Balaclava

16-8-2019

The guy came straight with a knife to attack his friend. Mark knew Lucas 20 years ago. They were classmates at high school. The day Lucas was stabbed they had met to have a coffee as regularly they did it once a month. That was a hot summer day, and the square outside the cafe was the place preferred by the majority of the customers for having an espresso or an iced coffee. Mark and Lucas chose a table under a tree instead of a table with an umbrella. They joked that it was way more romantic. That monthly coffee was the only opportunity they had to chat and catch up. They had very different lives; while Mark was married from 10 years ago with three children, Lucas was single and had a child with his ex-partner. Lucas enjoyed his bachelor life, which made that Mark’s wife did not consider him a good influence for his husband. That seemed to be the main reason why the only met once a month. 

The way Lucas was killed was very particular. The murderer appeared in the daylight covering his head with balaclava, and after stabbing Lucas with two clean slashes on his throat, he disappeared running through the alleys that surrounded the square. Mark remembered every day that scene; Lucas lying on the floor, with his black skin and his yellow coloured curly hair covered by the blood. 

One month and a half months had passed since the incident and the police hadn’t found any suspect. However, the police considered the murderer was a hired assassin, based on the use of balaclava and the way he used the knife. However, Mark considered another possibility. Years ago he had seen a movie with Kiefer Sutherland and Jeff Bridges where the character that Bridges impersonated was a common family man who wanted to kill someone just to challenge his limits. After some unsuccessful attempts, he ended up killing Sutherland’s character’s wife. What if something like that happened? A normal man wanted to kill for the first time and chose to kill the first person he saw, and his friend just had been unlucky. Or what if this was a serial killer and the same situation, Lucas just was right in the wrong place. He did not mention these ideas to the police, and neither they mentioned anything similar. But he could not contain himself and went to talk to the reporter that had been in charge of Lucas’ death news in one important newspaper. The reporter was kind, and even though he reckoned that Mark's ideas were stupid, he understood that this guy was sad for losing a friend. Then he told Mark what he thought ‘That’s very improbable. I understand you want to understand what happened, but I’m not a policeman, go to the police if you want them to investigate. Although, I think you are going to lose your time. Victims’ friends or relatives usually figure out theories to understand what happened. We don’t know what happened, and it’s very probable that this crime will never be solved. I’m sorry but I want to be honest with you.”

The days after the murder were difficult for Mark. Besides the sorrow of losing a friend, his wife did not make it easier for him. Conversely, during the next week he had to stand listening the theories that her wife elaborated around Lucas’ death. She never liked him. She considered him someone dark, tricky, and did not discard he was involved in drugs, gamble or prostitution. Mark did not think of these ideas as possible. His friend never mentioned anything of that kind to him, and he would have told him, for sure. They were very close. He knew his friend worked in marketing for a company that produced events. ‘He was way too rich to work only as a marketing analyst’ said his wife.’ He bragged about his vacations, his expensive watches, and cars. That was not normal. Nobody makes so much money as a marketing analyst’.

One month later, a man with a balaclava stabbed a woman to death in the middle of a street in downtown. Police chased him, shot him twice and he died. Newspapers reported the death of the balaclava murderer, a reputed assassin who was hired recurrently by criminal bands, especially drug traffickers. The use of balaclava just seemed to be a new strategy of the seasoned murderer. The woman killed was also involved in drug traffic and his death was allegedly revenged for an old unpaid drug debt. At that moment, journalists went over Lucas’s history and found that his job as a marketing analyst did not pay as well as for having so many luxury watches and expensive cars.  They could not find any direct relation to the criminal band that hired the assassin for the other murderer, but they considered that he was clearly involved in something illicit. Mark remembered Lucas liked parties and told him many times about the advantages of using cocaine if you wanted to party all night long. According to him was a regular consumer but not an addict. But Mark could not believe he was a criminal.

Lucas’ ex-partner was devastated and brought to the police and journalists evidence that Lucas had been working freelance for another company. She had found among Lucas’ things many bills issued by that company acknowledging Lucas’ services. Despite the fact that at first sight, the company seemed legitimate, the police and journalists did not discard that it was a company dedicated to money laundering from the drug business. In fact, the company was a washing car company, and that kind of businesses was usually used to launder money. So they apologised to Lucas’ ex-partner and told her that they would think it through. 

One year and one week after the murderer of Lucas, in the same cafe he was killed, a black man with green coloured curly hair was shot to death.  The murderer was never found, and the police reported the victim was a Colombian national who used to visit the country two or three times a year. He had no criminal records.

Mark read the news in the paper and sent a message to Lucas’ ex-partner. ‘Did you see the news about the guy killed in the same cafe Lucas was killed?” “Yes” she said

-Are you thinking the same thing I am thinking? Asked Lucas.

They met in a cafe in the afternoon. Angela was affected and started the conversation without any introduction.

-I do not know who Lucas was, actually. He cheated on me, he abused alcohol and drugs. I thought he was different. And he disappointed me. 

-Ok, that is right. But Lucas a drug dealer? A money launderer?

- Who knows? Maybe he was, and we just see in the Colombian guy an opportunity to think that maybe Lucas was a decent man. This would save me from telling his daughter who his father was. Maybe it is just that.

- It can’t be a coincidence. Black man, the same month, coloured curly hair, and the same cafe. It is clear what really happened. Clear as water. He was killed by mistake. The murderer saw this black man with coloured hair and he killed him. Maybe the colombian guy arrived at the cafe one hour later. I am sure it was that.

- I do not know if this worth all that we should go through. Going to the press, journalist calling us crazy. Doing all this for him? A man who cheated on me?

- But do you think the truth is only for good men?

- Maybe you are right, and for sure it would be better for my daughter to clean his father’s name. But it would be worse than the current situation if we finally end up finding out that he was actually a criminal.

-I will think it through.

- Me too - said Mark.

Mark didn’t wait for her response and went straight to the police. The detective in charge explained his theory and was very skeptical. The similarities between both victims was not enough to discard the alleged relation between Lucas and a criminal band. The policeman mulled this idea some minutes and even talk about it with some colleagues, but they did not even know who was the murderer. Maybe if they caught him they could interrogate him about Lucas’ death. Perhaps he knew something.

Later, Mark went to see the journalist again and told him his theory. The reporter did not pay too much attention to Mark. The case was pretty clear for him. Then he told Mark what he thought ‘That’s very improbable. I understand you want to understand what happened, but I’m not a policeman, go to the police if you want them to investigate. Although, I think you are going to lose your time. Victims’ friends or relatives usually figure out theories to understand what happened. Maybe what you say is true, but it’s very probable that this crime will never be solved. I’m sorry but I want to be honest with you.”

Mark went home asking himself if he should forget about this idea. Maybe he should wait for Lucas’ ex-partner answer. If she was interested they both could try harder to find out the truth. At night, he told her wife about all what has been going the last few days. She stared at him and said: “You are not a detective, you are my husband and three children’s father. Your friend is dead and your idea has no sense. If you start behaving as a detective, I will leave you immediately. I won’t risk my kids’ safety because their father is playing Elliot Ness. Ok?”

Ok -said, Mark. ‘That’s good’ she said and went to their bedroom. 

For ten years, Lucas had been like a hole in a wall to observe from his position how his life could have been if he would not have married so young. Lucas’ adventures with women, parties and drugs, seemed like the best movie to Mark. Nevertheless, those ten years he was at peace with his marriage, he was quite happy. Even though that he was only listening to Mark’s stories, for him that was like living those adventures himself, and maybe that was the valve that helped him to live a life as a family man. So somehow he needed Lucas. After a few minutes, he realised that then took his phone and texted Lucas’ ex-wife. ‘Are you ok? ‘. Now he should wait for an answer that would confirm that Lucas was somehow still alive. Otherwise, his life was at risk.