Tell-tale Flowers

•The Year 2006 Manolo Sánchez, a native of Spain and living in Buenos Aires (Argentina) for five years, received the news After the death of his uncle Francisco, which occurred unexpectedly in Madrid, he knew that he was the only heir to an immense fortune and without wasting time he contacted Antonio, his best friend, who was living in Toledo at the time. Immediately and incidentally asked him for a favor, to bring him some "Lilium" seeds, since those flowers were not known in that country, he also argued that his wife liked them very much. Manolo, without delay, prepared the suitcases, He filled with gifts for Martha, Antonio's wife, and also for the children. On the way to the Ezeiza International Airport, he suddenly realized that he was not carrying the seeds. He looked at his watch and thought he still had time, so he asked the taxi Please come back because he had forgotten something very important. To him To the seeds that were in a paper bag, on the table, he put them in his pants pocket. He had no problems with immigration, luckily. After the long journey, he arrived in Barajas (Madrid) where his close friend was waiting for him. In another hour they would be home. Indeed, almost nightfall they reached their destination. The children were eagerly peering out the window. They expected gifts from Uncle Manolo, as was to be expected. After the greetings, Manolo opened the suitcase and began to deliver packages. He looked like Santa Claus at Christmas. For Manolo, like many immigrants, America had not been lavish. Luck was elusive, But the death of Uncle Francisco promised to radically change his life. He was going to stop being poor and thought to settle permanently in his native land and it even crossed his mind to look for a good girl to make a home. That same night, he telephoned Inspector Colunga, a childhood friend, to let him know that he would visit him the next day. Sincere friends that life had separated, nevertheless they communicated from time to time. At Antonio's house, with great excitement, they celebrated the arrival of Manolo, eating Serrano ham and drinking sherry. Almost dawn they all went to sleep. No one ever saw Manolo again. Colunga waited for him in vain; so he decided to talk On the phone, believing that he was delayed because he had fallen asleep from the exhaustion of the trip, Martha answered him and said that she did not know anything. That she would surely have kept awake and opted to go see the lawyer to speed up the process of adjudication of the assets that by law correspond to her. They also talked about the gifts she had brought. And the "Lilium" seeds that they had asked for. What a rare disappearance! Manolo did not appear alive or dead, they even looked for him in the hospitals ... AND NOTHING ... Inspector Colunga advised not to report it to the police, but Antonio did make the complaint. The following day the Inspector witnessed the search. The owner of the house was offended and asked to proceed in the same way in his mansion. This was done, but ... no sign of Manolo. Colunga decided to visit the notary who was the depositary of the will. The surprise was enormous when he found out that he also left part of the inheritance to Antonio, as payment for the care he had received from him in recent years. Colunga became suspicious of Antonio and looked for any excuse to visit him. All in vain, he could not find the minimum proof to be able to accuse him and declare him guilty ... As the body was not found, there was no crime. To count him as missing, the law says that two years have to pass. If at the end of that time there are no signs of life, the judge will award the entire inheritance to Antonio, according to a clause of the will. He passed winter and spring came. One warm afternoon in March, Colunga was looking out the window that overlooked the patio at Antonio's house. Something she saw that he powerfully caught her attention. Many weeds had grown by the wall and mixed with them, some Lilium flowers. He said nothing and withdrew. The next day he returned accompanied by six policemen who removed the soil where the weeds and Lilium had grown, the latter, a product of the seeds that Manolo kept in his trouser pocket. There was his corpse, a bullet to the temple had ended his life. At first, the owners of the house denied having participated in the obvious crime, but in the end, they confessed everything. Martha had helped bury him. The Inspector, shaking his head, assured: Once again the excessive ambition for money, spoiled several lives.