Authors: Enrique Laso
"I think that's a great idea."
"Did you say earlier that you were a psychologist?"
"That's right. And that's why I can assure you that the plan you and your husband have made is a very healthy idea," laughed Elena.
Beatriz led her to a large living room decorated with superb taste. There were two French doors that gave on to a lovely inner garden. On a coffee table there was a teapot and some pastries.
"I've allowed myself the liberty of preparing a little afternoon tea for us."
"You're most kind."
Elena sat down on a comfortable armchair and thought that she was about to ruin the wonderful atmosphere that had been created. Unfortunately, she wasn't there to make new friends. Something far gloomier had brought her to this agreeable woman's house.
"Did you want to know more about Alicia...?"
"Indeed. It's a sensitive issue, as you know."
"Yes. It was a terrible accident. And only yesterday I heard about Carlos's suicide. It's horrendous..."
Elena knew that the version given to the couple's acquaintances had been a rose-tinted version of the reality. Not everyone could handle such a nightmare, and there really was no need for such a thing at all.
"Did you know Carlos well?"
"Hardly. I was Alicia's friend, and I think the two families only met a couple of times to have lunch or do something together. On those occasions, he spoke more to my husband than with me. You know what I mean?"
"Yes. In the end, it's like when we were children: boys all end up on one side and girls on another, each talking about their own things."
They both laughed. They both felt that sitting in front of them, there was a stranger that could well become a good friend in the future.
"That's right..."
"Actually, as I said earlier on the phone, I need to know Alicia a little better. I spent a lot of time with Carlos over the last few weeks..."
"So?" Beatriz asked, puzzled now for the first time.
"It's just that I need to put together some pieces of the puzzle that still make no sense," Elena improvised.
"Look, I'm an interior designer and you are the psychologist, but... what's the point in digging up the past now?"
Elena was stunned. This was a smart woman: her observation was very sensible. Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind.
"You're not thinking that Carlos and me...?"
"Actually, as I said, that doesn't matter at all right now. Besides, it's none of my business."
"You aren't over your friend's death yet, are you?"
Beatriz took a long look towards the garden. It was a grey day, but the grass, the trees and the flowers in the garden had bright, cheerful colours.
"Not really. I don't think you can get over something like that until a long time has passed, don't you think?"
"Yes, I agree. And, somehow, a mourning period is necessary to then get on with our lives."
"Therefore..."
"Look, I'll be completely honest with you: I think Alicia was up to her neck in something dodgy. I don't have a clue what it may have been, but I'm sure there was a dark side to her."
Elena had shown her hand, maybe too soon. It could well be that the woman who was now looking at her with surprised eyes was in reality part of that foggy part of Alicia's life, and their pleasant encounter was about to finish there and then.
"And how could that be of any importance now?"
The parapsychologist's heart missed a beat and she tried to stay calm. That question alone had shed light on things: Carlos's wife had indeed been involved in some shady business.
"It's very important, I can assure you. I can't give you any more explanations at this point, maybe in the future. Please, trust me."
"About a year ago, she started meeting some very strange people..."
"What kind of people?"
"I'm not very sure. I think they were part of a cult, or something like that. She asked me to come with her to one of their meetings, but I refused. It gave me a bad feeling.
"Did you find that sort of behaviour was out of character for her?"
"Oh yes, very much. Occasionally, she'd tell me something without going in to too much detail, but I always hushed her. I preferred that she didn't tell me much. I thought... I don't know, I thought she was losing her mind."
"And, tell me, what led her to seek out that sort of strange company?"
"Carlos did."
"Carlos!" Elena exclaimed, caught by surprise.
"In a manner of speaking. Her marriage was a failure. She was madly in love, but Carlos did not pay her any attention: he was too busy with his job."
"And she thought that..."
"Yes, stupidly. Those people were evil, I know they were. Don't ask me how I can be so certain, but they were really evil. They assured her that through them, she'd recover her husband's love."
"That's absolutely insane."
"You cannot imagine what I was thinking. And on top of all that, it was so unlike Alicia. You're the psychologist..."
Elena knew very well that human beings, in desperate times, could do anything to hold on to life, or to save a loved one. But that behaviour did not fit with her idea of what Carlos's wife was like.
"And she truly believed that these people could make her husband pay attention to her again."
"Yes. As I said, it's not something she'd talk about much, but she had blind faith in them. There was only one thing that had shocked her a bit.."
"What was that?"
"A task they had commissioned her to carry out. She never told me what it was, and I didn't insist on being told. But it must have been something really unsettling."
I
n the end, Father Salas had sought help in the Archdiocese of Madrid. He knew he was facing an anomalous situation, and his knowledge wasn't enough to confront it with any hope of success. One of the most experienced exorcists in Spain had received him in a small room.
"It certainly is an unheard-of case," acknowledged the Spanish exorcist, after listening patiently and attentively to the Mexican priest's story.
"I know, that's why I need help. There may be a similar case among those documented here, to help me find a way to save those souls."
"I wouldn't want to disappoint you, Father Salas, but I'm afraid that you won't find anything remotely resembling this. I have not only been practising exorcisms, but also training for years, and training other exorcists. I've had access to hundreds of files. And I can assure you I have never come across anything like what you've just told me.
Father Salas felt deflated. He had thought long and hard about going to the Archdiocese and when he'd finally made his mind up, he'd felt rather hopeful.
"I can't believe this is the first time something like this has happened..."
"I'm not suggesting that."
"What do you mean?" asked Father Salas, trying to perk up.
"I think you should go to the Vatican. I'll get you an audience. I'm sure there you will find people with more experience and knowledge than me."
Father Salas had been in the Vatican before, many years earlier, as part of his training. And he'd improved so much that he'd become the most significant exorcist in Northern America. But even someone like him needed help to face this outlandish predicament.
"I will. I can't see any other course of action."
"In any case, should you need my collaboration on this or indeed anything else, you have us at your service."
The Mexican was surprised by this great willingness to give him a hand. This mild-mannered man with his noble eyes had not questioned his story for a second.
"I don't have the words to thank you enough..."
"Father, you are a wise and humble man. I don't know what business has brought you to Spain. But if you think I don't know who you are, that I haven't recognised you, you are very much mistaken. Helping one of the most important exorcists on the planet will be for me, and please excuse my selfishness, more than an honour."
E
lena and Andrés were in the room in which Carlos had put away all of Alicia's things and mementoes. Unlike Laura's room, this one was a mess: piles of boxes, heaps of books, photos, notebooks on the floor and a wardrobe full of clothes.
"I don't think he could be bothered tidying this up a bit," Andrés pointed out sarcastically.
"Please don't be cynical. This is a truly dark business we are in."
"Well, what do you expect me to do? A little humour is good for both of us every now and then."
Elena frowned at her colleague with her hands on her hips.
"You're impossible... By the way, I have a surprise for you, even if you don't deserve it."
"A surprise?"
"In a few days we'll receive something in this house."
Andrés leapt up excitedly, so high he nearly banged his head on the ceiling. He knew what Elena was talking about.
"Finally! State-of-the-art-equipment... How did you manage to get it?"
"We'll have to tell part of this story to an American TV channel. Fortunately, I have Esteban's permission..."
"But... they won't be sending anyone to meddle with things?"
"No. "They lend us the equipment, and they want it back as good as new, but otherwise it's our call."
"But then, where's the trick?"
"When everything is over, however it may end, I'll send them a rough script and you'll send the material you got. They'll edit it for an episode of a reality show based on paranormal activity. Everybody wins..."
"Fuck! Sorry, but you're the best!"
"Contacts, my friend, contacts. And, of course, this adventure, for want of a better word, will fascinate anyone who hears about it."
"Well, now that you've filled my heart with gladness, what should I be looking for, exactly?"
"I don't know. I'd like to find some proof that Alicia was in contact with some satanic cult, or something similar. I think that's the angle we should take."
"Will you still meet her friends?"
"Yes, those I have identified as the closest ones. Just one thing makes me a bit wary..."
"What's that?"
"Well, I think one of them must have been connected with that cult, or whatever it is. In fact, her friend Beatriz told me that she once tried to get her to go along. Somebody must have introduced her into those circles, which, basically, are not known for advertising on the telly, or indeed on the radio. I suspect one person in particular: Ana."
"That may well be a risk you'll have to take. It may even be the only way to go, because I doubt we'll find much in this room."
"Maybe, maybe not!" exclaimed Elena, winking.
"Tell you what. Always tell me where you go and who you meet, so you'll be safer. And keep your mobile's GPS active, so I know more or less where you are."
"Let's change subject, will we? You make it sound like I'm going to be kidnapped or something. The other day, the meeting with Beatriz was extremely pleasant. The rest of her friends may be just as nice. Anyway, I'm going to open these boxes and see just what the hell is in them."
Elena took the top box from a pile of six and started opening it with a knife. As soon as she began cutting the packing tape that was sealing it, the room started to shake.
"What the fuck!" shouted Andres, bewildered.
The room kept shaking, as if an earthquake was going to destroy it. One of the walls, the only one that was not covered in stuff or sat behind a wardrobe, began to crack.
"We've got to get out of here!" cried Elena, alarmed by the noise and the shaking.
"No, wait a second!"
Andrés was pointing at the wall, while the tremor slowly subsided. A dense dust cloud started to settle on the floor, covering the books and the photographs.
"Elena, I told you that there was something here, even if I was unable to see it before," mumbled Andrés, who was still pointing his finger to the cracked wall.
"Oh God!" Elena cried, terrified.
The cracks on the wall had formed into three words, barely visible, unless you really stared. There were fine, irregular letters that spelled:
I CURSE YOU
.
E
lena had requested an urgent meeting with Father Salas and Esteban. She was still rather shocked by the experience they'd witnessed at Carlos's and she'd told them what had happened in a hurried, clumsy way.
"Elena, I know this thing you've gone through is terrible but actually it's not so unusual. The Evil One always tries to scare and confuse anyone who is determined to stand up to him," said Father Salas, delicately holding the parapsychologist's hands .
"I don't know. I used to believe that I was ready for these situations. I even
wanted
to experience something like this! But now, after hearing Carlos's voice through my radio, begging... feeling this direct threat... I think it might be too much for me."
"Let's keep calm and stay together. Faith is our best weapon at the moment," said Esteban, who understood very well the state Elena was in.
"I'm sorry but, contradictory as it may sound, I'm a big sceptic. I always question a thousand times over what my senses are telling my brain..."
"Elena, you will admit that a cracked wall is not a trick that anyone can pull. I'm always asking myself questions as well, some of which have no real answer, but what we are involved in is very real."
"So, what should we do?"
"I'm going to the Vatican. I have an audience with one of the most important exorcists of all time, who has been kind enough to make time to see me. I need his help. I think you should continue to investigate Alicia. I believe we will find the clue that could save Carlos and Laura, in her past.
Elena couldn't help shedding a few tears. She was an incredibly strong woman, but even a personality as robust as hers had to be affected by such overwhelming facts.
"I'll try. But something tells me we are staring down the barrel of a gun."
"Yes we are, Elena, we are. I can't pull the wool over your eyes: facing the devil is not some kind of game. But I have confidence in you," said Father Salas.
"We all have each other. And, Elena, even if you cannot perceive it, as much as there is evil, there is also good. God is on our side, I can feel Him," said Esteban, eager to transfer some of his confidence to the parapsychologist.