“Hi Araon. It’s Van der Baast. Where are you now? I have recently worked a lot on the Van Gogh Museum case but I have no clue. The only thing that my instinct drives me to think is that the murderer mustn’t live far from here. I have been to a nearby cheese factory to make some researches and I found out that the leftovers from the hospital which had been carried there had imprints of foreign bodies. It’s an excellent way to hide my researches on any bones coming here without causing suspicious activity. So far, I haven’t found dead remains that can match with the DNA of the blood you gave to me. But what about you? What are you doing now?”
“Dear doctor you cannot imagine the mess. I am in New York right now. I am in my hotel room with an edition of the bible in my right hand. I’m seeking comfort through the lines of the gospel. Since I have left home and lost contact with Jill, I cannot sleep any more. I have no idea where she must be now. The only thing I can tell you is that she is always in my mind. Anyway, I’m glad you are proceeding with our case. It’s not clear to me why you had to use the work on the cheese to hide the investigation on our missing corpse. I trust you though. You mentioned to me imprints of foreign bodies in the cheese. This means that somebody got the cheese before your patients. But what has this to do with our matter? Just follow the line of the Van Gogh Museum murder. A ghost, a thief, a missing body. I don’t speak well. I’m living like a vagabond now. To be a rover is not that exciting. Anyway, I’m happy to be in touch with you. New York is so frantic. It’s not the ideal place for meditation. You can just have a rest in Central Park and experience the ultimate loneliness while sweet memories are disturbing. I don’t know how long I’m gonna stay here. I don’t know how long I can be far from my loving Jill,” answered Araon.
“I can give you advice. Make the first step to approach your wife. She must be frightened by the secrecy by which you are dealing with the murder case. I know she must have heard something clandestinely while you were talking about it on the phone. Think well and try to put yourself in her own shoes. You might feel like a stranger in her life. Just pretend nothing happened and try to make a phone call to her even if you know her cell is off. You don’t need to tell her you are in New York. This might hurt her. You must make her feel loved above anything else. Pretend to believe there is another man in her life. Of course she will deny either way but the Othello nasty thing always works. A healthy jealousy can rebuild a broken relationship,” said the doctor.
“Thank you for your advice. I will put them into practice even if I’m not sure she will answer the phone. Oh Gosh! It’s time for me to go for the four-p.m. walk. I wish to hear from you soon. Bye for now,” said Araon in a forlorn way.
“Bye Araon. See you soon,” answered the doctor.
The mobile phone had reached a very high temperature and the alarm clock didn’t work. Araon was ready to go to Central Park and to Time Square. He was determined to contact Jill and, in fact, he did it, dialling the usual number. A strong, lovely voice answered, “Jill speaking.”
“Hi Jill, my sweetheart. How are you? It’s a long time since we heard from one another and I have been missing you a lot. Where are you now? What are you doing? My bed is empty without you by my side. I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you earlier though I have been missing you a lot,” said Araon.
“Hi, Araon. What a joy! I was also thinking of contacting you on the phone but you have preceded me. I have been thinking and thinking about our situation. You have all the right to have a secret and to have an independent life. I have forgiven you with all my heart and I’m also looking for your forgiveness. Now I am at home. There is a mess all around. I am on the sofa where we sit to watch TV. There are also some notes from you besides the one I had left for you. To read them is a source of joy for me. I hope to see you again very soon. I don’t know and I don’t want to know where are you now. No matter the distances we are one thing only. I miss you a lot. Please come back home soon,” said Jill.
“I will come tomorrow and I swear I will be a perfect husband for you. Now I have to stop our conversation. I have to go… But what else: I’ll be back home tomorrow. Bye sweetheart. See you soon.”
Jill was on the top of a happy pile. She went to tidy up all around and to prepare a cake. One of those Holland pastry products her husband loved so much. Of course there was also the wine. Nothing was missing for a romantic meal of a couple in love. She had nothing else to do than just to sit and to wait for her husband’s promised arrival. She was so nervous that she couldn’t stop biting her nails. It was one of those childish habits she had never lost in her adulthood. She watched the clock. Eight p.m. No time for Araon to be there yet. Nine p.m. Ten p.m. Eleven p.m. No Araon around. She was so tired that she went to wait for Araon in her bed where she slept for twelve hours.
The following day a kiss on her lips awakened her. Araon was finally there and she welcome him a bit shocked. She hadn’t considered how hard it was for husband and wife to stay apart from one another for a long time. Anyway, Araon was there. This was what mattered most. “Araon, sweetheart, how are you?”
“Very well and very pleased to see you after three months of separation. In all this time I realized that there is no division that can destroy our mutual love.”
“That’s true. But I see you are all soaked. Why don’t you go to have a wash?” said Jill.
“Definitely, this is what I will do straight away. I’m dirty and filthy. I even don’t remember how many showers I have been able to have all this time. I’ll come back to you in five minutes.”
After a while, Araon arrived in a green bathrobe and started to kiss and caress Jill as a young boy. They were both aware that nothing from then on would make them split. The whispered voices that Jill had heard accidentally from Araon’s phone call were only a thing of the past now. It was all perfect. It was a pity there was not the moonlight to cuddle them. A brand-new day was starting in total chaos.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Spring was approaching and this could be perceived from the smell of flowers outside. The weather made life more comfortable. Albert and Sylvanus were chasing one another like crazy mates in the green footpath. They passed unobserved but shy because of the situation. “It’s a wonderful day,” Sylvanus started singing.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Albert followed him. They were both used to the frenzy of the circumstances. The two friends were holding a book on trade and commerce in Great Britain, which was quite anomalous. They were both in search of a heavenly tax system that would allow them to live a dignified life. They were both big entrepreneurs. In fact, they had established themselves in the trade of their local beer. Their business was run throughout Holland, Great Britain, all Europe and worldwide. Their success was due not only to the quality of their beer but also by their knack for saving money. That day was a special one. The degree of the trade was not definitely a pinpoint. It was not by accident that they came to know that their two friends, Jill and Araon, were back together after three months of division. The enthusiasm behind that business had no limits. But their greatest joy was the one following the news of Jill and Araon’s reunion. They were considering have a party to celebrate their friends coming back together.
After having heard each other on the phone they decided to meet each other in the atrium of a hotel. Jill was dressed in red with very high heels and Araon was wearing a white tuxedo. They were both focused on the handle of the clock in the atrium where Albert and Sylvanus arrived slowly. “Sorry if we are late,” they both said aloud. They pushed the sofa along the panel wall and created a standing place for the occasion. “We are here to congratulate you on your decision to come back together,” started Sylvanus with a coarse tone.
“Lucky us!” answered Jill and Araon
“Yes, we want to celebrate our reunion and the best way to do it is to share a lavish evening with you and Albert. You cannot imagine the sufferance for staying apart for such a long time. We had never stopped thinking about one another but we were allergic to the cell
. When Araon awakened me with a kiss in my lips I believed I was in seventh heaven. He told me about his New York adventure eventually. But this didn’t reflect my whims. I consider Amsterdam my native land and I would never follow the steps of our old relatives who are immigrants. You know when your husband comes back home from such distances you start considering all possibilities behind that gesture. Hopefully Araon had already tied the knot of our mutual love in this country. I do not want to consider another idea. But now let’s talk about something else,” said Jill.
“Yes, you are both gorgeous,” said Albert.
“Just to break the ice. Funny, isn’t it?” said Araon who simply wanted not to be left out of the discussion.
“Well, we want to see you happy and garrulous again. Sorry for my stupid observation,” said Sylvanus on his turn.
“But let’s talk about something else. You know me and Jill have to start a great gig. In fact, it allows us to organize everything and we have a lot of spare time for ourselves. I am the boss in the yard. I have to go and have a look if everybody is working properly. You are absolutely the first ones to whom I have announced the good news. Everlasting love is the bond between me and Jill and I don’t want anything to be missing in her life. Definitely I do not consider myself a workaholic but I am fully responsible for what I do. What do you think about this, guys?” said Araon.
“It’s great news but you could have announced it to us earlier. You are forgiven. You are always our best friends,” said Albert.
Araon suggested to his mate that he should use a softer tone with him. After all, the queen of the day was Jill. He never stopped watching her with passion and this annoyed Albert and Sylvanus a bit. They were up to the point of leaving them alone but their respect for their mutual friendship stopped them from doing so. Albert, in his turn, talked about their job of selling beer. It was stressful but they were determined to do it. There were certain areas where their product didn’t sell a lot, but, as a whole, their activity was a success. He passed from one topic to another without losing conscience that there were three people he shouldn’t annoy too much. He was happy now. He was the funniest of the four even if he wasn’t able to finish a conversation. He was suddenly dark. It was time for the four to leave the place and go back home.
Amsterdam looked lovely in the spring. It was the most beautiful city in the world. Araon and Jill finally decided to depart from their friends. Albert kissed Jill’s right hand and Sylvanus said a simple goodbye. He looked like a goose leaving his nest. He fell heavily into the ground and started to breathe deeply. He could start soon his way home quickly and obsessively. Jill reassured Araon with bold manners. Her Greek nose made her resemble a goddess. Not to talk of the body of a really beautiful woman. Araon was proud of her and she thought that their relationship would be thriving from then on without difficulties. Their bed welcomed them softly when they arrived home at last. It was meant to be a special night for them. The light of the moon increased the beauty of their coveting facial expressions. A sparkle in the distance ended their fears for good.
The following day, Araon was at work again. He was so busy with his investigation that he almost forgot he had a yard to look after. But he started from scratch. There was something weird about his friends, Albert and Sylvanus. They had the power to make him feel agitated whenever they talked to him. He had to forget it and go in other directions. The day was long but he had better not procrastinate. Jill, as an experienced wife, had noticed a drab expression on him while he was chatting to their mates. She preferred not to mention it to Araon once on their own. Maybe it was the secret he was holding proudly that changed his mood suddenly. Jill was not angry any more and she let her husband stay on his own thinking and thinking through the day. She entered the kitchen barefoot not to make disturb him. Araon’s mind was working as if it was the source of a fairy tale. Sitting in the sofa, forgetting his night insomnia he tried to answer all his mental question marks. He started from scratch again. Some blood in front of the Sunflower in the Van Gogh Museum. No corpse around. Where was the missing body, so? Was it weird that in three months he and Van der Baast hadn’t found any clue? How long did it take for a person to bring a corpse out of the museum? It was perhaps a question of five minutes. But what trail to examine to find it?
“Darling!”
“Yes, love?”
“Sorry if I disturb you. I am going out for a while to do some shopping. See you later.”
“See you, Jill. It won’t be long before I abandon this sofa and go out for a walk,” answered Araon.
Once in the street, he happened to bump into a guy called Mark the homeless. He was also prey of a brutish destiny. He was puzzling himself with the meaning of the acrostic L. A. U. R. A. he found written with blood on a pub door. Even Mark had decided to work on his own on the matter. They watched each other suspiciously and went away on their own walk. Araon was tricky and this added anguish at the thought that the corpse might have been put into a fridge to delay decomposition. Two thieves that hurried their way out of the museum before the appropriate stuff could see them, were unaware that some blood was present on the floor in front of the famous Van Gogh painting. But this was trite. The truth must be found out somewhere else. Mark the homeless was in a similar situation. He had to be very clever to sort everything out before the police could catch him. Araon had clearly in his mind the face of Mark when he decided to go back home. Another weird feeling pervaded him at the only thought of that man. Anyway, he was too tired to reflect upon the happening. He was unwilling to go back home, though. He was considering the possibility of telling Jill that he would like to attend a motorcycle event at Whenthein Park exhibition during the weekend, but he didn’t want to leave her alone at home. Those candies served a purpose: to stop him puzzling himself with the meaning of that blood. He also wanted to tell Jill that he had to meet a couple of old friends of his at the motorcycle gathering and he also knew that Jill at the end would compromise for the sake of their marriage safety.
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