He arrived at Plaza Dam quickly just to take a seat at a bar on the corner. Moments of loneliness and torpor gave shape to a flattered Araon. In his mind there were a constant form of delirium. Hopefully the situation of his yard would keep his mind busy. He was supposed to open it again within five months so to employ the usual staff again. Most of them were on benefit while a tiny amount of the crew were enjoying a long, unpaid holiday. Here came the waitress. She was a stunning woman in her twenties with a bewitching smile, but this was not enough to turn Araon’s attentions over other women than Jill. “I would like to have a cup of coffee with two sugar, please,” said Araon smartly. “And don’t forget the bill, please,” he added.
The waitress served him as quickly as possible. She was one of those ladies who were frightened of lose their job for nothing. Eventually Araon was very kind to her. He gave her five euros saying to take the change as a tip. He was in the ideal place where his thoughts and considerations cancelled any doubts of his status as a happily married man with a little secret he wasn’t sharing with his adorable wife. Too many question marks were going around as ghosts to his soul. Mark Ward came to his mind like thunder. He thought that he had a secret he had not disclosed to anybody and that the death of his gorgeous horses had nothing to do with it. Cough, cough, cough… Araon started to cough. There was a man smoking in a no smoking area and that annoyed Araon a lot. It was a situation similar to the one he and Jill experienced on the underground train, but this time the bar owner risked a severe fine for not abiding by the law. He was forced to ask the man either to stop smoking or to go away.
Any fuss was over for Araon who had now to leave the place. He found solace among the crowd of the square. He was amazed by the sight of a little boy who was taking flute lesson in the open air. The teacher was very strict in the presence of the boy’s mum. This spectacular view reminded him of all the dreams he had about the very awaited little Rokin. The mystery of life held him and Jill as easy prey. Would Jill forgive him for the little domestic ‘crime’? He was sure so. No slamming door had been witnessed when Jill left their flat.
Mark Ward was trembling with fear when he had to meet the police for those damned investigations into his horse’s death. He had to find somebody to replace him at the riding school that day. “Hello,” A policeman suddenly appeared on the scene. “How are you?” he insisted.
“I am very shocked as you can see.”
“It’s quite normal. Now you have to be very lucid to help us with your case. We confess it’s the first time we have dealt with the murder of so brilliant animals. So far, we have found somebody of whom we have to be suspicious. He is a jockey in his early thirties, divorced with two kids to uphold, and who has been disqualified from horse races because of the large amount of drugs that had been found in his flat. He justified himself by saying that the drug was for personal usage only, but he had to pay a five thousand euros fine and was forced to stay away from horse races for two years. He was such a bull fighter like person. He carried on repeating that it was an accident that such a large amount of drugs had been found in his house. He wanted the police to believe that somebody brought that drug into his flat just to ruin his reputation. We simply know that he has always been envious of your horses and that he didn’t lack the courage to kill them. What we are not sure about is if it was him who had taken the polonium in northern Amsterdam. You need a special key to take it from the pharmacy. Only people from the forensic department can have that key to fetch some poison. We know that some visitors arrived to the forensic department the day of the killing of your horses but we do not know how they could take the key. At the moment we have nothing else to say. Just lets us know, do you think somebody could be annoyed with you. because he considers you a danger?”
“No, I don’t think so,” answered Mark, blushing. “But there is something I forgot to tell you: I received a letter under my door of which says: you will hear from us.”
“That was threatening, wasn’t it? You should confess immediately any particular which can be used for our investigation. Another small point; do you use your car or do you use public transport when you go to work and when you go out?”
“I prefer mostly public transport. Why? What’s the problem?”
“Your enemy can have an extra detail to identify you. Let us know; you have a relationship with a woman who works at the Van Gogh Museum? Do you think that somebody may be jealous of your relationship?”
“I really don’t know. Rose is such a quiet and sweet woman. I have been going out with her since last month. It’s something serious but I’m sure I have no enemies.”
“What were you doing before you started your riding school?”
“Actually, I was homeless. People from a hospital gave me hospitality for a while and then they gave me the job I’m doing now. I go to visit them every now and then. I will never be able to give sincere gratitude to them. Thanks to them I have been born again. I undergo regular check-ups and they find I am very healthy. A miracle for one like me who has lived on the street for a long time, eating whatever people would bring to me. I will never forget my previous life.”
“That’s interesting. Have you got any rival in the world of homeless?”
“No. I don’t think so. I was always alone in the street”
“That’s fine. One last thing and you are free to go. we need your fingerprints. and some spittle to find your DNA We need them because we can never be sure about the result of the investigation. Let me explain: we cannot avoid having you on the list of the suspects. It’s ordinary routine for us. Don’t worry about it. Now you can go. Let us know about any news about what happens to you and, above all, about further letter you may receive. Thank you for your patience. Have a nice day.”
“The same to you. Now I’ll go home to have a rest. There is a person who replaces me at the riding school today. Thank you again.”
Mark was very disappointed by that meeting. It was a waste of time and he wondered if they would really be able to find a clue to the mystery. He was also surprised by the fact that they could put him on the list of suspects. They would never find the truth. He took a deep breath and ran to catch the first train to go home. Now there was Rose in the top of his thoughts. He would go to the museum at closing time to take her out. He was not sure if he would tell her any word pronounced by the police. He didn’t want to frighten her by telling her he was in the list of the suspects. He was also reluctant to go to the pub of the blood acrostic and broken window. It was too dangerous even if he thought there couldn’t be a link between what he witnessed about the pub door and the killing of his bays. The key about that was revenge.
Once at home he burst out in tears. It was a lovely summer day but the weather was not able to calm him down. He had some tea with biscuits and started considering contacting the police soon. He had checked his mobile phone and it came out that two persons had contacted him when he was at the police station. He was shivering at the thought that they were the same people who had left a message for him under the door. He dialled the written phone numbers and number was not-existent was the answer. Reason for which Mark was sure the call came from those who left a message under the door to him recently. He immediately called the police and told them everything.
“Are you sure about that? Why didn’t you bring your cell to the station with you?” the police answered visibly agitated.
“I forgot it at home,” Was Mark’s excuse. “Unfortunately, when I called them back it came out those numbers were no-existent.”
“OK. Now be vigilant and let us know. Any single detail can be useful to us. Thanks for calling.”
“Thank you for your assistance. I will contact you as soon as I have something new to say.”
Mark was exhausted at that point. He didn’t know if to lay on the bed and have a rest or to watch TV. It would take a long wait to go and pick Rose up at work that evening. His instinct suggested something wise: to have a shower. He launched his dirty c
lothes on the floor and enjoyed the clear water on his body. Any sign of stress immediately disappeared. He wasn’t dropping with exhaustion any more.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Jill was aware of any little changes in her life but there was a casual constant all the time: Araon had left home early in the morning and who knew where he was. She was idling as she had never done before. She didn’t want to dust, to iron, to cook, anything that a good housewife was supposed to do. She didn’t want to go shopping either. She had devised a wise lunch based on the menu of the former day: turkey and salad. “What’s on the list?” would be Araon’s answer as soon as he got home. But a breath of fresh air stopped her wandering through the house. She had the knitting course. She nearly forgot about that. No knitting course, no tip-tap for that day. What a crack! At least she would have avoided the old fat lady gossip on her hooker niece. The last time she saw the lady, she had told her of the brothel rules regarding respect for hygiene and attention to having safe sex. Poor women. They were sex slaves of old customers, some sixty-year-old somethings who gathered there in search of adventure. Most of them were foreigners. They were far from having rumours about their experiences to be exposed to their wives. To use Baudelaire’s words, they saw in a hooker the face of satisfaction that lacked in their wives.
But the annoyance for that left Jill soon. She pampered herself and went out in the direction of Nieuvie Jijde. It was in the north of Amsterdam. The choice of that place was due to the fact that Jill was fed up to see always the same faces. Maybe she was a bit bored. She had been living in Amsterdam for ten years and she never found excuses for escapism. She decided to be a housewife just to respect Araon’s will. She didn’t join the university but the prospect of a good career had haunted her for a long time. She had to give it all up for the sake of marriage. Freedom was what she coveted most. She couldn’t stand the idea of being imprisoned as a languid love servant. The vibe of the place made her feel safe within her nasty thoughts. Araon had always been her priority and there was no way she would change her mind.
It was a gloomy coincidence that the place of her wandering was the site of Amsterdam’s largest pharmacy. You could buy anything by the automated machine using notes or credit card. She had also bought some medicines online, which caused a quarrel with Araon. She had been warned by the doctor not to use them. Painkillers were very dangerous. They didn’t contain marijuana but they could cause horrible side effects which were not mentioned on the packet. So Jill stared at a rude mannered man who was stood opposite the pharmacy. He picked a packet called: Dove. Jill didn’t know that drug and she was absolutely ignorant about its function. She tried to be very careful not to irritate that man who was sporting an uncivilized tattoo with the word dove. Jill was sated with bewilderment at that situation.
She had the idea of knitting a pullover with the drawing of a dove for Araon. Now she felt a bit uncomfortable at the awareness of being fixed by the man. She carried on on her way. She was wisely on the right side of the street to make sure that thieves wouldn’t snatch her bag. It was all a question of attitude. She had with her, important documents, a credit card and fifty-euro notes. She finally felt at ease by walking around. New faces run into her glance. But she was missing Araon a lot to enjoy the grace of those moments. It was a new experience for her to be at those northern districts. She was happy, sure, that she had not the instinct to be sick again. A gloom inspired her who was constantly worried by the fear of giving birth pain. Those feelings hurt her on the loop. She had even considered to use hypnosis but she had been discouraged by the doctor from doing so. She arrived at a point where the rude mannered man was. She had realized it only after a while. He watched Jill with a sleazy face when she went to pick up the packet of Dove he had just dropped on the pavement. Her experience in the street finished there.
She walked through the clouds of her imagination until she found herself in a park where she could enjoy reading a book she had with her. But eventually a prophetic approached her. He was willing to do some tarot reading but Jill was not one of those women who were fascinated by the destiny telling. She decided to disappear from that place with a certain nonchalance. She arrived at a bench from where she could be protected by the shade of a tree from the harassment of the sun’s rays. She concentrated herself in the reading of the book and time passed by very quickly.
A well-dressed stranger approached her. “Hi my lady. How are you?” he broke the ice.
“I’m fine thank you, but I am not used to talking to strangers,” she answered nervously.
“In fact, I am not a stranger. I am a friend of yours. I am here to help you. You are a very attractive woman and you could be easily a prey of those icy guys in search of enjoyment. Can you see those men who are talking to that woman who is feeding her baby? They want to get laid with her even if she is not slightly suspicious of it. I want to prevent you from experiencing something similar. By the way, my name is Mick. I am the boss of the big megastore nearby. I have just come out to have a rest. My personnel is used to working hard even in my absence. What is your name?”
“My name is Jill,” she said.
What a sweet name. It has been a pleasure to have met you. Now I go back to work. Have a nice day and remember my advice.”
“I will. Have a nice day you too.”
Those moments of loneliness made Jill desire to go back home. Araon: this was what was written in her mind. She would be more than happy to wait for him to arrive for lunch time. Yes, she would have waited for him listening to good music.
The journey by underground was very slow. But on her arrival to her love nest a marvelous surprise struck her heart. Two return flight tickets for Miami and the booking of a two weeks stay at a luxury hotel were well visible on the table in the dining room. “What a joy!” she exclaimed.” Araon has done the best thing to win me back. What a pleasure to spend lovely moments in the sunshine on the other part of the world in the middle of July. Araon shouldn’t find me unprepared. I will get rid of this makeup, put on a nightdress and stay on the sofa with my feet in the warm water in a bucket until Araon arrives,” She said trying to conceal her excitement. Jill’s enthusiasm pervaded her mind deeply. She didn’t mind even if Araon was late. She had just wait and see what would happen. Two tickets for Miami: that was great.
In the afternoon she went to the local library. The word Dove was fresh in her memory and she sat at the internet table. and started the appropriate program, she made sure that nobody would spy on her. She clicked several buttons and she finally found the answer she was looking for. Dove: a brand-new spermicidal condom which could be bought only online after the ban of its sale in the shops because of the offence of some university students that sent the product to the pharmacy of the Vatican City. “Sounds interesting!” she thought. “But why was the guy so rude? He must have a wife with whom he might share annoying moments, I believe. I have never asked Araon to use those things. I trust him deeply and I’m sure he will never transmit to me sexually related diseases such as AIDS. And Araon has the same respect for me in this purpose.” She was so confident that she didn’t realize somebody was watching her during her internet searches.
“If I don’t annoy you, I can give you advice. You cannot buy this product online if you haven’t the proper password given by your doctor with the prescription of the drug,” he said.
“Oh! You are very kind,” said Jill visibly irritated. “But I don’t want to buy anything,” she added. She left her seat at the internet desk and went to fetch a book from the shelves to read instead of puzzling herself with further troubles. The Hen and the Mud was first released two weeks previous but she couldn’t find it. She asked for some help of the assistant but he said that the book didn’t exist. Reason for which she had picked something written by Kundera. She wanted to keep her mind busy to forget the rude man and the Dove issue. The suffocating weather made things worse than due. She stayed at the library for just another quarter of a hour to go out without
a precise destination. Maybe to go shopping was the best clue. Those flight tickets to Miami unleashed her frenzy. She was looking forward to the day of their departure. She wanted to buy swimwear, some flips flops and a pareu. She had in mind the great shopping center in Benjiroft. It was not far from her home where Araon was probably enjoying a rest. It was a pity he didn’t opt to enjoy the beauty of the summer weather. She was all alone with that white top, jeans and pretty sneakers which gave her the look of a teenager. She was secretly proud of her look even if she didn’t show off. It was an expedient not to lose Araon’s attraction towards her. She started to see younger women in the field of competition for her object of love. Probably it was the same for Araon.
She looked so glamorous in her walk towards the megastore. It had been a nice idea to go there. She was surrounded by the most beautiful people in the city, which didn’t make her lose confidence. It didn’t take long to find the item she was looking for. Before going to the busy cashier, she went to the top of the mall to have some brandy which was offered to customers for free. She got the offer with kind manners just saying she was pregnant and she couldn’t drink too much. She was soon complimented about her gorgeous body shape. “Actually, I am just one month pregnant,” she said blushing.
“You look lovely anyway,” they carried on repeating to her. “By the way: after that deep sip of brandy you can have something you like most.”
“Please, don’t tempt me. I am so fragile. And afterward I have to go downstairs to the cashier to pay for my items.”
“You are the welcome. Have a nice day.”
Jill had a bad crisis after she left the megastore. It was her depression that made her suffer up and down fits. Her post gave birth depression enveloped her by far in advance and there was nothing she could do against it. That was one of those moments when Araon should stand by her. She was totally unaware about where he was and what he was doing. She was somehow also the victim of an osteoporosis. It was a sacred secret she was holding from Araon in order not to make him worry more than due. But he had the instinct of a wizard. She didn’t feel at ease in the street because the alternating changes of mood. She was also frightened by all those guys who watched her with admiration. She started to lose confidence and she sought an escape from that situation. She didn’t know to be that attractive woman. Anyway, the worst was over. She went to a record shop to buy something for Araon She considered it good luck to have found the shop on the corner of the street. She analyzed with admiration all the CDs and DVDs nicely displayed on the shelves according to the initials of the artists. She picked a CD by Pink Floyd. They were Araon’s favourite band. She hurried up to the check desk to avoid a tremendous queue. “How much is it, please?”
The Red Box Page 40
