“I am Van der Baast. I wish to talk to Araon please.”
“Sorry you have dialled the wrong number.”
“I apologize. Good bye.”
He dialled the number again and the same voice answered. “What a mistake! Sorry again.”
The lady hung up the phone without answering him. He went to check among the pile of papers he held in the drawer to find Araon’s cell number. He finally picked the right one and he was able to get in touch with him. “Good morning Araon. It’s Van der Baast speaking. How are you?”
“Van Dr Baast? What a pleasure to hear from you. It’s a long time since we have spoken to each other. What is the wind that blows you over there? I mean you are the only one with whom I share my secret. I guess there is some news concerning that mystery.”
“Oh, yes. And I was having a harsh time at the hospital lately. Somebody has changed the name on the bottle of the blood to be analyzed and a confusion in the details of the result broke out. I’m also dealing with a difficult case of diabetes. Concerning the drop of blood you gave me, I’m still totally unaware whom the DNA belonged to. You have to run a long and winding road. I was anxious to talk to you about that. I do not know what advice to give you to carry on the investigation. I mean, I’m sure we’ll have a clue at the end. There are odd and even numbers, we must be very careful concerning our chances. Within one month I’ll have tested all blood samples that come to me and I’ll be able to give you one answer. We must not forget that the blood of the corpse could be contaminated with the blood of the murderer since it was easy in those circumstances to cut his fingers. But now I wish to know more about your private life. How’s it going with Jill?”
“Actually, we are eternally in love with one another. We are trying to have a baby but all pregnancy tests Jill was undergone have been negative so far. You can imagine the joy when we finally learn we are becoming parents very soon. We have gone through different stages to improve our relationship. One day we went to a riding school to go horse riding. Jill was not very happy at first but she turned to be serene again during the course of the day. It was a fabulous spring day. I was attracted and bewitched by any detail of the circumstances. The owner of the riding school was a bit queer. He didn’t seem so money motivated. But I’m not sure if I am right or wrong. He was wearing a necklace on which there was written an acrostic with red characters. The colour red always means blood to me. My instinct told me not to trust this man since he was clearly a holder of a bloody secret. We will see him in the foreseeable future. Who knows…?”
Van der Baast was appeased by the words of his friend. He tried to make up his mind with the result of becoming more benevolent towards Araon. A blend of satisfaction and surprise found Van der Baast unprepared. His friendship with Araon was growing faster and faster thanks to the goal they were pursuing. Now he called his friend colleague keeping in mind all the work developed together. Araon, in his turn, didn’t consider himself a number one. He had never done so. He was trustworthy and confident that one day they would identify the victim with the sample of his or her DNA. His mind ran over the scene of the crime bearing in mind that with the passing of the time it would become more difficult to give a name to the disappeared corpse. Van der Baast and he were a couple of strong and steady men.
The doctor was more at ease in the situation. He had not to share a secret with his wife. She wouldn’t bother. Since he had started working at that hospital, she hadn’t shared a single word of interest in her husband’s job. Lately there had been bleak issues at home but those didn’t come first. Van der Baast was not sure if he had married his soulmate but this was a question of smaller concern. He was so happy with the intimate attitude of Araon towards him that he would never stop chatting on the phone forgetting his marriage. Time was passing and he had not to forget that he was at the hospital. If it was not for Araon he would have never spent time over issues like those while there were patients waiting for him outside. They needed as little as a word of comfort. Van der Baast had neglected his own duty for the sake of a dangerous pastime. He even stopped hanging on the phone when his friend begged him to come back to the reality of the moment. A reality that shocked Araon a lot. The reality of a man who was facing the possibility to lose a leg for a single case of diabetes despite the usage of stem cells. Van der Baast was a novice of the trade, not an experienced doctor. He was so confused by the sorting out the issue of the DNA found in the blood of the missing corpse. “How can we be sure that was the DNA of a missing corpse?” he thought to himself while his friend was waiting for him to give signs of life from the other side of the handset. Van der Baast apologized and told his friend that now his duty was calling him. They said goodbye to each other and went both to their own businesses.
Araon was still thinking of the content of his phone call when it came to his mind the idea of going to the hospital in person to meet Van der Baast. Of course Jill wouldn’t know it. He was very lucky because Jill, who was anxious about her pregnancy tests, had committed herself to tap dancing and dance courses It was during one of her absences from home that he rushed to the hospital to see his friend the doctor. He had meditated a lot on the usage of stem cells, which led him to a nosey attitude towards Van der Baast. He had the weirdest hypothesis on the matter. He imagined a dead body expert stealing stem cells. And after that those bodies were cremated to make disappear any trace of the thefts. It was very difficult for him to understand the process of healing from diabetes because of those cells. Anyway, he had to run quicker. He had to be careful that nobody who knew him could witness to Jill. he saw him going to the hospital. He was very scared of a possible reaction of his wife in those delicate moments in their lives.
At his arrival at the hospital, Van der Baast was happy and surprised to see him. “Araon, what a pleasure! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“Hi, my friend. I am here because I am a slave of my desires. I need somebody who helps me to keep calm and carry on the proceedings of my investigation. When I heard you on the phone I was struck by a sense of guilt. I thought that going on my own towards the disentangling of the dilemma was not a good thing. Now I am here to admire you when working,” said Araon with a touching tone.
“You are lucky because I have just finished visiting all the patients of my department. They are so annoying sometimes. I mentioned to you the man with diabetes. We are proceeding very well in the way of his recovery. I must have scared you with the story of the stem cells. In fact, I heard you hesitating on the phone when I was talking about it. But now, please, come to my office. It’s not nice that strangers hear us talking,” said Van der Baast.
They went to the doctor’s office, which didn’t appear a cosy thing at first sight. Piles of paper were scattered everywhere from an open drawer and a sort of stink made things difficult. Araon found himself at ease soon anyway. He liked to observe the room from every corner focusing on the ceiling as well. It didn’t seem the room of a hospital ward but an office for a clerical job. Aprons of different sizes were hanging on the wall. A little bottle of champagne transformed the atmosphere of curiosity into a fuss. “Here we are Araon. Take a seat. I don’t think I have more news concerning the case. It is very difficult, actually, impossible to identify the body of a dead person by analyzing his blood in his absence. We have no clue. But I am at your disposal for any kind of help. I know this could make your relationship with Jill more difficult but I have pledged to be secret as much as I can. I am in touch with the place that has the list of the people who have disappeared in the last four months. Unfortunately, I cannot go any further. But now let’s talk about something else. You mentioned to me that you and Jill are planning to have a baby soon. That’s what filled me with great joy. I wish you good luck. But now have a look, would you mind a glass of champagne? A patient of mine has given it to me as a present because of the strong affection I received from him. You must feel the welcome here as if you were at home. I talk for free. You appreciate my sense of
humour, I guess. Please, take it”. Van der Baast was sort of involved in a monologue.
In fact, a sense of torpor in Araon extinguished his enthusiasm. Araon was prompted to talk to his friend who had woken him up by talking aloud.
“Yes, me and Jill want to be blessed by the joy of being parents. But we didn’t know it would be so difficult. This joyful desire has strengthened our mutual respect and we are real accomplice now. Anyway, she doesn’t know I am here. To relax herself she had chosen to join a tip tap and acting course, so I have more time at my disposal to stay on my own. Maybe I won’t find her at home when I get back. My resources are worn out. I don’t know what else to do to make her happy. She is the most important person in my life, don’t forget it. To go back to our former subject of discussion what do you think about the prostitutes’ trade involvement in that mystery? I recently went to see them exposed as goods in the window of the streets. I have no evidence, but I think it’s obvious that somebody killed one of them for whatever reason. Low life is harsh and humiliating at the same time,” said Araon meticulously.
The two friends carried on chatting until it was time to go back home for Araon and time to go back to the patients for Van der Baast. They were tired but happy.
Meanwhile, Jill went back home. She didn’t show any surprise about the fact that her husband was not there yet. She thought he must have been at work and in that moment Araon arrived. “Jill, sweetheart are you already here?”
“Actually, I was thinking where in the hell you have been. I have a little present for you, but I want you to look at it after dinner. I was very busy today. I feel very weird when I practice tip tap. But now let’s go inside and please ourselves with other matters.
On the outskirt of Amsterdam there was a large farmstead which was the home of two young boys who lived on the art of reading tarots. It was the day after the meeting with Van der Baast that Araon had heard about them and wished to go to visit them. Not that he was attracted by the magic but he found an answer to his troubles in the enchantment that such an activity would deal. To reach the farmstead, Araon had to go through Rokin and Amstel Street straight at the end of the traffic light. At first sight he was shocked by the appearance of the place. It was all dusty and dirty and it made Araon loose his sense of direction. He breathed deeply, he armed himself with all the courage he had and went to ring the bell. After five minutes, a funny little guy opened the door followed by a dog who was barking. Araon was astonished by the minute figure of the guy who didn’t look any older than twenty. He politely introduced himself as the master of the house and let Araon in.
The place was wonderful. The walls were decorated with ancient paintings, a fireplace on the right corner strengthened the beauty of the sofa and couch and a wide door had something to tell about the past of the house. A tiny ladder went upstairs to the bedroom. Araon experienced a tremor up to the point of crying. He didn’t know what excuse to find to leave the place. But he wanted absolutely fulfil his desire. He was constantly looking around to see a shuffle of tarots but he was unsuccessful with great disappointment. He was the first to speak. “Hi, I am Araon. I come from the old part of Amsterdam. I took different buses to arrive here. I heard of you yesterday and I asked myself if it was the case to come and visit you. Yes, you have guessed. I am talking about the art of divination and of soothing people’s vanity. I am not interested in finding something specific about my life but I would like to know how to keep the mastery of the trade. I find myself in a difficult situation. I am troubled by a mystery which took place over three months ago. and I don’t know what to do yet. I was wondering if seeing you working would suggest to me the art of disentangling puzzles.”
“You are very weird,” answered the guy. “By the way, my name is Steve. I live here with my friend, Joe, who is now in bed with a bad fever. I can show you how I manage a situation with a shuffle of tarots. Give me a few minutes and I’ll come here with one of them.”
The guy opened a door that Araon hadn’t noticed earlier. He came back with a pack of tarot cards. Araon was amazed by the beauty of the colour of the drawing. Steve handled them with huge mastery and asked Araon to take a card., another one and another one until he got twenty of them. Araon was reluctant to do it but Steve made him oblige with irritating insistence. “What do you want to know about your life? I’ll do my reading for free,” he said with anxiety.
“Actually, I want to know how the mechanism of mystery works. How do you deal with your art? What is your secret about your reading? As far as I’m concerned, in my life I do not want to expose anything specific. I am a stranger here but I am not ashamed to tell you the truth about myself. I am married with a fabulous woman but I have a secret I’m not sharing with her on purpose. This makes me feel guilty but I have no choices. I am alone in my voyage into the unknown. I suppose your job allows you to deal with the queerest persons. I do not know if I am one of them. With the minutes passing I feel more confident in front of you. At first sight it seemed to me I was before the magistrates for a little problem. Funny, isn’t it? So far, my mind is clear from prejudices. I’m willing to work with you more closely. Let’s go back to my previous issue. I love my wife too much and I don’t want to waste more time upon any bizarre issues,” said Araon.
“You have been eloquent and revealing. But I’m afraid I cannot help you. I shall not reveal to anybody the secret of our art. I can only read your destiny. It is not clear to me the reason of your fear of the loss. You have mixed feelings towards your attitude with your wife. If you want to know the mechanism of the mystery of all the mysteries, you have to ask it of yourself. I am more than happy to have you as a guest here but I won’t go any further. By the way can I offer to you a cup of tea?” said Steve agitated and shaken.
“Yes indeed. Very kind of you. Probably I haven’t been very clear. I am in front of an enigma and I am running into the unknown to try to dismantle it. I believe I am very meticulous, sorry about that. I just want somebody to work side by side with me. Maybe you are the wrong person and I am making you waste a lot of precious time. You are be very busy,” said Araon with a sense of inferiority.
“Don’t be so pessimistic. Here is your tea. There are also some biscuits for you.”
Araon sipped it gently and decided to organize himself out of that place. “You are very kind to me but now I have to go. I hope you won’t talk to anybody about me,” Araon said before departing.
“You must feel safe. I guarantee everybody remains anonymous here.,” answered Steve more relaxed.
Araon left the farmstead quickly in disbelief of what had happened. Sure, he had wasted a lot of time with that visit. He felt he was selling pounds. But who cared? Now he had an extra weapon and that was his dexterity in handling matters. He had learnt a sort of lesson from Steve in the little time he was with him. He opened his notebook that he carefully saved in his pocket and took a note on everything he had experienced that day. And on what his dialogue with Steve had suggested to him. The bus was slow in the middle of the traffic. But he was soon home to embrace and cuddle Jill tightly.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Mark the homeless woke up with a start that Sunday morning. It was his free day. He had a fidgety night marked by nightmares and conundrums. He was pushed by frenzy to go to the pub of the acrostic to get more details of the situation. He had a quick, hot shower, grabbed his best jeans had a healthy breakfast and he was ready to go. He checked that everything was in the proper place, picked some papers from the floor and made sure that the waitress wouldn’t find the room too untidy. He was careless and suspicious at the same time seeing none of the personnel in the surroundings. He left without leaving a note. His journey to the pub was quite tiring because of the muggy day. He was mentally singing the notes of an old melody. To yell or not to yell was the issue. In a frame of minutes, he found himself sweating and dirty. Anyway, he had not a romantic appointment.
When he reached his destination, he saw the sign of the pub glitteri
ng. It was nine am, opening time. Mark rushed immediately into the place and cherished his proximity to the door. That now was clean and spotless since it had been marred by writing with blood. He noticed those changes with profound bewilderment. He had to pretend to be the average customer who was there for the usual pint of beer. The pub was unusually thronged for being so early in the morning. He was disgusted by a guy who kept on swearing and spiting on the floor. Somebody was tempted to smoke a cigarette but he was refrained from the owner of the pub from doing so recalling the no smoking area law rules. Apart from this everything was quiet. Mark was the only man in disguise. Nobody was suspicious as to why he was there. The owner of the pub was too quiet to leak out concerns about the acrostic. Sure he was entirely in the dark about that fact. Talking to him was a real pleasure. Gentle and educated he would offer whoever his view on the chosen topic of the day. He was also open to other people about his private life. Mark learnt that he had a sixteen-year-old daughter called Lerim. She had joined the dance school when she was thirteen years old. L was the first consonant of the acrostic. But Mark had to dig deep down further in the only sign of the situation before coming to a link between the acrostic and the owner of the pub’s family. His name was Joshua. He was of Jewish origin. Mark found the story of the man fascinating and captivating. He told him about the first time he came to Amsterdam with his family. They hadn’t got a coin in their pockets and being foreigners made it difficult for them to find a job quickly. They had been welcomed by a specific centre where they had been helped to get a part-time job. It took them ten years to scrape up some money to open the pub. Now they were wealthy and happy. Joshua underlined the priority of the activity he was involved in. He became all red in his face when Mark asked about his wife.
The Red Box Page 23
