Chapter Eighteen

 After the excitement of the find had died down, and Maria had walked Pere home, she sat in the kitchen with Dolores and drank an infusion of herbs which her mother-in-law claimed was good for calming the nerves.
 
"It's all here, Dolores," she said, glancing through the folder again.  "The will, his insurance policies, everything."

 "I suppose this'll mean you'll be going back to your flat then?"  the old lady asked.  "I was hoping that you'd all stay here until I was ready to join Isidre."

 "Well, I don't know.  I'll have to ask the kids what they think.  But personally I have no desire to return there.  You've been so kind and..."

 She broke off, before asking:

 "Dolores, do you really believe in ghosts?"

 "Well, I'd rather believe that than have to accept that Misha knew where to find this," Grandma replied, tapping the folder.
 "It was unbelievable, inconceivable!"

 "But not so incredible as what the sergeant told us about my son,"  Dolores said, her head dropping slightly.  "If he could do that to family, what does he get up to with strangers?"
 
 

 A month later Sergeant Fernandez arrested Raimon on bribery charges.  Unfortunately the judge at the preliminary hearing ruled that there was not enough evidence against Raimon to justify a trial.

 "Well, there goes our promotions,"  Fernandez said to Gonzalez as they came out of the courtroom.  Raimon smiled over at them and waved:

 "Better luck next time Sergeant!" he shouted, before getting into his Range Rover and driving away.
 

 The Villanova Bribery Case made the newspapers and was even covered by the County Section of the lunchtime T.V. news.

 "All the people he's conned out of money and all the corrupt officials he's had in his pocket and no one can prove a thing, it's scandalous!"  Maria commented, as the family sat eating lunch.  Xavier and Marta exchanged glances and went back to eating their salad.
 

 Sergeant Fernandez let out a hoot of delight.

 "What is it Sergeant?"  Gonzalez asked.

 "Manna from heaven Juanco," his superior replied as he saw the contents of the anonymous brown paper package which had just arrived in the mail.
 

 At his trial Raimon was given a lighter sentence by agreeing to put the finger on as many Catalan Government Officials as he could.  It turned out to be the biggest financial scandal in years and led to a complete re-structuring of local government and fresh elections.
 

 "He only got what was coming to him, I suppose," Dolores said, shaking her head as sentence was passed on her eldest son.

 "Well, I for one have no sympathy with him," Maria said, helping her mother-in-law to her feet.  "All those poor people who testified to the misery he caused them."

 "I wonder where I went wrong," Dolores said, with a sigh.

 "Oh yes, it's always the parents who feel they're to blame when their children get mixed up in something criminal, isn't it?"
Maria asserted.  "But don't blame yourself Dolores.  Francesc and Josep were brought up in the same house and didn't turn out like Raimon, did they?  I'm afraid some people just become like that because that's the way they choose to be."

 "Maybe you're right," Dolores replied, but she did not sound too convinced.
 
 

 "I still feel terrible about it all," Marta confessed to her brother the night after the trial.

 "I don't," Xavier said, rubbing his hands together.  "Blood may be thicker than water, but I'd prefer to drink the latter any day.  That didn't seem to be the case with Uncle Raimon, it seems that he wanted to suck the whole world dry."

 "Do you think Dad would have sent the evidence to the police?"  Marta asked, after a pause.

 "I don't know.  Next time Misha starts acting strange let's ask him."
 

 "You'll have a hard job doing that,"  Isidre told them, soundlessly.  "But you might ask me for my opinion!"

 Marta looked around the room and felt that shudder set her hairs on end again.

 "Goodnight Dad,"  she said to the open air.  "And Goodnight Grandpa!"

 "Isidre!" shouted the ghost, unheard by any living ear.

 Misha lifted one eyelid and watched the old ghost leave the room.  Satisfied, she curled back into a circle and returned to the mouse she was chasing in her dreams.  Living in various realities is a cat's lot, but sometimes it can be an extremely trying one.