Corruption's Price: A Spanish Deceit (42 page)

Not long enough, sang a voice in Ana's head, as she turned to Davide to repeat Pedro's message.

Tuesday: Sala de lo Penal, Madrid

Consumed by nerves after a lunch that she had not tasted, Marta's lawyer escorted her to
Juez
Garibey's office. After inviting her to sit he explained the legal position she faced if she chose to exercise her right to avoid self-incrimination. He was gentle but firm.

He laid out the advantages of cooperation and how she might benefit by helping the processes of justice. She noted with awe his clarity and openness. He did not promise her anything that he could not himself deliver, which meant that it was conceivable she could still be prosecuted. That would not be up to him although any recommendations he made would carry significant weight.

Juez
Garibey had, he said, one main objective. That was to prove the accuracy of what he called the M-In and the M-Out Accounts. If Marta would provide additional information, like explanations, along with where monies were deposited and credited and who for and when that would probably be sufficient. When she had looked puzzled at M-In and M-Out he explained the references and how they related to the accounts found on her smartphone.

"Before we go back, Señora, have you thought about what you wish to do?"

"I have. But may I ask you some questions,
Señoría
, which I hope you'll be able to answer before making my response?"

"I'll try."

"Was obtaining the copy of my smartphone deliberate?"

"No. It seems to have been an accident, originating with your request to charge your smartphone's battery. The unpredictable element was that you and Señora Certaldo use the same software."

"How ..." Marta pondered how fate rested on such little things. "That's all I wish to ask at this point."

She looked at her lawyer who opened his hands as if to indicate it was up to her now.

"I will cooperate with your investigation,
Señoría
."

"Thank you, Señora."
Juez
Garibey continued: "You'll want to know what happens next. In a few minutes we'll go back in to the
Sala.
I'll ask the same question and hopefully you'll give the same answer."

Marta smiled wanly at that.

"Afterwards I will ask you to accompany one of the people from the CNP assisting my investigation to wherever they choose to explore the details. You will not be under arrest but will likely be under supervision at a hotel until your evidence is complete. Depending on what emerges afterwards will determine the succeeding steps."

"Now that I've agreed to cooperate, may I ask my other question?"

"You can try me."

"Alfredo, Señor Gómez, obtained the laptop from which I charged my smartphone. I don't know how he did that nor did I know he planned to obtain it. Do you know how Señor Gómez learnt about the smartphone copy? And, if he was able to take the laptop within hours of the copy being made if your dates this morning were correct, how do you still possess the copy?"

"I think that's several questions. The first is a good one. I don't know and if you did not tell Señor Gómez we must examine this afresh. Thank you for the insight. As for the second, as I understand it, Señora Certaldo made a backup of her laptop in the interval between realising what she'd done and before the laptop was stolen, though she did not tell anyone except her old boss at Interpol. For a while the CNP thought the evidence had disappeared with the laptop. That it hadn't is due entirely to Señora Certaldo's precautions."

"May I request to not having to deal with Señora Certaldo face to face? It would be hard, and hurt too much."

"I think that should be possible. You will, I suspect, be dealing more with the CNP and Señora Romagnolo who is the forensic accountant."

Marta acknowledged all that
Juez
Garibey had described. She had agreed to cooperate. She was defeated.

Tuesday: San Lorenzo de El Escorial

The elder boy welcomed Isidoro after he let himself into the house, while the younger told him he looked ill.

Isidoro entered the kitchen. Consolación took one glance and drew the same conclusion. She headed for the chilled wine.

"You need something. Is this strong enough? Do you prefer a whisky?"

"
This will do just fine."

He pulled her towards him and slowly she felt life return. It pleased her that so quickly she could have this effect.

"Tell me?" she said.

"Later. When the children have gone to bed."

"I'll chase them there now. You sit down."

Half an hour later, longer than intended, she found Isidoro in front of the television news.

Isidoro pointed at the screen. "There's our delightful
Presidente del Gobierno
pontificating about how Spain is a modern democracy where the rule of law is respected. Yet only this morning he was demanding I manipulate our legal system to extricate him from his mess."

"But isn't he honest? That's what everyone says."

"On a personal level, from what I've observed, I would have to agree. I haven't seen any hint of pedalling decisions for money, influence or anything like that. That he's wealthy, though not rich, no doubt helps, plus his wife earns decent pay as a senior hospital administrator. Unlike several of his colleagues in government, from the PC and
la Piz
, I agree that he shows no signs of greed or self-engorgement. Some of those colleagues, by the way, display a greediness that astonishes by its blatancy. Not him. So no, I do not think of him as corrupt in the normal sense.

"In the power sense he's as bad as any other politician. Nothing pleases him more than to shuffle people around, to be lord and master. That's not a trait that I've ever liked and always wondered at Hernando's tolerance for it?"

"He knew it was part of the price to pay for reaching a position from where he could achieve. He was terrified about succumbing to the seduction of power. You know the sign by the front door?"

"The one with Lord Acton's 'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'?"

"Yes. I had that copy made as a birthday present. His original, which I still have, he hung on the wall or door by where he took his morning crap. Unfortunately it fell in one day, hence the copy. He explained he kept it there to remind him of the dangers during the one moment in the day when he was uninterruptable and so could reflect in peace on its accuracy and wisdom."

Isidoro laughed loud and long. Consolación delighted in his simple enjoyment of her story. It had taken her many months after Hernando's death to decide not only did she want to share herself with Isidoro but that Hernando would approve. Isidoro would never know how much courage it had taken for her to ask him. That was her secret.

But the moment it was said Consolación knew she was right, despite not knowing until the day after how he would respond. Had that happened only a few days ago? It felt like months.

"... his problem, and mine, is that he does not want to make decisions, especially hard ones. Time and time again he prefers to wait, always intoning: 'first do no harm'. He has a point. Often doing nothing turns out well. To me, though, he lacks the instinct to know which situations demand decisiveness. Today was like that. He wanted to sweep everything under some bureaucratic carpet, never to see the light of day again."

"Still talking of Juan Pastor Nieves?"

"Sadly, yes. Sorry. I need to let out clouds of accumulated steam."

Consolación fluttered her fingers to indicate he should continue. Internally she rejoiced that he was talking. Too often he did not. Bottled frustration rarely produced satisfaction.

"No, he simply will not accept what we've all been trying to tell him, namely that corruption is in danger of becoming endemic. It is not institutional here, part of the fabric of life, as it is in Italy – yet. But we're edging ever closer. "

Isidoro stood. He needed to stretch.

"Hernando was absolutely right to see corruption as a contagion to fear. Juan Pastor Nieves takes the opposite view – either it barely exists or it doesn't matter. I'm never sure if this is because he himself has never personally encountered it. That may sound extraordinary but the truth is neither have I, not directly."

"What? Not even in the town hall or paying cash to avoid taxes? Are you serious?"

"You're right. We all see that and connive. No, I meant 'big corruption' where large sums of money are exchanged to buy influence or win contracts or determine decisions. I guess I'm an innocent or too insignificant. Nobody has ever approached me. If this is true for me it could be the same for Pastor Nieves, which might explain his head being in the sand. Or it might be that he's too afraid of the political consequences for himself, which would also fit."

"Insignificant? You? More like obviously incorruptible."

"
Yet I'm never convinced I am. It was another of Hernando's qualities and he made the most of it."

"He certainly offended those who didn't match up to his standards. You saw how it hurt him when he had to discard old colleagues and friends when they didn't satisfy his expectations for honesty. He knew they would never forgive him. Once you call into question a person's trust, especially in politics or business, it's usually near impossible to resurrect."

"In that you're right,
cariño
. Yet that still doesn't explain why this
el Presidente
behaves as he does."

"Maybe it's as simple as you say; a combination of never needing to confront serious corruption with a mentality that prefers to act like an ostrich. Not exactly an encouraging pairing in today's world."

"Too right. Anyhow, I feel better. I haven't solved anything but you comfort me. Thank you."

"As long as you seriously think about what I suggested the other day."

"About finding another job? I am. I even made some discreet enquiries today. Apparently I can retire rather favourably, despite not doing my full number of years. Another form of corruption? Probably. Or, how would you and the boys feel if I aspired to become an ambassador? Would you come with me? It wouldn't likely be anywhere grand, such as Paris or Washington. Panama? I'm pretty sure that'll be becoming available."

Isidoro chuckled to himself.

His suggestion took Consolación by surprise. Could it happen?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Worms Emerge

Saturday: Malasa
ñ
a

Emilia woke late. The past week had been demanding as she drove the team on to analyse the M-Out accounts. With the additional dimensions that Márquez was now providing, combined with the powers that
Juez
Garibey and Pedro brought to obtaining backing information, the M-Out accounts were beginning to unravel. What made matters easier, in some ways, was that there were comparatively few transactions with an immediately obvious audit trail. In hindsight the Cardarzob reference had been a lucky break, as well as sufficient to tip Márquez into becoming a source rather than an obstacle.

She had confirmed that 'sob-' or 'sobr-' was indeed her shorthand for envelopes – apparently white A5 ones were her preference, particularly those bought from the Carlin stationery chain because they were especially opaque. Her preference was to make payments in 500 and 200 euro notes as they were less bulky.

Emilia had also done some calculations. She had not reached a definitive conclusion but it looked like millions of euros had been recycled by Márquez over the years. This was before accounting for her slice to pay for her efforts, which in turn explained the glossy house pictured in the gossip magazine.

Emilia's next task, once they had matched names assigned to all the M-Out code names, was to create a monster spreadsheet wherein she could calculate how much each individual name had allegedly accepted. That should be interesting. It had already proved so for the names that Pedro said had come from Ana and Davide's work.

Davide and Ana. A different chain of thoughts floated upwards. What were they doing? Pedro refused to be specific. He merely said they 'were under protection', whatever that meant.

What he did make clear was the two had been isolated as a preventative measure. He did not think this would last much longer as the fat would almost certainly be in the public fire before long. The decision was up to
Juez
Garibey.

Caterina was beside herself, as usual. When Davide was around she didn't want to see him. When he wasn't she couldn't wait to see him. She was bundled contradictions personified, though worse than anything Emilia had ever seen back home.

At times Emilia wondered why she bothered being with Caterina. After all, Emilia shared everything with Caterina, including offering her boyfriends and even girlfriends. That sharing was not reciprocated, as her failure to explain her Roman experiences proved. Maybe European travel together was a great idea not meant to progress.