He was standing on the terrace wrapped in blue bathrobes pouring something in an iron basket.
“You are burning something.” She reached him asking.
“Yup. The black stain on my freedom.” He poured more whiskey on the contents of the basket and threw a burning match inside. It instantly caught fire.
“What was that?” Alicia looked at him in amazement. Garret had bathed and shaved in a very little time. He was definitely handsome under all the layers of dirt and soiled clothes.
“Allow me to introduce myself, Garret Michael.” He stretched his hand towards her as they were meeting for the first time. She smiled and shook hands with him. “I remember that we were not introduced properly last night which was totally deliberate. I only like to be introduced at my best.” He chattered without leaving her hand. “May I ask who is my beautiful companion?”
“Alicia … Alicia Stone. I work in a bookstore.” She pulled her hand back with effort.
“Let’s have a breakfast, Alicia.”
Garret made her egg sandwiches in breakfast. When she asked for tea, he made a face.
“British.” He murmured under his breath.
“So what were you burning?” She asked again eating her sandwich.
“My clothes. It would be better, if he killed me, but that monster, he locked me up and it is worse than getting killed in my dictionary.” He looked vengeful.
“It is worse in my dictionary too,” she agreed. “So how did you get kidnapped?”
“I was going to Georgestown when I stopped at the gas station. That’s the last thing I remember.” He said thoughtfully.
“So you are on your own now?” Alicia asked him
“Hmmmm.” He said concentrating on his coffee.
“What will you do now?”
“I will try to contact the Austria Division to get further orders.” Garret said thoughtfully.
“You don’t want to catch the killer of your brother?” Alicia asked.
“This guy we are talking about; he is not just another man. He had become a headache for our entire brotherhood since a long time and we cannot really catch him. He doesn’t go around killing people. He hires people to do his dirty work. It’s not that easy to catch him.”
“Look, whether we can catch him or not, the fact still stands that he kidnapped me, while I had nothing to do with your brotherhood which makes me believe that I was on the right track.” Alicia said with determination.
“What do you want from me?” Garret asked.
“You are on your own and I am on my own, and we cannot go to Georgestown where we want to go. Now we have got some time at our hands so how about if we—exchange notes?” Alicia asked carefully.
“I can’t ‘exchange notes’. I am under an oath to not share any secrets with strangers.” Garret said helplessly.
“But, I am not a stranger. I already know about the Legacy so I don’t fall in that category.”
Garret leaned back on his chair and thought for a second. “Fine, in for a penny; in for a pound. What do you want to know?”
“What is Legacy?”
“Legacy is a private research organization dedicated itself to build a better world, to produce new knowledge, to guard the nature of life, and to adhere to the high moral values.” Garret explained.
“Err. Thanks for the mission statement. What exactly do you do in daily life?” Alicia still looked puzzled.
“We live our life, just like you do. Legacy doesn’t ask people to change their goals in life. In fact, being a part of Legacy means not having any excuse to not achieve your goals. You will get funds, scholarships, PR opportunities, working opportunities and a very hefty sum of money.”
“Then how is it different then not being a part of Legacy?” Alicia asked.
“Good question. Active members of Legacy are scientists. They research and ‘produce new knowledge’ which is our primary objective. We also accept passive members who are not scientists by profession. Being a brother means, you have to answer whenever Legacy calls you for help. Imagine you are a doctor which you always wanted to be, and you are working at a hospital of your choice and then you get a call from Legacy. The brotherhood wants you to go to a certain place to treat a certain patient. You have to go. You cannot say no. At the end of the month, you get paid from the hospital as well as from the Legacy. Double Benefits, without doing anything out of your way. If you get broke, the Legacy will provide you housing and maintenance allowance until you get back on your feet. If you are a business man, you have to offer job to a brother looking for a similar job. Being a brother simply means you have to put Legacy as your first priority without compromising any aspect of your life.” Garret explained.
“Why do you need to keep it a secret? There are many private research organizations working around the world.” Alicia asked.
“Because of the research; that is a pot of gold. If a wrong person joins the Legacy, he can use that research for personal benefit. He can sell those researches to some third-world governments who don’t care about ethics and moral values. How much do you think a government would pay for the formula of a poison which would only target people of a certain genetic characteristic. The market price is reaching the billions. This is exactly what happened in case of Maximón.” Garret said gravely.
“Who is Maximón?”
“The man I told you about, the boogeyman, the brother who gone rogue. He was our brother and he turned against us. He sworn to vanquish the brotherhood a long time ago and since then he never leaves a single opportunity to harm us.”
“You think Maximón is behind Georgestown murders?”
“He would have hired someone to do it. He can also make a brother to betray us.” He sounded bitter. “If your own brother betrays you, there is nothing much left to do.”
“Why would a brother turn coat?”
“For money.”
Alicia felt troubled. “Money is a dangerous criterion. Anyone will fall flat for it.”
“That’s how he exterminated the Polish division.” Garret looked sadly out of the window. “Now all my brothers are dead and I am alone.”
“What about your family?”
“My parents have retired from the Legacy. They live in old town now.”
“So why were you coming to Georgestown?” Alicia still felt that the story was incomplete.
“I was coming to meet the Archiver.”
“Who is the Archiver?”
“He is a guy who keep the record of researches. Every time someone finishes a research, he has to meet the Archiver in person to submit all the relevant material for archiving.”
“You know this guy? The Archiver?”
“No. I only had GPS co-ordinates.”
Alicia tried to make sense of what Garret told her, but there were so many threads tangled with each other.
“My Police Chief said that this Maximón is after some ancient scripture. Is that true?”
“There are some rumors of an ancient scripture kept hidden by the brotherhood, but these are mostly rumors. All he wants is to kill each and every brother with the four elders.” Garret said.
“Now who are the four elders?”
“They are the decision-making body of the Legacy. No research can be conducted without their approval. No person can be initiated without their approval.”
“Did you see them?” Alicia asked curiously.
“Err, kind of. Their faces were hidden behind masks during the initiation ceremony.” Garret made a face.
“Did you take a blood bath on initiation?” She pressed her lips to hide her smile.
Garret looked offended to which she chuckled.
“Back to the problem, if we assume that this man, who is working for Maximón, has killed Bernard, then why did he throw his body in town? He could have buried it or throw it in the building where he kept us. Why did he draw attention to himself? If he can kidnap people openly and carry them out of town, don’t you think dead bodies are l
ot easier to carry?” Alicia asked.
Garret thought for few minutes.
“Perhaps, he wants a response. He is in Georgestown, but I guess he has not reached the brothers yet, so he killed Bernie and throw his dead body hoping that a brother will come forward to identify it and to give it proper burial.” He suddenly slammed the table. “That’s it. He did the same thing in Warsaw. There was a murder in a bookstore few months ago, and Bernie and me went there to claim the body of our brother.”
“Yes, I read about that. I tried to contact you after reading about it, because it was just like the murder at my bookstore.” Alicia remembered.
“This is his strategy to bring all the brothers out in open, one by one, tearing their veil of secrecy. Damn.” Garret was angry.
“But, in Georgestown, nobody came forward to identify Bernard.” She was confused.
“Because they knew it’s a trap. This is the only logical explanation.”
“So he killed two people to make brotherhood respond, then why did he kill Rebecca?”
“Who is Rebecca?” Garret asked.
“She was my class fellow at law college.” She said sadly.
“But, you said you worked in a bookstore.”
“I am a law graduate.” She said as if confessing a crime.
“And works in a bookstore… ooh the plot thickens.” He smiled.
“I wish I could show you all the victims. You might recognize the others as well. Do you have a computer ... and internet?” She asked to distract him from ogling at her. “Also a mobile phone, if possible?”
He gave her a rectangular object with an antenna on it which she was unable to classify.
“What is this thingamajig?” Alicia examined the device.
“It’s a phone, and it is untraceable. Just make sure to not giveaway your location.” Garret advised her.
“Fine. How am I supposed to operate this thing?” she tried to make a call for several minutes. Finally, she gave up and gave Flora’s number to Garret, who dialed it in a minute.
“Flora?” She said hastily listening to her voice on mobile.
“Alicia! Where are you? We are so worried.” Flora has started crying on the other end.
“I am fine. Someone kidnapped me, but I escaped from there. I am with a friend now so there is no need to worry.” She tried to console her.
“Where are you?” The next voice came out of ear piece was of Kripke.
“Hey Kripke! I am sorry. I have just got a mobile. I will try to reach home in few hours.” She said and cut the call quickly. If she let Flora or Kripke talked, they would not let her disconnect without disclosing her location.
“Phew, get to work now.” She opened the laptop Garret put on the kitchen table.
“Promise me, you will not look into my browser history.” He murmured.
Alicia giggled.
She opened her email box and opened the PDFs sent by Harry. “Take a look at this man.” She showed him the photo of first victim.
Garret picked the chair beside her and looked thoroughly. “I don’t know him, but he could still be from some other division.”
“Alright.” Next, she opened her Facebook account. She remembered adding Rebecca a long time ago. She opened her profile which showed her photo in display picture.
Garret jumped suddenly, “that’s the bitch.”
“Language! She is dead.”
“Totally deserved it.” Garret was still hyper.
“How do you know her?” she asked.
“Well I was in a bar in Warsaw … and we talked to each other. She said she was there on vacation and then we became friends.”
“Wait a minute. Did this happen before the murder at the bookstore or after?” Alicia asked.
“After the murder, because she mentioned seeing my photo in a newspaper.” Garret tried to remember.
“What happened then?”
“Well, she asked about meeting my other friends and she ended up liking Jory. Then she totally ditched me for him, and after that none of us ever heard of him.”
“He died?” Alicia asked in shock.
“No, we never found his body. He vanished or kidnapped or killed and fed to dogs, whatever pleases you.” Garret shrugged his shoulder.
“But why him?” She signed out of her mailbox.
“Because he was second-in-command after the Head of the Division. He held the passwords of the records of members, researches, and bank accounts of our division. That’s the thing about Max, he is just like us. He always aims for the most knowledgeable person. The one who holds the knowledge holds the power.”
“You don’t think Jory is dead?” Alicia examined him.
“I didn’t say that.” Garret tried to smile avoiding eye contact.
“You said something earlier about betraying. You think he changed sides.” Alicia said.
“I don’t want to stain his last memory, alright. He might be dead; he might be not. There is a fifty-fifty chance in my mind.” Garret sounded tired.
“But you said that Legacy pay well to the brothers and take care of their all needs, then why would someone change sides?”
“Because there is no such thing as free money with Legacy. You have to work to earn it. On the other hand, if you sell our secrets, you might become an underground billionaire overnight and, the best part, you are retired for life. Who wouldn’t like this deal?” Garret asked her bitterly. He suddenly looked older than his age.
“So Rebecca was working for Max, but then why did he killer her?” She wondered loudly.
“Perhaps she double crossed him as well.”
Alicia remembered a conversation happened a long time ago in a restaurant over a dinner table. “Rebecca was going to work with Melanie in London which meant she severed ties with the killer, so it is clear that Max is responsible for Georgestown murders as well.”
“Yes, but important thing is finding the person who is working for him. For all we know, Max would be sitting in Bahamas drinking margaritas.” Garret looked bored.
“It’s like finding Mr X.” She closed the lid of the laptop.
“That sounds like Math class, find x. Why would someone want to find his ex? It is ex for a reason.” He said with the boyish charm which made Alicia giggled.
“I was thinking that you and me…” he left the sentence suggestively.
“You and me what?” She didn’t get it.
“God! You small town girls are so slow. Well, we had been in a rough situation together and then we ran away together. Isn’t it romantic?” Garret’s smile was full of charm.
“You know what. I am twenty-six and no one flirted that much with me in my whole life as much as you did in last twenty-four hours.” She smiled.
“Should I take it as a yes?”
“No, but I will give full marks for frankness.”
“And how many marks do I need for a yes?” Garret was still not backing of.
“Stop it.” She giggled.
“Jokes apart,” Garret turned serious, “the type of life I am living I had only two options, either become a spinster or become a hippie; eat, drink and be merry. I chose the latter.”
Alicia remembered a spinster in her life. She wondered where he would be right now and what he would be doing.
Would he get worried about me?
“I really need to go home.” She suddenly felt home sick. She wanted to go back the bookstore and confronted Ken. She could expect from Harry to be an insensitive jerk, but not from Ken.
“Why do you want to go home? There is a killer at large who has a special interest in you. Are you suicidal?” Garret asked her.
“But if we stay here, the killer will never get caught. Only I know about this whole brotherhood thing. Only I know the motive. Police will never be able to catch him without this information.” Alicia said.
“Police will not believe you without a proof.” He said.
“You are the proof and I am also a proof that we two are connected, th
at my kidnapper is the same guy who killed Bernard and all the other victims in Georgestown.” Alicia thought she was right.
“But you didn’t see his face, neither did I.” Garret dismissed her notion. “We still don’t know how does he look. You know what we need? We need to catch him red-handed.”
“What if we ask for help from your brothers in Legacy?” She asked hopefully.
“All my brothers in Warsaw are dead and the few I know in Vienna know nothing about this situation.” Garret said shattering her hope.
They both set silently reflecting upon their problem, then they both looked at each other and said together.
“Co-ordinates.”
Alicia pulled laptop towards her and raised the lid. “We might be able to do something from here.”
He checked in his mobile. “Latitude=52.575912; Longitude=-0.241554.”
“Wait, wait.” She entered the numbers on a website which let the users convert GPS co-ordinates to addresses. At that moment, they heard a metal screeching sound from outside. The noise was coming from the entrance hall. They both rushed out to see what was happening. Alicia watched the door handle turning, then the same screeching sound came from the keyhole. Somebody was trying to open the entrance door from outside.
“Do you have any weapon?” Alicia asked feeling scared.
“Wait. There is one somewhere.” Garret went to the kitchen.
She looked at the door with hair rising on her neck. A final clicking sound came out of the keyhole, and the door opened noiselessly. A pair of shoes entered in the hall, and she screamed.
“Garret.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Answers
The person entering the house was as shocked as Alicia. She gawked at the man with long black hair who was holding a pistol, with a long silencer.
“What are you doing here?” Contrary to his usual droopy self, Ken was looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in white shirt and black slacks. He quickly checked behind curtains and couches. “Who else is there?”
“There is a guy. We both were kept in the same building, but we escaped. He brought me here.” Alicia said.
The Killing Scripture (Alicia Stone Series Book 1) Page 14
