Durval turned and saw Botelho standing at the beginning of the hallway. The biology teacher was panting, mouth open, tongue out, and wide-eyed, as if he had seen a ghost. One hand resting on the wall, his tall and thin body half-leaning forward as if he were about to faint at any moment.
Durval hurried to help his friend, but it was difficult to walk quickly with his leg in a cast, even leaning on his cane. He limped over to the professor and tried to support him.
— What happened, my old friend? What’s going on? Durval asked.
— They…
— Who?
— Discovered…
— Who discovered what?
The professor’s legs gave way, and he fell to the ground. Durval lost his balance trying to support his friend and ended up collapsing on top of Botelho. The cane did nothing to provide support, slipping from his hand and landing in the middle of the hallway.
Entangled on the floor, Durval couldn’t tell if the leg in front of him was his or the professor’s, but it must have been the latter since the foot was turned backward. He rested his hand on Botelho’s belly, who let out a puff of air and a groan, while with his other hand he leaned against the wall and tried to lift his body. Joana grabbed Durval’s arm trying to help him up. It seemed they were tangled in a huge knot of legs and arms.
Finally, Durval managed to stand up holding onto Joana. Botelho remained seated on the floor with his head down, whispering something in a dazed manner. Durval wanted to go to the sofa to rest; he had lost his breath from the fall and the attempts to get up, but curiosity got the better of him.
— What is he saying? — he asked Joana.
— I don’t know — said the maid.
— It seems he’s in shock.
Then, Durval remembered how all that confusion had started. He had been walking down the hallway towards the kitchen because he had heard the maid whispering on the phone. It must have been a day for everyone to whisper.
— By the way — said Durval, — who were you talking to on the phone just now in the kitchen?
— Well, Mr. Durval! Are you suspicious of me, huh? I was talking to my mother, bless God!
— Your mother? You’ve never mentioned your mother.
— And do I need to mention my mother to you?
— Alright, alright… Let’s see if we can get him to the sofa.
The two lifted Botelho by the arms and placed him on the two-seater sofa. Durval sat in the armchair while Joana went to the hallway and brought the cane back, then she returned to the kitchen.
Botelho stared at Durval with bloodshot eyes over his round glasses, as if he had something serious and grave to reveal. His thick eyebrows furrowed and raised in the middle of his forehead.
— Speak up, man — said Durval. — What happened, for the love of Santa Maria? What did they discover?
Botelho looked around to see if anyone was listening to what he was about to say. Except for Dolores, who was sleeping on the other sofa, and Joana in the kitchen, there was no one else in the house. Then Botelho leaned forward and said:
— I found the corpse.
JOSÉ GASPARFilmmaker and writerwww.historiasdooutromundo.comjagramos@gmail.com