"THE NIGHT OF THE SUNFLOWERS" "Beni!" "I need you to look at the lights in the square." "Last night they went out." "It's Saturday." "I'm going on a hike." "When I get back, okay?" "Okay, but don't forget." "Right, Amadeo." "You're in charge while I'm gone." "Don't worry, Sergeant." "And enjoy your holiday." "Thank you, Corporal." "I see." "Fine." "All right." "This just came in." "Body of a dead girl on the outskirts of Cerredo," "Santa Cruz de Mira area." "Looks like she was raped." "They want us to be on the lookout." "Thank you, Rovira." "Radio 5." "All the news." "Hear that?" "Hear that?" "Can you believe this?" "Do I bother him at his house?" "Why do I have to listen to that damned music every night?" "And now the news, The body of a young girl has been found in a field in Cerredo," "She was 22 years old and her name was" "Elena Martos, Authorities believe she may have been sexually assaulted before she was murdered, She was last seen yesterday at night," "The body was found this morning by a farmer," "It was hidden in a field of sunflowers and showed apparent signs of violence, before the body was taken away her parents were called to the scene to identify the body of their daughter," "How could this happen to us?" "My baby!" "Her mother tearfully explained that her daughter had gone with friends to a discotheque in a nearby village and had quarrelled with her father about how late she could stay out," "That was the last time they saw their daughter alive," "The body has been taken to the morgue for an autopsy," "The police are looking into whether she was assaulted on her way home," "The crime has caused a stir in the village," "Dozens have flocked to the field where the body was found," "Two days of mourning have been declared in the village and protests are scheduled for the coming days," "The wake will be held at the local town hall," "THE MAN AT THE MOTEL" "No, Then that's that," "If you've fixed it, then that's that," "They can send us an estimate and we'll see." "Yes." "Yes, I know." "It's over two weeks since they found our daughter and there's still no news," "If you don't want the boy to go, keep him home." "I do care." "No." "Of course I'm interested." "Yes." "I won't be back till Tuesday night." "Good night." "Kiss kiss." "Want a lift?" "Do you want a lift?" "No, I prefer to walk, thank you." "Are you sure?" "I don't mind." "I said no thank you." "All right, sorry." "I didn't mean to bother you." "I was looking for somewhere around here to have lunch." "Do you know of anywhere?" "Not in this village, but in the next one there's a place." ""Casa Lucia"." ""Casa Lucia"?" "Thank you." "Isn't it hot?" "You'll melt, dressed like that." "Get in." "No, I won't." "I told you I never want to see you again!" "Get in the fucking car!" "Don't start again!" "I've got a lift already." "For the last time." "Will you get in?" "The high quality and strength of these cleaners have made them one of the favourites with cleaning companies." "And as you can see here in the catalogue, they have a complete line of accessories, apart from the basic feature of these... of these cleaners, which is the power of the motor..." "Two coffees, a pacharan and an orujo," "Thanks for offering my girl a ride." "Please don't think I..." "You know how things are nowadays." "People see you arguing with a girl and they start thinking..." "All couples argue." "Give the gentleman a pacharan when he's finished." "No, thank you." "I'm driving." "What are doing around here?" "Working, I'm a commercial traveller." "You sell vacuum cleaners?" "Industrial ones, for businesses," "offices, department stores, etc." "Interesting." "No, really." "Thanks, Ana." "Do you mind?" "I just remembered a place that might interest you." "A quarry." "A quarry?" "It's full of dust." "It fills the whole village full of dust." "If there's one place that needs you, it's there." "Turn off after Navarriba and take this road." "It's some distance but worthwhile." "Turn off for the quarry just before this village, just here." "They must have demolished half the mountain." "Thanks, but it's too far out of my way." "Sure, but give it a try." "If you go, ask for Santiago." "He's my cousin." "Good luck." "Thank you." "The bastard!" "Trouble with your car?" "No, it's fine." "I saw you from the road and thought you were having trouble." "I'm waiting for someone." "Are you?" "Out here?" "I can't see anybody." "They'll be here any moment." "I won't fight, do what you want..." "Do what you want but don't hurt me." "No?" "Don't hit me." "You want me to be gentle?" "And whisper sweet nothings, is that it?" "Do you think I'm stupid or something?" "Keep still, bitch!" "Keep still, sow!" "Fucking nigger!" "Open the door!" "Open the fucking door!" "Open it!" "Open the door!" "Don't make things harder for yourself!" "Open the fucking door!" "Open the door!" "Open it!" "THE POTHOLERS" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello." "Hello." "I'm Julian." "The mayor of Angosto." "Esteban." "I think I spoke to you on the phone?" "Yes." "Come with me." "We've been expecting you." "So you've come alone?" "Haven't my colleagues arrived?" "No, you're the first." "I thought you'd come together." "They were exploring in Cantabria but they should be here by now." "I don't suppose they'll mind if we start without them." "I'm Amadeo." "I'm in charge of this area." "Thanks for coming." "I'm Esteban." "Thank you for calling us." "Right," "I see most of you are here." "This is Esteban Igea, from the Geology Department and a member of the University Potholers Association." "Good afternoon." "Good afternoon." "As I said on the phone, a couple of weeks ago one of the local residents found the entrance to a cave." "To be precise, it was Beni." "Heavy rain had caused a landslide and uncovered it." "It was just a hole but I dragged away a few rocks and found something that must be much bigger." "Can they name it after me?" "Yes..." "I don't know..." "I suppose so." "To start with nobody thought it was important but when we read about that cave in Galicia, we thought, "What if there are wall paintings here too?" Or maybe it was one of those spectacular caves." "Know what I mean?" "Well..." "I don't want to discourage you but discoveries like this often come to nothing and the authorities don't bother to come." "Anyway, let's try to be positive." "When my colleagues arrive, we'll get down to work." "This is my aunt Marta, Beni's mother." "Hello, Marta." "Pleased to meet you." "She's found you accommodation." "Thank you." "And this is my wife, Rosa." "Hello." "They left a message at the mayor's office for you." "Andres at the university says ring urgently." "Shit." "Is it serious?" "Alberto's broken two ribs and hit his head," "He's under observation, but it doesn't look serious," "Fernando's staying with him," "That's real shit." "As I'm here, I'll go in." "Send me someone if you like, though I don't mind going down alone." "No way, understand?" "I've found a lad to go down with you, pedro Adrada," "Adrada?" "Who's that?" "I don't know him." "He's got some experience and he's a photographer, which could be useful," "If he can put on a harness, he'll do." "He'll be there at noon tomorrow," "Listen, Andres." "You'll have to send me the gear Alberto and Fernando were bringing." "Tell the lad to call in at my place." "Gabi can give it to him." "Okay," "Right." "I'll handle it," "If anything interesting happens, I'll call you." "Okay," "Bye." "Hi, we're not home, please leave a message," "Hello, Gabi." "This is Esteban." "Sorry about this weekend." "I said I'd be with you this weekend and I wanted to help with the move..." "I'm really sorry." "I'll make it up to you." "I need you to do me a favour." "A lad called Pedro will be calling in tomorrow." "I need you to give him some gear." "It's on the terrace where I usually keep it." "A couple of bed rolls." "I really need him to bring them." "Anyway, Gabi..." "See you on Monday." "Love you." "The bedrooms are upstairs." "It gets cold around here at night." "There are blankets in the closet." "Does anyone live here?" "No, nobody." "They left this village 15 years ago." "We live on the other side of the street, a little further up, just in front of the church." "If you need anything..." "Thank you, Marta." "Beni, thanks for everything." "Thank you." "Have you settled in?" "What do you think?" "It's fine." "We'll be comfortable here." "I want to show you something." "What are we doing here?" "I wanted to show you." "When the last person leaves, it'll all be over." "The place will be dead." "Actually, it is already." "I've seen hundreds of villages" "like this one." ""Rural tourism"." "That's what they call it." "It's all the rage." "People come" "to spend their leisure time." "And with the cave you think people will come." "This area has possibilities." "But we need to be on the map first." "The rest comes later." "Accommodation, facilities and all that." "What do you think?" "Good night, Marta." "And thanks for the supper." "Good night." "Esteban, he's here." "You must be Esteban." "Pedro?" "Sorry I'm late." "Thanks for coming." "This is Beni." "He found the cave." "He's an institution around here." "Are you hungry?" "No, we stopped on the way." "It was my fault." "This way we can spend the weekend together after all." "Fine." "Good idea, though I'm going to be very busy." "I know, but don't worry about me." "I'm used to you suddenly disappearing." "I stopped by but you're weren't there." "I left you a note." "Oh, yes, the note." "I saw it." "What did it say, "Back on Monday"?" "That explained it all." "I just felt like seeing you." "Gabi, what's the matter?" "Nothing's the matter." "It's probably all this selling the shop, moving out..." "There's plenty of time for that." "No, it's just that..." "I suddenly felt lonely yesterday." "And I thought," ""So what now?" "I don't know what I want to do in life..." "This isn't my home town..."" "You and I never... never made plans." "I promise we'll find time to talk this weekend." "Clean towels." "Thank you." "Wait downstairs." "I'll be down in a minute." "We could think about buying a flat again." "Maybe with the money from the bookshop we could..." "What do you think?" "What's he doing?" "I don't know." "This won't open." "There's a trick to it." "So you're a photographer." "Photographer, adventure sports guide, tour guide..." "Whatever's going." "I've had a few photos published." "Anywhere I know of?" "." "I wouldn't think so." "Shall I come?" "I can help you with the gear." "You can show me your cave." "It's not our cave, Gabi." "It's Beni's." "I was only joking about the name." "Well, well." "So that's the hole." "Don't throw stones." "Cool in there, isn't it?" "Ever been down alone?" "A few times." "You'll never find a darker, quieter or lonelier place than a cave like this." "You make it sound like something good." "I'm not going down." "You know how I feel about these places." "Okay, fine." "This is just a first look." "Take the car if you like." "Pick us up around 8, okay?" "I'll give you the keys." "Don't worry, I've got mine." "Yes, of course." "Let's go." "Just lately I've felt more like climbing, you know?" "Serious climbing, mountains." "You look up and..." "Shit!" "That's really something." "That's real climbing." "It's brilliant." "You talk to someone who's climbed over 8,OOO metres..." "What can I say?" "They go up, we go down." "You probably already know." "You ever tried climbing?" "No." "Hello." "Hello." "Hello." "Fancy a beer?" "Okay." "Julian was looking for you." "Those lights in the square." "He's waiting for you in his office." "He knows I don't work on Saturdays." "I'll try to be back soon." "I know the way back to the cave." "Right." "I'll have a beer anyway." "On the house." "Thanks." "And the poor bastard was there, in the dark, completely lost, and all he had was a box of matches and a few cigarettes." "Look, Pedro," "I need some quiet now." "Do you mind?" "You want me to shut up?" "Okay." "Twenty metres." "Maybe more." "You first, right?" "Got enough rope?" "More than enough." "This stops here." "I'm coming back up." "Ever think of leaving?" "I did when my husband died, for Beni's sake." "There were no kids of his age left." "You'll think this is silly but I was sitting where you are now" "and I started writing a list." "With reasons for staying on one side and reasons for leaving on the other." "And the list of reasons for staying was longer." "I have to pick them up." "Is Beni back?" "If he's with Julian, don't wait." "Okay." "See you later, Marta." "Can I open my mouth again now?" "We've checked it all out three times." "There are no forks, no other exits." "That's all there is." "Yes, two ways down, 3OO metres of tunnel ending in a hole with no way out." "Not very interesting." "Interesting?" "It's shit." "These things happen." "It's not our fault." "I'll just take a few photos to show the people." "Quick." "Shit!" "Shit!" "Don't worry, Gabi, we're here now." "I'll get you out of there." "Let go of the wheel." "It's all right, it's all right." "That's it." "That's right." "That's it, darling." "There we are." "There we are." "The mobile." "It's all right." "No signal." "Let's get the car back on the road." "What is it?" "Who?" "There, there, darling." "I can't find the keys." "I just..." "I just... saw him there... there..." "Up there... up there..." "Here." "Gabi, what is it?" "What is it?" "Is that him?" "Is that him, Gabi?" "It is, isn't it?" "Tell me if it is." "Is it?" "Was it him?" "Tell me if it was." "Gabi." "Yes..." "THE MAN ON THE ROAD" "Rhinoplasty." "Want something, neighbour?" "How you doing, Cecilio?" "Haven't seen you around here lately." "I'm okay." "Isn't your dog with you?" "She died last spring." "A sack of flour, one of beans and one of coffee." "Four boxes of cartridges, tobacco and papers." "Right away." "And some razor blades too." "And a couple cans of diesel." "Okay." "What are you doing?" "What's the matter?" "What the fuck are you doing?" "Can't you see?" "Collecting roof tiles." "There's a man in Sarinena who buys them for a house at a good price." "Don't even touch another one." "You want a cut?" "Is that it?" "You're worse than termites." "You're not interested?" "Fine." "You can't sell what's not yours." "It was Santiago's." "And we buried him 13 years ago." "This house is nobody's and come winter it'll fall down like all the rest." "While I'm here not one tile leaves this village." "Understand?" "So don't touch anything." "I've seen you looking at the church bell." "The bell?" "The church bell?" "How could I get that down?" "I know you." "I swear if ever I see that bell's gone," "I'll pump you full of lead." "For fuck's sake!" "Why did the only one left in this damned place have to be you?" "The biggest bastard in the whole valley!" "Now you listen to me." "Some nights I see your mother's spirit walking through the village and you know what she says?" "That she could never stand you!" "You hear me?" "Where are you going?" "I'm crossing this land." "There was a path here once before you added Mariano's land to yours." "Just you try and cross." "You know what I'd like?" "I hope you die of pneumonia or diphtheria or rhinoplasty." "You hear me?" "The bastard!" "Son of a bitch!" "The fucking...!" "Bastard!" "Bastard!" "That's enough!" "Come here, you son of a bitch!" "Esteban, stop!" "Wait!" "Let's go to the police." "Let go of me!" "You won't get away from me, you bastard!" "Esteban!" "Where are you going?" "Esteban!" "Here he is, Esteban!" "Quick, he's here!" "Put that down." "That's enough." "What do we do now?" "Oh, my God!" "Esteban!" "Esteban!" "THE COMPETENT AUTHORITIES" "Forget the phone." "Shit!" "Shit!" "This is no good." "I haven't been married for 2 months." "Funny you should say that now." "It never worried you that I was married." "This is much more complicated." "Honey," "I never forced you to come and nobody made you get married." "All you had to do was say no." "You're right." "I'm not coming back." "You couldn't stay away." "You don't know me." "My husband will be here tonight but I can get away." "We could meet at my folks' old place." "Didn't you hear me?" "I won't go." "I don't care." "I'll be there anyway." "Oh, and Tomas..." "Careful when you leave." "Stop at the bar for a minute." "The car needs oil." "Did you notice?" "The light's been on for some time." "Get some at the petrol station tomorrow." "I'm just going to give Federico his gun licence." "122B to 122, over." "This is 122, Go ahead, 122b," "The corporal's making the last call then we'll be back." "Copy, Remember you're on duty tomorrow," "Don't worry, I won't forget." "Anyway, since the sergeant went on holiday, things are much quieter," "One good thing about the old-timers, they don't want problems and all they think about is holidays in the sun." "Around here, that's not a bad outlook on life," "I'll think about that, 122." "Over and out." "Hello." "Hello, dear." "This is from Filo." "More?" "His wife insisted." "Supper's ready." "Go and wash your hands." "The news and quiz shows are the only things worth watching on TV." "Come on, Dad." "I've seen you watching the chat shows." "Me?" "That was your mother." "She loved those." "Though there weren't as many then." "It was mostly magazines." "There's no law against watching what you want, is there?" "And those people are clever." "Not a stroke of work and they get paid." "Thank goodness they show good films occasionally." " Coffee?" " No, thanks." "I'll go home and watch the film." "I'll leave you to yourselves." "Stay and see the start." "Have coffee here and then go if you like." "That's right." "You never bother us." "All right, I'll have that coffee." "They don't make films like this one any more." "How did things go today?" "Fine." "The same as always." "Nothing special." "Is something wrong, Tomas?" "No." "It's hard getting back into the routine." "I know you wanted that transfer after we got married, but it's Dad..." "Since my mother died, I'm all he's got." "I know, and I admire him." "But when he retires in 9 months' time..." "He wants to stay in the village." "I was thinking of us." "The coffee." "I'll take it." "Don't drink any more." "My wife's been attacked." "Someone tried to rape her." "And... something terrible's happened." "Did you hear me?" "Your wife?" "Where is she?" "In the car." "Is she hurt?" "She's very upset but she's not seriously hurt." "I shot a man." "In the abandoned village up there." "I think he's dead." "Are you sure he's dead?" "How long ago did it happen?" "An hour and a half..." "There was no signal up there so we decided to go to the police station, but the car broke down." "Pedro shouted." "I loaded the shotgun and fired." "And he collapsed." "But he dragged himself in here." "He's dead." "It was a mistake, but it was my fault." "I saw him on the road." "From behind." "I thought it was him." "She was upset, I pushed her too far." " A mistake?" " Yes." "It wasn't him who attacked her." "Stay here." "Keep away from the body, don't touch anything." "All right?" "I'll tell headquarters to send an ambulance." "I don't understand any of this." " I don't know these people." " Don't be stupid!" "I don't care what you think." "I shouldn't even be here." "You've fucked everything up!" "That's enough!" "I'd give anything to change all this." "Was there anyone else around?" "No, no-one else." "Did you speak to anyone when you came out of here?" "No." "Right..." "Let's stop and think what would happen if... things could be changed." "Just get us out of here, please." "Hold on, hold on." "You just said you'd give anything to change things." "What if it hadn't happened?" "All of this is terrible, really bad fucking luck." "The kind of thing that ruins your life." "As I see it... this man lived alone in an abandoned village." "Nobody will report him missing." "People leave these villages, and are never heard of again." "I don't understand." "I think it's pretty clear." "What I mean is that if anyone put their mind to it, there are ways" "of making some problems disappear." "Why do you say that if you've called in?" "I haven't yet." "It was an accident." "Let's not complicate things." "Things are already complicated for you." "I mean, there's a poor, innocent farmer, beaten, stabbed and shot." "You've no fucking idea what prison's like." "You think we always get our man?" "How can you talk like that?" "With a dead man in the same room!" "I didn't shoot him." "Sure, this is all terrible, but he's dead and that's the end of it." "There's no-one to account to." "Right?" "No family's affected, there's no widow, not even any friends." "Is justice really necessary if no-one demands it?" "And what about him?" "What kind of policeman are you?" "I don't want to be one all my life." "Think about it." "We can all come out on top." "You go on with your lives, a new life for me." "You said you'd give anything to change all this, right?" "All right then." "The question is... how much?" "How much would you give?" "My house is rented but I could sell my car." "9O, OOO euros." "That's all we've got." "You're all crazy!" "Out of your fucking heads!" "I don't want to hear another word!" "All right..." "We never talked about this." "Now I'll go out that door and things will take their course." "All right?" "Who's stupid now?" "Esteban." "Listen to me, please." "Listen." "I don't want you in jail." "I couldn't stand that." "So let me do something or I'll say" "I made you do it." " That it was my fault." " But it wasn't." "Please, Esteban." "Listen to me." "Nothing can change what's happened." "Our lives will probably never be the same again but... the other way is even worse." "Esteban." "Please." "Do it for me." "I'll go and make sure there's no-one around." "Take care of that wound." "There's a first-aid kit in the car." "Now I do feel like a murderer." "Since we've decided to do it, let's get it over with." "That's everything cleaned up." " Did you pick up all the cartridges?" " Where shall I put this?" "Right there." "Go and get another." " How's that wound?" " Okay." "I can't get this stain out." "What do we do with him?" "Find a shovel." "No." "You shouldn't have come up here." "I'm okay." "Are you sure about this?" "The only way down there is with proper gear." "There won't be any more expeditions." "No-one will find him unless they look." "I'll make sure they don't." "Let's get our things and get out of here." "Not until your part of the deal's done." " No cheques, no transfers." " You'll get your fucking money." "Okay, take it easy." "Tomorrow's Sunday." "You two stay here," "I'll go for the money and come back on Monday." "And what'll we do here?" "Say we're still measuring." "Looking for other entrances." "We'll have to look people in the face." "That's not my problem." "And I warn you, no tricks." "It doesn't look too serious." "But go to a hospital for a more thorough examination." "That won't be necessary." "Tomorrow I'll get a truck to tow your car to a garage." "Sign here." "Thank you." "Where have you been?" "Go back to sleep." "MAD AMOS" "Damn that filthy rat!" "Animals don't know how to spring traps!" "They're not that clever." "You know, intelligence is what distinguishes man from beast." "And spite." "God damn whatever it was that..." "What's happened?" "Lie still." "Keep still." "Keep still." "He's gone too far this time!" "Cecilio!" "You rat!" "You'll pay for this!" "Out, you coward!" "Don't you hide from me!" "Come on out or I'll drag you out!" "Where are you?" "Scared of me now, are you?" "Of course you are." "If I was you, I know I'd be scared shitless." "Come on out now or I'll fill your house full of goats!" "You hear me?" "Cecilio?" "Cecilio?" "Where the hell are you?" "They've come for us." "Take him, not me." "Don't take me." "What did I ever do to the dead?" "What did I ever do to you?" "Shut up!" "Shut up!" "Amalia..." "If you've come for your son, he's on the kitchen floor." "No, Amalia, it wasn't me." "It was them." "It wasn't me." "I can't remember." "No." "Not me." "Not me." "Leave me be." "Leave me be." "Look, Amos." "This is no joking matter." "Hell, Rovira, it's 4 AM." " I hope this is important." " I'm sorry," "Corporal." "Right, Amos." "Tell him what you just told me." "I killed Cecilio." "Let's hear that again, Amos." "As I said..." "I killed Cecilio." "My neighbour." "What do you mean?" "What happened?" "I don't remember too well." "All I know is we had an argument this morning," "I said I wished he was dead, and when I went back, he was." "Don't you see?" "I wanted him dead and he died." "It's all here." "He insisted I take his statement." "All right." "Let's take a look." "You come with us." " Shall I call the court?" " No." "I hope this is just more of your nonsense." "Are you coming?" "Yes." "So you live here?" "All my life, in that house." "Amos!" "Well, where is he?" "He was there!" "His shirt was covered in blood." "Well, he isn't now and there's no blood." "I swear it's true!" "He was there." "There's no-one in the house." "And there was nothing unusual." " What about outside?" " Nothing." "I think there's a generator in the shed." "Try and start it." "And call in and say everything's in order." "Okay." "Right, Amos." "When did you say you saw him?" "Just after nightfall." " Did you touch the body?" " No." "Was anyone with you when you saw him?" "How long did you look at him?" "I don't know... not very long." "I was so scared that I ran right out." "What did you do then?" "I ran and hid on the mountain." "Did you see anyone?" "No." "Then you came back here?" "No, I went straight to you." "I'll take a look around." "What were you doing on the mountain in the dark for so long?" "Talking to my neighbours." "Your neighbours?" "What neighbours?" "The ones in the cemetery." "The dead ones." "They talk to me." "Amadeo." "I looked into the room and the drawers and wardrobe are empty." "There's nothing." "Want to take a look?" "It's not necessary." "It was to be expected." "What was to be expected?" "What do you mean?" "What was to be expected?" "It was to be expected, Amos, that after you two argued he decided he'd had enough and left the village." "Like all the others did." "But I saw him lying there on the floor." "Are you really sure?" "As sure as you are that you talk to the dead?" "Are you really sure, Amos?" "I'm not sure of anything any more." "Well... get used to the idea." "Cecilio's gone." "That bastard!" "The rat!" "Son of..." "THE OLD-TIMER" "Are you all right, Raquel?" "Yes, Dad, I'm fine." "It must be something you ate." "No, it's not that." "I'm pregnant." "You're...?" "I'm going to be a grandfather?" "Does Tomas know?" "No, I haven't told him yet." "What's the matter, dear?" "He's been acting strangely." "He won't want the baby." "Don't talk nonsense!" "I know something's wrong." "And this will make things worse." "Dad, if... if he stopped being part of my life I'd..." "I'd..." "I'd die." "I wouldn't know how to breathe any more..." "When did a baby ever split up a family?" "It's the opposite." "Tomas will be the happiest man in the world." "And I'll be the second happiest." "That's what I like, to see you smiling." "Don't let your husband see you cry." "Okay, but you have to promise me something." "Don't say a word to him." "Let me find the best time to tell him." "I promise." "Come here." "Good morning, Corporal." "Good morning, Rovira." "Hold on." "Is this Amos's statement?" "Yes, I thought you'd decide what to do with it." "The report on the accident's there too." " What accident?" " Those city folk." "Tomas came across them on the road last night." "Anything else?" "No." "Thank you, Rovira." "Very good, sir." "Good morning." "Is something wrong?" "No, nothing." "It was a busy night." "Nothing happens around here for months and then on the same night an accident and a madman." "Well... that's how it goes." "Have you had breakfast?" "No." "Come on then." "You're not eating anything?" "No, my stomach's a bit upset." "Then you shouldn't keep smoking." "Hey, Federico." "Have you seen Cecilio lately?" "The one who lives in the village with Amos." "Yes." "I saw him the other day with his mule loaded." "He'd probably been to valentin's shop." " Have you seen him since?" " No." "He doesn't come to the village for weeks at a time." "Why?" "Because he's packed his bags and left." "Left?" "Where would he go?" " Maybe he has relatives somewhere." " Not that I know of." "He had an uncle who went to Cuba." "His father's brother," "I think." "But by now he must be..." "Cuba." "I see." "Thank you very much." "Goodbye." "Ready when you are." "You know, I was thinking..." "I might call in at valentin's shop." "But today's Sunday." "Just for a minute." " So this is what Cecilio came in for?" " Yes." "It's all down there." "Did he say anything about leaving the village?" "No." "But he never says much." " May I...?" " Of course." "Thank you, valentin." "You're welcome." "Give me the keys." "I'll drive." "Where are we going now?" "What are we doing here?" "It's just as it was last night." "Will you tell me what you're doing?" "If he meant to go away for some time or to leave, why would he buy a month's provisions the day before and put it all in the pantry?" "He even bought diesel for the generator." "Perhaps... he decided to leave on the spur of the moment." "After a lifetime in the village?" "Just like that, without telling anyone?" "People do strange things." "What exactly are you looking for?" "Perhaps I could help." "Why didn't he take his records?" "What?" "They were his mother's." "He was very attached to them." "Sometimes you could hear the music from the road at night." "When you get to a certain age, memories are all you have left." "Perhaps it was all too heavy to carry." "Photographs don't weigh much." "What about his mule?" "Why abandon it?" "He could have sold it so that it wouldn't starve to death." "Maybe he thought Amos would take it." "Maybe." "Amadeo, don't get me wrong, but maybe out of boredom" "you're taking all this" " a little too far." " Yes..." "Could be." "But why did he leave so late?" "At least Amos told the truth about this in his statement." "He detoured the water just here to annoy Cecilio." "Then that's it." "Amos made him so mad that Cecilio got fed up and left." "Amos said he did this in the afternoon." "So Cecilio would have had to leave after he fixed it, late in the afternoon or even at night." "Is that normal, to set out on a journey so late?" "Come on, Amadeo." "Don't tell me you believe Amos's story." "Anyone can see he's out of his head." "He hears voices, sees things." "And there was no corpse in the house." "Yes, that's true." "Of course it is." "So maybe when they argued Cecilio told Amos he was leaving and Amos imagined the rest." "Yes, maybe." "Anything's possible." "But in any case, whatever happened, if he left on his own and on foot, with one suitcase at least, someone must have seen him." "He couldn't disappear just like that." "J122 to 122, do you receive me, Rovira?" "Rovira?" "What do you want him for?" "J122 to 122." "Do you receive me, Rovira?" "122 to J122, Receiving you, Corporal," "I need you to do me a favour, Rovira." "Tomas has a photo of Cecilio." "Surely it's too early to start looking for him." "You can't yet..." "It hasn't been 24 hours." "What time did you meet those people who had the accident?" "At half past midnight." "Good morning." "Good morning." "Good morning." "Good morning." "How do you feel?" "Fine, a bit shaken-up." "Looks like you came off the worst." "Your friends were unscathed." "They weren't inside the car." "It was all a bit silly, really." "I took the handbrake off thinking it was in gear and before I knew it, the car went over the edge." "Yes, of course." "Things like that can end badly." "I expect you'll want" " to get back home." " We haven't finished." "We're looking for other ways in." "Oh, I see." "You should try and rest anyway." " Would you like to come inside for...?" " No, thank you." "But just one question." "It may sound silly to you but... one of the local villagers is missing." "It looks like he's left but no-one seems to have seen him." "I thought that, as you were in that area all afternoon and evening, you might have..." "You wouldn't forget if you'd seen a man with a suitcase." "No, we didn't see anybody." "Are you sure?" "I don't suppose you went to the village to look for help?" "We didn't know the village existed." "Morning, Amadeo." "Good morning." "How are you?" "Fine." "I was asking them about the village that's close to where you had the accident." "Yes, I've seen it." "You have?" "I was there." "On Friday afternoon." "With the mayor." "We walked around there before these two came." "I see..." "I suppose you haven't been back there since?" "No." "No." "Well, we can't stand around here talking all day." "No, I won't keep you." "Evening, Amadeo." "Waiting for someone?" "I was waiting for you." "Get in." "Am I under arrest?" "It's about those city folk..." " You've been with them a lot." " Well..." "You don't see many girls like her around here." "No, not like her." "Anyway, they'll leave and I'll stay here." "And that's fine, I like it here." "Although... they might not leave after all." "What makes you say that?" "I heard her speaking to someone on the phone today." "She mentioned the big house in Lacort, you know." " And they talked about money." " Money?" "It looks like they're going to see the owner about buying it." "And you know why?" "They've found something in that cave." "Beni, you're jumping to conclusions." "You heard Julian say that cave would bring in tourists." "Sure." "I hope I can trust you." "Of course you can." "Don't worry." " Goodnight, Amadeo." " Goodnight, lad." "Nothing?" "Nobody's seen him?" "We asked all over the place but nobody had seen him." "You see a lot of people like that with a suitcase at stations." "And it's a very old photograph." "Who knows?" "All right." "It doesn't matter." "Forget all about it." "And thanks" " for the favour." " Corporal." "Police." "Hello?" "You're very quiet tonight." "You've eaten nothing." "Sorry, I was just mulling a few things over." "By the way, Amadeo." "I called in at the San Martin bus station this morning." "And guess what." "Someone had seen Cecilio." "I swear." "The guy in the cafe told me so." "He recognised him from the photo." "He saw him there with a case, he had breakfast, and then left." "I wonder what bus he took." "I didn't take a statement since you said it wasn't official." "What do you say?" "No." "I've made tiramisu for dessert." "I don't know what it'll be like." "I was thinking we could go out for a drink tonight." "Do something special." "Okay." "Tonight?" "I'm meeting an old friend..." "You didn't tell me." "He rang this afternoon." "He was in the area." "Said he'd like to see me." "So we arranged to meet." "The old house in Lacort?" "What are you going to do?" "There he is." "Right, let's get this over with." "Shit!" "I don't know why you're doing this and I never want to know." "As far as I'm concerned, Cecilio left with a suitcase for God knows where and he'll never be back." "So I hope that nobody here ever says a word on this subject again." "And I also hope" "I'll never see you again for as long as I live." "Don't worry about us." "Now go!" "Amadeo, I..." "This evening I wrote my resignation from the force." "Look..." "I never want to hear another word." "And above all, don't ever mention this to Raquel." "Understand?" "Wlthout signing papers, without prior notification," "without taking oaths, we made a pledge," "We left without promises, neither bound to any obligation," "yet even then we dreamed, you of me," "I of you," "Your destiny is like mine, you're the sail, I'm the wind," "you're the riverbed, I'm the river, you're the wound," "I'm the cry of pain," "No-one said anything about falling in love, but God wanted it that way," "Yet just by being together, we made" "a pledge," "Tomas..." "Your destiny's like mine, you're the sail," "I'm the wind," "You're the riverbed, I'm the river, you're the wound, I'm the cry of pain," "No-one said anything about falling in love, but God wanted it that way," "Yet just being together we made a pledge," "A pledge," "Miguel?" "Miguel?" "Yes?" "Have you had supper?" "Yes." "I'll be there in a minute." ", and among the five municipalities there are 360,000 beehives registered," "So 60o/o of the population of Hurdes make a living solely from bee-keeping," "On average one hive yields between 20 and 25 kilos of honey each year," "We use smoke on them, like a lion tamer with a whip," "It works perfectly, bees don't attack people as much as you might think," "If you don't bother them, they won't bother you,"