by Al Cooper
- So, without further?
- So.
- Do you know to Feaks?
- Yes, he takes all his lifetime in the party but always has been a mediocre one. But he wouldn't mind selling his soul to the devil so to gain power.
- I can think of no reason why the Feaks group had been able to influence on Harold to the point of destroy him in this way ...
- I must admit that I have thought one ... but I ended up rejecting the idea.
- What do you mean? ...
- Initially I thought the only possibility would be they had been subjected him to such blackmail that he would have been forced to resign for Feaks.
Carol was cold. In order to blackmail someone it would be necessary looking for a solid weak point on the victim and she knew that they were not going to find it in Harold. Or perhaps yes? ... because in a situation where the person you love and you believe to know in-depth changes so drastically, everything seems potentially possible. Perhaps a matter of skirts? ... She could not imagine Harold cheating her, they always have formed a unit, a team, she had full confidence in his love and fidelity. She kept away ghosts from her head to answer.
- It's impossible. Blackmail? They wouldn't find a minimal basis for doing so.
Thomas stared at her for about a few seconds. Then he nodded.
- So I quickly banished such possibility. It has no solid foundation.
- No, none. When I am alone with him then I'll know the truth just look into his eyes.
Thomas sighed and looked down. For a few seconds remained hesitant, then get up and invited her to accompany him with a gesture. Carol soon understood that Thomas had finally decided to say something so transcendent that he had decided to seek a minimum of privacy to do so. She could barely conceal her nervous state. Her legs failed and her lips trembled when smiling to everyone who greeted her to meet them on her way down the long corridor to cross the access door. Thomas pointed to a small office and once inside he insisted that she sit. It took some time for him to begin to talk, until the point that time seemed eternal to her. When he decided to do it made it very slowly, trying to measure every word.
- It should be Harold who told this to you. But first you deserve an explanation. Secondly I have the honor to consider me your best friend and I can’t deliberately failing to reality.
Thomas opened slightly the door, beckoned the attention of one of the security guards and said something to him. Carol was so blocked that she could not speak. She just wanted that Thomas continued, so she simply watched the scene. Then he continued trying to avoid at all costs her look of despair.
- And third, Harold prayed me that was me who told it to you when this damn Convention finished. He said that he wouldn't gather enough strength to do it. It has no sense to hide it to you for more time.
- He ... never has ... acted ... in this way ... Whatever it was ... He always would have said it... He's not a ... coward ... - Carol replied, stammering in a weak voice -
- This Harold is very different.
The door opened and came in a waiter carrying a tray with tea, some cookies and some pills that Thomas took before she perceived them. For the first time in her life, Carol shunned a situation. She knew his friend had to tell her something for what could not be ready, so she took half a cup in a sip and then asked a question that didn't fail to surprise to Thomas.
- Before you go on. You are his lifelong friend, you know him almost as good as me. And you've been with him last month, sharing the campaign effort. When did you perceive some strange in his behavior?
- The change was vivid, almost sudden. One night said me that Feaks and some party members urgently wanted to speak with him and they had invited him to lunch the next day.
- Do not you wonder they wanted?
- Yeah, of course. But he said he didn't know, they had not wanted to reveal it.
- He could have refused.
- Carol! You know perfectly how he is ... or ... he was! ... If someone calls at his door, always have a minute for him, even if he has to fit his diary. When I saw him the next day, did not seem the same. Hardly spoke, even stuttered. He avoided any conversation.
- So? ...
- He looked very tired. We decided we had to make certain medical tests, although he didn’t want.
At this point, Carol's eyes were opened for an excessive way, she did not miss even the slightest expression of the face of Thomas, who began to look down as he talked, more and more nervous.
- Tests were so surprising ... for everyone.
- By God, not take it anymore! Be merciful to me, understand me, I can’t endure this anymore! Tell me, I implore you, whatever it is, tell me it ... at once!
- Carol, the evidence from test suggests that Harold is ... very sick ...
- God! What about it? - Carol was on the verge of hysteria, she rose from her seat, but Thomas managed to retain her, approached her and decided to face her. -
- He has a brain tumor and a rare bone cancer in ... terminal state.
Carol dropped into the seat, covered her face with her handkerchief and began to mourn.
- No way! No way! Tell me ... is not true, tell me ...
- Unfortunately, it is. Metastasis is irreversible.
- But he was so fine ...
- Experts believe that kind of cancer is extremely aggressive although it had not given any notice to date.
- And it's not possible to do .... Tell me ... do not ...
Thomas made a shake of his head as first tears appeared on his face.
- Nothing, we can't do anything, absolutely anything ... doctors have been clear.
- How long is it ...? ...
Thomas tried to compose himself before answering. He made a supreme effort and from his lips came the words that ended up massacring Carol.
- Three, four months ... maybe ... less ...
Thomas did not want to reveal her the cruel and fleeting thought that happened at that moment for his head. He recalled the emergency meetings in the Party against the unexpected situation arising, which had little or nothing to do with the most sensitive side of those present but with the most genuine self-interest. The dilemma was to decide between the possibility to move forward with the nomination of Harold or if it was essential to find an alternative, with the risks involved. There were disparate voices in the party, but both were forced to make a decision that they were avoiding at all costs. The initial pressures to doctors to get that Harold goes ahead while he underwent in parallel with aggressive chemotherapy, were overwhelmed by the harsh reality: none of the experts consulted gave him more than three months of life. Put another way: Harold would not reach the November elections. Whether he continued with his candidature could be inhuman in the eyes of citizens, made no sense. Finally won the criterion extended to treat Harold's disease with discretion and find another candidate. A stranger, Feaks, was proposed by a wing of the party and endorsed by Harold with the amazement of Thomas.
Thomas approached Carol with two of the pills in his hand and urged she take them. Those tranquilizers would help her cope with her immense pain.
XV
With just take a look around, it was easy to draw the conclusion that Sheridan had lived like rats. Or even more, he had coexisted with them. Calling as lair to his ramshackle, lugubrious, grimy, dirty and unkempt apartment had been pretty the same that describing as cultured and refined gentleman to the famous pirate Blackbeard.
That was the impression that Marvin perceived with just entering and it was ratified when thoroughly examined it, looking for any evidence, any clue that would allow him to establish a relationship between Sheridan and the case and a cause whereby he had been killed. But instead, he found only a few annotations that seemed to be irrelevant and a few dismantled books that did justice to the shelf on which they were l
ocated.
He didn’t realize that the owner, who had opened the door, stood there, without losing detail, until she felt herself with freedom enough to make an assessment.
- As you can see, he hadn't many possessions.
Marvin turned to her, but ignored that comment.
- How long ago he lived here? - He asked -
- Almost a year, but I assure you that I hadn't renewed the contract.
Marvin looked at her, hoping she would give him an explanation.
- I mean ... I'm sorry what happened, no doubt, but Mr. Sheridan owed me four months of rent - ended up pointing out -
- Did he have money problems?
- Yeah! At first he said that he had a small capital, but you have only to look around, he lived in poverty.
- Did you notice anything strange about his behavior?
- In the end I was sorry. He was just an old man who had nowhere to drop dead. No wonder he were spent what little he had to drink.
- Has he ever said something that attracted your attention?
- I always thought he was half crazy, spoke little, but when he did, I had trouble understanding him, he said nonsense.
- Visits?
- Never. It seemed that he was hiding from somebody, he rarely went out.
- Have you ever seen anything special that attracted your attention?...
The owner became pensive, as if making a sublime effort to find something interesting to tell the agent. After a few seconds, Marvin could see a twinkle in his eyes, like holding the occurrence which would then tell.
- Well ... once called me his next door neighbor. She said that loud voices could be heard from his apartment, as if arguing with someone. But when we approached the door, we realized that was not really arguing with anyone ... well, rather, he was doing it with himself. He said rare phrases, meaningless, as if a nightmare, I remember such things as "You'll not catch me" or "Without me, you will not get it"
Marvin, all delicately as he could, dismissed the woman and closed the door in order to continue his research. Sheridan had signed the lease without providing any documentation, apparently the owner had not cared much, and although he looked for it carefully, he couldn't found finally any document that let him to know his real identity. He only ended up finding something that caught his attention: pictures of Sheridan, certainly taken some years ago. He pocketed them and went out fast with intent to obtain more information.
In the neighborhood knew him hardly anyone except the owner of the bar next door, which broke no new ground, as he did not more than confirm the opinion he had given the owner of the apartment.
He tried to find his provenance or where he had been prior to landfall in that apartment, but it was impossible. He contrasted the photo with files of people who had disappeared in the last years, without success. Then he did it with the psychiatric clinics, obtaining the same result. It seemed as if that man had appeared from nowhere, as if it hadn't a past.
XVI
Hanson and Marvin were in luck. At last the coroner had called them officially and formally to his office. He must have found something related to those blissful vaccines.
They were not mistaken. He felt restless, nervous, while he was showing them one by one, a collection of photos with scars of vaccines. Knowing him, it should be the prelude to reveal them something important, and although it was proving tedious, they shouldn't allow their curiosity anticipated to the order he had established, so stoically endured his detailed explanations. He showed photos with scars all types of vaccines and their evolution over time. Something that normally would have seemed inconsequential but that took on an unusual interest at that time.
- As you can see, depending on the vaccine in question, the body's reaction and the resulting scar may look different - he pointed out once displayed all his vast collection of photos -
- If I interpret it right, does it mean that depending on the shape of the scar could be deduced the type of vaccine? - Marvin asked -
The coroner nodded uncertainly, finally shaking his head.
- No, not always, but sometimes. Let's say ... the more recent the vaccine, the more probabilities we have. In scars of vaccines of twenty years ago would have little or no chance of success.
- In any case there are several scars, many, it is unusual for someone to vaccinate against everything under the sun, right? ... - Intervened Hanson -
They saw the coroner smile for the first time in a while. Hanson undoubtedly knew how to dig into this guy. He had asked the question that the coroner was waiting for in order to continue with his further exposure. Because, knowing him, for sure he had mentally written a script that he hoped to develop step by step. He had to show off so they should make room for his role, and with a little skill, they would get better results by sure.
The coroner cross linked the fingers of his hands and answered to Hanson slowly, as reveling in his words.
- Indeed, it's the first thing that attracts attention. Secondly, that they are recent.
- Recent as? ... - Marvin asked this time -
The coroner hesitated a bit before finding the most appropriate answer.
- I dare say no more than five years.
- Including Sheridan's?
- Yeah indeed, I am referring to all, agent Marvin.
- And ... tell me ... have you managed to identify any vaccine? .... - Hanson asked -
The coroner smiled. Hanson had been on target again. Based in his appearance both dared to guess that the answer would be affirmative before he responded.
- I have to admit that is one of those cases that all colleagues would love ... - he rose unhurriedly, with elaborate ritual, watching with satisfaction the interest that was aroused with only seeing agents faces. Then he continued - a real challenge. It has taken my time, yes, but I think it was worth it, gentlemen ...
He turned off the light, displayed a screen and launched a projector. It reached the highlight that the three were waiting. He took a light pointer, flipping it several times as a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. He presented a slide showing a picture of a mosquito on the screen and its name, Aedes.
- This is the indirect blame for our troubles and of one of those scars - he said, pointing to the mosquito repeatedly with the pointer -
Hanson could not restrain his impatience this time.
- A mosquito? A damn mosquito? ... Are you sure?
- Absolutely, not the slightest doubt. But it is not any mosquito, this one transmits the dreaded yellow fever, which requires a specific vaccine.
Both the mosquito in question as yellow fever are endemic in large parts of our planet's tropical. And the vaccine, the most requested one by those traveling to the tropics. Hanson and Marvin not only were unaware of such details, but were expectantly at what this could mean for the progress of the case so Marvin made a thinking aloud.
- Or, put another way, our three friends were vaccinated against this parasite, Now ... the question is ... why?
- Of course, nobody is vaccinated in a free way. Even more, nobody is vaccinated against a mosquito does not exist.
- Doesn’t it? ...
The coroner changed of slide, in its place was placed another showing a world map on the screen. Then he continued with his little show.
- In North America not, sirs. Here, no. But ... – he pointed with his pointer to a map point in South America - here, yes. - He turned to point the pointer to another part of the map, specifically a point of Africa - and here, too. - He thought he had recreated enough - to be less rhetorical, here - he marked with the pointer again several tropical areas - that is, it's in these vast tropical areas where the insect concerning us has its breeding ground.
- You mean ... that damn mosquito does not live in any other corner of the planet? - He added Hanson -
- Luckily, no. Anyway it would be better that you don’t think you are too fortunate. Only the Amazon basin has an area of six million square kilometers.
- How is it possible? ... I mean ... how is it possible that all three had that protection? - Asked Marvin -
Hanson, true to his sense of humor, made his own particular interpretation of the facts.
- Perhaps they decided to take a vacation at the same site.
- Or ... maybe they have been in the same place for a while - Marvin intervened -
Coroner let them to finish their views before continuing his exposure.
- There is another significant event. Remains of Chloroquine were found in the first two bodies.
- A drug? -Hanson asked -
- Yeah, it protects against malaria, is applied before, during and after exposure. Or both men were about to leave or have returned from their trip before than a month ago.
- And Sheridan? Did not find traces of that drug in his body?
- No, none at all.
- Well, actually, Sheridan was here at least since a year ago, so he also could have been medicated once.
