Yesterday (Part Two - Chapters 35 & 36) (Patreon)

CHAPTER 35

—So who are you again? — asked Adrian.

—I am your guide—, replied Roman as if entrusting him with a secret.

Adrian looked him up and down stupefied.

—Then I don't get it at all. According to you, Antonio doesn't exist but you do, and besides all that, you’re now my guide? —he said, jutting his chin out at him—. I don't know man, you're very odd.

—I haven't said that Antonio didn't exist, …not entirely, only that he's not who it seems. He was watching you, and even subtly manipulating you at times.

—How?

—Mental manipulation—, said Román, —a kind of hypnosis that's complicated to explain. But it was only during the dream.

—For a dream, it all seemed very real.

—Because it wasn't really a dream, but that's the best word I can think of to help you understand it now. The guy you call Antonio introduced in your mind several images and situations in which you had to interact in order for him to accomplish his purposes, but that doesn't matter anymore.

—According to that theory, you are part of that fantasy.

—Not exactly—, said Román.

—Well, then, please explain yourself and stop acting so enigmatic.

Román smiled at him and continued:

—All in good time. As I told you, I am your guide. Your Antonio stumbled upon me delving into your mind, and used a distorted image of me to gain easier access to your subconscious. On the bright side, this has facilitated our communication and you will be able to move forward more quickly and repair the damage that has been done to you.

—Damage? — Adrian was starting to get annoyed again.

—Don't worry, it' s not all lost. I'm not going to leave your side.

—Well, let's see who's going to explain this to Eva—, reproached Adrian.

The door to the room opened at that moment and Adrian turned around. It was Eva.

—We were just talking about you—, exclaimed Adrian, relieved.

But Eva hurried across the room and went into the cabinet without noticing them. Adrian sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He heard her rummaging through a drawer or something. He tried again.

—Roman and I…-- he turned his head to introduce him, but he was no longer there.

Adrian blanked out and Eva approached him worriedly.

—What's wrong, honey? — she whispered, reaching out her hand

—Nothing... I...

—Are you feeling all right? — Eva softly touched Adrian's face, his eyes were closed, his mouth half open. —Just let me call the nurse—, she murmured, trying to reassure herself. She turned and left the room.

Adrian stared at the couch in terror. He was standing in front of the bed. How he had gotten there, he didn't know. He looked down at himself. He was lying on the bed as well.

“What's wrong with me?”

Eva ran through the broad gallery in search of a nurse. She was so frightened to see Adrian looking so pale. He needed help. Quickly.

She found the nurse at the island station in front of the elevators and told her in a rush what had happened. She checked her monitor for a moment and picked up the phone to alert his doctor, then escorted Eva back to the room.

They found Adrian lying pale white, his eyes surrounded by a soft blue areola. Lifeless.

The nurse walked over to the monitor on the side of the bed facing the entrance and, after giving him a frowning glance, took the phone on the bedside table and dialed three numbers and then hung up.

—Eva, please follow me out.

Adrian observed them alarmed from a corner of the room.

The nurse encouraged Eva again to accompany her into the gallery. She gently ushered her toward the door.

—The doctor has to speak to you, he must be on his way down—, she whispered to her.

Eva left the room with a heavy heart. Until that moment she had spent the day excited and convinced that everything would work out. She turned and looked disconsolately at Adrian, the nurse closed the door silently. Outside, the doctor she had spoken to on Saturday was waiting for her, when Adrian first reacted. Once again he silently escorted her back through the bright gallery to his office at the entrance to the ward.

The doctor offered her a chair and sat down behind his desk. He opened a folder and gave Eva a concerned look.

—I'm very sorry Eva, I know this is very hard for you, but we already have part of the results of the tests we conducted on Adrián, do you want to talk about it now, or do you want to wait for the forensic report?

Eva looked at him confused.

—You already have them? Could you tell me now?

—If you want to, yes, Eva, but I must warn you that I'm afraid it's not what we expected—, the doctor answered gravely.

Eva felt a lump in her throat.

—What could be worse?

—Until we receive the results of the intracranial biopsy we performed on him last Friday, we believe that the main culprit is a small tumor, a secondary glioblastoma multiforme—, Eva sighed and covered her mouth with her hand, the doctor continued to elaborate his diagnosis as tactfully as he could —We call it a secondary type because it is associated with the Li-Fraumeni syndrome which there are indications of in his medical history. It is a very aggressive tumor.

Eva remained silent with her hand still in her mouth.

—It's important for you to know that we are going to do everything we can to find out what has happened, plus there's the chemical situation, which I'm afraid we'll have to report to the authorities. We have found unequivocal traces of an experimental drug treatment that your fiancé undoubtedly had recently undergone. Are you sure he didn't tell you about it?

Eva was still dumbfounded, but not knowing what to say, shook her head.

—Did you understand what I said? Do you want to ask me something?

—Is he going to die? —she stammered.

The doctor looked at her in surprise.

—Eva, Adrian is already dead. —A sob escaped through Eva's fingers. The doctor, visibly uncomfortable, picked up the telephone, —I’m going to set you up with Teresa Abril, our clinical psychologist, she's an expert in oncology and will be of great help in getting you through this moment.

He typed something into his computer and then stared at Eva.

—Stay here as long as you need. I have notified Teresa and she will come to see you in a few moments.

—Thank you—, Eva muttered sorrowfully.

CHAPTER 36

Oscar was having a hard time locating his old friend, Judge Alberto Canales, since they had lost contact many years ago. After some initial inquiries, he called the Barcelona courthouse where he was practicing when he met him and, and despite the fact that he had retired almost six years ago, he got an officer to give him his son's telephone number, who, he informed him, was currently in charge of his father's commitments: conferences and courses he had been giving in various parts of the world since he stopped actively practicing as a judge.

Felipe, Alberto's son, was very solicitous and polite. Oscar even suspected that he was somehow expecting his call. He recognized him instantly and told him politely and apologetically that his father would remain isolated all that week in a retreat in the mountains of Segovia, but that he would do everything possible to contact him and pass on his message.

Oscar offered to come to Segovia that same night, but Felipe was very courteous, but firm on this point and asked him to wait for his father to reach him, as it was a private retreat.

Surprisingly enough, the call came back within a few minutes.

—My dear Oscar! —Alberto greeted him effusively through the telephone —-Long time no hear from you. How are you? How can I help you?

—Alberto! I spoke to your son earlier, and I see you have him working with you, I trust you're proud, are you?

—He's a great man, Oscar—, Alberto puffed up, —I can't begin to tell you how well he manages things for me. I live like a king now, traveling, lecturing, with my retreats…

—Yes, that's what he told me, that you were in Segovia.

—Well, it's one of the stopovers. A little trip we've given ourselves. Tell me, what's on your mind, old friend?

—It's a delicate subject. I don't know if it's right for us to talk about it over the phone, you tell me… —Oscar groped cautiously, but when he didn't hear an answer he decided to jump in. —I need you to tell me everything you know about the circumstances in which you found my two twins

He heard his voice crack on the other end of the line.

—But Oscar, you know I can't talk about that. You signed an N.D.A. yourself.

—Alberto, it's been more than thirty years and you're already retired, —Oscar replied earnestly. —I think you can do me such a favor, besides, it will remain between us.

There was a brief silence and a new coughing on the other side.

—Why do you want to remove that now? —Alberto tried to reason with him, —You have made a whole life for yourselves, why bother?

—Because things aren't that simple nor are they that good, Alberto, —answered Oscar. —Martha died last week.

—What? —exclaimed Alberto bewildered —But she was younger than me! My deepest condolences, Oscar.

—Thank you —he paused. —It was a traffic accident.

—Good grief!

—And I suspect that one of the twins was involved.

—No way!

—Yes, and that's why I need to find out what you know about their past.

—I’m speechless, —said Alberto, stupefied, pausing briefly. —Look, I'll call my son and have him make copies of some documents I keep in the office, but Oscar, please be careful.

—I can imagine what you're going to tell me —sighed Oscar resignedly.

—No, I don't think so. Look, it was a complicated affair, in which not everything is what it seems. I was a mere middleman and I swear I acted in good faith. I was on duty when I was called to the docks, but I got another call shortly before I left. Let's just say that people with many interests were involved. And since you were looking for an opportunity, I...

—Don't worry, Alberto, I'm just looking for information.

—Well, I'll see that you get everything I can give you, but be very discreet and proceed carefully.

Oscar decided to take a step further.

—Who else called you that day?

—You're pushing me into a corner, Oscar.

—Tell me and I'll have somewhere to start, —Oscar begged him.

Alberto remained silent.

—Alberto?

—It came from London, —the judge began, lowering his voice. —They forewarned me what I would find and suggested that I call you.

—But who? —Oscar insisted.

—Someone from the Congregation, —Alberto admitted reluctantly.

—Oh, I see.

—It's not what you imagine, —Alberto objected. —I give you my word they assured me it was the best thing to do to protect the children. It was necessary to hide them and leave them in the hands of someone capable, like you, in your position, and he was very insistent on that point. It was obvious that the parents were in some kind of trouble.

—And what do you know about them?

—Hardly anything, really. I'll send you the police reports on both of them, that's all I can give you. They were both French, no known relatives, students, unemployed, but for some reason important. What I remember above all is this, the pressure they exerted to bury the matter.

Oscar bid farewell to Alberto and stared at the paper where he had been writing down the key points of their conversation:

• Complicated
• Interests
• Silence
• London
• Congregation
• Child Protection
• Student parents
• Bury

He had been in the habit of taking these kinds of quick notes in his meetings for years. They served as a mnemonic summary, and on many occasions they were tremendously useful in capturing the essence of each circumstance and finding a quick way forward when he didn't have all the information from the beginning. He just had to thread the words together to construct a sentence:

“Complicated matter, with many interests that compel silence from London, where there is someone from the Congregation who asks for the protection of the children, whose parents, students, must be buried.”

There were things he had already figured out for himself, but the phrase shed some light on the mystery surrounding the twins.

He wondered how much Aminarti really knew about it all.

There were a lot of marionettes in that story, and someone had to have been pulling the strings.

What was the Prelature's interest?

What mess did her real parents get themselves into?

From whom did the Congregation want to hide the children?

He suspected that the “special” abilities of both of them had a lot to do with it. They were not normal; he had not encountered anything similar in all those years.

Somehow, it all fit in with Hebert's role, who between the lines also warned him of dangers and hidden interests. He took the sheet of paper from his wallet on which he had written down the notes of his hurried meeting with the professor:

• Aminarti important
• H. wants assurances
• Protection
• They know
• Laura
• Talisman, rosary, device, Am.
• A. knows more
• H. Pawn

He went over the list on the plane back to Madrid, but at the time found nothing new in it that he didn't already know or suspect.

But by combining the two lists the resulting paragraph was a bit more revealing:

“A complicated matter, with many interested parties forcing silence from London. There, someone from the Congregation requests the protection of the children, whose parents, students, must be buried into oblivion. Aminarti is important, knows more than he tells, and has a device that protects him. Hebert needs assurances and protection to speak because he says that they know (are they watching him?) and that he is just a pawn. Laura must not be there because Aminarti is not there.”

He re-read the paragraph carefully.

It made more sense, although something was missing. What were the parents involved in? Why hide the babies?

Because of their “capabilities”? he wondered.

Most likely.

But then, whose interests was the Congregation protecting in the matter?

And Laura...

Had he done the right thing getting her into that mess?

Eva was not supposed to know anything for the moment. He had to get Jonah to leave them alone, but how could he convince him?

His jaw was tense. He tried to relax and closed his eyes.

His cell phone rang. It was Eva, her voice sounded broken. He greeted her but she interrupted him.

—Daddy, I just got confirmation, it's Adrian....

That was the only thing that stuck in his mind. His daughter was talking but Oscar had leaned back in the armchair and was staring at the ceiling biting his lower lip.