Chapter Four Summary

Sergeant Lituma, a man in his fifties, is a respected member of the Civil Guard on his daily midnight rounds. He leaves the other officers, Lieutenant Jaime Concha, 'Snotnose' Camacho and 'Apple Dumpling' Arevalo at the Fourth Commissariat headquarters. Lituma starts his route on a cold night in the Puerto Nuevo area, the most rundown, crime infested part of his jurisdiction. Officer Shorty Soldevilla is supposed to be on duty in the area. Lituma is ready to write him up for dodging his responsibilities when he finds Shorty wrapped in a scarf, trying to keep warm under a lamppost. Lituma moves on to find another officer on duty, Corny Roman. On his way, Lituma hears a sound in an abandoned warehouse. He thinks he is pursuing a common thief, but once inside, he discovers a black man, naked, cold and confused...