'What about the search warrant from Juez Calderon?'
'I couldn't get hold of him,' said Falcon. 'And I checked his office last night.'
'Then we'll just have to try and talk it out of Vazquez,' said Ramirez. 'I'll call you when I've set up the meeting with him. I've just put Sergei's face up on the computer – national and international.'
Falcon called Alicia Aguado to ask her if he could pick her up and bring her out to Santa Clara to meet Pablo Ortega later that morning. On the way back into town Ramirez told him that Vazquez would be in his office until midday. Falcon took down the address and said he'd meet him there in fifteen minutes.
He took a call from Cristina Ferrera.
'Nadia's gone,' she said. 'Two guys came round last night and picked her up and they didn't bring her back.'
'Has that happened before?'
'She's always back in the apartment by five or six in the morning,' said Ferrera. 'What do I do?'
'Unless there's someone who's prepared to give you a detailed description of the two guys – which I doubt – there's nothing you can do,' said Falcon.
Carlos Vazquez's offices were in the Edificio Viapol in a soulless part of the city on the edge of San Bernardo. Ramirez was waiting for him at the entrance. They went up in the lift. Ramirez stared into the side of his face.
'What are you looking at, Jose Luis?'
'You,' he said, grinning. 'I heard it in your voice. Now I've seen you in the same clothes you were wearing yesterday, it's confirmed.'
'What, exactly?' he said, thinking he'd be able to brazen this out.
'I am the expert,' said Ramirez, holding his huge fingers to his chest, nearly offended by his boss's effrontery. 'I can tell, even over the phone, that you've finally come to the end of a drought.'
'What drought?'
'Is it true… or am I a liar?' said Ramirez, laughing. 'Who is it?'
'I don't know what you're talking about.'
Ramirez's big, dark, mahogany face took up Falcon's vision. The individual rails of the Inspector's black pomaded hair stood out pin sharp.
'It wasn't la americana, was it? I've heard about her from Felipe and Jorge. They said she'd leave a man as hollow as a spare suit.'
'I think we should concentrate on what we're going to say to Carlos Vazquez, Jose Luis.'
'No, no, no, she's not the one. La americana is Juez Calderon's latest squeeze.'
'Who did you hear that from?' said Falcon. 'The guy's just announced his engagement, for God's sake.'
Ramirez laughed, a mirthless guffaw. The lift stopped. They went into Vazquez's offices to be confronted by a large painting of an abstract city-scape – vague lights and building outlines coming through fog. It struck Falcon that this was the sort of piece that Ramon Salgado might have sold.
'I'll lead this discussion,' said Falcon. 'I don't want you to instigate anything, because I know things you don't, Jose Luis. It's important.'
'And I know things you've never even thought about,' said Ramirez.
Falcon wanted to know what those things were, but one of Vazquez's junior lawyers was already on top of them. They were shown into Vazquez's office, which had a view of the back of the buildings on Calle Balbino Marron. Vazquez asked them to sit down while he continued to read through a document. There was a large map of Seville behind him on which the locations of various projects were shown in different coloured squares. Vazquez threw the papers in an out-tray and sat back. Falcon introduced Ramirez and Vazquez took an instant dislike to him.
'So I'm getting the full weight of the homicide squad,' he said.
'That painting in your reception area,' said Falcon. 'Who's it by?'
'That's an interesting question,' said Vazquez, lost for a moment.
'He likes to get warmed up first,' said Ramirez, smiling.
'It's by a German called Kristian Lutze. I understand it's an abstract of Berlin. He's done another one of
Cologne which hangs in the foyer of Vega Construcciones.'
'How did you and Sr Vega acquire them?'
'Through an art dealer here in Seville called Ramon Salgado. He… of course, you know, he was murdered.'
'How did Sr Vega know Ramon Salgado?'
Ramirez slumped in his chair, bored.
'I don't know,' said Vazquez.
'Not through you?'
'I have to confess that it's not really my interest. It was a gift from Rafael,' said Vazquez. 'I like cars.'
'What sort of cars?' asked Ramirez.
They looked at him. He shrugged.
'Can I smoke?' he asked.
Vazquez nodded. Ramirez lit up, sat back, hands behind his head.
'Is this social,' asked Vazquez, annoyed, 'or something else?'
'Sr Vega was running two projects with Russian partners,' said Falcon. 'Vladimir Ivanov and Mikhail Zelenov.'
'They aren't strictly partnerships,' said Vazquez. 'Vega Construcciones was contracted by two Russian clients to provide technical help. They were being paid for architectural plans, site engineers, gang supervisors and some equipment. On completion of the structure Vega Construcciones were also to be involved in the interior planning – air conditioning, electrics, lift installation, plumbing… that kind of thing.'
'These are unusual projects for Vega Construcciones,' said Falcon. 'Normally they do all the physical work while the partners supply the necessary finance and… in recent times, as far as I know, they've always retained a controlling percentage in the projects.' 'That's true.'
'Who owned the land on which the two Russian projects were being built?'
'The Russians themselves. They came to Rafael with the proposal,' said Vazquez. 'They are not Seville-based. Sr Zelenov has had some projects in Marbella and Sr Ivanov is in Vilamoura in the Algarve. It was easier for them to contract the work out than start up their own companies.'
'Are they linked, these Russians?' asked Falcon. 'Do they know each other?'
'I… I don't know.'
'So you dealt with them separately?' said Falcon.
'Two unusual deals with different Russians out of the blue,' said Ramirez, interested now.
'What's the point you're making?'
'All you've got to do is answer the questions,' said Ramirez.
'Could you show us on that map behind you where the two Russian projects are located?' asked Falcon.
Vazquez pointed out two green squares which were amongst a mass of orange. Falcon flipped through his notebook and went up close to the map.
'And what is unique about those two locations?' asked Falcon.
Vazquez looked at the map like a schoolboy who knows the right answer but whose confidence has been shattered by a brutal teacher.
'Even I can see it,' said Ramirez.
'I don't see what this has got to do with Rafael Vega's death,' said Vazquez, angry now.
'Just answer the question,' said Ramirez, putting a big meaty elbow on the desk.
'They are both in locations where all the other projects are being developed by Vega Construcciones,' said Falcon.
'So what?' said Vazquez.
'We've spoken to Sr Cabello. He pointed out that, of the properties he brought to Vega Construcciones on the back of his daughter's marriage to Rafael Vega, two held the key to the development of whole areas. One area owned by Vega Construcciones and the other by another developer, who without Sr Cabello's plot would be unable to develop it. When Sr Vega came into ownership that developer had to sell out to Sr Vega or…
Silence, apart from some flamboyant smoking by Ramirez, who was enjoying his boss's magic show.
