The sky was always dark but at least it stopped raining. William kept an eye on Kaminsky from above, as if to protect him, until the young man went out of radar range. So he shrugged his shoulders to fight the damp cold and turned around. He found Lucinda with her gaze lost in the void again, absorbed in her thoughts. He asked her what bothered her and if she wanted to talk about it. She tightened her lips, her eyes looked in all directions.
«Did you hear the news? It's a full-scale search. They won't give up.»
«Neither will we. We won't give in», William replied, trying to get rid of pessimism.
«You don't understand, Bill. I'll soon be unable to help you», Lucinda said, pointing to her belly. «When they arrive, you will have to face them alone.»
Chapter XXIII
Those were turbulent days at Leigh Madison Enterprise, especially because of unforeseen absences and deadlines to be respected. Jon Hutchinson was a nervous wreck and mistreated anyone who asked him inappropriate or unnecessary questions. He even shaved his mustache because he had no time to trim it and it was growing bristly and uneven. Kate Ramos became his punching bag , he used her to let off steam and as his main news provider. At least twice a day he questioned her about the absent employees and, in particular, about William Deveux. It was a kind of cascading mechanism: Hutchinson dumped his stress on Kate Ramos and Kate unloaded hers on Katherine Spender, instantly reporting any rumor or reproach to her. The situation was serious. Leigh Madison had to give up several orders due to lack of personnel. Hutchinson restricted his speech to just two sentences: this can't go on like this and are they sleeping up there? He often merged them into a single resounding whining, making the unfortunate interlocutor depress. While the absence of William Deveux was more or less justified, given the troubles he had with Minneman Company, it was not the same for the others. Malik Renard, from the same workgroup as William, had been missing since the notorious lawsuit between William Deveux and the pharmaceutical company began. Tom Bertold confided to Kate Ramos his feeling that Renard and Deveux were caught up in the same trouble, though it was not clear to him why, in that case, Militia did not provide any information about him. As for William Deveux, the restrictive measure was communicated, but not for Malik Renard. Maybe he had nothing to do with the Minneman case, yet the coincidence was too suspicious. Another missing piece was Patricia Giannetti of human resources. Kate knew her as a hard-working woman, who even came to work when she had flu. Yet, according to the software that recorded the entrance and exit of employees, she had been missing for two weeks and no one knew anything about it, nor were they able to contact her. And what about James Dufour? Kate almost forgot about him, he was surely the one who had been missing for the longest time. She even decided to drop by his house - a small villa located in the middle part of the Kastar river – and ring his doorbell, but the house was dark and looked deserted, so she gave up looking for him. It was all too strange and all those coincidences corroborated Kate's thesis of some secret experiment to which Leigh Madison employees had been subjected, because of a diabolical pact with Minneman. An experiment that probably got out of hand, given the dire consequences on the available staff of the security company. So many absences that would make even the most naive and distracted suspicious.
The situation that, most of all, worried Kate remained however that of William Deveux, and not only for the emotional bond that bound her to him. Unlike the other missing colleagues, of whom she knew very little, in William's case she had first-hand information and knew that things were quite complicated. She met William and she talked to him, even though their conversation at the X Café remained secret. They would have had to update each other about their own investigations. That's why there was really something to worry about, since he gave no more signs of life and since Scarlet Militia, at the explicit request of clarification, glossed over the subject and labeled the matter as 'confidential'. Roaming around the building again was not an option. Malcolm Dietrich's antennas were aimed at her and, if they caught her looking around and asking indiscreet questions one more time, they wouldn't drug her but make her disappear. She had no choice but to continue investigating outside the workplace, so she took the decision to go to Numbered District to try to grab some useful news. Perhaps, if heaven wanted, she would find out that William was simply locked up at home but in good health. She would wait for the weekend to go there, so to avoid creating further problems. With part of the personnel laid up, if she took a day off work the other employees would raise a fuss. Thus, on a Saturday morning in January, cold but sunny, she bundled herself up in a winter coat, wore a scarf and a wool cap and set off for exploration. She entrusted her elderly mother to the loving care of Rose, the maid who covered her whenever she had to go out, then she reached the social carrier stop and waited in solitude. As she was trying to defend herself from the gusts of wind, it occurred to her that she had never been to William Deveux's house. Indeed, she couldn't even remember ever being to Numbered District. She knew, however, that it was big and it would not be easy to locate the apartment on the first try. She would have to peek around or cautiously ask some passersby.
Kate arrived at the Milton Avenue stop lost in her thoughts but, fortunately, she saw it in time and jumped out with surprising agility. She was not sure that it was the best stop to reach Building 16 and, to be honest, she was not even 100% sure that William lived at number 16. However, she was there and would not lose heart if she had to walk for a while. She scanned the area, there were few people. Then she rolled her eyes to identify the building closest to her. There was a big red “5” almost on the roof of the building. It was obviously “Building 5”: so, she had to walk a lot to reach the next complex. It was even way too soon to ask for help, she had to get as close as possible.
Maybe because the sun was brighter than usual or the wind meanwhile calmed down, that long walk was not unpleasant for Kate, who turned her smug gaze to the right and to the left to admire the location. Walking more and more slowly, so to enjoy that moment of peace, she saw in the middle of the square of the first complex the infamous marble statue that was meant to represent the Edict and approached it curiously. She did not understand why they decided to build such a horrible thing to highlight the principles established at the time by College of Guilds. And why there were no others in the rest of the city. In any case, she was about to turn the investigation into a picnic, so she focused back on her goal and speeded up the pace.
After passing the first group of buildings, she skirted the second complex on the left side and, having learned how to enumerate them, she went on without interruption, facing an expanse of marble with very little grass, which - in the designer's intention – was supposed to be a large square or even a park. Only at that moment, taking a wide look at that huge square, did she really realize how large Numbered District was.
Still few people around, just some children playing under the watchful eye of their parents. Kate smiled. A little semblance of normality, increasingly rare yet equally comforting.
All sweaty, she reached the third and final complex by mid-morning. She took off her cap and scarf and slipped them into her bag, so she unbuttoned her coat and let in some fresh air. She stopped to take an umpteenth look and breathed deeply. Was it Building 16 or 18? She remembered William often talking about an “attic” so, in one case or another, she would have to reach the top. She took the short corridor, flanked by six planters in two rows of three, which led to Building 16 and examined the entrance to the building in search of some confirmation. There was no indication about the guests of the condominium outside, just a card reader and a scanner. In essence, those who erected the complex did not like strangers to come and enter undisturbed. It was necessary to wait for someone to enter or leave the building to try to intrude. She obviously had to move with ease, giving the impression of being a regular visitor. And so it was. When a lady with a mild and humble look came home after shopping, Kate approached her slowly, looking busy.
Once she was alone, Kate had a terrible doubt: what if the elevator had a security system to prevent intruders? It would be a lot of work for nothing. She strode to the cabin, pushed the button and the doors opened. Fortunately, there was an analog keypad inside, indicating the floors. “Roof” was certainly what she needed, the other buttons had numbers from 1 to 12. The winch was so powerful that it almost caused her to retch and just in a few seconds she was at her destination. She had to move cautiously, she might happen to meet some other resident. A brief look here and there, then decided to head for the right side of the floor, turning the corner. The light that penetrated from the skylight was blinding, she had to cover her eyes with her left hand. From what she could see, on the right side lived two families, for the rest many technical rooms with forbidden access. Since William's family name was neither “McGraw” nor “Miller” she decided not to delay further and move to the left side of the floor. There was a dense silence, Kate could distinctly hear the sound of her steps. She realized she took the left corridor with too little prudence when she found a militiaman with his arms crossed waiting at the front door. She turned pale and, instinctively, took a step back, but the watchman saw her and ordered her to identify herself. With her heart racing, Kate tried to fake a smile and explained that she was a friend of William Deveux's and that she came to visit him.
«Are you Lucinda Merritt?» That question surprised her and left her speechless for a few moments. Since William Deveux was no longer an object of desire for her, she also stopped caring about his flirts and women; yet the name “Lucinda Merritt” sounded very familiar to her, she was probably the girl William had that tormented story with. In any case, if she answered with a “no” to the question, she would then have to provide her personal information, so she preferred to impersonate a credible airhead, giving a shrill little laugh and adjusting a strand of hair back her ear.
«Actually, I'm another friend...», Kate said then, accentuating the word 'another'. The militiaman looked her up and down, giving her a look that said good for you.
«Anyway, you can't see him», the militiaman stated.
«Not even for a quick hello?», Kate suggested, ashamed of how little talent she had in playing the simpering miss.
«No, look...» The militiaman checked the corridor to make sure no one was listening. «The truth is, he's not here. He's... in jail», he concluded, biting his lip. Kate noticed a small spasm on the right side of his mouth when he uttered the word 'jail'. Maybe he was lying, however there was no need in arguing with a militiaman, she therefore went on playing the fool to see where that would lead her.
«In jail? How is it possible? And for how long? I have to confess that we haven't spoken in a while...»
«Look, he's been in prison for at least two months... since November, maybe earlier. Now, go away, you can't stay here.»
«November you said? Oh my... and what was he arrested for?»
«We are not required to talk about it, the sentence will have already been published, go and read it, miss... miss? What's your name, you haven't told me yet.»
«Excuse me?» Kate's face flared red, she searched in her bag as usual and pulled out her communicator to perform one of her specialties again: simulation of an incoming call to get herself out of a mess. «Just a minute, officer, someone's calling me... hello? Oh dear, it's you! Yes, yes, of course, I heard about it and I send you my best wishes! A beautiful baby girl, right? You'll surely be over the moon!»
The militiaman insisted on asking her to show identification, but Kate waved her hand to signal him that she could not interrupt the call and that she had to go. She moved away slowly, not to alarm him, continuing to bestow compliments on the mysterious new mother. Once inside the elevator, she put an end to that charade and calmed down: if that militiaman really wanted to arrest her, he would do it. As a precaution she kept the communicator on her ear even after arrived at the ground floor. She put it definitively in the bag only once she reached the square with the Edict and made sure no one noticed her.
The militiaman certainly lied. Kate met William in late November, no way could he be in jail earlier than that date. It would certainly be a good idea to discreetly verify the existence of that presumed sentence. However, she did not consider it necessary at the time. That story seemed to her just an excuse made up by the militiaman to save himself from embarrassment. The truth was that they did not know what happened to William either. Why else would a militiaman guard an empty apartment? It didn't make any sense. What was left to do, then? Kate thought it was time to look for that girl, Lucinda Merritt, and see if she knew something more. Very hard thing, since she had neither her communicator number nor her home address. She would come up with something, she could not abandon one of her very few friends. Suddenly that beautiful sunny day no longer seemed so pleasant to her, she put on her scarf and hat and returned to the social carrier stop, brooding over every possible option. Time was running fast, she had to be quick.
Chapter XXIV
On a colder night than usual, the secret shelter set up at the old Milian Industries factory risked turning into a deadly icebox. Lucinda and William then decided to break the rules and lit a small fire to find some relief. Caution would be of no use if they froze to death. The floor was permanently damp and covered with mud and they had to work hard to free and dry a corner of the room and use it as a hearth. They put there everything that was flammable, paying attention so that there were no accelerants around and the fire remained limited to the place they chose, the corner on the right side of the broken window. They used a flashlight taken from “Kaminsky survival kit” to help walking in the dark, but the Zoo 's watchtowers also did their part. The lights they projected were vivid and clearly noticeable in the dark even hundreds of steps away. They sprinkled the pile of wood and cartons with a little solvent recovered during one of the rare excursions in the maze of the industrial complex, then they ignited an ember with the burner and threw it on it. They sat at a safe distance - Lucinda in the only chair and William upon a dresser that was also picked up around - and enjoyed some domestic warmth. The crackling and flickering of the many flames made them relax to the point of dozing, and when a half-hour later the fire died out, they found themselves leaning against one another. Lucinda whispered to her partner that she felt tired and needed to lie down, asking him to join her to keep the warmth. William loved those moments, those sensations, yet he could not help but wonder when they could resume a normal life and embrace each other out of love or at least out of affection, not just to protect themselves from the cold.
Lucinda checked her abdomen every day, as if she wanted to detect every little change in the evolution of the pregnancy. According to her, the belly was already visible and from time to time she proudly showed it to William. He was not too convinced, but he was very happy to indulge her in that and did not skimp on compliments, especially about her slim shape. Lucinda had only been eating vegetables for a few days because she wanted her baby to grow healthy. William, however, advised her not to go overboard with the diet, moreover it was necessary to carefully manage the supplies, which were limited and had to be balanced. When Lucinda listened to his arguments about a trivial subject such as “supplies management”, she reminded him that their baby always came
first. The two of them would make do in some way, they wouldn't certainly suffer from hunger. William retorted that they had no idea how long the exile would last and also a secondary matter like food supplies could suddenly become urgent. Nothing really serious, in any case, just a lovers' quarrel. A taste of what cohabitation would be like from then on and an incentive to finally find understanding.
It was precisely because of a quarrel that, at the dawn of a morning like many others, they did not notice a car noise coming from somewhere near their hiding place. Lucinda and William interrupted their discussion about green beans and potatoes and looked at each other with wide eyes. The sound of that engine was different from that of the car used by Kaminsky. The difference was so obvious that it could not generate confusion, even in inexperienced ears. The two fugitives immediately realized it and, without wasting a moment, William got in position as usual on the left side of the window and peeked. A black, elegant and shiny car had just arrived. Certainly a company car, William had seen so many of them at Leigh Madison. A man in a dark jacket, without a tie and wearing sunglasses, calmly got out of the vehicle. He scanned the area for a few seconds, but he soon seemed more interested in not getting mud on his beautiful shiny shoes, rather than in the surrounding environment. Lucinda with a faint voice asked her companion who it was; William raised his hand to tell her to await developments. The mysterious character looked at his shoes several times from every angle and, when he had enough, he finally forgot about it and looked around again. When the guy began to speak, Lucinda - who had been in tension for a while - gave a start.
The Ruling Impulses Page 34
