The Narrator
While Diego was taken to a cell, Alfredo and Valiente were sitting across the table, which was in the interrogation room, facing Felipe.
Felipe was pressed for time. He had to find Scapoli Gutiérrez. The Comandante General extended the date of his transfer by three days, on his request. Felipe believed that if he found Scapoli Gutiérrez, he could find the answers for Basilio Armada's death and Scapoli's father Guerrero Juancho Gutiérrez's disappearance.
"Can you boys help me find, this Jorge you know?" asked Felipe.
The boys first looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak first.
Felipe waited patiently for their response.
"Do you know where this Jorge stays?" Felipe then asked.
"Yes sir, we know where Jorge stays," said Valiente.
"Look, Valiente and Alfredo, beyond this point in the investigation, if you lie to protect someone, you are only wasting your time. You saw how Diego called you liars and blamed you for his crime. So, I want you to be truthful when you help us. I assure you that if you help us, we'll give you better food and better treatment in the jail," said Felipe.
Valiente and Alfredo looked at each other. Alfredo then spoke, "In Calle Carlos Winner, next to Hospital San Gabriel, there's a white building operating as a salon. Truth is sir, it is not a salon. If you pull the tall mirror out of its frame, you will find a stairway that will lead you underground to this den of drug dealers. That's where Jorge told us he was staying, and that's where we met him."
"Hmmm," said Felipe.
Alejandro who was with Felipe said, " I think we should go in plainclothes."
"Why?" asked Felipe.
"Because I think that such a den cannot be operating without the salon owner's knowledge. He must know that it is under his building. If we go in uniform the salon owner might tip the criminals and they might escape," answered Alejandro.
"We need you, two boys, to do something for us. But if you try to escape when you're doing it for us, you will face serious trouble," said Felipe, as he looked at the two boys.
"I love Beauty and the Beast, Shifaly but I don't want your life to be a real-life version of the story," began Avanthi, who was not happy at something, at breakfast.
It had stopped raining in their region. The sun had appeared, and it was shining brightly. The students were glad to behold the sight of the sun and almost clear skies.
"What do you mean?" asked Shifaly as she put two Salteñas and some mashed potato on her plate.
"I don't mind you being the beauty of any beast, Shifaly, any beast. But not Trashbag Samarasinghe," said Avanthi.
"What?" asked a puzzled Shifaly.
"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about!" snapped Avanthi.
"I seriously don't know what you're ranting on about," Shifaly said.
"Oh yeah? Don't tell me that you didn't cozy up to Basura and play the piano with him!" said Avanthi.
"Cozy up? Shifaly I just sat with him. I just played piano with him. As friends," said Shifaly.
"As friends? Look I wouldn't have cared if you sat with anyone, even that creepy-stalker Theshana's whose phone is filled with pictures of you that he screenshotted from Instagram! But not Trashbag Samarasinghe," said Avanthi. "One doesn't simply get fed dog poo and then starts liking the person who fed them dog poo," she added.
"He apologized for it, Avanthi. Moreover, it is Basura Samarasinghe not 'Trashbag Samarasinghe'," said Shifaly.
"What? Who do you think you are? Acting like Hermoine Granger, saying 'It's Wingardium Le-VIO-sa, not Le-vio-SAH'?" Avanthi responded.
As soon as Adesh heard those two lines from his table, he burst into hearty laughter.
"Oh yeah? Who do you think you are, huh? Professor Snape putting his abnormally long nose into other people's business?" responded Shifaly.
Adesh continued laughing, as he was listening to them fight.
"If only Hermoine Granger and Snape overheard what these girls are talking!" thought Adesh as he was laughing at their argument.
Shifaly and Avanthi had turned red.
Adesh spilled his coffee, laughing like a monkey going "Hoo-Hoo-Hee-Whooo-Whooop".
The girls continued to argue loudly for a long time.
Shifaly was defending herself that she was right in being friendly with Basura. Avanthi didn't agree. She wanted Shifaly to avoid Basura because of his reputation for abusing the feelings of many girls in their school.
The argument became heated to a point that even Adesh stopped laughing.
"You know what? You're stupid Shifaly! Somebody beats you up, feeds you dog shit and then says sorry and then you believe his sorry and start flirting with him!" said Avanthi, coming to her closing remarks.
"I'm stupid right? Fine, you don't have to talk to me anymore," said Shifaly.
"Oh, it comes to this? I give you advice and then you just break the friendship? Fine! I'll speak to Miss. Dayani and switch rooms with Radeesha," said Avanthi as she stormed out of the common room.
Shifaly was red-faced and tearing up as her best friend Avanthi stormed out of the room.
Just as Avanthi was leaving the room, Bernita Beatriz Risotto entered the room. Noticing Shifaly nearly crying, she asked Avanthi, "What's up with Shifaly?"
Annoyed, Avanthi said, "On her way to marry a beast!"
Before Bernita could say anything, Avanthi stormed up the stairs.
Alfredo and Valiente were walking in Calle Carlos Winner.
For a moment Afredo looked at an alleyway, thinking he could escape. That was when his eyes caught Felipe and his officers — all dressed in plain clothes — looking at him and Valiente.
Upon making eye contact with the Police officers, Alfredo gave up the idea of escaping and proceeded along with the plan.
The Police were disguised to look like thugs.
Alfredo looked at Valiente who looked back at him.
Valiente nodded.
Alfredo entered the salon.
Felipe, Alejandro, Enrique, and the other officers came to the salon and sat in the waiting area, covering their faces with newspapers.
Alfredo and Valiente walked towards the cashier and said something to his ear.
The boys' movements were carefully observed by the disguised Police officers.
After listening to what the boys said, the cashier nodded and called a man who came downstairs and took the duo upstairs. Just before Valiente climbed the stairs, he showed a thumbs up to the disguised officers.
When the boys had gone out of sight, the police officers pulled out their guns and pointed them at everyone in the shop.
"Hands up. Nobody moves!" commanded Felipe.
Everyone downstairs kept their heads low, and put their hands above their heads.
Alfredo and Valiente descended the stairs after the secret doorway was open. While the other officers kept an eye on everyone downstairs, Felipe and Alejandra went upstairs.
"Look who we have here Alfredo and Valiente," said Scapoli as he got up from his chair after looking at Alfredo and Valiente descending the stairs to the den.
"Jorge, we have the loot," said Alfredo.
"Oh, really?" asked Scapoli.
Valiente flourished a knapsack.
"Give it to me!" said Scapoli.
Valiente looked at Alfredo and then passed the knapsack to Scapoli.
Scapoli took the bag and examined the money inside. He smelt the notes and exclaimed, "What a beautiful smell! Good job, boys!"
"Can we have our share, boss?" asked Alfredo with his head down.
"Shall we give them the share, guys?" Scapoli asked, with a burst of sinister laughter, after looking at the others who were present with him.
"You shall get your share," said Scapoli taking something out of his pocket.
Before he could make another movement two men kicked open the door of the underground den.
"¡Policía Nacional!" shouted the men, pointing their guns at everyone.
Scapoli pulled out the thing that he took out of his pocket and pointed it at the two men, who happened to be Alejandro and Felipe.
The thing that Scapoli pointed was a silenced pistol.
"You're definitely not going to be the only Police officers to die by my hands," said Scapoli.
The others in the underground bar lifted weapons and pointed it at Felipe.
There was silence.
Boom!
Everyone in the den searched for where that sound came from.
Boom!
Everybody sensed that sounds came from somewhere near the walls of the underground den.
Boom!
Scapoli looked back.
Cracks appeared on the den's wall. It began crumbling.
Boom!
The wall collapsed.
When the dust cleared, Scapoli was shocked to see about fifty police officers and soldiers pointing the laser pointers of their M-16 guns at Scapoli. Some officers were holding a mobile battering ram (also known as enforcers).
Felipe then realized that Alejandro briefed the El Alto Police and the Army about the capture, and since the hour that he briefed them, they had begun digging a tunnel from one of the nearby houses to the wall of the underground den.
Beholding the sight of these armed officers, in fear, the others, who were in the den, dropped their weapons.
While Scapoli looked at the soldiers in the back, Felipe and Alejandro crept behind him.
Before he looked back, Scapoli was struck across his lip by the butt of Alejandro's pistol. As he looked at Felipe, Scapoli was punched by Felipe on his eye.
Scapoli fainted and fell on the ground.
The storm had cleared that day morning in Campamento Del Bosque De La Muerte. The children were relieved that the storm had cleared, even though they were still worried about the absence of the Sergio, Gallagher, and Seagale.
Last night, except for the enemies of Timothy and Kirt: Zachary White, Bill Lancaster and the girlfriend that Bill and Zachary 'shared' — Michaela Smith — and her friends (Savannah and Fiona), everyone slept without turning on the A/C in order to conserve fuel.
It was six days since the disappearance of Sergio, Gallagher, and Seagale.
Despite the negativeness and booings of Michaela, Zachary, Bill, Savannah and Fiona, Kirt continued to boost the morale of the children. He told them not to worry and that Sergio would be back anytime soon since the storm had already cleared.
Scapoli lay wounded on the chair in the interrogation room. He received many beatings and blows from the Police Officers who demanded him to reveal where he kept his father.
"I threw that trash bag in my ancestral home," said Scapoli, giving up, after any punches and blows from Felipe's well-built fists.
"Where is it?" demanded Alejandro.
"Casa 42, Calle 35-B, Macrodistrito Sur," blurted Scapoli, as blood poured from his nose.
The route to Macrodistrito Sur had dried up, since the restoration of the sewage system the day before.
Felipe and Alejandro boarded their jeeps and sped through the slopy streets of La Paz towards Casa 42, Calle 35-B, Macrodistrito Sur, La Paz.
After a long drive, they broke through the door and they found Scapoli's father Guerrero Juancho Gutiérrez tied to the sofa.
Alejandro released Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez thanked the officers for helping him.
While Alejandro was conversing with Gutiérrez, Felipe's eye fell on a large painting on the wall in the Gutiérrez' ancestral home.
Any Bolivian high school student would recognize that painting from their textbooks.
It was a portrait of the legendary engineering-geologist Simon Aristizábal Bolivar. He was the man who planned and led the construction of the legendary La Familia De Princesa Irene.
Then Felipe's eyes fell on some photographs on the shelf.
"It cannot be…" began Felipe as he stared at those pictures.
"Yes, I was a student of Simon Aristizábal Bolivar along with Basilio Armada," Guerrero completed what Felipe was going to say.