Final Challenge (13 page)

- Dorothy? ... Yes, it's me, Marvin ... I know ... I know
... everything will work out,
they are things between her and me ... listen, I urgently need to talk to Susan. Is she there? ... No, no, peaceful, it's just that I can't locate her. What about Billy? ... Oh, g
reat. Look, now I can’t
say anything, but
please
don’t
move from there under any circumstances, I will pick up Billy in a while ... No, no, neither Billy nor you.

  At least he knew that Billy was OK but his mother in law did not know where Susan was, or perhaps she had not wanted to tell him. He couldn't lose more time, this time did not hesitate. He took the elevator and ran to get his car, going at full speed toward the house of Susan. When he arrived, hit a sudden stop and parked the car badly. He went to the door, called several times to no avail, so he decided to take a walk around the house, discovering a window with
shattered glass. He didn’t
think twice, hurried in the direction of
Susan's room. When he came in
he noted signs of violence and struggle, objects and clothes lying around, and something t
hat startled him so much that vented
his hatred against the mirror. On the wall, written in red spray and apparently, by the font, by the same person who had entered his
apartment, a message that said
"Her life only depends on you. Give up. "

   At first he was blocked. He felt helpless, unresponsive, then tried to put his confused mind in order. It was clear that it was someone who should be aware of their investigations and the first person that came to his head was Edwards, his boss. If he had switched the report, it was because he was not interested no one knew it. It was not unreasonable to think that he could be involved but had no proof, so the risk of pointing the finger was evident. Also at stake was what he loved most in this life and, at a juncture so, conjectures are meaningless, so he wasn't long in deciding what should be his next step.

He went home of Edwards, knew his address. His wife opened the door to recognize him, but was surprised to observe the tense and haggard face of the agent.

- Marvin, something happens?

- Need to talk to her husband, is urgent.

- It's ten o'clock at night, I guess you can wait until tomorrow, right?

  Marvin did not respond. He pushed away the Edwards woman's hand of the door and suddenly broke into the house without a word. He found Edwards dining in the living room.

- What the hell are you doing here? - Were
his first words
-

  Marvin did not respons
e him.
Inste
ad
he
grabbed Edwards by the neck,
forcing him to rise. He shook him without giving him time to defend and then put him against the wall, while his woman screamed and picke
d up the phone at the same time
intending to call the police.

- Tell her not to. I'm a desperate man, Edwards, I'm not going stop at anything or anyone. I'm ready for anythi
ng, telling everyone what you’ve
done with the report, or rather, with the reports.

- Sarah, wait a minute, don't call - he told his wife - then addressed to Marvin - It's your word against mine.
You're a lowlife that will only worse his situation.

- I don’t
care at all what could happen to me, my only concern is Susan.

- Your wife? What has happened?

- Do not be cynical! She has been kidnapped. If you changed the reports it's because you has something to do with it.

- It is false! And believe me I'm sorry, how was it?

- I've gone home, she has been taken and left a message. And thinking that you - He pressed Edwards's throat so much until the point that he could barely breathe - has always maintained that this case was an absurd nonsense! Tell me, where is Susan?

- No ... I didn't know ... I swear ... by the more you want ... release and talk ... - told between sounds that were more onomatopoeic than human  -

  Marvin relaxed a little and released him, Edwards put his hand to his throat, then replied.

- Let's be civilized. You could spend years in jail and begging for the rest of your life, you're aware of it, right?

- Totally. But the only thing that matters now to me is to rescue Susan, not the price I have to pay.

- I
assure you I don't know anything
about it. I realize that maybe ... I precipitated straying you of the case, but that does not justify your attitude.

- So why did you change the report, why? .... What
has got this case so you have
come so far? What? ...

- You're accusing, Marvin, I advise you not follow that way.

- I wish I had another. For your sake and mine I hope nothing happens to her.

- If, as you insinuate,
I
had any interest in all this, I would have retired you of the case long before. Remember, I could have to do it.

- It's possible you have underestimated us.

- Listen, I really feel sorry about your wife, so ... let's say I'm going to forgive your rage and forget this incident. It will be between you and me.
Regarding Susan, I
would wish to know
something.

Marvin simply glanced him an expressive look, which were implicit hatred, contempt and pain and left
slamming the door
without saying a word.

  When Marvin told his partner what happened, Hanson, after encourage him, reproached him that he had not called him for helping because he had staked his career threatening Edwards driven by his emotions. None of them understood the modus operandi of their boss. They knew too well the ill will that he had against them since he had taken charge of the department, but changing his report had gone too far, risking his neck. It was also true that he had had the opportunity to withdraw them of the case and had finally decided to give them a try. But it was just as he was expecting to see them slip t
o disqualify them. But, when th
ey presented the report, could have realized that they had reached in their investigation further than he thought, and decided to
remove them and give them a big switch
to his superiors. But if he had taken such a risky decision
it
had to be because someone was behind it, no sense that he would have moved for personal reasons.

They decided not to say anything
about his boss
to Kelly, who len
t Marvin her full support. She
said him that she would take care of her
mother in law and Billy had protection around the clock, and with
a security tone that Marvin itself was surprised, that he doubted not,
s
he was sure that they would find Susan, but both for his own safety and that of his wife, the best option would be h
e stay out of the case, at least for the time being. Marvin replied that he had been thinking about it, but he could not accept it. If they wanted to
find Susan had to discover who
was behind. There was no middle point, he could not sit still.
Kelly was forced to accept the wish of Marvin.

   None of the three had no doubt that the answer lay in the Amazon, a place as inhospitable as unknown. Marvin would have liked to stay in the U.S. to find any evidence to bring him to Susan, but was aware that his site was next to their peers. Kelly said they had stepped up her efforts and the Brazilian police had offered to cooperate in everything that they will require, to the point that had been earmarked for this purpose an officer, Captain of the federal police in Manaus.
Kelly had ex
changed some emails with him. A person that
knew, to the extent possible, the en
tire Amazon region and that
was waiting them. However, they could not leave until within ten days, the minimum time required for it to be effective vaccine against yellow fever.

XX

While she was holding his hand, Carol closed her
eyes and began to remember
many good moments that she had lived with Harold. Their love also had allowed them to overcome others much difficult, but she preferred to keep in her head sparks of a happiness that threatened to leave forever. Bewildered with all that was happening around her, she was unable to find a solution to the dark tunnel before them. When she looked at Harold, could not identify the man who was bedridden, suffering the pain in absolute silence. Harold had changed absolutely in a suddenly way, and still did not know what the main reason was. If it was true that his illness could explain his physical deterioration and his mood
, she thought that it didn't
explain enough such change in the character of her husband. She tried to disturb him as little as possible with talks that no longer made
sense at that time, but she couldn't avoid to see him as a helpless child, not because
of the maternal instinct that all women have within them, but by his way of expressing the few times that opened his eyes and spoke just enough to ask something.  Had
not even been able to maintain a fairly coherent conversation with her after the shock received at the party convention, let alo
ne to get Harold to explain her
what
the hell
was happening. All she knew was that after the meeting with Feaks, everything had changed. However, she admitted that it would be unfair, if not absurd, to blame Feaks of his disease. Perhaps they just had chained one of those unfo
rtunate spells with which life
sometimes shakes us until we lo
se control.

 
Anyway she had to follow by his side, trying to find a litt
le light, a glimmer of hope. Her
first and only concern was that Harold reco
vered, but each passing day she
looked him worse. Absorbed in her thoughts, she came back to reality when heard as a knock on the bedroom door, asking p
ermission to enter. That voice
was becoming more familiar for her than Harold's  because she listened it for weeks at all hours of the day. It belonged to Dr. O'Connor, who more than ensuring the health of Harold seemed to be his bodyguard, because he just left him alone, was aware of the sick by day and night.  He slept in an adjoining room, and he had convinced to Carol about the inconvenience of sleeping next to her husband, citing the same reason wielded by him as soon as he opened the door.

- I share and understand your grief, but must realize that he needs re
st, now is the best medicine.

She could not say how many times
she would have heard that sentence
, just knew it was a favorite of Dr. O'Connor, who came to her as soon as he observed that Carol was in the room by more than half an hour. He was so pending on Harold that it seemed he didn't want anyone to approach him, including her. She had to admit that she had never liked him. Willingly had dismisse
d that guy, but had been hired
by express wish of her husband, and while she also didn't know the reasons which led him to take such a decision, she must abide and respect it, as absurd as it turned out to be that he decided to put himself in the hands of a stranger to the detriment of his trusted doctor of lifetime, Dr. Stevens. O
'Connor took care of everything,
he took more powers than such derived of his job. He decided what should be the right treatment, when and where tests and examinations should be done, the name of the clinics and specialists, visits schedules and the duration thereof. He was strict and intrusive, limited visits to the fullest, and he was always  pending to the other side of the door.   Carol stood up and motioned to the doctor that both of them left the room and were to the hall.
Once there
she answered moodily.

- And you must understand that I have hardly had a chance to be by his side since he took ill, and that the shoc
k was tremendous. He was so fine
, so full of hope, so full of life ... and suddenly .... I do not understand!

- These diseases are in this way.  Notified when it is too late - O'Connor replied, undeterred --

- So ... do you still think that there is no hope? I've heard of a center specializing in brain tumors, in San Francisco. - Carol asked in a tone of despair -

- It's your right to seek another opinion. However, the evidence is such that unfortunately we have no room for doubt. Moreover, in his delicate situation should not submit to more tests and mu
ch less to operations. The more
quiet he is, the more he can feel good.

- I don't understand neither
why he talks so little and so inconsistently. I understand that is exhausted, but sometimes, when I talk to him it's as if he were absent. And when he answered, his arguments look like a child.