Don Polvere Blanco and his brave men

I looked at poor Mr Sempleton and the expression on his face betrayed the same feeling I could sense growing in the pit of my stomach. It was one of intense worry and fear, clearly the only person in the room who thought this was going to be a grandé adventure was the Don himself.

Now it was my turn to be the focus of our generous benefactor’s attention.

“Robbiati, detectivo Sempleton is going to require assistance in this perilous task, I obviously will take care of all financial needs, but our fine Englishman will not be able to undertake this mission alone.”

“So tell me Rolando, who are your two toughest, strongest and most unbreakable players as Signor Sempleton is going to need constant protection and companions with the ability to use physical persuasion to encourage informants to talk.”

The only two players who I knew would be both, brave and strong enough to undertake such a task, were the swarthy Uruguayan midfielder Gargagno and the defensive enforcer Gilberto, who had already proved today that he was still the most formidable of opponents even with those giant feet encase in a pair of velvet slippers.

The Don clasped his huge hands together, “so it is decided” emerging from behind a cloud of blue smoke. “Gilberto and Gargagno will assist, protect and accompany Signor Sempleton during his investigation.”

From the doorway came a cough, everyone looked round and there leaning on his crutches was Suarez. “I will go too”

Both Don Blanco and I knew there would be no dissuading the graceful forward, he was after all Torado’s closest friend and the destruction of his beloved Mirabela and his broken leg meant there was now nothing to distract him from obsessing about his friends disappearance.

Besides I thought unusually for a footballer, Suarez was a master tactician with a brilliantly deductive mind. Something which as I watched the good natured Englishman struggle to work out which button went with which hole in his ridiculous tweed jacket , our esteemed detective might be severely lacking in.