He placed his hands under the dryer and it started blowing hot air.
Juno went to the tap closest to the dryer. Ramona waited calmly behind. The hand dryer’s noise added some distance to the conversation between the infiltrated policeman and the owner of the house.
Juno finished, washed his hands and wiped them dry with one of the white cotton towels that were neatly folded on a table.
The hand dryer went silent and Guzmán walked to the door.
“I hope you enjoy the party, this has only just started and the evening is going to be full of surprises”. Juno waited for Ramona to open the door and left without waiting for an answer, his blonde shadow followed close behind.
As soon as they were gone, the two men sighed in relief.
Guzmán left after them. In the corridor, he found himself face to face with Carlo Stamas. They looked at each other; they knew the other’s face from somewhere, but neither remembered from where.
***
Guzmán returned to the garden, to the present. He listened.
“Who’s in charge?”
He raised his soaked head and looked at the elegantly dressed man who had posed the question so energetically. He recognized him; the State attorney Eduardo Aster. Juno stood beside him, glaring fiercely at Guzmán.
“Ask after commissioner García, my communication gear is all wet”.
The attorney now addressed the policemen who had arrested and handcuffed Ramona.
“I am the State attorney, Eduardo Aster, and I demand that you free this woman right now. Remove those handcuffs”.
The elegantly dressed man addressed the uniformed policemen in black balaclavas who were guarding Ramona.
“This is a private property and a gun-free private party”, the attorney insisted, and the police agents glanced at each other doubtfully. “Where is the court order? I want to see a court order right now… I have told you to free this woman… More than one person here is going to find themselves in deep trouble”.
The police agents hesitated.
Álvaro stood up, completely soaked, and faced Aster.
“This woman has shot and possibly killed an inspector of the Police department”.
“Identify yourself before you address me…” The attorney was furious. “And let me tell you that your colleague opened fire in public, endangering many innocent people; she did not identify herself before shooting, and damaged objects of someone else’s property”, he said and added, pointing at the bottom of the pool, “on the other hand, this woman of the security services, who holds a gun license, acted in self-defense in the face of such a shocking irresponsibility… And, who are you? Show me your badge”.
Aster did not bother hiding the superiority and disdain he felt towards the man who had jumped into the pool.
Álvaro bent down, he lifted his pants’ cuffs slightly and took his weapon and badge from his ankle. Standing up, he pointed his gun at the attorney’s head, his hand steady.
“Identify yourself… Son of a bitch. This is my badge”. He stretched out his hand holding the department’s shield up to Aster’s face. “Where is yours? On your knees and hands behind your head. Remain silent until you have been spoken to. These are your rights: you have the right to remain silent and everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law”.
Guzman’s temerity paralyzed Aster and he dropped to his knees trembling. The soaked policeman continued aiming exactly at the point between Aster’s eyes while water dripped from the gun’s butt. The attorney remained silent and on his knees, and slowly he lifted his hands to place them behind his head. Álvaro Guzmán extended his free hand, and without saying a word or shifting his gaze, received the handcuffs that his colleague was handing him, then he approached the attorney’s back with tense and measured steps and handcuffed him.
A tense silence filled the garden.
Juno took a step forward, then looked at Don, who stood next to his daughter Esther; he shook his head; they had to stay calm and keep their distances, always discrete.
“Take this idiot away from here and interrogate him”, said Guzmán, as he walked towards the house. “Oh, and don’t forget to read his rights!” He looked at his watch where a drop of water magnified the time; 22.00h.
***
Ramona and attorney Eduardo Aster were under custody when commissioner García arrived.
“Are you attorney Aster?”
“Yes”, replied the handcuffed man curtly.
“Free him!” he said, addressing his men.
One of the police agents, hidden behind a balaclava, proceeded to remove the mechanism that was immobilizing the arrested man’s hands behind his back.
“I am commissioner García, in charge of the operation; I apologize for the inconveniences we might have caused… but the…”
“The man pointed at my head with a gun!” Aster interrupted and repeated, “that madman pointed at my head!”
“We apologize, it’s the tension of an intervention”.
Aster looked at the tall blonde who was being directed to the police car.
“Her too. Let her go”.
“Her? This woman has shot a police agent during her service”.
“I don’t think you realize what’s about to come at you”, Aster was starting to lose his temper. “There’s that mad policeman who aimed at my head”, he took a deep breath. “Every single man in this operation is going to have a bad time responding judicially to this fuck-up”. He pointed at the woman. “You better free the only person who has fulfilled her duty tonight right now”.
Commissioner García looked at the agent who was holding Ramona and nodded.
Ramona felt her liberated hands and rubbed her wrists to get the blood flowing again; without saying a word she turned to walk proudly back into the mansion. Juno was waiting for her by the entrance door.
“First thing tomorrow I want your supervisor and the director of the Police Department of Mexico City in my office with the full report of this operation…” Aster wiped his forehead with his hand and after a pause said: “I want the name of the agent that pointed at my head. Give me his name”.
García doubted for a second.
“Inspector Álvaro Guzmán”.
“Guzmán…”
Attorney Aster went to his own vehicle without asking any further questions.
The police cars turned off their flashing lights and retired, defeated and silent, down the winding roads.
Inside the mansion, after the shock of the failed police intervention, the party got back its rhythm; like someone who falls while dancing, recovers from their fall and continues dancing just as before.
They were playing rap-gun music, the psychedelic images dressed the pool’s surface, waiters replaced drinks in people’s hands while they commented the experience they had just lived.
As instructed by Esther Nassar’s, a short waiter walked through the crowd holding a black box in his hands and offering its contents to the guests.
Don conversed excitedly with his daughter Esther and with the young creator of Synchro, Julián Konks. Next to him stood Ana who would not leave his side.
A group of ten people under the effects of Synchro