The Garden

Photo by Suzano Magalhães
(www.olhares.com/suzano)

It made me want to cry. I very much wanted to help Abel. But what could I do at that moment? I had to wait for the right time to do what I needed to do. I closed the door and locked it, and then went to the garden.

It was a beautiful garden and very large. It had trees, shrubs, flowerbeds full of flowers, but it had been a long time since last time it was taken care of. The flowers could barely be seen in the middle of the weeds. The lawn had reached such a height that was it was not possible to walk over without tripping. The sky was clear, there were no clouds, but the sunlight seemed to have difficulty in getting to that place. It was as if an invisible veil was covering the whole place, giving it a gloomy feel, where a only a few golden rays could enlighten some parts of it.

I stood next to Elisa:

- We have to get this garden cleaned. It doesn’t look very good.
- You’re right. – Elisa agreed – I’ll hire a gardener to come here tomorrow.
I pointed at the extension of green in front of us:
- I have to say that this garden is really … something extraordinary.
- The leaves are starting to change to Autumn colors. – Elisa observed, looking at the trees – This is a very pleasant place at this time of year. My father loved coming here. He used to hang a hammock between those two trees there, when the weather was good.
She pointed to two trees at the back of the garden and smiled:
- He spent whole afternoons there, reading books and reciting poetry.

Elisa crossed her arms, still smiling dreamily:

- He was an extraordinary man.
- I believe you. – I said, looking slightly at the cellar door behind us.
- We spread his ashes at the garden, you know?
I shifted the gaze to her again, surprised:
- Come again?
- We spread his ashes at the garden. That way, he’ll always be with us. Or at least, that was what I thought at the time.

“That explains a lot.”

- That’s… very poetic. – I said.
- I thought so too.
I looked at the door of the basement, discretely:
- Er … Elisa?
- Yes?
- Do you by any chance have the command to open the gate for the garage?

Elisa nodded:

- Yes, we have two commands. They are indoors. I can show you where we keep them.
- Yes, please. Customers are always well impressed by a garage’s gate that opens with a remote control.
- Well… – she said, smiling with surprise – I gess so.

We returned to the house, entering through the glass doors of the terrace, where I took the chance to tell her about the Ming vases that were broken the day before, and that I had hopes they weren’t Ming vases. Of course I didn’t make any reference to tornadoes. I only mentioned “strong winds”.

- This happens all the time. – Elisa said – These windows open suddenly with the wind when we least expect it. I don’t know why. Before the fire, it never happened.

“Yeah, I can imagine it didn’t.”

- Really?
- Yes … But don’t tell the customers. – she asked with an embarrassed smile.
- Of course not.
- And don’t worry about the pots. They were nothing special.
Elisa went to a dresser and opened a drawer:
- The commands are here.- she said, with a little shiver of cold – I have to get the coat.
- Okay.

She went to the cloakroom, put on the jacket and came back to me, crossing her arms and snuggling in her jacket.

- It’s getting colder. – she remarked.
I haven’t noticed up until then but it was actually getting colder. I looked at my watch. It wasn’t even three o’clock. And my feet still felt cold. When I looked back at Elisa, she had her eyes set on one of the sofas in the room.
- It was precisely in that sofa that my father died. I mean, not that couch, of course, but… it was in that spot that they found his remains. Completely burned up.
- I thought they’ve found him in his bedroom.
Elisa looked at me, amazed.
- No, it was here in the room. – she assured – Why?
- Nothing. I just assumed that your father had fallen asleep in his bed.

I didn’t seem it necessary to tell her that I’ve had a conversation with her neighbor. At least for now. She shaked her head, rubbing her arms and shrinking herself further in her coat:

- My father was sick that morning. His joints were hurting. We were all supposed to go to Setubal for the weekend, but he didn’t feel in the mood to leave home. And so, we let him stay here.
She turned to the windows, and had her eyes fixed on the garden outside:
- Once we arrived at Setubal, Charles received a call from his company. It was some kind of problem. A serious one. He had to get in the car and return to Lisbon… I mean, Sintra. His company is located in the area of Sintra. Anyway, a few hours later, he phoned me from here, telling me that he had solved the problem faster than expected and had passed by, just to see if my father was all right. I even talked to my dad on the phone…

Elisa looked at the floor. I realized that she had tears in her eyes but her voice was firm:

- And I insisted, and insisted, and insisted that he should come to Setubal with Charles. Charles’s parents live in a very comfortable apartment and they had an extra room for him to spend the weekend. I insisted so badly… But he didn’t want to come. He really was not well and didn’t have the heart to get himself into a car and come down. When he said goodbye, he told me to try to relax and to all of us to have some fun. He suggested we take a boat trip to Sado with the children to go see the dolphins. He assured me that he was well enough to be left alone, sent me kisses and… It was the last time I talked to him.

She looked at me:

- Hours later, we got a call from Martha, saying that the house had exploded.
- Martha?
- Martha Olivera, the neighbor in the front house. She called us before the police.
- The police?
- Yes, the police are called whenever there is fire in a house or a shop … but what happened was simple to understand. Because of the pain, my dad took so many painkillers that he was in a state of somnolence, so he was not even aware of what he was doing. He fell asleep on the couch in the room, completely dizzy with a lit cigarette in hand. That was after having eaten something that was in the kitchen, leaving the nozzle of a gas stove barely closed. The result was a fire and an explosion that destroyed this house and still damaged the property of several neighbors.
Elisa made a pause and then continued:
- In the beggining they suspected arson, because Charles had been here that same afternoon.

She shaked her head:

- Not the best day of my husband’s life. First, the problem he had to resolve in the company, making him drive for hours and hours from one place to another, after having traveled to Setubal. Then he still had the energy and patience to endure my father, passing by here to see if he was okay. At the end of the day, he came back to Setubal, only to be brought back to Lisbon soon after, handcuffed by the police.
- The police don’t take anybody under custody without a good reason.
- The debts that Charles had on the company were quite large, and he was not managing to pay them. – she confided to me – My father’s death benefited me greatly, I inherited all that was his. Being Charles’s wife, it was obvious that I would pay his debts. The police thought this to be a good reason for him to kill the father-in-law, which does have its logic, except for the fact that it’s a complete absurd.
- I’m surprised that they didn’t suspect you, if you don’t mind me saying.
- No, no, they did ask me a number of questions too… but the police soon focused on my husband because he was the one who had been here.
- Motive and opportunity.
- Exactly.

I thought about that for a little bit.

- When you say “police”, do you mean the local squad?
- I mean the Judicial Police.
- So, if I … – I hesitated, knowing what I wanted to ask but not knowing how well she would react.
- Yes?
- If I then go to the Judicial Police and inquire about this… Would you mind?
She shrink the shoulders:
- No. Why would I? But I don’t understand what you’re going to do there. Is it going to help you sell the house faster?
- Very likely.

It was no lie. Knowing exactly what had happened in that house was vital to find out how to help Abel leave in peace. With the house free of paranormal phenomena, I could then take potential buyers there without running the risk of suddenly having strange and unexplained things going around right in front of their eyes. Being able to show homes without having to call ambulances in the process was very important for the beginning of my new career.

- Well then, search by a man named John Noble. – Elisa told me – He is the investigator who was charged with investigating the fire at the time.
I took a notebook from my bag and took note of that name.
- I don’t know if he will talk with you, but if necessary, I talk with him and ask him to call you.
- Thank you, Elisa.
- Sure.
- Ask her if she ever took the kids to see the dolphins.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest. I looked at Elisa. She had not heard anything.

- Ask her.

Very slowly, I turned around. There was Abel with a normal appearance, walking to me. Elisa couldn’t see him but she could clearly feel his presence. The lowest temperature was a signal. At least, the old man was calmer. He passed by me and continued walking towards his daughter.

- Elisa, can I ask you one more thing, only as a curiosity?
She looked at me:
- What?
Abel was right beside her.
- Did you come to take the children to see the dolphins?
- Yes, actually, I did. Not that weekend, as you can imagine, but a few days later, when my husband was free of those idiotic accusations from the police. The children needed to lighten up a bit. They really missed their grandfather. At this point, we were living in a temporary home, and preparing to rebuild this one. They loved my father, and I insisted we go to Sado, because it was what their grandfather had wished for. I remember it was a very happy day, especially for my youngest son.
- They must have grown up a little by now.
She laughed:
- They are adults already. The oldest is in medicine’s college, and the youngest has now entered the Air Force.
- It was what he wanted! – the happy laughter of Abel sounded like crystal – He wanted to be a pilot when he was a grown up!
- Wow! – I exclaimed.
- The oldest one wanted to be Batman, though.
- Well, let’s go. – Elisa asked – It’s getting very cold, and I still have commitments to meet this afternoon.
- Sure.

She went to the exit door, looking around once more. Abel was right in front of her with a happy smile. We left and she locked the door. It was hotter outside but she didn’t seem to notice.

- Well, it was a pleasure to meet you. – she said, extending his hand to me – Unless you have any further question regarding the house that you need to have clarified.
I shaked her hand:
- No, I have nothing more to ask you at the moment. Thank you very much for coming.
- Sure. You have my contact, right?
- Yes… Let me give you my card.

I took a business card from my bag and handed it to her.

- Very well. – Elisa said – Until next time, then. I hope you sell the house very soon.
- Me too.

We said goodbye and went to my car, watching her going to Martha Olivera’s house. I gave a look to the House of Lumiar as I entered in my car. I saw Abel in one of the window, half-hidden among the curtains, watching his daughter with a happy smile on his lips.

I observed as Elisa rang the bell. The door opened up and old Martha looked at Elisa, first with surprise, then with a glow of recognition in her eyes. The two women hugged and laughed it up, especially Martha, who began a non-stop chattering and gesturing. I could hear her voice from inside the car. Until suddenly she was quiet, staring at the House of Lumiar. I followed her look.

Martha was looking at the window where Abel had been. But he had disappeared, leaving the curtains curling behind him. When I looked back at the two women, Elisa was trying to understand what was happening with Martha, who was now pale, as if she had seen a… ghost. Elisa also followed her gaze but didn’t see anything abnormal.

And then they looked at me. I started the car at once and left. I needed to do a little research and had no time to lose.