Maria Elvira Bermudez’ short story “The Puzzle of the Broken Watch” is a reflection on corruption within the police and government states. I’m not sure if this was me being too much of an armchair detective, but I found myself ruminating over the title of this story. A police force is supposed to watch over the general population in which they preside. Is Bermudez embarking on her story by telling her readers that the police watch is broken and not functioning properly? If we are to run with this explanation, the duplicate watch in the story becomes even more interesting. The watch in the story is the clue that allows the crime to be solved, and the two watches seem to imply that there are two sides to the police force as well. There is the public side, which seems to function as intended, but really was manipulated to look as if it was effective. We can see this reflected in Ismael, a trusted family friend and respected police officer who turns out to be the murderer. Not only did he murder Rosa, but he also did it in an incredibly calculated manner. If you cannot trust the police, who can you trust? In a real world setting, I see this mirrored in the tragic murder of George Floyd in the United States. George Floyd was murdered by the very individuals who were supposed to protect him. If corruption is rampant within a government body, mistrust will permeate citizens of that country. If those who are seemingly trained to uphold the law only persist in breaking it for their own personal gain, there can be no trust.