Yesterday (Part Two - Chapters 31 & 32) (Patreon)

CHAPTER 31

She was being ignored, but she didn't care, the car trip from Dublin had left Laura shattered, but Professor Hebert was the worst looking of the three, and that consoled her, although in a somewhat childish way, because she didn't particularly like the professor. You could tell that he was still unhinged by the jet lag, with fine black lines under his eyes, which gave him an even more shady vibe.

They had been sitting there for a while, a small room had been given to them on the second floor of the house, and outside in the garden children could be heard playing. Inside, however, the match seemed to be a duel between gentlemen.

Oscar carried it best of the three. Laura always admired the strength her father was able to transmit. He was elegant without trying. At that moment he was patiently waiting for the professor to hurry up his tea with his hands intertwined over the table.

Hebert placed the cup on his porcelain plate and lazily took a pastry from the tray that had been set aside for them. His bearing was solemn, and despite his age, she concluded that in his youth he must have been quite an interesting redhead. He carried a goatee that highlighted his academic air and, above all, did not hide well enough how little he liked to be there.

—Professor, as I said before, Aminarti could not come. He is convalescing in Nice, lying on a bed; even I was not allowed to talk to him.

—And I must tell you that it is of vital importance that he be present. I am not going to talk about this subject unless I am offered certain guarantees.

Laura looked at Hebert in surprise once again. It wasn't fear she conveyed in those words, it was something more subtle.

—Walter, you have my word that nothing you talk about here will leave these walls.

Hebert chuckled in contempt.

—Do you really think these walls protect you, Oscar?— The teacher challenged him, —Do you think they don't know we're here?

—Who are you talking about?— Oscar asked —we have met in this same place several times in the past and you never said anything like that. What has changed now?

—Aminarti,— insisted Hebert, enigmatic and taking another sip, —I’ve already told you.

—Then we have a problem, because he's not coming.

—Yes,— admitted Hebert pensive, —we do.

—Excuse me a second,— Laura interrupted, —I’ll be right back.

Laura couldn't take it anymore, she needed to go to the bathroom, and she took advantage of that dead end to sneak out.

But things changed in the room as soon as she closed the door. Hebert got up with unusual energy and quickly dragged Oscar into a corner by pulling on his jacket sleeve.

—Are you out of your mind?— Hebert whispered to him, very upset, squeezing his arm even tighter.

—What are you talking about?— replied Oscar, trying to get rid of him.

—How could you possibly bring her here? And without Aminarti! we are doomed! —said Hebert in despair.

—What the hell! — said Oscar, shaking him off. — Enough!

Oscar put his hand on Hebert's shoulder and, accompanying him, sat him back in his chair.

—What the devil is wrong with you?

—Aminarti has a... “talisman”,— Hebert whispered.

Oscar widened his eyes and sat down next to him.

—I know, I know…— Hebert pleaded with him —it sounds crazy, but it's the truth. Aminarti has a small silver prayer rosary he always carries with him. He doesn't know it, but it's the only thing that really protected us from Jonah and his powers all this years. They told me that under no circumstances was I to meet with you without being under the influence of that device,— Hebert got increasingly heated— and now you're summoning me alone... We have to get out of here fast!

—But Professor, don't you think you're a bit old for these nonsense stories? A talisman?

—Oscar, you don't know all of it, in fact you know almost nothing, and I... I can't tell you anything else in these circumstances.

Hebert got up and went towards the door, not before making one last dramatic statement:

—Please leave for Nice as soon as possible, Father Aminarti is the only one who can protect you. He knows more than you think, Oscar— Hebert was fighting with himself— I am only a mere pawn. Ask him.

Laura bumped into Hebert in the hallway. The professor stumbled upon her but continued on his hasty way. She hurried to the classroom, worried about her father, but when she opened the door was relieved to find that he was still there, picking up their coats.

—We're leaving— he announced.

—Already?

—Don't ask— Oscar dismissed visibly upset.

Hebert walked restlessly along the gravel path. He got into the car that was waiting for him next to the big gate at the entrance and asked the driver to take him back to 15 Hume Street in Dublin.

Laura and her father left the building a few minutes later. Prior to leaving Oscar warned his driver by phone to link up with the GPS in the other car. When they got into the sedan they knew very well Herbert’s destination and went carefully after him.

CHAPTER 32

Jonah watched closely as the two tiny red dots moved across the interactive map on his tablet screen. His private investigator had provided him with a very simple but effective tracking application that drew the trajectory of his targets in real time over a virtual map of the area.

He had been sitting on a sofa in the lobby of the Fitzwilliam Hotel, opposite St. Stephen's Green Park in Dublin for much of the morning, waiting patiently for the right moment to make his little entrance.

Discovering that Laura was accompanying her father on that trip forced him to readjust his plans as he went along. This was not how he wanted to meet her again, and he decided to stay reasonably away from the action until the time was right.

As he had anticipated, the profesor returned directly to Dublin from the school centre. But the meeting had been unusually brief.

Interesting.

Maybe he caught a bigger fish along the way.

He decided that it was the right time to move and thus anticipate the arrival of the two cars. He picked up his things and left the hotel.

He crossed the street and began to walk calmly along the wide sidewalk surrounding the small but perfectly maintained St Stephen's Park.

He stopped for a moment to open the dark leather case in which he was carrying the tablet and to check again the route of the two points. A novelty attracted his attention, Hebert's car followed his planned route directly to the Erdini Residence, a short distance from where he was, however, the point that represented his father's car took a detour.

"Perhaps they are not coming back together after all".

This was good news, for he needed to have Hebert to himself.

Entering the Residence would be easy. Years of visiting similar houses with Pater (he walked past one he knew inside out on his way) had given him a useful amount of experience. He knew what to expect and had done his homework.

First thing in the morning he had changed his clothes at the hotel. He managed to get himself a few days ago a sober cassock in a store. A touch of hypnosis convinced the clerk that the outfit was for Pater and that, despite the size difference, everything would be fine. The rest was a matter of showing the right attitude in order to be credible and pass as unnoticed as possible.

He arrived at the pristine green door of number 15 and called the doorkeeper. This was the only part he was worried about. His "powers" did not work very well at a distance with strangers, yet he tried to put on his best Italian accent when he announced himself.

—Pater Antonio Freddi— introduced himself.

A buzzing sound rang out, the door opened, and a student came to greet him. Jonah was not surprised, since it was Sunday and he knew that it was common for some of the residents to take over the center's tasks at many of those houses.

—We were expecting you,— the boy said enthusiastically. Jonah was surprised by the enthusiastic reception, but he was careful not to reveal it — have you heard about Father Peter? Any improvement?

—Not really, I'm sorry,— Jonah followed the cheerful young man down the hall.

—They told us they would send us someone, and how nice that it is finally someone younger,— he winked. —We are all for the cause, don't get me wrong, Father, but a little of fun is also appreciated,— he ended by elbowing him with a shy laugh. Where are you from?

—From Ferrara, but now I'm here from Milan— Jonah lied, trying to straighten out his accent.

—I hope you had a good trip— they entered a small room decorated in an elegant and sober Georgian style and the young student invited him with a gesture to sit down. —Please wait for me here while I prepare your room. I will see to it that you are not disturbed.

The latter was the handiwork of Jonah. As soon as he could, he introduced that little variation in the boy's line of thought: no interference until the professor arrived.

He sat down on one of the comfortable sofas by the fireplace and opened the sober padded case in which he carried his touch screen tablet. Hebert's car was already approaching the residence street. Oscar's car was driving slowly two blocks away, as if looking for a parking space.

Now he had to prepare himself for something more challenging: getting Professor Hebert not to recognize him physically. He knew that he had only a fraction of a second to penetrate his mind and work his little "miracle", but this was a crucial stage in his plans.

He retrieved a photograph on his tablet screen that he had been watching all morning. He found it in the Calendar that was for sale on the Vatican website. On it was a middle-aged priest with an affable look, brown hair lined with gray hair, short and well-groomed, light eyes and a aquiline nose. He decided to add a beard trace to it and got down to business. He memorized the features of that face for the last time, closed his eyes, and began to pace his breathing.

First, he visualized himself as he wanted Hebert to see him. He didn't open them again until he managed to mentally paint over his features to the last detail of that portrait. He felt a little chill running through his body. He was ready.

He heard the distant bell at the entrance door and the steps of the student passing by to welcome the visitor. He concentrated on the student, for he needed to keep him out of the room. He heard a muffled conversation and footsteps approaching.

The door to the room opened and Hebert walked back in as he finished his conversation with the student. Jonas concentrated on the back of the teacher's head and kept his gaze fixed, ready to attack when his victim turned around.

Hebert closed the door regardless of Jonah and left his coat and briefcase on a coat rack by the doorway. The time had come to move on, Jonah stood up and raised his voice.

—Good morning.

Hebert flinched and turned around.

—I'm Father Antonio Freddi, happy to meet you— Jonah continued, looking straight at him and offering his hand.

The professor froze for a second, staring up and down at him and then reacting with a small gesture.

—Oh yes! Pardon me, Father— Hebert excused himself by shaking his hand warmly while curtseying slightly with his head —Professor Walter W. Hebert, at your service.

Jonah took advantage of the handshake to seal his hurried hypnosis by exerting a slight pressure with his middle finger on the distal sinus of the professor's wrist. It only took two beats of his radial artery to know that he owned him.

—Are you visiting?

—Yes, a very brief visit,— answered Hebert, sitting down laboriously, —I expect to return to my lectures tomorrow morning.

—And what is your field of expertise?

—Psychiatry,— Hebert said proudly, —I’m a researcher.

—Very interesting,— replied Jonah without looking away. He decided to give him some time.

Hebert loosened his tie, it was clear that something was bothering him. Jonah decided to calm him down a bit, as he needed him to be more relaxed for his purposes.

—Would you like a glass of water?

—Yes please, I've had a rough morning, between stress and jet lag...

—No worries— Jonah reassured him with a glass while he poked around in his mind a little more —if there is anything I can do to help, I am here for you.

“Confession”.

—Confession! — called out Hebert as if he had an inspiration —can you hear my confession, Father?

—Of course, please kneel down.

Hebert knelt before Jonah and lowered his head. Jonah couldn't help but smile when he heard the usual greeting coming from the teacher's mouth. It amused him to imagine how shocked Pater would be to see them.

—Dominus sits in corde tuo, ut animo contrito confitearis percata tua— Jonah solemnly recited —Domine, Tu omina nosti; Tu scis quia amo te. Speak your mind.

—Father, forgive me for I have sinned,— said Hebert in a very low voice and without raising his head as Jonah continued to press his mind, —I have lied once again and I have hurt good people with my lies. But it was for a good cause, do you think that helps?

—Well, professor, I can't judge you, just reassure you, but that doesn't seem so bad to me, so tell me what's really bothering you.

—Father, you wouldn't understand. I can't talk about it.

—Professor,— Jonah insisted, adding more pressure, —only the truth can free you from your sins. You must atone for your guilt.

—You're right, I need some peace,— Hebert retorted, meekly raising his head, —May I sit down?

—-Absolutely, whatever you need.

Hebert rose heavily and sat down in front of Jonah. His gaze was somewhat lost, but Jonah was sure that he was still under his influence.

—I confess that I have also committed a sin of vanity,— he said crestfallen, chewing on the words, —many years ago I was recruited by an organization and worked for them for a long time, gathering information, spying on my congregation and manipulating a child and his entire family for the sake of an experiment.

Hebert became silent for a moment, gawking, and Jonah waved him on to continue hiding his displeasure as best he could.

—The family knows nothing, but they were monitored for years, as was the boy, who was kept away from them by a priest. The boy was special, he has... powers.

—Powers?

––He is able to manipulate those around him, and has certain clairvoyant abilities, he is tremendously intelligent... it was scary. My job was to conduct periodic tests and with that pretext, adjust a device that was planted very close to him.

—A device? -- Jonah became interested, puzzled.

—An inhibitor... well, sort of. The priest carried it with him at all times, although I always had the impression that he was unaware of the matter. It served to keep the boy's abilities at bay.

—I see, but didn't you say it was a long time ago? What worries you now, haven't you confessed to all this over the years?

—Yes indeed, it was a long time ago, I stopped treatment of the boy shortly before he turned 18,— Hebert justified himself before raising his head to stare at Jonah—; they disappeared, you know? Overnight, my contact disappeared and I never heard from him or the organization again… Until two days ago. The young man went missing and both his guardian and father tried desperately to reach me. I resisted at first, didn't want to hear about it and didn't return their calls, but I got a call from my forgotten contact. He ordered me to meet them here in Ireland. I tried to persuade the father, to convince him that I was not needed, but to no avail. Now I believe that I have inadvertently just given them his sister— he ended up, lowering his head.

—But whom?

—I can't tell you, I'm sorry. You don't know what they are capable of Father, they have a lot of power, more than you can imagine. I had no choice, I can't lose my job, my life...

—But who are they?— Jonah insisted.

—Have you ever heard... —Hebert made a new effort, his face was getting red —about the Harperin Corporation?

—Not really,— replied Jonah pensively, —should I?

—Well, I don't know, the truth is that, despite being relatively well known years ago, they have vanished into thin air. No one remembers them,—Hebert said, almost to himself. Jonah was making a great effort to unlock that part of Hebert's mind, and he began to suspect that the professor himself had already undergone an external readjustment in the past. —But I do.— He muttered.

“Yes!” he was surprised to discover, “someone has already worked in here”.

Hebert froze. Jonah had inadvertently touched something that had left the professor on the verge of collapsing. He gathered his thoughts. Yes, it was obvious that someone had been conditioning this man for years. But the work was tremendously subtle, almost imperceptible, of surgical precision.

Surgery?

“This is getting interesting”.

Jonah was not intimidated by the reveal, on the contrary, it fueled his curiosity. He expected something like this, and he was not disappointed. It was only logical that they would have explored that path as well. He decided to do this man a favor and deactivate whatever had been implanted in him. He stood up and put a hand on his head. Then he closed his eyes.

Nothing.

He found nothing strange in his head. A small thrombus but nothing else.

He focused and got the blood flowing freely again.

Hebert reacted slowly as Jonah recited his false absolution.

––Deus, Pater misericordiarum, qui per mortem et resurrectionem Filii sui mundum sibi reconciliavit et Spiritum Sanctus effudit in remissionem peccatorum, per ministerium Ecclesiae indulgentiam tibi tributa el pacem –– continued Jonah as he mentally tried to stabilize the Professor as best he could ––Et ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.

—Amen,— Hebert nodded.

Jonah seated himself again in front of him and picked up the black case with his tablet while the professor got himself together.

—I leave you to your penance, professor, it has been a pleasure to meet you,— he said, offering Hebert his friendly hand. He needed one last physical contact.

—Thank you, Father,— said Hebert, somewhat disoriented, shaking his hand, —I hope to see you again.

—Have a good trip.

Jonah walked out into the street bewildered. So what had just happened? His left temple began to throb as he felt a slight sense of loss, as if something had slipped through his fingers. The street was spinning, he felt nauseous, the lines on the floor sharpened and as he tried to fix his gaze on the cab that stopped by his side an idea slipped his mind. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't figure it out. It was like a tiny blurred spot in his vision that prevented him from seeing well, he rubbed his eyes but it was still there. A small gap that began to get bigger and bigger.

He needed to get out of there and back to Madrid immediately.

Hebert reached into his pocket for his cell phone and dialed a short five-digit number.

—It's done! — he exclaimed proudly.

—Perfect,— replied his interlocutor.