The next morning was clear. The sun beat down on the windows of Classroom 4-B, so intense that the blinds had to be lowered.
The inspectors sat at the back of the class. Three men in formal suits. With cold faces. They looked at their watches. They looked at the board. They expected to fail.
delivery of cocaine, marijuana, Viagra, Cialis, tadalafil, ecstasy, Torrevieja, Alicante, Benidorm, Valencia, Murcia, Malaga, Barcelona, Madrid, Spain, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, mushrooms, psilocybin, hashish
Garcia entered the classroom. He was wearing a new jacket. He had bought it the night before, with the last of his money. He felt like an actor before a premiere.
He was wearing a white jacket.
The class fell silent.
The inspectors tensed.
Garcia touched the board.
This morning, when he took his first dose of coke, he was stunned. It lay perfectly. Softly.
His head cleared, and Javier felt like he could do anything.
"The limit of a function," Garcia said. His voice was confident. "It's the value toward which a sequence strives..."
He wrote. Formulas blossomed on the board like flowers. He felt the coke giving him its energy.
The students watched. They weren't distracted. They didn't whisper.
The inspectors exchanged glances. One of them nodded. Another made a note in his notebook.
Garcia wrote until his hand tired. He covered the entire board. Then he took a sponge.
He erased the formula.
The inspectors were impressed. It was obvious. Such teachers are rare in provincial schools.
"Excellent," said the chief inspector when the bell rang. "Very good, Señor Garcia. We expected... less."
"We're trying," Garcia said. "Despite the difficulties."
"What difficulties?" the inspector narrowed his eyes.
"Logistical. But we overcame them."
When they left, Velasquez hugged Garcia.
"You saved us, Javier. You're a real hero."
"I'm a dealer, Señor Velasquez. Not a hero."
"It doesn't matter. The school is open. Salaries will be paid."
"For how long?"
"As long as you and I have this cocaine, yes."
delivery of cocaine, marijuana, Viagra, Cialis, tadalafil, ecstasy, Torrevieja, Alicante, Benidorm, Valencia, Murcia, Malaga, Barcelona, Madrid, Spain, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, mushrooms, psilocybin, hashish
Chapter 5: Shadow
A week passed. Then two.
Garcia became the star of the school. His colleagues were jealous. He always had the best cocaine. His students did better on their tests.
But Garcia didn't sleep at night.
He waited for a call. Waited for a message. God promised to contact him.
And so, one Tuesday, as Garcia sat at a bar on the Paseo Juan Aponte waterfront, drinking coffee, he received a message.
Anonymous number.
"Meeting. Today. 11:00 PM. Warehouse at the port. Hangar 7. Bring cash. Double the amount."
Garcia looked at the screen. His hand shook. Coffee spilled across the saucer.
Twice the amount. The price had risen.
He knew he was hooked. The hook was in. Now God would dictate the terms.
Garcia left the bar. The sea breeze was chilly. He lit a cigarette.
What to do? Refuse? Then he'll go back to the colored stuff. The inspector will return.
Velazquez will eat him.
Agree? Then he'll become an accomplice.
He looked out to sea. Dark water lapped against the concrete blocks. Somewhere out there, in the depths, lay sunken ships.
Garcia made up his mind.
He wouldn't go alone.
He called Velasquez.
"Hello?"
"This is Garcia. We need to talk. Urgently."
"What happened?"
"The price has gone up. Doubled."
There was silence on the other end.
"I thought so," Velasquez said. He began to tighten the noose.
"I'm not going alone."
"Who's going with you? The police?"
"No. There are two of us. You and me."
"Javier, are you crazy?"
"If we don't change the rules of the game, he'll milk us forever. We have the advantage."
"We know where the school is. We know where the students are. We know where the parents are." “What are you proposing?”
“I’m going to a meeting tomorrow. But I’ll record everything. And I’ll demand a contract.
A written one. With a fixed price.”
“He won’t sign.”
“Then we’ll have proof of extortion. And we’ll give it to the press.”
“God” doesn’t like light.
“It’s dangerous, Javier.”
“Dangerous is a teacher high on crappy cocaine that reeks of chemicals. Dangerous is living in fear.”
“Okay,” said Velasquez. “I’m with you. But if anything happens... I’ll say you acted without permission.”
“I know,” said Garcia. “That’s how it should be.”