t realize that you’d stained the suit jumping the fence. When I visited Pedroza’s house I noticed that they were painting the fence with this oil-based paint that takes a while to dry. Since you got back on the boat in a hurry, you changed and threw it in the compartment and you didn’t look at it again until now.”

  Alexis’ breathing picked up until it reached an unhealthy level and a cold sweat broke out over his entire body. Then he pulled off his mask.

  “Lorenzo, give me that. Let’s talk,” demanded Alexis as Lorenzo rolled up the suit.

  “You know I can’t do that,” said Lorenzo as he took out his cellphone and looked for Detective Zayas’ number. When he was just about to push the call button, he raised his eyes toward Alexis, but it was too late. Alexis jumped on top of him with all his strength, giving him a violent push on his chest with both hands and snatching the suit in the same fleeting movement. Lorenzo fell on his back on the platform floor on the other side of the railing, forcefully hitting his head. To Alexis’ horrified gaze, his body remained motionless. That was not part of his plan. A puddle of blood began to spill out from beneath Lorenzo’s head. Fear seized Alexis. He opened the small door that separated him from the platform and kicked Lorenzo’s body, which slid into the water without resistance.

  Alexis watched, panting, trying to process what just happened. He repeatedly looked in every direction. The boy who had passed by earlier on the Jet Ski was far away. Alexis was sure that he had not seen anything. Or had he? He saw that Lorenzo’s body remained motionless, surrounded by red-stained water. He knew that he had reached the point of no return. He went into the cabin and climbed the stairs to get to the boat’s controls. He raised the anchor and started the motor. He pushed the throttle down as far as it would go, producing a stream of water that made Lorenzo’s body writhe like a ragdoll, sinking further into the sea.

  To the passing glance of anyone along the coast, the boat’s rapid propulsion along the sea sent the message of fun, excitement, and freedom. Nothing could be further from the truth. Alexis navigated the boat at its maximum velocity, continuously glancing from side to side and behind him, very aware that everything had happened in broad daylight, in front of a seaside resort filled with people and that any one of them could have seen his desperate act. Only minutes separated him from escaping unscathed or ruining his life forever. If only the boat could go faster.

  Lorenzo continued sinking further into the water when his eyes
opened. Unable to move from a stabbing pain that spread out from the back of his head, it took him a few seconds to realize that this was not another surreal nightmare. He quickly remembered the chain of events that brought him there, even when faced with the beauty that his eyes were registering from the sun’s rays refracting off the surface of the water. Just the mere idea that Alexis could get away with it was enough motivation for him to muster the strength necessary to pull his body to the surface.

  The first thing he saw when he lifted his head out of the water was the horrified look of the young man riding the Jet Ski. Lorenzo stretched out his arm and the young man firmly grabbed it, helping him climb onto the Jet Ski.

  “What happened? Why’d they leave you? Are you hurt?” asked the young man without knowing exactly what to do or say. Lorenzo could not answer. He could not stop coughing, either, water spitting from his mouth and out his nose.

  “Can I help you? What can I do?” the young man continued asking.

  “Yes, help me follow that boat. It’s an emergency,” requested Lorenzo in a loud voice.

  “Yes, of course, of course,” answered the young man. His Jet Ski sped up to its maximum velocity and they shot off, cutting through the waves.

  Lorenzo felt as if he was going to faint. His vision clouded over and he could not make out Alexis’ boat in the distance, which was considerably further ahead of them. With every wave they cut through, the Jet Ski would rise into the air, confusing Lorenzo even more.

  “Don’t worry. I’m an expert at this. Last year’s champion,” said the young man to calm Lorenzo down.

  “Thanks for letting me know,” said Lorenzo before feeling his stomach drop into his feet again when the Jet Ski rose up in the air, meeting with the waves created by the passing of Alexis’ boat.

  “It looks like he’s headed for the coast,” said the young man, signaling to the dock.

  “Follow him,” requested Lorenzo, trying hard not to fall with the Jet Ski’s sudden burst of speed as it made its way toward the dock.