33.
It’s the man himself. I go lying in front of the window, with my head resting on my legs and one eye half-opened, so it seems as if I’m sleeping. Bass comes to lie next to me and lays, after heaving a deep sigh, his head on my side. He’s so adorable, as long as he doesn’t keep people caught or attacks them. I mean the dog of course, not Noël. After all, Bass is only just an instrument in the hands of the true animal.
Noël paces through the living room and looks concerned. Now he doesn’t have anyone to intimidate he doesn’t seem self-assured at all. From time to time he scratches his hair and mutters to himself. Unfortunately I can’t hear what he’s saying. He’s looking regularly at his watch. Then he opens his mobile phone. Apparently he’s being called, because I don’t see him pushing any buttons.
The person on the other side of the line is really getting hell. Noël is making wild gestures and his face is running red. There go his well-manneredness and self-control when no one sees him, I think with satisfaction.
I hear a car coming closer, it sounds as if it’s on the other side of the house. I jump up, through which Bass wakes with a growl and shakes. I quickly run around the house, with Bass following in my tracks.
There are for sure twenty parking spaces laid with pebbles. A long drive in between leads to a double iron gate. The car I heard is a Mercedes. He parks near the house and a man gets out.
Ed.
Apparently all better again after the injuries I inflicted on him with the knife. He walks towards the house with vehement steps. He gets a magnetic card out of his pocket that he holds in front of a detector that’s attached to a pole and that stands about a meter in front of the house. A window glides open and he walks inside. Aha, so that’s how the house opens itself.
I put on a sprint to the other side where I have a better view on the living room. I’m thinking about transforming into something so I can sneak into the house, but that doesn’t seem to be necessary. Ed and Noël are standing outside in the garden, talking agitated.
‘He isn’t coming? He isn’t coming?’ Noël spits the words into Ed’s face.
‘I can’t help it, boss, he doesn’t risk to make the journey now he’s undergone an operation,’ Ed answers in an apologizing tone.
Bass wants to play with me again, he’s cutting jolly capers. A growl from my side makes him slink off with his tail between his legs. He goes lying down with his head on his legs and heaves a deep sigh. Sorry, Bass, but works comes first.
‘I’ve even complied with his special request! Well, supposedly.’ Noël again.
‘Can’t you find someone else for it?’
‘Still? Are you nuts! They’ll all arrive within a few hours! It’s too late! All that effort!’ Noël runs his fingers through his hair and turns away from Ed. Half-muttering he continues: ‘Every client has been put through an in-depth investigation. Their financial status, their personality and behavior. The candidates need to be utmost appropriate and especially be able to keep their mouths shut. The rest of the potential candidates do not meet the necessary requirements, so I might not even think about them. The chance on a leak is too big.’
‘It isn’t my fault, boss,’ Ed whines.
Noël waves with his hands and then turns around again. ‘I surely know that. Are all the other arrangements made?’
‘Everything alright, boss. I found those special storage containers. The same they use for organ transport.’
‘I don’t understand why they want to keep their discarded brains. Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.’
‘That’s right, boss.’
‘The doctor? The operating room? The medication?’
‘All double checked, boss.’
‘Good, good. Now nothing can go wrong anymore.’
‘Certainly, boss.’
‘The account?’
‘Not traceable.’
‘They should have done the advance payment by now.’
Ed nods. ‘I’ll read their minds during the champagne and check whether they’ve informed someone else about what’s going on here.’
‘Make sure you have enough time to do it thoroughly. And do the same with those others.’
‘Certainly, boss.’
Noël falls back into pondering. Then: ‘And Manon? No sign?’
‘No, boss.’
‘So Jabar’s house was completely deserted, no furniture, nothing?’
‘Yes, boss, no living soul to be found. There were still a few empty boxes in the living room, that’s all.’
‘I can’t imagine Jabar moved so quickly again, although he has the necessary means of course.’
‘Manon is very important to him. They’ve probably worked through the entire night and made a team of movers come around for a great consideration.’
‘Yes, and besides that Jabar is a coward. Now he knows I’m after him and knows where he lives, he’s of course running away as quick as he can.’ An embittered line appears about Noël’s face, as if he’s biting a sour lemon.
If only he knew, I think to myself, how close Jabar really is.
It’s really clear now a few people are expected this evening at eight ‘o clock. It’s just I need to find out what for, although I’m having a pretty idea through the hint of the operating room and the discarded brains. I’m afraid my earlier suspicions are becoming the truth.
I get an idea. What if I would transform into one of the guests? But than I realize that will become impossible. They probably won’t come alone and I still need to know how to overpower someone the same length as mine.
‘When do the others arrive?’ Noël asks.
‘Seven-thirty.’
‘It’s going to be a long night,’ Noël sighs deeply.
‘Yes, it will be, boss.’
‘Keep your eyes open tonight. It wouldn’t surprise me if Jabar would still come around.’
‘You think so, boss?’
Noël nods, his look hard as stone. ‘Through Manon he knows something fishy right here.’
‘That’s indeed very annoying.’
‘But I think he wants to prepare himself elaborately first. Knowing him, he’ll be busy making plans for days and run through everything in great detail.’ Noël purses his lips. ‘Starting from tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we may expect him. By then we’re already long gone.’
‘All the necessary stuff has been packed already.’
‘That’s good. We don’t have to waste time and above that we can’t know for sure Jabar won’t appear earlier.’
‘Boss?’
‘Yes?’
Ed shuffles uncomfortably back and forth on his feet. He doesn’t look at Noël when he asks: ‘Wouldn’t it have been better if you postponed the entire event? Until we cut out Jabar and his group?’
Noël looks at Ed so fiercely even I shrink back, while I’m even lying on a distance of about 4 meters.
‘No! This operation took me years of my life on preparation and investigation. We carry on with our plan just the way it is! Besides, the clients are already on their way. Postponing isn’t possible anymore.’
‘You’re right, boss, sorry.’
‘Just stop thinking, you. That’s no use at all. Is the one room closed well?’
‘Yes, boss.’
‘Good, I don’t want the clients to see this one. The shock would be too great.’
Noël walks to a similar pole as the one on the other side of the house and passes a card in front of it. So that’s why there aren’t any handles or clinches. The windows can only be electronically opened with a special made pass for that purpose. I now also remember the pole in the living room.
Both of them walk inside and the window closes behind them.
I know enough for now. I want to discuss my earlier formed plan with the others. At a trot I spurt to the wall I came from. Bass is of course following me. When I arrive at the wall I transform into myself again. Bass looks suspicious at me and lays his ears flat. But he doesn’t growl, clearly confused. I give him a pat on his head and then turn around. Just like the previous time I stretch out my arms and pull me up the wall this way. I land softly on the ground at the other side.
‘Jabar?’ I say.
‘I’m listening. Everything alright?’
‘Fine. Say, where are you?’
‘Follow the street to the left and then take the second street on the right. That’s where we’re standing.’
‘Okay.’
I quickly walk towards it. Now I can look at my spare mobile phone and I see it’s already 4 p.m.. Time seems to go faster when you go through life like a dog.
I knock on the rear window of the van and the door opens. Three pairs of eyes look at me.
‘Hi,’ I grin.
Diedie hugs me immediately. ‘You’re alright. Thank God.’
I clamber into the car. Diedie immediately slips a sandwich and a cup of coffee to me.
‘I’ve already eaten, but I can certainly eat this on top of it,’ I say and take a big bite.
‘You’ve already eaten?’ Diedie asks. ‘What? Dry dog food?’
‘Raw kidneys.’ I pull a face.
Then I tell everything I’ve heard. ‘I suggest I try to overpower one of the guests and adopt his or her figure.’
‘That doesn’t seem wise to me,’ Jabar thinks. ‘You don’t know that person, so the chance you’ll do a poor showing is big.’
‘We just need to so something today, because they’re gone by tomorrow,’ I say.
‘I agree with that,’ Jabar says. ‘It’s just we have to look for another method.’
Also Oded agrees with that. ‘You don’t have to run unnecessary risks, Manon, it isn’t fucking worth it.’
‘Hey, I was right, you know,’ I grin. ‘He’s planning to sell the brains of otherkinds to filthy rich people and bring them into them.’
‘Yes, that could indeed be the case,’ Jabar admits. ‘Nevertheless, it still seems utmost unlikely to me.’
‘What a horrible idea.’ Diedie’s face twists with disgust.
‘I wonder who those ‘others’ Noël was talking about are,’ I say. ‘Maybe another medical team? I don’t think a single man can perform all those operations.’
‘What horrible they are. Horrible. Killing others for their own benefit,’ Diedie continues, shaking her head.
‘Could it work?’ I ask.
‘What?’ Oded asks.
‘Well, could those people adopt those gifts?’
‘I suspect they can,’ Jabar answers. ‘Otherwise it wouldn’t have a point.’
‘That means,’ Diedie says shuddering, ‘he’s probably doing tests on otherkinds for years already to see whether it works.’
‘Would he also have experimented on himself?’ Oded asks.
I shrug my shoulders. ‘I didn’t see any prove of it. He didn’t use gifts and I never saw the color of his eyes change.’
‘What would be in that closed room?’ Diedie wonders.
‘There were more rooms in that cellar, seven to be precise, of which I only saw three. So I don’t have a clue.’
At that moment I look outside and see Selena drive past, looking grumpily in front of her. I duck away in a reflex.
‘What are you doing?’ Oded asks.
‘That was Selena who drove past,’ I whisper, as if she could hear me.
The others now look outside, but Selena has already disappeared out of sight.
Oded says thoughtful: ‘She’s a good prey. You know her.’
‘Then she needs to return,’ Diedie says.
‘Probably she will,’ I say. ‘She’ll be expected tonight, even if it’s just as mere security.’
‘I like that idea already more,’ Jabar thinks.
I grin. ‘Playing a bitch isn’t that hard. And then I can finally give her hell.’
‘Besides you can keep your earplug in when being a vampire and keep your weapons close,’ Oded adds.
We decide to risk it and to wait, hoping that Selena will take the same way back. In the meantime we make plans about what we’ll do if it indeed comes that far Noël will sell the brains of otherkinds and implant them in the rich clients.
A few hours pass and the tension builds up inside the delivery van. We fear our plan will fall to pieces, that Selena doesn’t turn back at all or took another way back. Time presses, it’s almost six ‘o clock. Through the nerves I drink one cup of coffee after the other, which isn’t very smart of course. Next I’ll have to go to the toilet every five minutes. On the other hand I hope the caffeine will keep my adrenaline level high. Now I discovered, thanks to Noël, it influences our gifts, I’m of course taking it into account.
And then, finally, a car comes closer that looks like Selena’s one. An outstanding canary yellow sports car of one or another Japanese brand.
‘Action!’ Oded yells.
I jump out of the delivery van and transform into a Doberman. In the middle of the road I go lying down on the ground, with my eyes half-open. Let’s hope I’ve assessed Selena rightly, and she’s indeed friendlier with dogs than with humans. The car comes closer at a raging speeds and I’m keeping myself ready to jump up and run away. Then, to my great relief, she pushes the breaks and slows down until she’s standing completely still one meter away from me. Phew!
That was just in the nick of time.
I immediately transform back into myself. At that same moment Oded and Jabar jump out of the delivery van, with their pistols aimed to the front. Selena scares the living daylights out of her and wants to get back in the car.
‘Not a single move, damn it!’ Oded threatens. ‘Or we’ll shoot you down.’
‘With a lot of pleasure,’ I add grinningly.
Selena throws a devastating look at me. I don’t care. I run towards her and give her, without hesitating, a punch in her face.
She gives a cry and holds a hand before her bleeding nose. I don’t hesitate one seconds and hit her fully on her lips again. And again. It seems as if I’m giving my frustrations and pain of the last few days free reign on her. She undergoes it without defending herself and that immediately takes away all the pleasure. After a punch in her stomach, she doubles over and smacks down to the ground.
‘So, you’re feeling better now?’ Jabar asks.
I turn around to him. ‘Much better.’
Oded drags Selena into the delivery van. With a piece of robe from the car he ties up her hands and feet in such a way they’re both also connected to each other on her back. In the meantime Jabar has parked the car on the side of the road. I’m transformed into Selena, with the same clothes she was wearing; black cotton trousers, white blouse with long sleeves, black long coat and pumps. The coat is perfect to hide my Glock and blackjack in it. Finally I put in the earplug and attach the device on my stomach. I try to camouflage the wire with my hair. I just hope they don’t notice Selena has lost a few inches.
‘Do you see the wire?’ I ask Diedie.
She looks elaborately at me and then shakes her head. ‘No.’
‘Then here I go,’ I say as eager as possible, but in the meantime I explode with nerves.
Jabar gives me the car keys of Selena’s car. ‘We hear everything you say. We’re keeping an eye on you.’
‘I’m counting on that.’ I force a self-assured smile.
Oded found a magnetic card in Selena’s pockets he hands to me.
‘I almost forgot, stupid of me,’ I say apologizing.
I see a remote control in the car with which I can probably open the iron gate. I start the car and drive off after I’ve still waved at them. Diedie watches me drive off with a worried look in her eyes.