ʻO ka mea mua e pono iaʻu e ʻōlelo i kēia puke nui aʻu e ʻōlelo nei ma aneʻi i kēia lā, hana pū i kahi hui maikaʻi loa Haule nā hōkū pana, me kahi hoʻonohonoho like i Madrid ma ke kenekulia ʻumikūmāiwa, ma ka lua wale nō o ka hihia me kahi kiko o ka moemoeā nui e pili ana i ka mea pohihihi.
A e kia ana ʻO ka pahu snuff, Manaʻo wau ua nele mau kā mākou puke i kahi Sherlock Holmes a no laila a Conan doyle. ʻAʻole lohi loa e ʻike ma lalo o ka mea kākau pono, ʻo Javier Alonso García-Pozuelo. ʻO kona ʻano, ko mākou koa makaʻi aupuni hou i kapa ʻia ʻo Inspector Benítez, kahi mākaʻi e pili ana i ka haʻalele ʻana i kēlā hoʻolaʻa ʻana nāna i alakaʻi iā ia i mau makahiki he nui ma nā alanui o ke kenekulia ʻumikūmāiwa haneli, me kona mau kukui a me nā aka.
ʻOiai ʻo Benítez maikaʻi maoli ka mea i ʻike e pili ana i nā aka o Madrid, kikoʻī nō hoʻi i nā kaiāulu o Latina, kahi o ka mea i waiho ʻia i ʻoi aku ma mua o ka mea i manaʻo ʻia, i loko o kēlā ʻano decadence ma waena o nā aniani o ka loli o ke au.
No laila, ma hope o ka lōʻihi ma waena o ka pelapela o nā alanui lawless, ʻaʻole paha ʻo Benítez i ka maikaʻi loa e hōʻike i kona mākau. Akā ʻaʻohe āna koho ʻē aʻe akā e hana i ka hihia o ke kaikamahine Ribalter.
Ua huli ua make ka mea hune. A ʻo ka Ribalter ʻilihune e huki i kahi kauā hou e uhi i ko lākou lua, ʻaʻole me ka nui o ka pilikia o ka hoʻonohonoho ʻana e noi i ka uku no ka hōʻino ʻia o ka pepehi kanaka ʻana o ka wahine ʻōpio.
ʻO kahi mea a Benítez i ʻike pono ai ma hope o nā makahiki he nui o ka hoʻolaʻa ʻana ʻaʻohe mea maʻalahi i ka pepehi kanaka hoʻopunipuni e like me kēia. Hiki i ka mea pepehi kanaka maʻalahi ke luku i ke ao e hoʻokele ʻia e ka huhū. ʻO ka mea pepehi kanaka e peʻe i kahi kaʻawale, ʻaʻole ia e waiho i kahi hōʻailona maʻalahi.
No laila, ʻaʻole hōʻike nā laʻana o ka ʻaihue i kumu hope loa iā Benitez a no laila kāna mea kōkua ʻo Ortega.
A mai ia manawa leʻaleʻa mākou i ka puzzle Holmesian maʻemaʻe. ʻO nā makemake, kālā, nā makemake i hoʻokuʻu ʻia, nāukiuki, nā hana hūnā hūnā ʻia ... ʻO ka maremagnun kūlohelohe kahi o ka mea e like ai a ʻo ka mea hope loa ʻaʻole.
ʻO nā hōʻike e alakaʻi ai i ka mea pepehi kanaka he mau manawa kikoʻī mau ia, no ka liʻiliʻi e hūnā ʻia e like me kahi pae o ka paka i kahi pahu snuffbox.
Hiki iā ʻoe ke kūʻai i kēia puke ʻo La cajita de snuff, ka puke hou na Javier Alonso García-Pozuelo, ma aneʻi: