by James Flynn
The forensic woman looked solemn. “My first officer murder … not nice.”
“What about the seventh bullet?” Beltrano asked.
“Ah, now that was a lucky one.” The woman lifted her arm and placed her finger on the crux between Beltrano’s top lip and nostrils. “Straight through, severing the brain stem from the spinal column, but as I say, looking at the shot patterns it would have been luck more than judgement and …”
Beltrano cut her off. “Where is the body?”
The woman pointed over to a large ambulance with its red lights lazily rotating. “They are all ready to ship him off for further analysis.”
“Thank you for your help, Signora, please keep us informed of any further developments,” Beltrano nodded and headed for the ambulance, Delvechi in tow.
“So I am guessing you think this was the work of our man?”
Beltrano didn’t answer.
“Well in a way I hope it was; at least we know what we’re up against.”
“Do we?” snapped Beltrano. He tapped loudly on the ambulance rear doors.
A short bald man threw the door open. Beltrano flashed his ID and stepped up into the makeshift morgue. The lights were eye-achingly bright inside, and there was barely room for two let alone four. Delvechi hovered at the doors.
Beltrano edged around the blue mortuary bag that was sat on a stretcher. “I need to open it up.”
“Sure.” The man unzipped the bag and manoeuvred it so that the officer’s torso and top half of his legs were exposed. He was naked.
His eyes had been shut, but Beltrano didn’t linger on his face. He focused in on the dull ring mark on the man’s top lip, it was positioned almost dead centre. Moving his eyes down to the man’s chest he examined the other bullet holes. They were in odd places, none were near any vital organs. One bullet had gone in the top part of his right thigh, the last just above the knee on the left leg. The man had clearly been left lying on his back as the blood had started to pool on the bottom half of his body, giving the upper skin a pale, porcelain appearance. The bullet holes appeared as nothing more than spherical marks, almost innocuous; however, it would be a different story on the other side.
“Grazie.” Beltrano shifted back past the stretcher and dropped down onto the tarmac. The doors were closed behind him. He stood sternly surveying the area.
“Do you know what I think, Sir? I think that this guy who took the scientist has just got caught in the middle of something bigger than him. I mean, look at his handiwork.” Delvechi pointed at the ambulance. “I really do feel we should be focusing on the other two gunman who were at the scene. I shall have a word with our friend Nestor and get a team …”
Beltrano cut him short. “The mountains are beautiful at night, aren’t they?” He swivelled to face the town flickering in the distance. “Let me be clear with you, Officer Delvechi. The man who took Miss Chung has not just got caught up in something, he is a professional.”
“But Sir, there is nothing to support …”
“Why north?”
Delvechi looked puzzled.
“If you drop any normal civilian into the middle of open countryside at night in near-freezing temperatures they will pick the path of least resistance to get to safety and warmth. Yet here we are, stood on the furthest point from the Observatory, which means thought and discipline have gone into this manoeuvre.”
Delvechi thought about what his superior was saying.
“He knew we would have the southern points sewn up.”
“But the shots, you saw the body, Sir.” Delvechi was unsure.
“Decoy. The man was killed with one shot, through the brain stem. The other shots were just to make us question.”
“I am not sure …”
Beltrano roared, “I don’t care if you are sure, that is what happened and I want him found.” He emphasised the last four words. Delvechi was shocked by his superior’s tone.
Beltrano continued, “He has Miss Chung and is running around killing law enforcement, and you still don’t think he is where our focus should be?”
‘Sir, I am not saying he shouldn’t be found, and quickly, but do you not feel like something isn’t right? I mean, why take her? What is his purpose? The two other gunmen are surely still a threat. What is it about this scientist? I am struggling to connect all this to Vittorio.”
Beltrano bristled. “I do not care about the other two gunmen! Until they kidnap someone and begin killing innocent victims we stay focused on our man. Understand?”
“Perhaps Professor Brun can shed some …”
Beltrano exploded, “FIND HIM! I do not care about anything apart from Miss Chung and her abductor. You argue again and you’re off the case.”
Delvechi conceded defeat; it was a battle he wasn’t going to win, well, certainly not by arguing.
Officer Nestor came running over, seeing the tension he coughed. “Excuse me … but you are going to want to know this … we have found the officer’s car.”
“Where?” Beltrano started back towards the cars.
“About five miles from here, just outside town, dumped into a bog, it was partially submerged in mud and water, the car broke through a loose layer of ice.”
Professional, thought Beltrano as he broke into a jog.
35.
Label off the leather chair, label off the brass candlestick, label on the table lamp, label on the gold picture frame.
Luke stood facing Chung Su; they were located opposite the small hotel, in a dark patch of the street. It was a quiet evening and Luke was observing the comings and goings. He was on edge; they were in town and he needed to wrap up two loose ends: the hotel and the Audi. The car was parked a few blocks away, never keep transport near your rest location.
“Talk,” Luke spoke quietly; he needed it to look like they were in deep conversation. He would give off a fake laugh every now and again, going through the motions of a real conversation, whilst flicking his eyes over her shoulder to monitor every movement. Thus far there were no new faces.
“So is that normal for you? Death.” Chung Su no longer had anything to talk about apart from the immediate horror of the situation.
Label back on the leather chair, label on the sofa, label on the armchair.
“Some would argue death is a necessary part of life.” Luke kept his eyes averted.
“I believe that when great thinkers say this, they mean a natural death after a natural life.”
Luke wanted to change the subject. “The two men who showed up at the Observatory, how many times had you noticed them before?”
“Erm … just the once, in the town. Then I didn’t see them again until …” she trailed off.
“So that was before you met Professor Brun at the laboratory?”
Chung Su nodded. It confirmed for Luke that the men were definitely focused on her.
“I am hungry,” moaned Chung Su. “Why are we stood here like this?”
There was much he needed to question Chung Su on, but it would have to wait.
“We are going to enter that hotel. We will act happy and calm, ok?”
Chung Su nodded.
“We will move to the room. You touch nothing, understood?”
“Yes.”
“We will be in and out quickly. Let’s go … oh and smile.”
Crossing the street, Luke grasped Chung Su’s hand, always keeping vigilant of his surroundings. Bursting into the lobby he adopted a broad smile as the dark-haired receptionist clocked him and his partner. She at first gave him a genuine smile, then Luke saw her brain start to work, examining their clothes and eyeing Chung Su. Luke knew the last time he had seen her he had been smartly dressed, and then he had not returned the previous evening. He gave her a wink to give her a push to the conclusion she was already working towards.
“Good evening, Signor.” She gave a sly smile.
They didn’t stop as they swept through reception and headed over to the stairs, taking two at a time.
Reaching his floor they moved out into the corridor. Luke changed pace, slowing and listening to all exterior noise. The corridor was quiet, a TV played in a room down the far end, but it was dull and muffled. Luke walked cautiously toward his room, Chung Su following behind. Reaching the door, Luke dropped onto his knee, and couldn’t believe what he saw.
Without a word he loosened his right glove and tucked it in his pocket, he then shot his hand under his shirt and gently pulled out the Sig Sauer from his waistband.
“What is it?” Chung Su whispered.
Luke put his finger up to his mouth, indicating silence. The small piece of tape he had placed across the door frame had not just been broken, it had disappeared completely. Maybe it was the cleaners. Luke shook off the idea. On his first night he had asked for no cleaning for his whole stay and they had stuck to it.
Forcing all the air from his lungs, Luke eased his ear against the door. He heard nothing. Behind him, Chung Su was now crouching. He took a deep breath, making sure his mind stayed logical and panic did not take over. Flicking the safety off, Luke gripped the door handle, holding his other palm up to Chung Su. She nodded her understanding. Get in fast, hard and don’t hesitate. Luke stood upright and braced his knees to push hard against the door. He let out a final exhale of breath and pressed his shoulder against the door; one, two three …
Luke suddenly stopped. He let go of the handle and dropped back onto his knee. He stroked the thick blue carpet and again caught the reflective flash. He used his thumb and forefinger to dip into the carpet and extract the cause of the reflection. Lifting it up to the light he couldn’t help but let out a snigger. The piece of tape was whole, it had obviously lost its adhesive quality overnight and fallen off … primitive. If someone had noticed the tape and removed it they would not have left it on the floor. He relaxed his body.
Luke stood and turned to Chung Su, offering his hand. “In here. Sit down and touch nothing.”
***
Brun waved forlornly as the car rattled up the road.
He had just waved goodbye to his wife; amongst the confusion of thoughts one cried louder than any other and that was Pearl’s safety. He had convinced her that the police felt it was best that they stayed somewhere else for a few days. She should go to her brother’s in the northern city of Padua, and once he had tied up some loose ends at the laboratory he would follow in a couple of days. That was a lie; the police had made no such suggestion, but Brun had been told from a young age to listen to his heart, a trait that had served him well through his years as a research scientist.
He tilted his head back and took solace in his first true love, the stars. The giant celestial bodies projected their light from all corners of the galaxy and Brun suddenly found himself recalling the words of one of his scientific heroes, Julius Oppenheimer, the chief theoretical physicist on the Manhattan Project, the team responsible for the first atomic bomb. It was Oppenheimer’s verve and genius that led to the development of the bomb and its first test detonation in 1943. Upon first seeing the awesome power, Oppenheimer famously said it brought to mind the phrase Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds, a line from the Bhagavad Gita.
How was Oppenheimer so naive? Brun closed his eyes. How have I been so naive? Pursuing a scientific feat had become an end in itself. Professor Vittorio’s drive and enthusiasm seemed impervious to negative feelings or thoughts. They were breaking new ground, unlocking further secrets of the universe, which was as far as Brun’s thinking had gone. It was as far as he had let himself think.
There was no way back, they had found the key to Pandora’s Box and without hesitation had pushed it into the lock and turned. So much good can be achieved. A twinge of anger rose inside him, a fury at the nature of mankind and its incessant need to collect things that all others want for selfish destructive purposes. Vittorio was not above this, that was the true source of his anger.
The feeling didn’t last long; he no longer had the energy required to sustain such anger, it was late and fate would have to wait for another night.
Sucking in a lungful of fresh, freezing air Brun lowered his head. Albert Einstein had first written about the theory of relativity in 1905. It would not be for another seventeen years that the theory was refined and proved conclusively. It took us less than half that amount of time to unravel its fibre and tear it apart.
Brun sat down on the front steps, moaning as his aching bones came to rest. His body was cold but it was freeing, sharpening his mind. He took off his glasses and rubbed behind his ears. Tears began to fall down his cheeks … what have I done? The self-loathing was acute, the extent of what he had participated in was too great to ignore. His construction of naivety had lost its foundation and he had nothing left to hide behind.
Wiping his tearful eyes he replaced his glasses, noticing that one of the front porch lights was off. He shook his head at the familiar sight and flicked the bulb a few times, eventually causing the light to flicker into life. He didn’t see the sharp flash of reflected light bouncing off a gun sight in the dead ground overlooking his driveway.
36.
Thursday 15th November
“Don’t look back.” Luke kept his voice low and half-dragged Chung Su along the street.
The smell of burning plastic and fabric already filled the air, the lapping flames pumped thick black smoke into the early morning sky. There had been nothing delicate about setting fire to the Audi; the force of the reaction was always impressive. Luke had wound all the windows down so they didn’t smash when the fire began its pursuit for more oxygen; he wanted it to burn for a while before authorities were called.
Chung Su was pulled along, the smell causing terrible memories of her childhood. The choking smell of material fire had imprinted terror on her at an early age. Many of the border villages had been ransacked and burnt, pillars of black churning skywards. She went to turn back to look at the car, but was yanked forward.
“Don’t look back.” Luke was forceful.
They reached the end of the road and turned right and then right again so that they were now walking down a road adjacent to the burning car. The streets were not in neat rows but set at random angles, which suited Luke just fine. He threw them around one corner after another, walking at a fast pace, gradually heading south away from the smoking wreck.
Chung Su was surprised by how awake she felt. She was desperately hungry but her muscles felt energised and her mind was no longer dull. She was ashamedly excited at the thought of getting closer to the heart of Professor Vittorio’s revolutionary breakthrough. She was aware enough to know that the plot she was embroiled in had at its heart the amazing feat that OPERA had achieved.
“I’m hungry,” Chung Su whispered, and her breath steamed in front.
“We will find somewhere to eat, but first let’s put some more distance between us and that.” He pointed into the distance; the smoke could still be seen drifting in the moonlight.
“Ok.”
“And when we eat, you need to start talking.”
“About what?” Chung Su replied innocently.
“Everything.”
“I don’t know anything.”
Luke took a step closer to Chung Su. He was framed by a streetlight. Without changing his expression he spoke in a low tone. “When we eat, you will talk, no more bullshit.”
Luke headed down a narrow alleyway. Chung Su gritted her teeth; it unsettled her but she was truly lost without him. Squeezing past a stack of ripped plastic containers she moved after him, in the distance the first sirens played on the air.
***
The plates crashed onto the table, thrown with as much care as the owner put into his appearance. He nodded and grunted, scratching underneath his hair net as he waddled back to the kitchen.
They were sat at a tiny little café on Via Nicola Dati that from the outside barely looked inhabitable let alone able to serve food. It occupied the lower floor of a three-storey building. Each window on the second and
third floor was boarded up. Luke had chosen it because it was inconspicuous and, according to the sign in the window, open twenty-four hours a day.
They had both ordered a bacon and salami ciabatta with chips and two cans of Coke. Chung Su grabbed the sandwich and took a large bite, following it rapidly with a handful of thin, crispy chips. Her stomach rumbled as her body prepared for the food. Luke took note of exit points; the primary was the entrance leading out onto the quiet street, the only other was a wooden door visible through the kitchen behind the counter. The owner was working alone and Luke and Chung Su were the only customers.
“I need to visit Professor Vittorio’s residence.” Luke swigged his Coke as he spoke.
Chung Su looked at him, and responded with a mouthful of food, “Where is that?”
“It is in L’Aquila, a town close to here.”
Chung Su didn’t respond. She took the last bite of the ciabatta and washed it down with her Coke. Feeling a sharp shot of indigestion she gave herself a breather. Yet again her mind drifted to the gala, it now felt all so surreal, she blocked out the violence and ran over what she remembered of Brun’s words. Yin and Yang…that one phrase kept repeating, what is it? Her understanding of the term was in the spiritual balance of all things, in science balance often referred to elements and their counterparts…their opposites…opposites, Chung Su had a flash of a thought, in science when dealing with matter and particles that make up the building blocks of the universe, it was widely believed that everything had a direct opposite, a mirror particle or ‘anti’ particle, such as matter having anti-matter…Yin and Yang. Impossible, she shook it off, everyone who had ever researched the neutrino knew that as a particle it was unique in nature, a neutrino was its own anti-neutrino, and this had added to the intrigue and beauty around it.
“Chung Su … I need to know who else has been interested in this work. I know you are going to say, ‘everyone in the scientific community’ … but we both know what I mean.”
Chung Su played with her Coke can and didn’t answer.
