"THE BARON OF TERROR" "The Grand Inquisitor against the heretic Capravedapia, apostasy in Mexico City and all the kingdoms, states and seigniories of the provinces of the New Spain and its viceroyalty and government and district of the royal audiences in all cities and states reside." "And we, the second inquisitors, gathered in an audience in this chamber of the secret of the Holy Tribunal of the Inquisition of Mexico, do justice in the trial against said Baron," "Vitelius Destera, whose origin is unknown and has never been confessed." "Attentive to the decrees and merits of this trial and evidence and suspicions that result from it." "Account of the sentence and audience of torture that this Tribunal of the Inquisition has followed against said Baron Vitelius Destera for being a heretic and coauthor of heretics, a dogmatizer, for having used witchcraft, superstitions and spells for clumsy and dishonest purposes," "for dedicating himself to necromancy invoking the dead and for trying to foretell the future through corpses, as well as for seducing married women and maidens." "Attentive to the decrees of this trial, we sentence Vitelius Destera to be tortured for everything justified, and having been admonished as a warning and oath that if in said torture he would die or be crippled, suffer effusión of blood" "or mutilation of body parts, that it will be his fault and charge for impenitent relapse." "Having been notified of this sentence, the accused said to go ahead and that this holy tribunal could torture him all it wanted." "Therefore, he was taken to the torture chamber, his arms were tied and the rope was turned thirty times in a row, and the accused laughed, making a mockery of these acts of justice, so he was then sent to lie on the rack" "and lying there, admonished, he mocked our holy authority." "The gentlemen inquisitors, having seen this, ordered the torture to be stopped, not considering having tortured him enough, and promised they would continue it whenever it was deemed necessary." "He was notified of this and he said to go ahead and continue." "With this, he was untied and taken to a jail close to the torture chamber, from where he was brought to this chamber for the resolution of the trial and sentencing." "And now, to further mock our justice, a witness appeared at this court to defend the accused." "This audacity, gentlemen inquisitors..." "Are we going to have to put up with it?" "Bring the witness to this chamber of the secret." "This Holy Tribunal understands that you have come to present arguments in favor of the accused." "Indeed, gentlemen inquisitors." "Do you know that he who appears before this" "Tribunal of the Inquisition of Mexico is obliged by oath to always tell the truth?" "Yes, I do." "Tell us, then, who are you?" "My name is Marcos Miranda, from the village known as Villa de Covillana, in Portugal." "What do you have to say for the accused?" "I wish to declare that I know Baron Vitelius Destera to be an honest man, of high virtues, respectable because of his wisdom, that he dedicates as a true apostle of science to the wellbeing of the poor and the indians." "I have never heard such audacity, Lord Inquisitor!" "Marcos Miranda, your insolence sentences you to two hundred lashes that will be administered to you immediately at the torture chamber." "Having seen the cause of this trial, and having the gentlemen inquisitors been consulted, this Tribunal of the Inquisition in Mexico sentences the impenitent relapse Vitelius Destera to auto, shield and habit with fire insignia, relaxation in person with confiscation of property" "and to be burnt in an open field." "That seems fine to me, but without chains." "At last he will pay for the offense he committed against you, that bastard." "The vicereine must be very sad because they are killing her chick, isn't she?" "Quiet, Doña Marqueta, the Inquisition people have ears everywhere." "Baltasar de Meneses." "ÁIvaro Contreras." "Sebastián de Pantoja." "Herlindo del Vivar." "I will return to your world in 300 years, when this comet passes through our latitude again." "Then I will carry out my revenge." "I will eliminate all of your descendants, exterminate your damned lineage!" "My goodness, it's quarter of two, we barely have time to get there." " What happened?" " Please forgive us." "We must meet the professor at the observatory." "Work is imperative." "Work at this late hour?" "When do you want an astronomer to work, at noon?" "Remember that what I am after is a true star." " So long." " So long." "Excuse our lateness." "We were invited to go dancing." "Don't worry, Reinaldo." "I was sure you would be here on time." "Let's see, Victoria." "Out of our known periodic comets, name two of the most important ones due to their periodicity." "The one known as Albers, which appears every 72 years, and Halley, every 76." "Very good." "And you, Reinaldo, tell me, how far from the sun does the comet Halley travel in its aphelion?" "3,258 millon miles, professor." "And in its closest?" " 54 million miles." " Exactly." "Well, this evening's sessión is especially important." "Look." "These books were written 300 years ago." "They mention that a comet will appear on October of 1661." "The first thing that can happen to the investigator is to think that it is the great comet from 1661, the one who served Newton to prove that comets, like the planets in our solar system, are governed by solar attraction." "Nevertheless, we know that the great comet of 1680 moved within a parabolic orbit, having the sun as a central focus." "Nevertheless, per the pedictions these books tell us about, we can assure that the comet in 1661 moves within an elliptical orbit, that is, it is a periodic comet." "This is the most interesting thing about what I am telling you." "According to my calculations, the comet of 1661 should appear over our sky precisely at 2,620,700 sidereal hours." "Specifically, that comet of 1661 should appear in the field of visión of our telescope at 2:37 this morning, moving on its perihelion within the Earth's orbit at an approximate distance of 53 million miles." "But, professor, it is almost time." "I am seeing Andromeda, professor, but no comet." "No, no, no." "It is totally backwards." "At latitud 40 degrees north." "Move south." "More south, on Orion's belt." "Focus on the nebular, we should find it near there." "Nothing, professor." "That is not possible." "Something must be wrong." "Professor!" "Professor!" "Look!" "Look at this." "Yes, there it is!" "There it is!" "Reinaldo, I wasn't wrong." "Look at this extraordinary sight." "It can move the most insensitive man." "Look at this." "Please allow me." "Come, let's go see it outside." "Here it is." "Look." "How beautiful!" "This is weird." "A strange light emanated from the comet." "Come, let's investigate." "Sir, have you seen an aerolite fall?" " An aerolite?" " Yes." "No." "You must think it is strange to see me around here." "I usually take my night stroll at this time." "I should expalin too." "We are astronomers." "We were observing a meteor." "Reinaldo, the gentleman mustn't understand what you say." "I understand much more than you imagine, miss." "For me, astronomy is one of the most important sciences." "I have even dedicated a large part of my life to it." " Really?" " Yes." "In that case, allow me to offer you my card." "When you want to visit us," "I will show you the works of my professor, Mr. Saturnino Millán." "I will be happy to." " Good evening, sir." " Good evening." "Who are you?" "I didn't see you arrive." "I'm sorry, but there is no service at this late hour." "Oh, he's an old friend." "Serve him a drink, please." "The same." "OK, but only one." "Give him a brandy." "You may leave, you don't need to wait." "You know?" "I feel as if you and I had met before, but I can't remember where." "Please don't think I want to go away from you now, but Roberto doesn't like to see me with others." "He thinks I shouldn't have friends..." "like you." "Cheers." "You haven't said a word to me since you got here, but you say so many things when you look at me." "I feel scared when you look at me like that." "I don't like it." "I want you to keep looking at me." "It's useless." "In all the years I have worked in this place" "I had never encountered something like this." "These two victims' skulls were perforated by a drill, maybe an electrical one." "I say it because of the skill, the mastery with which the orifices were made." "And the most incredible thing, gentlemen, is that the encephalic masses were completely extracted." "Observe it for yourselves:" "The same orifices, exactly in the same place as in the other skull." "Yes." "The characteristics are identical." "There is no doubt it is the same criminal." "He also has a great deal of knowledge about anatomy." "Is that what he uses his knowledge about anatomy for?" "To become a dangerous maniac?" "What a strange coincidence." "Last night someone robbed the International Bank." "He took jewels and money from the safety boxes, without leaving a trace." "But, what does that have to do with these deaths, chief?" "The bank is on the same street as the bar where they reported the death of the girl." "You just hit it right on the nail, chief." "Let's suppose that she witnessed the robbery and the criminal, for shutting her..." "Very well, but what about the other one?" "Did you forget he was found on the side of the road, far away from the city?" "Yes, it's true." "Having investigated the case, there is no use in continuing..." "Don't pay attention to me, chief." "Thank you doctor, sorry to bother you." "Not at all." "Let's go." "Excuse us, doc." "Coffee, Reinaldo?" " Victoria, look at this." " What?" ""Two corpses were found this morning." "One by the side of a road, the other one a few meters away, inside of a ladies' bar." "The first one is a man who hasn't been identified." "The second, a woman." "The strange thing is that both had the same perforations in the skull and, according to the autopsy, without a gram of encephalic mass"." "That's horrible." "What do you read me that for?" "I thought for a moment of the guy we saw last night." "I thought he had been the victim." "But no, they are completely different." "Look." "I don't want to." "It upsets me." "Talking about that guy..." "I have a feeling I've seen him somewhere, but I don't know where." "It must have been another incarnation." ""In front of this place was the burning site of the Inquisition from 1596 to 1771." "Administration of colonial monuments and those of the Republic"." "Did you come to see the files?" "I'm sorry, but it is time to close." "Trials of the Inquisition." "Year: 1661." "Don Baltasar de Meneses." "Don ÁIvaro Contreras." "Don Sebastián de Pantoja." "Don Herlindo del Vivar." "Will you light my cigarette, handsome?" "What do the doctors say, chief?" "It is the same as the two previuos crimes:" "Skull perforated with a sharp object or a drill." "Total absence of encephalic mass." "Come on, chief, I was really enjoying my pastry." "It is undoubtedly a case of schizophrenia." "We'll need to establish surveillance all over the city." "Here are the brain tacos." "This can't be possible." "The comet should be within the field of visión and I can't see anything." "A comet doesn't disappear, fall or go out of orbit for no reason." "It is truly absurd." "You have to rest now, professor." "We have been working day and night for two weeks." "What if it was all a hallucination?" "Hallucination?" "No, Reinaldo, no." "The comet exists." "We have seen it." " Professor." " Thank you." "López... nothing." "Cuc... nothing." "Monte Palomar... nada." "Nothing." "No one knows anything or has heard about the comet." ""Baron Vitelius Destera has the honor of inviting you to the reception he will host at his residence in Loma del Halcón, on Tuesday, the twelfth of this month, at 21:00 hours." "Baron Vitelius Destera?" "Do you know him?" "The truth?" "No." "But that's unimportant." "What matters is that we'll forget about the comet for one night." "At last I found you, chief." "We already are important people." "We were invited to a very fancy party." "Well, you are invited." "Baron Vitelius Destera." "This is not an invitation, man." "It's an order for us to watch over the party." "There will be lots of jewels, and that tempts thiefs." "Well, if we can go to the party for free, let's do it." "Service, please!" "Mr. And Mrs. Luis Meneses" "Mrs. Meneses, Mr. Meneses, would you please come in?" "It is an honor for us, Baron." "Thank you." "Miss Ana Luisa del Vivar and Mr. Francisco Coria." " Sir." " Baron." " Welcome." " Thank you." "Professor Don Indalecio Pantoja." "Professor, it is an honor to have such a notable historian at my home." "You are very kind, Baron." "The honor is for he who is invited by such an illustrious gentleman." "Please come in." "Miss Victoria Contreras, professor Reinaldo Miranda and professor Don Saturnino Millán." "Miss Contreras, Reinaldo, it is a pleasure to see you again." "Congratulations, professor Millán." "You have two students who truly admire you." "I am proud of it." "They are indeed my most distinguished collaborators." "Please come in." " May I?" " Thank you." "Professor." "Thank you, Baron." "And you?" "I never drink." "Due to an old ailment, I can not drink any liquor." "I am sorry, Baron." "Do you feel ill now?" "Slightly indisposed." "Make yourselves at home." "Please excuse me." "You need to be very alert." "These high society parties are very attractive to experienced thiefs." "There are many suspects here, right, chief?" "Thank you." "Stay near the entrance." "I am going to walk around in the main hall." "My admiration for the prehispanic culture has made me stay longer in this beautiful country." "I have valuable documents that I will gladly make available to you, Baron." "I appreciate it." "Remember you primissed to attend our wedding, Baron." "It will be a privilege for me, Miss." "We've been deligjted." "Thank you very much, Sir." "I reiterate my offer, Baron." "It will be an honor to have you as a guest." "I thank you again." "It was my pleasure." "Thank you very much." "The observatory is at your disposal." "Don't forget, Baron." "One of these days I will pay you a visit, professor." "Good night, Baron." "Good night, Miss Contreras." "Good night." "See you soon, Baron." "Good evening." "We're leaving, right?" "Probably the thiefs knew we were coming and nothing happened." "You're right." "Let's go." "All these minutes belonged to the Inquisition." "They are from the second half of the 17th century." "Look at this." ""Don Sebastián de Pantoja"." "Well, today it is a bit hard to talk about the Inquisition and its justice methods." "The black legend..." "Good evening, sir." "My daughter, María de Pantoja, Baron Vitelius." "Pleased to meet you." "My daughter is my greatest pride, Baron." "She has been by my side since her moher died." "She will get a doctorate in History this year." "Congratulations, miss." "It is a fascinating specialty." "And she is an authority in the history of religions." "Oh, Dad, please." "These are interesting minutes." "From the way they are written, we can clearly see the religious obscurantism of that era." "Look at this." "How strange." "Here they mention the trial of a defendant whose name was the same as yours." ""Account of the audiences of torture and sentence in the trial the Holy Inquisition followed in Mexico City in the year 1661 against Vitelius Destera, whose origin is unknown and was never confessed, for being a heretic and coauthor of heretics," "a dogmatizer, for having used witchcraft, superstitions and spells for clumsy and dishonest purposes, for dedicting himself to necromancy invoking the dead and for trying to foretell the future through corpses, as well as for seducing married women" "and maidens"." "It will be interesting to know what his punishment was." ""After having been tortured for everything justified, this Tribunal of the Holy Inquisition sentenced him to auto, shield and habit with fire insignia, relaxation in person with confiscation of property and, being impenitent, was burnt"." "Was Vitelius Destera an ancester of yours?" "No." "I have never had descendants." "I was burnt alive by the Inquisition, by your ancester Don Sebastián de Pantoja." "I am Vitelius Destera." "Forgive me, Baron, but that is a pretty bad joke." "That's impossible." "The same system to assassinate his victims." "That mad man is more dangerous than we thought." "Now he burns them in order to delete his prints." "Take them to the lab." "They must be carefully examined." "Go." "Let me know when everything is ready." "OK, chief." "You heard him." "Take this junk to the lab at the headquarters." "I need to examine them and find out what funny guy poked them." "Maybe some maniac who loves piggy banks." "Please number the bones." "If you lose one, I lose my honor." "Look how sad, Reinaldo." "What is it?" ""The notable historian Don Andalesio Pantoja and his daughter die victims of maniac assassin"." "Impossible!" "Unfortunately it is true, professor." "Poor man, what a horrible death." "And they were both so full of life at the party at the Baron's house." "More reports, professor." "Thank you, child." "Nothing." "Nothing here either." "San Francisco." "No." "Paris." "Nothing." "Nothing, nobody has seen anything." "No one knows anything about the comet." "This is exasperating." "But it exists, I saw it myself and you saw it too, didn't you?" "Of course, professor." "All three of us couldn't have made a mistake." "It says it here." "Let's see." "Here it is." "Here." "No, here." "Look, here." "Damned comet... it bewitches." "I sincerely congratulate you." "The melting is truly wonderful." "Now I see why it is considered one of the most important in the country." "Thank you, Baron, but it is only the result of my husband's effort and sacrifices." "I wouldn't be anybody without my wife." "Let's go to the lab." "I especially want you to see the oven where I do my alloy experiments." "Follow me, please." "I am certain I can prove my theory." "With this alloy" "I will make an extremely resistant metal, able to withstand very high temperatures." "Do you think this oven would work for your experiment?" "Yes, sir." "This oven will give us temperatures of up to 8,000 degrees." "Give me the metals and chemical compounds I listed and I will do it." "It would be wonderful." "We would be immensely rich." "Sure." "Forgive me, Baron." "I know the financial aspect is of very little interest to you." "Of course not." "Luis Meneses, descendant of the damned inquisitor Baltasar de Meneses, who ordered to have me burnt alive." "You will pay with your life the life he took away from me three centuries ago." ""It seems that both the engineer and his wife perished during the fire caused by the explosión"." "I try not to, but I can't stop thinking that Baron Vitelius brings bad luck." "Pantoja and Meneses were at his party, remember?" "And look." "Stop that nonsense and hurry up, we have to go back to the observatory." "Baron Vitelius Destera." "I will call the Baron." "How can I help you, gentlemen?" "Good evening, Baron." "Forgive us for intruding, but I need some information." "I am at your service." "Are you aware of the crimes committed by the maniac assassin?" "Yes, I read about it in the newspapers." "By the way, do you know who he is?" "That is precisely what we are investigating." "And do you now that a few days ago Pantoja, the historian, died murdered?" "I read that too." "And that last night, in a fire," "Mr. Meneses and his wife died under very similar circumstances?" "You don't say, inspector." "That is a true shame." "They were here a few days ago." "That is why I came to visit you, Baron." "Because being their friend, maybe you could give me some information." "I understand, inspector, but unfortunately" "I was not close with the victims." "A common friend introduced us in Europe and I invited them over, along with other people." "That is all." "Remember, I have only been in the country a few weeks." "That is true, you mentioned it the other night." "Well, too bad." "Excuse me." "On the contrary, I am always at your service." "Inspector, please extend to the victims' families my most sincere condolences." "That won't be possible, Baron." "None of the victims had family members." "Excuse me." "Let's go." "Now that all the guests have left," "I want to take this opportunity to wish you all the happiness in the world." "Please forgive my delay in doing so, but unfortunately I had something to do." "Your presence is enough." "Thank you for your gift, Baron." "It was the best one of all." "Please, madam, it was a pleasure." "We hope you can visit us soon, Baron." "I will be delighted." "Do not stop for me." "Are you leaving now?" "Not until next week, Baron." "I have pending matters." "We will contact you upon our return." "I wish you much happiness." "So long." "We thought you wouldn't make it on time, Baron." "Yes, I have already apologized." "How do you do?" "Tired." "Lots of work." "We've worked too much." "The disappearing of the comet made us crazy." "The professor doesn't go out of the observatory." "Therefore, we don't either." "So you are still thinking about that comet?" "Yes, because we saw it." "Right, Victoria?" "It appeared the night we met." "How could I forget it?" "It was the beginning of our friendship." "Thank you, Baron." "Did you hear of what happened to the Pantojas and the Meneses?" "I met them at your home." "Yes, I read it in the newspapers." "How terrible, isn't it?" "A true coincidence." "Both had been at the same place a few hours earlier." "At your home, Baron." "Mr. Miranda, don't tell me that a man of science like you is superstitious." "It is not really superstition, it is curiosity." "Baron!" "You scared me." "I didn't hear you come in." "Can I help you?" "Francisco is in the bathroom and..." "Baron, please..." "What's happening to you?" "Francisco!" "Francisco!" "Your ancester, the inquisitor Don Herlindo del Vivar, condemned me to be burnt alive." "You, Ana Luisa del Vivar, will pay for it!" "No!" "Thank you." "Let's go." "Wouldn't it be good to get out of this crowded place, chief?" "Let's go." "The same holes in the skull and no encephalic mass." "Baltasar de Meneses, ÁIvaro Contreras," "Sebastián de Pantoja," "Herlindo del Vivar," "Luis Meneses," "Indalecio Pantoja," "Ana Luisa del Vivar," "Victoria Contreras." "When I complete the autopsies I will give you the pertinent reports." "Very well, doctor." "How would I not know it, commandant?" "They left about an hour ago." "Did something happen?" "Professor, we must know where they are." "It's a matter of life and death." "You frighten me, commandant." "Reinaldo and Victoria were invited to dinner at Baron Destera's home at Loma del Halcón." "Thank you, professor." "Let's see if we can make it on time." "So, to the Baron's house?" "But first to headquerters." "Now you can go as fast as you please." "All right, chief." "Still suffering from your ailments, Baron?" "Less, fortunately." "Do you take care of yourself?" "What is necessary, Victoria." "Only what is necessary." "I want to know the data you said you could give us to locate the comet from 1661." "Don't be impatient, Mr. Miranda." "There are still 20 minutes left." "By the way, I have to take my medication." "Please excuse me." "Mr. Miranda, I was thinking that, since you are going to get married," "I would like you to allow me to give a jewel to Victoria as a gift." "It would be my wedding present." "It could never express the friendship and affection I feel for you both." "Baron, you overwhelm us with your kindness." "You shouldn't..." "On the contrary, Mr. Miranda, it is my pleasure." "May I?" "Should we do it later?" "There are still 20 minutes left until we can locate the comet." "They are in my office." "I would like Victoria to choose a jewel by herself, uninfluenced by others." "Do you doubt me?" "Not at all, Baron." "You can fully trust Vitelius Destera, Reinaldo." "They are beautiful, aren't they?" "But none of them could compare to you." "You can not be mine the way I want you to be." "I want to love you and adore you above all else." "But I can't." "My hatred is stronger than my love." "It is above everything else!" "Why did it have to be you, precisely you, Victoria Contreras, descendant of the damned inquisitor ÁIvaro Contreras, who had me burnt alive 300 years ago?" "Me, Vitelius Destera?" "But I came back to get revenge on my executioners and you are the last descendant of one of them." "Reinaldo!" "Reinaldo!" "Get away." "I need to fulfill my revenge." "Your ancestor defended me 300 years ago." "Don't make me forget it." "Get away." "You will not be able to stop me." "Run away, Victoria!" "Run away!" "Reinaldo!" "Reinaldo!"