by P J Skinner
She sat on the edge of the bath with the stick in her hand willing the blue line to disappear. Telling Gloria seemed like a worse idea with every passing minute. Wasn’t she suffering enough with the whole Alfredo drama without burdening her with the news of Sam’s pregnancy? She had to tell someone or she might burst. With Simon eliminated as an option there was one person on the planet she wanted to tell. Gloria wouldn’t mind if she used the phone.
***
‘Hello?’
‘Sam? Hi! How are you? How is Calderon?’ asked her sister
‘Great, thanks. A bit complicated, but you know how it is with Gloria around.’
‘Yes, she definitely fits into the interesting category. What’s up?’
‘Nothing. Why should anything be up?’
‘It’s so obvious that something has happened. You never ring me from Calderon unless there's a drama. And your voice sounds funny.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t say it was a drama, more of a tragedy.’
‘Spit it out!’
‘I’m pregnant, up the duff, I have a bun in the oven.’
‘What? How? When? Who’s the father?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. Simon, of course. How can you even ask?’
There was a long silence.
‘Hannah? Are you still there? I need you.’
‘I’m here, sis. A bit shocked. I’m going to be an aunty.’
‘If that’s shocking, imagine how I feel. Anyway, who said I’m going to have it? Simon wasn’t enthusiastic.’
‘Simon? You’ve told him? When?’
‘I spoke to him last week before I took the test to warn him.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He asked me if it was his. Bastard.’
‘I can’t believe it. This is a nightmare.’
‘Wow, you sound more worried than me. I haven’t made any decisions yet. I rang for reassurance and I have to tell you, you’re not doing a good job.’
‘No, I’m sorry. It’s a lot to take in. What are you going to do?’
‘Nothing right now. It’s early, only two months, so I have plenty of time to make a decision.’
‘Have you told Gloria? What does she say?’
‘I told you first, sis. You're my rock.’
‘Gosh, thanks. Look, if you're okay, I need to make tea and digest this news. Will you ring me again when we’ve both had time to think?’
‘That sounds good. Please Hannah, don’t tell Mummy. I may not keep it and I would prefer she never finds out. You know how it would upset her.’
‘I promise.’
‘Okay, gotta go now, it’s expensive to ring you and this is Gloria’s line.’
CHAPTER XVIII
Alfredo and Saul, August 1988
Fritz Schmidt’s face was a picture.
‘The man with Dr Becker? Boris something, Klein I think. They come here often. I’m expecting them tomorrow as it happens.’ He hesitated. ‘Have you met Dr Becker?’
‘I knew him a long time ago.’ Saul’s voice was tight.
‘We’re leaving in the morning so we won’t get the chance to meet them this time. Perhaps on another occasion,’ said Alfredo, moving away and pushing Saul up the stairs with him.
‘Don’t do anything foolish,’ said Alfredo in Saul’s ear, ‘you’ve come this far. We should leave first thing in the morning.’
‘Those bastards must pay. What if they try to get away?’
‘I think it’s us who need to get away now. Trust me.’
He led Saul to his room. Then he realised that he had left his wallet on the reception desk. ‘Get packing. I left something downstairs.’
He started down the stairs and a voice floated up towards him.
‘Boris, we need to act now. These men are on to you.’
Alfredo stopped with his foot in mid-air. He was still hidden from the reception desk but he could hear quite clearly what was said.
‘Yes, they’re leaving tomorrow. We have to stop them.’ There was a pause.
‘Okay, I’ll do that. Leave it to me. Goodbye.’
Alfredo crept back up the stairs and then turned around and descended again making certain his footsteps could be heard. Schmidt looked up as he heard him coming.
‘Yes? Ah, your wallet? I have it here.’
Alfredo took it and returned up the stairs where he knocked on the door of Saul’s room.
‘Saul? Let me in.’
‘What’s up?’
‘We need to leave this evening. The hotel manager has told Boris Klein that we know who he is.’
‘Okay, what do you suggest?’
‘We need to sneak down the fire escape into the car park and get out of here as soon as possible. It’s better in the dark. How about ten o’clock?’
‘Sounds good. See you then.’
Alfredo left Saul’s room and went back to his own to pack. His heart was thumping. He felt like he was in a movie. And he still hadn’t called Gloria. But now he knew that people might be listening, and he wanted to get out of San Blas before it was too late.
***
At ten o clock, the two men made their way to the back of the hotel. The fire escape was behind a door that was locked with a heavy padlock. The hasp was screwed into a rotten piece of wood and it came away with one hard pull. The door swung open with a loud creak. The night was clear and cold, and the moon was almost full. The car park was floodlit with moonlight, their jeep caught in the spotlight of its ghostly shimmer.
‘Not a great night for sneaking away,’ said Alfredo. ‘I could read a book in this light.’
‘It’s beautiful,’ said Saul.
‘Come on. Let’s get out of here.’
They crept down the rusting stairs to the car park. Their car stood on its own in the middle. There was something strange about it. It was listing to one side. Alfredo ran towards it across open space and he knew what was wrong.
‘The tyres on the left side of the car,’ he said, ‘they’re both flat. This can’t be a coincidence. Someone has sabotaged it.’
‘Shit. What’ll we do now?’
‘We can’t stay here. Let’s walk out. It’s our only chance and the next village isn’t that far away. We should get there in a few hours. The moonlight is perfect for a nice stroll.’
‘Okay, I didn’t like this hotel anyway. Can you open the back for me?’
‘Did you forget something?’
‘Alfredo, you must be crazy if you think I’m going to leave my gun behind.’
‘The gun, of course, I forgot. I think we should also abandon most of our stuff and take the essentials.’
Saul threw his bag into the back of the car and opened the side panel to take out the gun.
‘Well, I’ve got bullets, a gun, some cash and my passport. How about you?’
‘I’m going for my ID, cash and two bars of chocolate.’
‘Okay then, let’s make ourselves scarce.’
***
The road out of town was illuminated by the moon which was shining along its length from behind San Blas. Their shadows preceded them, making walking a little difficult but they did not slow down. The village lights receded into the blackness and the two men began to breathe easier.
‘I’ll need double rate for field trips,’ said Alfredo.
‘If we get out of here, I’ll pay you overtime as well.’
They kept up the pace for an hour and then sat down for a rest and some chocolate. The sound of an engine broke the silence.
‘Did you hear that?’
‘I did. It might be a bus.’
‘I hope so because these peat banks are steep and I can’t see an exit.’
They started to walk again, their breath visible in the cold night air. The engine grew louder. Headlights picked them out on the road. They flattened themselves against the banks as a car drove past and went around the corner.
‘Phew, that was close,
’ said Alfredo.
But as they walked around the bend, it became clear that the car had stopped and the doors were open. Two men stood waiting for them.
‘Dr Vargas, isn’t it a bit late for a walk?’ said a voice. Boris Klein stepped into the moonlight.
‘Well, it was such a clear night.’
‘How foolish of you to think that we would let you leave with your little Jewish friend after he recognised my colleague Dr Becker.’
‘It was worth a try,’ said Alfredo.
Boris Klein turned to his companion, a burly man with blonde hair.
‘Have you got the rope?’ he said.
Saul moved closer to Alfredo. ‘Be ready to run,’ he hissed.
‘Don’t be a fool. They’re armed.’
‘So are we. Have you forgotten? I have the Glock. They won’t take me alive.’
‘Use your head man, we don’t need to die here. Get a grip.’
Boris and the young man approached them. Saul Rosen’s cheekbones stuck out in the moonlight making him look like a corpse.
‘Face the bank and put your hands behind your back.’
Alfredo did as he was asked but Saul stayed where he was.
‘Oi, Jew, turn around or I will make you.’
‘No.’
He took the Glock out of his waistband where he had concealed it under his shirt and pointed it at Boris Klein.
‘Make me,’ he said. ‘Go on. I dare you.’
The young man with Klein hurled himself at Saul. The gun went off and Boris Klein grunted as the bullet hit him in the shoulder. Alfredo threw himself on the ground as Saul kept shooting at the prone body, his arms flailing as he wrestled with his attacker. They fell to the ground. There was another shot. Alfredo lay in the mud afraid to move. There was a groan. Boris Klein sat up cursing.
‘What the fuck is going on? Where did he get that gun? Jesus, Hans, get up and stop messing about.’
‘Sorry boss, I didn’t see the gun until it was too late. Are you wounded?’
‘It’s a scratch. Get up, Jew.’
‘He’s not going anywhere, boss.’
‘Is he alive?’
‘I think so. Get up.’
‘I can’t stand up. My legs won’t work.’
‘You won’t be needing them. Hans, get him into the car. We have to take him to the lab right now.’
Hans gave Alfredo a poke with his boot.
‘Are you hurt?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘Okay, stand up and no funny stuff or you will end up like your friend.’
Alfredo stumbled to his feet. Hans gestured at Saul. ‘Help me to get him into car.’
Saul lay in the mud with his face to the sky. He tried to speak but bright bubbles of blood came out of his mouth. He had been shot through the spine and when they tried to lift him, his legs flopped about like strands of spaghetti. The two men strained and struggled for ten minutes before they were successful. By the time they were finished, Alfredo was covered with Saul’s blood which added to his distress. His hands tied, he was manhandled into the back seat of the jeep beside Saul, who was slumped but still breathing. He opened his eyes and muttered something that sounded like revenge, but it was hard to tell.
‘Did you find the gun,’ said Boris.
‘No, it too dark. I think it sank into the mud somewhere,’ said Hans.
Somehow, Hans managed to turn the car around in the narrow, high-banked road by driving back and forward and twisting the wheel to its limit. Alfredo held onto Saul to stop him falling off the seat. The smell of blood was overpowering and his hands fell sticky. They were driven back through the village of San Blas and out of the other side along a crude gravel road with large potholes. They did not drive far and when they stopped on the edge of the forest, there were no buildings in the area. Alfredo was struck with the thought that they were being taken to be buried there. He hoped that it would be quick. Would Gloria ever find out what happened to him? He wished he had told her where they were going. Too late now.
‘Quickly,’ said Boris, ‘don’t let him die’.
Hans sounded the horn of the car and then he and Alfredo pulled Saul out of the seat and gave him an improvised chair lift towards a grassy mound in the clearing. To Alfredo’s bewilderment, a door opened in the side of the hill and a man put his head outside.
‘Get a stretcher. Now!’ yelled Boris.
Less than a minute later, the man ran outside pushing a stretcher on wheels. Saul was placed onto it and disappeared into the door in the hill.
‘I don’t understand,’ said Alfredo, ‘why are you keeping him alive?’
‘He won’t be alive for long,’ said Boris and laughed. ‘Take Dr Vargas to the guest suite, Hans.’
***
Alfredo was led down a dark passageway with flickering fluorescent lighting. He was disorientated and shocked by his ordeal and stumbled several times on the smooth flooring. Hans pushed him into a pokey room with two single camp beds.
‘There you are. Luxury. You can choose your bed.’
‘I need to use the bathroom.’
‘It’s under one of the beds. Sleep tight, Dr Vargas.’
‘What about Saul?’
‘What about the nasty Jew? He’s dead by now.’
‘Dead? But he was still alive when we arrived.’
‘You don’t understand anything, do you? We had to take his fingers before he died or they can’t be used.’
‘His fingers? Oh my God…’
It was too much for Alfredo, who fainted. Klein chuckled. ‘And you are next, Dr Vargas,’ he said and shut the door.
***
Saul Rosen struggled to stay conscious. Blood was choking him and he kept floating off the stretcher towards the lights in the ceiling. The Glock was still in his jacket pocket where he had managed to secret it whilst lying in the mud. The cold metal felt good in his hand. He could hear people talking.
‘A fucking disaster. How were we to guess that he was armed?’ said Hans
‘Well, he’s here now. I need to get on with it. Can you tell Boris to hold out a bit longer? I’ll take the bullet out of his shoulder as soon as I finish here.’
‘Okay, doc. Jewish bastard!’ Hans walked up to the stretcher and said it again, right into Saul’s ear. ‘Jewish bastard. You’re going to die in the service of the Führer.’
Saul smiled at him, coughing blood out of his throat so that he could speak.
‘So are you,’ he said.
There was a sharp retort and Hans fell to the floor, a large red stain spreading across his chest. His face had an expression of surprise frozen on it. Becker swore and ran to his side to feel his pulse, but it was too late.
‘Hans? You bastard! He’s dead.’
The gun fell to the floor making Becker jump, and Saul Rosen slipped out of consciousness for the last time. He was still smiling. Boris Klein came running into the laboratory.
‘Jesus, what happened?’
‘He kept the gun. Hans is dead. I have to get the fingers now or it will be too late.’
‘How can I help?’
***
‘What a fucking train wreck,’ said Klein washing the blood off his hands.
‘His father is going to be devastated,’ said Kurt Becker
‘The Schmidt brothers were always a little half-hearted about this project. Fritz fancies the local women. He’s never been Aryan enough.’
‘Well, his nephew was Aryan enough to die for it.’
‘That’s true. I’ll tell them tomorrow and alert them to the fact that we have to leave.’
‘I need more time,’ said Becker, sitting in the corner with his head lowered. ‘People may come looking for Dr Vargas and the Jew. We have to put them off our trail.’
Klein rubbed his chin and examined his fingers.
‘I’ve an idea but we will have to be careful that no one sees us.’
&n
bsp; ‘Go on.’
‘We need Vargas for a bit. We need to talk to him about Vega’s report, and find out who knows what before we dispose of him. We may need more fingers before we're ready.’
‘That makes sense. So?’
‘Their car is at the hotel. If we bring it here, we can fix the punctures and put the two bodies in it. If we set it on fire and push it down the cliffs outside Lago Verde, people will think that they had an accident on the way home. It will take them weeks to identify the bodies and realise that Dr Vargas is not one of them. We’ll be long gone by then.’
‘Brilliant. I like it. Send one of the boys to change the tyres. Then drive the car here and we will load it up with the bodies and dump it tomorrow. There is no one on the roads at night here. It will be simple.’
‘I’ll get on with it.’
‘We still need a human incubator.’
‘Trust me.’
CHAPTER XIX
Sam and Gloria September 1988
After what seemed like an age, the front door opened. Sam flew out of the kitchen and down the corridor waving the pregnancy-test stick. ‘I have news,’ she said and stopped in mid-sentence. Gloria’s face was white with shock. She was holding a newspaper which she thrust into Sam’s hand.
‘The car,’ said Gloria, ‘it’s Alfredo’s car.’
It took Sam a few seconds to realise what she was supposed to be looking at, a report on the discovery of a crashed car near Lago Verde. ‘Are you positive?’
‘I remember the registration and you can see most of the number plate. It can’t be a coincidence.’
Sam looked at the photograph which showed a mobile crane on a narrow road pulling a car back up over the edge of a precipice. To her horror, the car appeared to be carbonised. No-one could have survived that.
‘Did they find the driver? Were there any passengers?’