fundamental. Hespent too much time contemplating his navel and chasing after women, here, there and everywhere. I haven’t had a proper holiday since 1948. Seriously. Just the occasional trip, to please my wife. Oh, and every May I go to a German clinic in Marbella. It’s designed to clear the toxins from your body. They start you with a day on a diet of fruit, and then a litre of some revolting purgative. That’s when the torture really begins: a fortnight of almost total fasting! Every other day, they give me an enema, which seems to go on forever. But, my friend, just when you think you’re going to collapse—pow! Your body starts to flow with new energy. You play tennis, you climb mountains. You think you’re Superman. I’ve been going for five years now, and I always come out feeling as if I could float on air.’
He drew closer to Carvalho, and lightly touched the rings under his eyes.
‘Those rings. You must have a tired liver.’
He walked ahead of Carvalho to an office on high ground overlooking the warehouse. He asked a secretary for the address of the Buchinger Clinic in Marbella, and gave it to Carvalho. With a brisk glance at his watch he invited the detective to follow him back into the yard.
‘One must try to grow old with dignity. You’re younger than I am, but not much. I can see that you don’t look after yourself. I thought private detectives did gymnastics or ju jitsu. Every morning, I go jogging near my house in Pedralbes. I choose a path, and off I go, up the hill to Vallvidrera.’
‘At what time?’
‘Seven in the morning.’
‘I’m just getting up then. Frying up a couple of eggs with chorizo.’
‘I don’t want to hear that! Anyway, as I was saying, I run up the hill, and then I run back down again. And then there’s the water massage twice a week. Have you ever tried it? Fantastic. It’s as if some water pressurizer were pounding your whole body. Ajet of water, at full pressure. You stand like you were going to be shot. Try standing like that yourself.’
Planas moved three metres away from Carvalho and aimed an imaginary hose at him.
‘From this distance, they shoot a stream of lukewarm water at you, concentrating on the parts of your body you want to slim down. Then they do the same with cold water. By the end, your blood is circulating incredibly well. And that helps to break down the fat. You have a splendid figure, but I can see pockets of fat that you ought to get rid of. Around your kidneys and your stomach. Here. Yes, this is where it hurts. A good jet of water—whoosh … Discipline, that’s the key. And don’t overdo it with the drinking. Hell! It’s two o’clock … The publicity people are waiting … Was there anything else?’
‘During the period when he dropped out of sight, did Stuart Pedrell ever make contact with you?’
‘Never. It wasn’t necessary for the business. And he had given authority to Viladecans for any decisions that had to be made on his behalf. Also, Mima started to work herself, and she proved much better than her husband.’
‘What about the personal side of things?’
‘We never had much to say to each other. Probably our only long conversation was the first one, twenty-five years ago when we decided to become partners. We must have seen each other thousands of times since then—but never to talk, never just for a chat. Munt had a different kind of relationship with him, though. You should ask Munt.’
He held out his hand as if he were shooting and offering his condolences at the same time.
‘Don’t forget what I said about the clinic. There’s nothing so healthy as a good enema.’
‘Bye-bye, Planas,’ thought Carvalho. ‘I hope you have a healthy death.’
‘I’m afraid we’re out of that one.’
‘What else do you have by way of chilled whites?’
‘Viña Paceta.’
‘That’ll do.’
He ordered some sea snails as an appetizer. For his next course, the proprietor offered a choice: a mixed
He drew closer to Carvalho, and lightly touched the rings under his eyes.
‘Those rings. You must have a tired liver.’
He walked ahead of Carvalho to an office on high ground overlooking the warehouse. He asked a secretary for the address of the Buchinger Clinic in Marbella, and gave it to Carvalho. With a brisk glance at his watch he invited the detective to follow him back into the yard.
‘One must try to grow old with dignity. You’re younger than I am, but not much. I can see that you don’t look after yourself. I thought private detectives did gymnastics or ju jitsu. Every morning, I go jogging near my house in Pedralbes. I choose a path, and off I go, up the hill to Vallvidrera.’
‘At what time?’
‘Seven in the morning.’
‘I’m just getting up then. Frying up a couple of eggs with chorizo.’
‘I don’t want to hear that! Anyway, as I was saying, I run up the hill, and then I run back down again. And then there’s the water massage twice a week. Have you ever tried it? Fantastic. It’s as if some water pressurizer were pounding your whole body. Ajet of water, at full pressure. You stand like you were going to be shot. Try standing like that yourself.’
Planas moved three metres away from Carvalho and aimed an imaginary hose at him.
‘From this distance, they shoot a stream of lukewarm water at you, concentrating on the parts of your body you want to slim down. Then they do the same with cold water. By the end, your blood is circulating incredibly well. And that helps to break down the fat. You have a splendid figure, but I can see pockets of fat that you ought to get rid of. Around your kidneys and your stomach. Here. Yes, this is where it hurts. A good jet of water—whoosh … Discipline, that’s the key. And don’t overdo it with the drinking. Hell! It’s two o’clock … The publicity people are waiting … Was there anything else?’
‘During the period when he dropped out of sight, did Stuart Pedrell ever make contact with you?’
‘Never. It wasn’t necessary for the business. And he had given authority to Viladecans for any decisions that had to be made on his behalf. Also, Mima started to work herself, and she proved much better than her husband.’
‘What about the personal side of things?’
‘We never had much to say to each other. Probably our only long conversation was the first one, twenty-five years ago when we decided to become partners. We must have seen each other thousands of times since then—but never to talk, never just for a chat. Munt had a different kind of relationship with him, though. You should ask Munt.’
He held out his hand as if he were shooting and offering his condolences at the same time.
‘Don’t forget what I said about the clinic. There’s nothing so healthy as a good enema.’
‘Bye-bye, Planas,’ thought Carvalho. ‘I hope you have a healthy death.’
‘I’m afraid we’re out of that one.’
‘What else do you have by way of chilled whites?’
‘Viña Paceta.’
‘That’ll do.’
He ordered some sea snails as an appetizer. For his next course, the proprietor offered a choice: a mixed
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