Chapter 40
Move was an overstatement to throw some clothes in a trunk and drive to the new house. To his pleasant surprise Jane was already putting her stuff in the closets. He recognised her travel bag from when he first had seen her, dripping wet on a sinking boat.
“What are you doing here? Did you already get time off after one day of hard work? I should get a teacher's job too.”
“Do not underestimate the stress of an educational career. But no, apparently today is Wednesday and there is a free afternoon. So, I decided to do some serious shopping to replenish our rather meagre collection of clothes, and food, so we will not die from cold or hunger. Amazing that one loses his sense of time once you are here, don't you think so?”
He put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. He opened the upper buttons of her new light blue blouse. “And what will I have for dinner tonight, honey, something amazing also?”
She escaped from his arms and slapped him on the fingers. “You can do with a new shirt also, here put this one on. I hope it fits. My mother also liked it.” She forced his shirt off and made him put on a pale blue shirt. He looked disgusted. "Did you really feel that we need to dress like twins?"
In one breath she continued, finally answering his question: “oh, did I ever tell you that I cannot cook? I am afraid that the kitchen will be your domain. Remember that night on Egmont? We are not twins, we are soul mates.”
“How can I forget? With your bruised knee. Actually, now that I come to think of it, I have never seen you without bruises or wounds. How can I be sure that you are even pretty behind these weird colours and dried blood? Soul mate or not."
“Far to pretty for you, that is for sure," she laughed and walked through the corridor that ran parallel with the interior garden. “Do you know into whom I bumped today? Brigitte. Remember her? The one with the big boobies you stared at with popping eyes. We have been invited for a dinner party next week.”
“Nice,” Pieter answered from the kitchen. “I am already looking forward to it with popping eyes. Literally and figuratively. I hope they have a private pool.”
Pieter switched on the television set. The situation in the world started to take dramatic shapes. Images of people leaving in long queues the large cities. Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Sydney. The stock markets had stopped their activities all together. In parliaments around the world the atmosphere was below zero and representatives of the people started to fight with ministers. Pieter switched between the channels. One channel showed how military installations were manned and tested. American troops were constantly flown into Eastern Europe, but also to Tibet, Laos and Mexico. Ian could be right; they were heading towards the end of their civilisation.
“Sweetie, where are you?” he asked.
He called again as she had not heard him. He stood up to look for her in the bedroom. Curious to find out what her next surprise was going to be.
The voice sounded familiar, but he could not immediately link it to a face.
“Come and join us Pieter. This will not take longer than absolutely needed.”
Pieter did not look at the young, blonde man. He stared at the threatening shape of the silencer. The pistol was aimed without any trembling at the waist of Jane who stood pale pressed against the edge of the bed.
“You turned out to be a real pain the past days, Mister Van Dyck. But thankfully that has now come to an end. I am sorry that you are dragging an innocent Jane with you in your reckless adventures. It is a real waste. But it is what it is.”
“So you are the one behind the murders of Jonathan and Vladimir.”
“That would be too easy, Pieter. It is a bit more complicated than that. I do not work alone. As Ian said earlier: we are a team. And I can claim that I have a strong team. Nobody fell out of their role, not even these last days during your pathetic interrogations. I am proud of their agile improvisations. That is something that you cannot do anymore. You are stuck in rigid processes that need to be followed no matter what. You could have become a loyal poodle of Ian.”
“And how much does it earn?”
“Pieter, that is an amount that you cannot even imagine. More than enough to guarantee a safe and luxurious life. Maybe I will move into that wonderful place of yours on Egmont. If I can believe Bramaud's stories, that must be a small paradise on earth. And soon the world may not even remember there is something like the Egmont atoll. The old Ian will be surprised and he'd better take me serious. No longer call me his little computer whiz-kid like a digital Harry Potter.”
“And who is all behind this?”
“Pieter, Pieter, stop asking. I have seen enough bad movies where one tries to gain time. I am not falling in that open trap.”
Without any emotion he shot Jane a couple of times. The poisonous sounds were hardly noticeable but the dumb impact of the bullets sounded like thunder in Pieter's ears. Jane's body was lifted and she sank like a doll against the bed. Her eyes begging up to Pieter. Rapidly blood stained her new blouse.
Pieter roared and jumped to Juergen who quietly aimed and shot. The last what Pieter would feel were the pounding claps on his chest.
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The Abacus Equation Page 46
