Gateway To Heaven

by Maggy Diak

14.

  Despite tiredness, I couldn’t sleep. My thoughts were like a swarm of bees, humming, jostling, and hurrying from one object to another. The whole night I kept getting up, lying down, getting up. In the morning when I was so tired that I was finally about to fall asleep, the ringing of the cell phone threw me up again. It was Frank.

  “You were right,” he said, “your couple really traveled to St. Rémy. They were seen on three resting places. And do you know what? Somebody else wanted the same information as you! You don’t have to guess a lot to find out who he was, do you?”

  “Of course not,” I laughed.

  After finishing our conversation, I took the list of questions I had written the night before, to cross out the possibility that Otrin was in the hands of a scientific institution. Now it was clear, that he was with Isabelle. Whether voluntarily or not that was the thing I had to investigate.

  Maurice was still asleep when I left him. Even if he woke up while I was away, I knew he was too afraid of J.E. to escape. I was thinking about Maurice a lot. He was not a bad person, yet he had made some stupid mistakes for which he will have to answer. One of them was breaking into Otrin’s house. The other was breaking into the hotel room. However, I decided to keep this offence to myself. I decided not to tell anybody. I wanted to spare him punishment for that crime. The next thing we all had to fear was the accusation of being terrorists or at least have terrorist intentions. I was more than convinced that J.E. was leading his investigation in that direction. He wanted to prove that Otrin was a terrorist; everybody connected with him was his collaborator. Including me. I was well aware that no trial led by J.E. would be fair. We would be condemned before we were tried. So, it was suddenly of my interest too to find Otrin as soon as possible, to find him before J.E. and take him home as secretly and as fast as possible.

  But the truth was that J.E. was at least one step ahead of me. He found out the truth about Isabelle before me. And before me he knew that Otrin and Isabelle had come to St. Rémy. He had already searched Isabelle's flat and I didn’t have the slightest idea what he had found there. I only hoped that something, something small and tiny had escaped his eyes and I would be lucky enough to find it. For I intended to search the flat by myself as well. The only thing he didn’t know was that Maurice was with me. Nevertheless, it was only a question of time until he found out, so I really had to hurry. I knocked on Kate’s door. I did not expect to find her all dressed up, so a cry of surprise escaped my mouth when she opened the door: “Oh, Kate, what does that mean?”

  “I’m leaving,” she said. “Come in.”

  “Leaving? But why?”

  “You were right,” she said with a faint, bitter smile on her lips, “I really do have a lot of work to do at home.”

  “You know I did not really mean it,” I said, slightly embarrassed. “Stay here and wait for your husband. I’m sure it’ll do him good to see you.”

  “Oh, come on, Tibor, “he sighed, “he won’t miss me at all. Just bring him home.”

  “But, but …”

  She took my hand. She had a deep, sad look in her black eyes. I felt an emotion moving in me again, but I managed to hold myself back.” Don’t try, Tibor, I won’t change my mind,” she said firmly, letting my hand go, stepping back. “I know I cannot be useful here at all. I don’t understand the language, you have enough to do without having to translate to me each word somebody utters.”

  “I really don’t find it difficult …”

  “I know, Tibor. The other reason is that I am too old to keep running all over France. I’m getting on in years, you know. Well, my taxi will be here in a minute to take me to the airport so I’m going to say good-bye right here. “She grabbed my hand again and squeezed it tightly. “Please, find him, “she repeated, tears in her eyes. “I wish you good luck. And take care of yourself.”

  I pulled her to my chest and she didn’t resist. For a few moments we stood motionless, tightly embraced.

  “We could have a wonderful time,” I whispered into her ear.

  “I know,” she answered, “that’s why I am leaving. Because I am afraid of myself. Not of you, Tibor, of myself. Later I would regret it.”

  She freed herself from my grip, picked up her suitcase and left the room without giving me another look.

  I did not follow her. After a while, I returned to my room and woke Maurice.

  “Get up, boy,” I said, “we have work to do.”