Creative writing submission from the Rest Less community – submit your entry here
Chapter 1
In her final seconds, as she felt her body fly free of the balcony and plummet to the alley below, the killer’s flint-like face was reflected in Maisie Bright’s eyes. A fleeting vision of her mum’s smile flashed across her brainwaves, then darkness came. She lay, her body awaiting discovery in the shaded, whitewashed, cobbled backstreet. Soon insects and vermin would begin their work of clearing away the debris.
Sofia Verano Ortiz stepped out of the holiday apartment, her white clogs slapping on the marble-tiled hallway. It was her last job of the morning. She pinned the stray hair that was irritating her eyelid back into the side of her head, retied the ponytail at the back with a band. She was hot and tired. Cleaning apartment D3 had taken longer than she expected. She had nearly tripped on a striped cushion in the doorway, drawers had been pulled open with their contents spilling out. The sofa in the living room had been moved, and the mattress lay awkwardly to one side exposing the skeletal wooden slats below.
Sofia was used to the mess people left in their apartments and sighed at the thought of the extra time it would take to clean. Then she would have to go to the property office, hand in the keys and drop off the laundry, go to the supermarket, pick up her children from school, prepare dinner for them all and take some to her mother-in-law.
She took her bucket filled with soapy grey water to the alley at the back of the apartment block, these days it seemed to be heavier than ever, and with her mind on her seemingly endless list of chores, she emptied its contents into the drain. As the last of the water drained away, she noticed a green shoe, heel pointing skywards on the ground a little way ahead, just in front of the large blue dumpster.
She went a little closer and behind the dumpster, she saw a foot, toes outstretched then the rest of a woman’s body. Sofia dropped the empty bucket which echoed its way across the pavement and ran shouting “Policia!” and “Ayuda!” until she crashed unceremoniously into retired mayor, Senor Lopez, who was out for his daily walk. He was unused to being accosted by hysterical females and let out a loud “humph” as she barrelled into his chest. After understanding Sofia’s faltering explanation, he called the police and helped her to the café, just round the corner, in the Plaza de Olvida.
The sun dripped fat and lazy on the rooftops of the small Spanish town of Nerja. Blissfully unaware of the demise of the young woman in the alley. Some inhabitants fled into the dry dimly lit shade to escape the heat and take solace in a cool cerveza. Others leapt into the soaring oven of the day to lay corpse-like on striped beach towels and be cooked by the sun’s rays.
The old people of the town kept to their routines: cleaning, shopping, soothing crying
grandchildren or sitting bird-like on one of the many benches with their amigos pecking over the news and retreating inside for lunch. Once the day’s heat had reached its peak, the town quietened in the lazy hush of the old-fashioned siesta.
Senor Lopez then began to organise the area by asking two local ladies, Senoras Gomez and Molinera, who were chatting in the doorway of Senora Molinera’s house, to keep everyone out of the alley.
Even though he had retired, the former mayor always dressed impeccably. He liked to keep up the high standards of dress he had maintained whilst Mayor of the town. He knew that a local police officer would be first to arrive at the scene, but he also expected the National Police from Malaga would follow to investigate this serious incident.
He was confident that the formidable ladies, Senoras Gomez and Molinera would be up to the task of keeping people away from the alley. He had already heard Senora Molinera chastising the local restaurant owner for placing his café tables too close to her front door. He was sure that Antoni wouldn’t make that mistake again. By the time Senora Molinera had finished her tirade, a crowd had gathered to witness Antoni’s embarrassment and he fled to the interior of his restaurant with her words resounding in his ears.
Officer Pedro Dominguez approached the former mayor as soon as he arrived and understood the situation and all the measures that Senor Lopez had put in place. He had brought some Police Tape with him ready to seal off the area.
Pedro Dominguez had been born and brought up in Nerja and had joined the local police after finishing college, he was employed by the town hall. He had passed the selection process easily, he came from a good honest family and although he had joined in the usual harmless pranks as a teenager he had never been in any serious trouble. He was responsible for enforcing local laws and registering lost property. He had the power of arrest, but annoyingly he had to hand most cases to the National Police, who were responsible for crimes committed in towns and cities.
“No doubt that Arab, Sergeant El Baz, would be here soon, strutting around like he owned the place with women fawning over him.” He thought. “While I, a Spaniard, am relegated to simple guard duty!”
This thought had pervaded Officer Dominguez’s mind for a while now and although he loved the town, he felt he should be earning more and getting more recognition from the job. He had heard that foreigners were taking jobs for less pay and putting decent Spaniards out of work! He also wished the National Police didn’t always snatch the glory so that he could get a promotion, the extra money was needed now he was a husband and father.
The phone had rung that morning, he had been annoyed because it was supposed to be his day off. He took the call telling him to go to the Plaza de Olvida. A body had been found. He had left his wife Lorena grumbling about their never spending time together and kissed his little daughter, Angelina, then taking a piece of toast with him went to do his job.
“Thank you, ladies, for keeping the alley clear, I have tape now.” He brandished the blue and white tape before them.
“I’ll just go and tape off the other end of the alley and make sure it’s all secure and then you can carry on with your morning.” He smiled at Berta, he remembered her from when he was at school.
“Yes, of course. We are glad to help, aren’t we Marguerite?”, Berta nudged her friend’s arm.
“Oh yes, of course”, Marguerite agreed.
Finally, when the scene was sealed off Officer Dominguez thanked the ladies once more, brushed some invisible crumbs from the front of his uniform, leaned against a pillar of the café and waited for the National Police to arrive.
Senora Gomez raised her chin in the direction of the body in the alley, “Poor woman, I wonder what led her to such an awful death?”
“Who knows,” replied Senora Molinera. “Such a terrible thing. I read about terrible things happening every day in the papers, but to think such a tragedy has come to our town, it’s awful.”
Detective Armando Ramirez and the Iberico Ham Murder can be purchased on Amazon.
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