Rosaura A Las Diez

Part 3 takes the form of a dialogue between Camilo and the police inspector. Whereas before the inspector’s questions went unrecorded, here they are. The conversation starts with a focus on Camilo’s profession. Camilo reveals that he was introduced to the job by his father, who made him an apprentice at a young age. Although his father was a full-fledged painter, Camilo claims only to be a restorer of work done by others. Furthermore, he expresses a dislike for modern art because it does not serve a true purpose. He admits that he made the portrait of Mrs. Milagros and her daughters by painting on top of a photograph of them and that he also specializes in mimicking the painting styles of the masters. The inspector is surprised that Camilo has such an open disdain for his own work.

Camilo goes on to reveal that his father was very cruel and that his mother passed away when he was a toddler. This meant that the truest family he ever knew was the Milagros family. He says that just as he never left La Madrileña for another boarding house, he has only ever frequented one bar in town, where he sits at the same seat every time.