Read Needle in a Haystack for Free Online

superintendent’s ear.
    Let them go.
    Lascano pretends not to notice as two men, heads bowed, hurry out the door and disappear into the street.
    Night’s drawn in on you, Ventura. The game’s up.
    Although a tall man, Ventura seems to have shrunk in defeat.
    Nice outfit, Tony. Do they do one for men? Fuck you, Perro… Superintendent Lascano to you… There must be some way we can settle this. The only person who’s going to settle this is Judge Marraco, and you should see how mad he gets when minors are involved. Take him away.
    On the top floor, Eva hears footsteps coming up the stairs. She quietly shuts the door. She goes back to her
hiding place under the table. She pulls the chair back in front of her. She sits on the floor and waits with her hands clasped together, as if praying, although she doesn’t pray. A policeman enters, walks around the room, then leaves and Eva sighs in relief.
    Down below, the policemen herd whores, pimps and clients away. The officer, back from upstairs, heads over to Lascano.
    All secure, Superintendent. There’s no one left up there. Good, take everyone down to headquarters for me.
    Arrechea, who has been as still and silent as if at mass, adopts a sudden authoritative pose when Lascano approaches.
    Well sir, it’s been a complete success. True enough, Lascano, a very tidy operation. Let me suggest you go home to your family now. I’ll take charge of the rest of this and send the report to the court in the morning. That’s fine. Until tomorrow then. Until tomorrow. Thanks for everything. Not at all.
    Lascano smiles to himself. Having quickly rid himself of the clerk, he can now give free rein to his talents as a detective. He examines the house room by room. It’s luxurious: the furniture, the pictures on the walls, the upholstery; everything speaks of a wealth accumulated over generations, of studies in Europe, of good breeding. He climbs the grandiloquent marble staircase. He walks around slowly, taking everything in. Eva, still sitting on the floor, hidden under the table, sees his legs come into view and hopes she won’t be discovered. He’s just a few inches above her head, looking over the objects on the dressing table. He moves away, tapping a small black notebook against his leg. It drops to the floor. As he bends down to pick it up, her whole body involuntarily spasms and her foot moves the seat. Lascano’s hand is on
his holster in a flash. He approaches and kicks the chair away, revealing a young woman with her face turned to the floor. Eva looks up and meets the policeman’s eyes. Perro’s heart stops. It’s Marisa, his dead wife. The face, the hair, the shoulders, the hands, the complexion. That slightly defiant, slightly melancholic air, but above all else, the eyes: it’s Marisa.
    The spell is suddenly broken by the voice of Sergeant Molinari, who, from where he stands, can’t see what has stunned Lascano. He has come to inform his superintendent that the prisoners have all been taken away. Lascano, without taking his eyes off the girl, tells them to get going, I’ll catch you up . Alone once more in silence, he looks at the woman in amazement.
    Here, hidden under the table of a high-class brothel, is Marisa, staring right back at him. Lascano realizes he’s lost control of the situation, doesn’t know what to do. He reaches out and touches her hair, just to be sure she’s real. He can’t arrest her, he can’t set her free, he can’t pretend not to have seen her. When she tries to speak, he raises a finger to his lips. He takes her by the hand and helps her up, wraps her in his overcoat and leads her out of the house, without saying a word. Outside rages the stupidity of men, running around, killing each other over money.
    The girl puts up no protest. She occasionally aims a furtive glance at Lascano, trying to guess his intentions. Scared, she considers trying to escape, but decides the odds are against her. It’s impossible to decipher this man,