The Face Transplant

by R Arundel

  “Will do, sir.”

  “Just maintain position and be alert.”

  Officer Melky enters the front door. It is a neat and tidy bungalow. Nothing seems out of place in the family room. Kathy looks at the photos. The occupant is a middle-aged female. She has one daughter. There is no man in the pictures. The house is silent. Frank and Kathy proceed to the kitchen.

  One look at the woman and officer Melky knows she is dead. He clutches his weapon tighter. This is no fake call in; this is the real deal. The veins on the side of his neck pop out, and his pressure rises. Frank Melky looks around the room.

  Kathy is the first to spot the gun. She moves toward it. Frank feels Amanda’s neck for a pulse. There is none. Officer Melky feels warm liquid on his hand. It is coated with warm blood. This is a fresh crime scene. Things are getting worse by the second.

  Kathy says, “We have a weapon.” She looks at Frank’s bloody hand.

  Frank shouts, “Neil. Kirk.”

  The two officers that had entered from the rear immediately appear.

  Neil says, “No one left the rear.”

  Kirk adds, “We’re sure.”

  Kathy’s excitement rises. “Shooter’s still here.”

  Frank already knows that. He had a bad feeling from the moment he took this call. He talks into the communicator on his left shoulder. “Send backup. Shooter on site. Any more updates?”

  The dispatcher says, “The vehicle is registered to Dr. Matthew MacAulay, a surgeon. The house is registered to Amanda Soto, a nurse. They work at the same hospital. No weapons registered to either one. Stay safe.”

  “Thanks.”

  Probably a lover. Killed her in a rage. He’s still here and he is dangerous. The murder weapon is on the ground. Killer probably brought a few weapons.

  “Do we clear the house, Frank?” says Kathy.

  Frank is tempted to wait for back up, but they will all realize he is afraid if he does this. He will lose face and never be able to work in the department. Being alive might be a good trade off to working in the department. He is near to getting full pension anyway. “Do we clear the house?” says Kathy, this time with more emphasis.

  The other officers look at Frank.

  Frank says, “Neil, Kirk, take the basement.”

  Frank nods toward the stairs, but they are already off. Frank worries the killer is planning to ambush them. Is he planning suicide? Death by cop.

  “Don’t take any chances. If anything moves, shoot to kill,” says Frank. “Kathy, keep behind me.”

  Matthew hears the entire conversation. He had tried to escape through the back door but had been trapped. He hides in the closet near the rear exit, just past the kitchen. Matthew is not sure what to do. If he tries to surrender, they might shoot him in the confusion. Even if they do not shoot him, he will be arrested for the murder. Matthew needs to escape. If he is caught, he will be unable to find out who killed Tom and Amanda. Matthew knows the house intimately. It is a small bungalow. Frank and Kathy will clear the front rooms quickly because there is nowhere to hide. They will come back here and see the closet.

  Frank and Kathy systematically begin to clear the main floor. The family room is not too large. The couch is worn but clean.

  “Kirk,” Frank calls down the stairs.

  Kirk calls up from the basement, “Clear. Just checking some boxes.”

  Frank and Kathy make their way silently out of the kitchen to the back of the home. Frank points to the closet and motions Kathy to position herself on the opposite side. It is a brown wooden double door. It has a solid wood frame with thin plywood in the middle, small gold knobs for the handles.

  It is clear the killer is in the closet. Frank looks around. It makes sense. The killer must have tried to leave from the back when they had arrived. They had been too quick, and the killer had to run back and hide in the first spot available. This closet is the only hiding place between the kitchen and the rear door.

  Kathy is about to order whoever is in the closet to come out with their hands up. Frank beckons her to be silent. Frank and Kathy both have their weapons pointed at the closet. Kathy looks at Frank, her eyes asking, What’s the delay?

  Frank is tense. The killer could burst out of the closet firing. The two of them will surely get him, but a stray bullet could injure or kill either one of them. This guy may not be thinking straight. At this point he may feel he has nothing to lose; come out guns blazing. If they identify themselves, he will have an idea of where they are. This guy could be setting them up; he could have an automatic weapon.

  Frank fires six rounds into the closet. Kathy is stunned, but she says nothing. The other two officers run upstairs as soon as they hear the gunfire. Kathy opens the closet.

  ***

  Matthew moves quickly through backyards into a quiet street. The real assassin probably made his way out in a similar fashion. Matthew knows this area well. He often visited Amanda and Inez . He knew Amanda was looking forward to going to Australia next year when Inez began the Environmental Studies program at the Australian university. Amanda had a list of places she was going to visit in Australia. She felt like a sister to him.

  Matthew quickly finds the laneway between two houses. He is sure the police will begin a foot patrol of the area and ask the neighbors if they saw anyone. He is fortunate that there are few neighbors about. He knew the area well enough that he is already merging on a busy main road with many people enjoying a casual evening stroll. Matthew has no idea how close he had come to being killed. As soon as he heard the two officers go down the stairs and the other officers move to the front of the house, he quietly slipped out the back door. That instinct saved his life.

  Matthew passes a car ready to pull into traffic. The next thing he sees is the mother taking the young girl back inside for a minute. He takes out his cell phone and places it under the front seat. He has put the cell phone on silent mode.

  After forty minutes, Matthew knows he is free. He also knows that there is a good chance the police will have alerted the entire region to find him. He is now a “person of interest.” Police code for prime suspect in the murder of Amanda Soto. The police still have to operate on the chance that he, too, has been killed, assuming his body has been removed or not yet found.

  Liam had given him a code. They never go to any pub called the Fox & Farmer. Mr. Farmer was a patient of Liam’s a long time ago. He owns a luxury condo on the Upper East Side. Mr. Farmer lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Matthew can’t remember his real name. Mr. Farmer owns one of the largest cattle ranches in Brazil, so they always call him Mr. Farmer. He uses the condo maybe one week out of the year. Liam was given keys and told to use it whenever he wanted. The building houses many international residents of considerable wealth. The doorman is discreet. Liam uses the place rarely, but they can talk freely and will not be found.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Amanda is dead,” says Matthew.

  Liam is watching TV. Matthew falls onto the sofa and stares straight up into the ceiling.

  “Twenty minutes after you called, the university president called me. The police are actively looking for you. I told them you just called me and said someone killed Amanda,” says Liam.

  “Why?”

  “They will have my phone records in days. If I didn’t mention the call, they would be suspicious.”

  Matthew outlines in detail the events surrounding Amanda’s murder.

  Liam’s face sags. His eyes narrow.

  “We are dealing with a ruthless group. Amanda had no knowledge of the Transplant Working Group. They would know that. She was killed solely to frame you. Your inquiries into Tom’s murder are making someone uncomfortable.”

  “Sarah.” Matthew tries to pick up the phone, but Liam grabs his hand.

  “Sarah was at the library with me. I said I’d be back in an hour.”

  “Forget about Sarah. For the time being, she is safe. You’re the one who is in a bit of a spot.”

  ***r />
  Jason Cooper’s sports car pulls up to the house. There is a complete forensic team and a large contingent of state, local, and federal police on site. The scene is controlled chaos. He has called ahead and three other military officers are waiting for his instructions at the site. The local police are aware that Jason has full control. However, he is not taking over the case. Jason comes in street clothes, trying to look like a detective.

  The Chief of Police greets him immediately, “Mr. Cooper?”

  “Chief Riggs?”

  “Glad you’re here. As you can see, we have a full house.”

  Jason surveys the mayhem which is the crime scene.

  Chief Riggs asks, “There is a lot of interest. Can you tell me why?”

  Jason ignores his request. “What does it look like so far?”

  “Amanda Soto was at home. Dr. Matthew MacAulay was seen entering the house by a neighbor. They knew him because he visited fairly regularly. Later, we got an anonymous call that two loud gunshots were heard coming from this location. The neighbor didn’t hear anything. When our men arrived, they found Amanda, shot in the head. Our men canvassed the neighborhood. Someone fitting Dr. MacAulay’s description was on a street five minutes walk from here, fleeing the scene. His car is still in the driveway.”

  “Do we have the murder weapon?”

  “Yes, Beretta.”

  The Chief and Jason walk over to the forensics team. Not an easy task with all the officials falling over each other. “Beretta, military issue.” The forensics expert shows Jason the murder weapon.

  “Carry on. Hand me that camera,” says Jason.

  Chief Riggs says, “No need, sir, you’ll have full access to all our crime scene photos.”

  “I’ll take you up on that.” Jason continues to take his own photos. He has no doubt the forensics will confirm Matthew’s prints.

  Gotcha.

  ***

  Sarah is very fit, but when she is stressed and angry, she likes to eat chocolate. She knows that dark chocolate is all the rage, but she loves creamy milk chocolate. She long ago reconciled this guilty pleasure as part of her personality. Many people do this, but at least she admits it. She makes sure to swim six times a week, and she does weights four times a week. With her recent diagnosis of ALS, she has increased her fitness regimen. Her body is firm and muscled.

  She tried to control her desire for chocolate during her competitive diving as a teen. She could not. Her mother always blamed it for her not making the Olympics. Sarah blamed her mom. Sarah doesn’t keep any of the stuff in her house, but at times like now, when she needs it, she heads to the grocery store. All premium items, only the best. No more guilt, she decides. She is a human being, and she is allowed to indulge in chocolate.

  Sarah jumps into her electric car. She had waited for Matthew for two hours at the library. She continued the research but could not find any leads on the identity of the transplant patient who had set this whole sorry tale in motion.

  She was angry. He could have just told her where he was going. Why leave her to do the work in the library? She had little time left and each minute wasted on this nonsense was a minute of her short life that she would never get back. Sarah pulls the car out from her space. As she moves up the condominium parking ramp onto the main road, she sees a head emerge from the back seat of her car. A white man with dark hair. He moves to her. The predator must have been lying in her car, waiting to strike. She is too scared to scream. Her body shudders and stomach acid fills her mouth. She can’t control the tremor in her hands. Her lower lip quivers and the right half of her face spasms.

  “It’s me.”

  Sarah becomes enraged when she sees Matthew’s smiling face clearly. She grips the steering wheel. The right side of Sarah’s face goes into a severe spasm. She tries to control it, making her lips quiver.

  “Sorry to scare you, but there was no other way.”

  “You break into my car, nearly give me a heart attack.” Sarah’s voice quickly increases to a shrill pitch. The longer she looks into the rear view mirror, the more the anger becomes physical. Sarah feels the sweat on the back of her shirt. She breathes slowly, and soon the facial spasm goes away.

  “I need an anesthetist.”

  “So you just expect me to jump and help you out.”

  “I’m going to go undercover and the only way to do it is to get a face transplant. You’re going to give the anesthetic.”

  “I’m not interested. Remember what I told you, Sherlock Holmes. You do the investigating on your own. I’m lying low for awhile, then I’m off.”

  “Amanda’s dead.”

  Sarah pulls the car over and stops in a parking spot at the side of the road.

  “So it’s started. They’re coming after us.”

  Matthew says, “It was made to look like I killed her. She’s the one who called me. The police are after me, and I can’t be seen in public.”

  “So the killer told her to call you to come over.”

  “They threatened her daughter, Inez.”

  “I’m sorry that happened, but I can’t help you. I don’t want anything more to do with this thing.”

  “Don’t you want to get whoever killed Amanda?”

  “I’m not involved.”

  “Don’t you see we need to stick together? Whoever is behind this will hunt us down one by one. We have no choice now.”

  “Please get out of my car.”

  “You’re the only person who can help me. We can’t bring in anyone else. I need you to do my face transplant.”

  “You’re going to get us all killed.”

  Matthew says, “Liam and I have a plan. Liam’s already got a plane that will take us to Palo Alto. There’s a transplant facility there.”

  “Why not do it here?”

  “The robotics at Tom’s facility are superior. He also has a Steriazol that allows for the perfect transplant.”

  “Then you’ll go undercover with your new face. You’ll be a totally different person so you can go around and, in no time, solve this thing.”

  “That’s about it.”

  “I will not help you. I am out. Now please leave my car.”

  Matthew gets out of the car and gently closes the door. Sarah watches him walk away. She puts her head on the steering wheel and begins to cry. The sobs get louder and louder until her whole body shakes.

  Sarah talks softly to herself. “Just let it out. Let it all out.”

  She wipes her face and takes her head off the steering wheel. Sarah starts the car and begins driving. After a few blocks, she sees Matthew. Sarah stops the car in front of him.

  “Get in.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Liam says, “She’s beautiful.”

  Alice answers, “I’m glad you like.”

  Liam asks, “The design elements are Swedish?”

  Kofi says, “Yes.”

  Alice says, “I think Tom and Kofi were going for a fresh take on modern contemporary.”

  Liam chuckles. “You would be at home in the Museum of Modern Art.”

  Alice says, “Thanks.”

  “I love your voice. Young, perky, but also confident and controlled.”

  Kofi scolds Liam. “Don’t flirt with my robot.”

  Liam runs his fingers over the brushed aluminum joystick controls. They are shaped with sensuous curves. The aluminum accents and the white lacquer finish surround the control chair. “I never believed in love at first sight. Now I’m not so sure.”

  Kofi says, “Alice can do a few tricks.”

  With that Kofi has Alice run through a 3-D hologram of a face transplant. Liam sits in the seat that is Alice’s center. He puts his hands on the joysticks and runs through some basic transplant techniques. Then he goes over to Sarah, who is sitting in a chair by herself.

  “On the plane ride over, you seemed upset. Can I help?”

  Sarah says, “A simple six-month job before I started traveling the world has gone sideways. I’m now roped int
o doing a secret face transplant. Yes, I’m upset.”

  “None of us planned this. We’re all in the same boat.”

  “I had already lined up some temporary positions in Europe. I was getting my trip finalized.”

  “I understand. Let’s try to get this thing solved as fast as we can. Then we all go back to our lives.”

  “I know that. It’s just hard. I feel caged. Caged in a body that soon I won’t be able to control. ALS will rob me of every dignity. And I’m roped into a plan to find a killer. I have no choice. I have to help if I have any hope of avoiding Amanda’s fate. I know that. Caged, with no way out.”

  Matthew walks over to them. “What are you two so intently talking about?”

  Liam says, “We’re trying to find a way to solve this thing fast. Let’s get on with the transplant.”

  Sarah carefully checks the anesthetic machine. She signals she is ready. Matthew is already on the operating table, ready to be transplanted. Kofi puts the titanium canister with the face that will be put onto Matthew’s body beside the operating room table. Kofi then goes to the control chair and takes a seat.

  Liam will act as Kofi’s assistant. Liam stands beside the patient. He watches the three mechanical arms whir and twist as Kofi maneuvers the joysticks.

  Kofi says, “This is a complete trans. You understand the risks. Now is the time to back out.”

  Matthew answers, “Do it, complete trans, a new me.”

  Liam is amazed. The precise scalpel blade cut along Matthew’s hairline starts at the forehead. The incision then goes behind his ear and curves just under his jawline. Slowly, the dissection removes the skin precisely, taking his face off in one nice sheet of tissue. The underlying muscles are left intact. Within fifty-five minutes, Matthew’s face has been removed.

  A titanium canister is raised from a place in the floor beside the operating room table. Matthew’s face is gently placed in the canister. The lid is sealed and the titanium canister mechanically moves to the storage area. The precision and majesty of the process are awe-inspiring. Liam looks across at the second container, holding the donor face. “Do we know who the face came from?”