Two weeks had already passed since Patrick’s home had become a crime scene. The case remained unsolved, and a false report that the escaped convict had been shot and killed by police was released to the public, bringing the matter to a close.
After the ABoI investigators had rushed to Patrick’s home, the command post was apparently dismantled immediately. Noemi was grumbling about the seemingly forced conclusion. Frustrated, she had been calling Patrick’s mobile phone over and over again, suspecting he knew more. His call history was filled with dozens of entries for ‘Noemi Zedillo’.
Noemi’s relentless pursuit was driving him to the brink of a nervous breakdown. However, that was not the only reason Patrick was feeling neurotic.
“Rickey, did you have a proper breakfast?”
His meddlesome friend, Carlo Santos. His interference, which could be described as overprotective, was another source of Patrick’s troubles.
“I’ve just finished. Anyway… is that something you really needed to come all the way to my house to ask?”
Patrick shot back at his friend, who had shown up at his new flat first thing in the morning, as he let him in. But his friend just said, with a serious expression,
“Because I feel you’re in a precarious state right now. You’ve had a series of troubles in such a short period of time. You were already unstable to begin with, and now a bomb has been dropped that could be the final blow. A bomb in the form of someone being murdered in your home.”
“Even so, you didn’t have to come all this way…”
It was only yesterday that Patrick had completed the paperwork to sell the house that had become a crime scene. After about five days in a cheap hotel, he had moved into a residence provided by the ASI. He was now living in a reasonably nice flat, more spacious and comfortable than his previous home.
Apart from having to continue living with the ever-critical Eileen, Patrick had no complaints about his current home. A large bed, a spacious and easy-to-use kitchen, a sofa that did not creak, an auto-locking front door. The built-in furniture was all high-quality.
For some reason, this morning, Carlo Santos had shown up at this new residence.
“Rickey. You haven’t been sleeping, have you? And even if you have, it’s not exactly restful sleep because of the nightmares, is it? You look terrible, and the circles under your eyes are black. —How about you come in for a consultation?”
Carlo Santos said as he strode into the new flat. But Patrick just scowled in displeasure.
At Patrick’s reaction, Carlo Santos gave a wry smile. With a sigh, he said, in a tone of gentle persuasion, “We’ve known each other for a long time, and I know you well. Don’t you think you should listen to my advice?”
“You talk as if we’ve been friends since we were kids—isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”
Patrick retorted, briefly tracing his memory back to when he had met his friend, Carlo Santos.
He had met him at university, when he was eighteen. Their friendship had begun when they were assigned to the same room in the student dormitory. …At least, that was how Patrick remembered it.
“We met as students, it’s only been about eight years. We’re hardly childhood friends.”
When Patrick said this, Carlo Santos’s expression became complicated, as if he were thinking about something. Then he said, cryptically, “You’re right. Well, we’ll leave it at that.”
Carlo Santos, who was much taller than the short Patrick, placed his right hand on his head. He then ruffled his hair, as if grabbing it.
‘Stop it,’ Patrick said, brushing his hand away. Carlo Santos immediately stopped treating him like a child, but he did not stop his overprotective behaviour. With his eyebrows drooped in concern, he pressed Patrick again.
“In any case, you’re full of anxieties right now. And yet you’re about to go to work with a straight face. As a doctor, I have to recommend you take a leave of absence.”
“Um, Carlo. You’re not my doctor—”
“That’s right. I’m not your doctor. And I know you’re stubborn and obstinate and that you don’t easily change your mind. So I won’t force you.”
Just as he had been pushing relentlessly, Carlo Santos suddenly backed off. But Patrick’s relief was short-lived, as Carlo Santos continued to meddle. He took Patrick’s hand and said, “So, if things get really bad, call me. Got it?”
“Yes, yes. I will, someday.”
“Don’t be stubborn, get some counselling. You have to, eventually. It doesn’t have to be me. Well, I’d be happy if you did choose me. I’m always here to listen, and I’m bound by confidentiality, so I’ll keep your secrets. I know you can’t talk about work stuff, but you can talk about Sigrid, and your prosthetic leg—”
“I have no intention of talking about that.”
Prosthetic leg. The moment Carlo Santos said those words, Patrick’s demeanour changed. With utterly cold eyes, he fixed an icy stare on his friend.
Deciding that pressing any further would put him in a bad mood, Carlo Santos decided to back off completely. He raised both hands in a gesture of surrender and said,
“Alright, alright. Whenever you feel like it. Just don’t keep it all to yourself. …Not talking to anyone, and your habit of immediately sealing away memories, that’s a bad habit of yours that’s been going on for a long time. You should be aware of it.”
“…”
“Well then, I’m off. If I stay here any longer, I’ll be late.”
With those final words, Carlo Santos opened the front door to leave. —But he hesitated just before leaving and turned back to Patrick.
“Sorry, Rickey. There’s something I forgot to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Noemi is determined to get the name of the person who killed Eli Grissom out of you. She’s been pestering me with calls, asking if I’ve heard anything from you. From the looks of it, she’s serious. You’d better be prepared.”
With that, Carlo Santos left Patrick’s new flat and went to his own workplace.
Eileen, who had been eavesdropping on their exchange from the shadows, popped her head out after Carlo Santos had gone.
“He seems like a worried, kind older brother, doesn’t he? Dr. Santos.”
Eileen said with a knowing smile, but Patrick ignored her and quickly put on the glasses-type communication device she had supplied him with the other day. He then began to get ready for work.
The Senior Technocrat had finally woken up.
Upon receiving the news immediately after arriving at ASI headquarters, Patrick headed straight for Canberra National University Hospital.
And there, he ran into Noemi, her eyes blazing with anger.
“…It’s been two weeks, Rickey. You’ve got some nerve, ignoring all my calls.”
Noemi, who had been waiting for him in the entrance, rushed over as soon as she saw him and said this. But Patrick played dumb. “I was busy, I’m sorry.”
“Really~?”
“Yes, I was busy.”
An indescribable, awkward atmosphere flowed between the two as they glared at each other. Before long, they arrived in front of the hospital room where the Senior Technocrat was staying.
“…”
“……”
But unlike the other day, there were no VIP protection officers in front of the door separating the room from the corridor. Instead, the voices of two men, filled with irritation, could be heard from inside.
“Senior Technocrat Varlozzi, you do not seem to understand your position. Even if you tell us to stand down, this is a presidential order—”
“Check with your superior. Ask him if it really is a presidential order. To assign thirty members of the VIP protection unit to guard just me, such a ridiculous situation should not occur if protocol is followed. Someone, somewhere, must be improperly intervening and messing with the chain of command. And if you investigate, you will find people who say they ‘have no recollection’ or whose alibis have contradictions. Before you assign personnel to my protection, you should investigate your own ranks—”
“We will not stand down. At this moment, no other words are necessary!”
This seems like a dangerous situation. Thinking this, Patrick opened the sliding door to the hospital room without knocking. The door slid to the right. Noemi, realizing his rash act too late, tried to stop him, but it was too late.
“Hey, Rickey!”
“Excuse me for interrupting. I’ve come to ask you about the other day’s incident. I am Special Agent Patrick Lerner of the ABoI. This is Noemi Zed—”
Patrick tried to force his way in, but the VIP protection officers stationed inside the door stopped him and tried to push him out. But Patrick fought back, trying to squeeze his small body through a gap between the large officers.
Seeing this, a desperate Noemi also joined the scuffle in front of the door. She pushed Patrick from behind, trying to shove him into the room. But the VIP protection officers were only doing their duty. They blocked Patrick’s path with their own bodies, determined not to let him in.
The man who noticed the struggle in front of the door—a man in a high-quality navy business suit, who seemed to be some kind of official related to the VIP protection unit—turned pale when he saw them and let out a hysterical scream.
“What are you doing?! Get out of here, now!”
While the man in the navy suit was shouting in a panic, another voice, calm and sharp, was heard giving permission to enter.
“It’s fine, let them in.”
The contradictory orders confused the VIP protection officers. The moment they showed an opening, Noemi gave Patrick a powerful shove from behind. His small, slender frame slipped through the gap, and he successfully entered the room.
Inside the room he had slipped into, Patrick saw two men glaring at each other, and the VIP protection officers standing there in a daze, ashamed that they had allowed him to enter.
What caught Patrick’s eye most of all was the man in the black-rimmed glasses sitting on the bed as if it were a chair—Senior Technocrat Pellmond Varlozzi, who looked surprisingly well for someone who had been on the brink of death just a few days ago.
Although he was dressed in a grey hospital gown, a typical patient’s attire, the aura he exuded was more dignified than that of the man in the smart navy suit. Despite his unshaven stubble, which had grown out a little due to a few days of neglect, and his untidy, curly hair, he possessed the presence of a man befitting the title of VIP.
And his blue eyes, peeking out from under his square, black-rimmed glasses. His heavy eyelids and droopy eyes gave him a weary look, but his eyes themselves were glowing with an unusual intensity. Patrick swallowed hard, nervous. —Then the Senior Technocrat opened his mouth.
“VIP protection, I have no use for you, get out. Or at least wait outside this room. Next, Nguyen Van Le Quan, you can go home. And you investigators, you can come in.”
Upon hearing these words, the VIP protection officers looked back at the Senior Technocrat as if to object, but seeing that he was not going to back down, one of the officers gave a signal, and they quietly left the room. They seemed to have chosen to wait in the corridor.
On the other hand, the official-looking man named Nguyen took the action of clearly voicing his objection.
“Senior Technocrat, this is not a matter for you to decide,” he protested.
“I have no use for you. Go home.”
“But—”
“I said I have no use for you. —Or should I prove right here that I don’t need protection?”
The Senior Technocrat’s words were menacing. He exuded a unique sense of intimidation. But the official-looking man was not fazed by his intimidation and looked at the Senior Technocrat who was treating him so rudely with suspicion.
Although he was dressed in a stiff suit, the official-looking man had the physique to match his connection to the VIP protection unit. His well-trained, sturdy body was visible even through his suit.
In contrast, the Senior Technocrat was an injured patient, not in perfect condition. Moreover, his title was Senior Technocrat. He was a cabinet-level technician, an engineer.
Patrick knew that Senior Technocrat Pellmond Varlozzi was involved in the development of firearms and other weapons, but he did not have the image of him as a fighter. That was why Patrick thought that if the Senior Technocrat and the official-looking man were to get into a fight, the official-looking man would undoubtedly win.
“Very well. —If I win, you will accept the protection of the VIP protection unit. If you win, we will follow your wishes and withdraw.”
The official-looking man said, taking off his suit jacket. He placed it on a nearby folding chair and looked at the Senior Technocrat.
The Senior Technocrat, as if taking up the challenge, slowly stood up. And as he raised his head and looked at the official-looking man, the official-looking man grinned. —But in the next instant, the outcome was decided.
“Now you see? I don’t need protection. If you’re going to assign protection, give it to my daughter, not me.”
It all happened in an instant, too fast for a normal person to follow. Just as the Senior Technocrat slowly stood up and seemed to be composing himself, the official-looking man was flipped onto his back and fell to the floor. Seeing this, Noemi gasped, and Patrick’s eyes widened.
The Senior Technocrat then walked over to the pathetic man who was groaning on the floor and offered him a hand. The official-looking man, with a look of frustration on his face, took the offered hand and accepted the help to get up.
As the official-looking man stood up, the Senior Technocrat uttered a line that must have been painful for him to hear.
“A dolt who can’t even avoid a simple leg sweep is of no use to me. You’d only get in the way.”
“It would appear so. …As promised, we will withdraw.”
The fact that he had been defeated in an instant must have been quite a shock. The official-looking man, who had readily admitted defeat, said this and, after retrieving his jacket, quickly left the room. The VIP protection officers who had been waiting in the corridor followed him.
Fortunately, the intruders were gone. But with their departure, Patrick and Noemi’s tension only grew.
The VIP protection officers left, and the door to the hospital room slowly closed. When the room was completely sealed off from the outside, the Senior Technocrat’s eyes fell on Patrick and Noemi.
“So, what do you want? Tell me, and be brief.”
The Senior Technocrat’s blue eyes, which were assessing the two young people, were cold, and there was no expression or emotion in them. But a fearless smile played on his lips. Noemi shivered at the eerie smile.
Beside her, Patrick clenched his fists. His nails dug into his palms, and the pain spurred him on.
“…”
The Senior Technocrat exuded an unsettling aura. From his unusual behaviour just now, it was clear that he was a man apart from ordinary people.
But Patrick had dealt with even crazier criminals before. There was nothing to be afraid of. This time, too, would be fine.
—He tried to tell himself this, but the words would not come. And to the nervous young man, the Senior Technocrat delivered another blow.
“My eyesight is terrible. Even with these glasses, I can’t see a thing properly. But I can tell as if I were touching you that you’re both trembling with nerves. You want to get this over with, don’t you? Then hurry up and state your business. What do you want to ask?”
Although the Senior Technocrat’s words were hurried, his voice was not particularly annoyed, and his expression showed no signs of irritation. —Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that Patrick could not read his thoughts or feelings at all.
Patrick, his chin tucked in, recalled the words Director Bradford had said the other day. It was then that he understood why the Director had said he “just didn’t like” the Senior Technocrat.
He lacked humanity, and it was very unsettling. Patrick felt the same way about the Senior Technocrat. And as if he were testing the waters, he looked at him and, mustering his courage, began to speak—concisely, as the Senior Technocrat had specified.
“We only have one question for you, Senior Technocrat Varlozzi. Did you see the culprit’s face?”
The Senior Technocrat responded with a snort. He then replied,
“No, I saw nothing.”
“Was it a man or a woman, and what was their age—”
“I was attacked from behind. I couldn’t have seen them. And even if I had, my eyesight is bad. I wouldn’t have been able to make out their face or build.”
“Then, their voice—”
“All I heard were gunshots and my daughter’s scream.”
What a difficult person to deal with. Patrick thought.
He unclenched his fists and put his sweaty palms behind his back. The Senior Technocrat, on the other hand, maintained a confident smile and looked at them with his emotionless eyes. —And showing his white teeth, he said something completely unexpected to Patrick.
“Patrick Lerner, you said just now that you were ‘of the ABoI’, but that’s not true, is it? You’re an ASI agent. And you’re currently Sir Arthur’s errand boy, aren’t you?”
“…?!”
Patrick had never had any contact with the Senior Technocrat before. Eileen had even said that was precisely why he had been chosen for this case.
But the Senior Technocrat seemed to know him. He had correctly identified him as an ASI agent and had even mentioned the specific name “Sir Arthur.” As if he could see through everything.
This unexpected blow left Patrick visibly shaken. The Senior Technocrat, seeing this, smiled as if his suspicions had been confirmed. He then said to Patrick,
“I know what that idiot’s after. Tell Arthur to wait while playing his fiddle. —Or is he listening to this whole conversation through that wearable device?”
His cold eyes seemed to see through everything. The Senior Technocrat, who was looking at Patrick with such eyes, pointed to the glasses-type communication device he was wearing. Just as Patrick’s shoulders twitched, a small vibration and a buzzing sound were heard near his ear.
The glasses-type communication device that the Senior Technocrat had just targeted was transmitting sound using bone conduction. And after the buzzing sound, Eileen’s voice reached Patrick’s ears, or rather, his bones.
‘Play it cool! You can admit you’re ASI, but somehow deny anything about Arthur!!’
She must be desperate to hide the involvement of the man in black, Arthur. Patrick sensed this from the urgency in Eileen’s voice. And he tried to come up with a way to cover it up. But his eyes fell on Noemi, who was looking at him with suspicion. In that instant, the blood drained from Patrick’s face.
He was betraying his former partner, with whom he had a relationship of trust. The guilt that welled up at this situation made Patrick tremble. And not being used to dealing with VIPs, he slipped up. With obvious agitation, he told a transparent lie.
“N-no, um, Senior Technocrat. It is true that I have received a special assignment from Director Bradford and am currently working alone, but—”
“It’s useless to play dumb. It won’t work on me.”
With that, the Senior Technocrat’s smile vanished, and his face became completely expressionless. He was sending a cold gaze in Patrick’s direction… —but Patrick realised that the gaze was not directed at him.
The Senior Technocrat knew that the conversation and the images Patrick was seeing were being transmitted ‘somewhere’ through the glasses he was wearing. If so, then the person the Senior Technocrat was sending his cold gaze to was likely the one receiving the information Patrick was sending.
“Whether it’s Arthur or Bradford, it doesn’t matter, but I’ll give you a warning. Refrain from doing anything that might provoke them. This is a particularly delicate time, and I don’t want to stir things up. Don’t do anything unnecessary.”
Although the Senior Technocrat’s words were directed at Patrick, they were not meant for him. They seemed to be a direct message to the person who was watching through Patrick.
And from the Senior Technocrat’s demeanour, Patrick sensed it. He knew who his attacker was. But he was protecting the attacker. As if he were afraid of the attacker’s existence being revealed.
The Senior Technocrat had deliberately mentioned the attacker’s name, but he had not told Patrick that that person was the culprit. …Or rather, it would be more correct to say ‘in front of Noemi, who is an investigator’.
“…”
The more information he got, the less he understood what was happening. Feeling this way, Patrick fell silent, having lost the words to say. Then, as if taking over from him, Noemi made a move.
But she did not engage in a back-and-forth with the Senior Technocrat. She walked over to the wall of the hospital room and pressed a button on it. Then, pointing to the Senior Technocrat’s abdomen, she said, “Um, Senior Technocrat Varlozzi.”
“What is it?”
“…Your wound has opened. Please don’t move any more than that.”
The button Noemi had pressed was an emergency device to call a nurse, a nurse call. And hearing her words, Patrick noticed for the first time that blood was seeping through the hospital gown the Senior Technocrat was wearing, on his abdomen.
And it was not just a little blood. His entire upper abdomen was red.
But the man himself seemed to feel no pain, his face still calm. But his complexion had worsened.
“…It’s been two weeks, and the wound hasn’t closed. I guess I’m not as young as I used to be…”
The Senior Technocrat grumbled calmly. Immediately after, the area outside the hospital room became noisy.
But it was not a nurse who rushed in, but Noemi’s superior and Patrick’s former superior, Special Agent Thomas Bennett.
He looked at Noemi, then at Patrick. Then he looked at the Senior Technocrat and said in an exasperated voice, “Senior Technocrat Varlozzi. The VIP protection unit is not your punching bag. You broke Major Nguyen’s leg, what did you do to him?”
Special Agent Thomas Bennett said, letting out a heavy sigh.
“My bad. Tell him to bill the Varlozzi Foundation for the medical expenses.”
Just as the Senior Technocrat uttered those words, his body swayed, and he fell forward. Special Agent Thomas Bennett caught him just before he hit the floor. At the same moment, the nurses rushed into the room.
The nurses took charge of the motionless Senior Technocrat. After that, Patrick and the others were ushered out of the room by the nurses.
“Oh, well. In the end, we got nothing. Might have been a waste of time.”
Noemi said, her shoulders slumped. Patrick stood there, speechless. Special Agent Thomas Bennett wiped the Senior Technocrat’s blood from his hands with a handkerchief, his brow deeply furrowed. He then spoke to Patrick.
“It’s been a while, Patrick.”
His voice, calling his name, pulled Patrick’s consciousness, which had been drifting away, back to reality. Patrick looked up with a start and looked at Special Agent Thomas Bennett. And immediately, he forced a smile.
“It’s been a long time, Chief.”
“I’ve heard about your good work at the ASI. Travis was praising you.”
“Oh, well, I don’t know about that…”
As Patrick feigned humility, Noemi, who was standing beside him, nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. She raised her eyebrows as if she had something to say and glared at him. It seemed Noemi was simmering with a quiet anger towards Patrick.
So Patrick changed the subject. He asked about his former superior, Special Agent Thomas Bennett, and his current superior, Manager Travis Haydn, something he had been curious about.
“By the way, you and Mr Haydn know each other, don’t you? What’s your relationship?”
To this question, Special Agent Thomas Bennett replied with a shy smile.
“Travis is a childhood friend. We’ve been friends since Alusthogrun was still on the sea and was called Australia.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. When we were kids, we used to go surfing at Bondi Beach together. And we were the same in everything. We went to the same primary school, the same university, we entered the ABoI academy at the same time, and we got our badges at the same time. But… he was headhunted by the ASI within a year. Just like you, Patrick.”
“…Mr Haydn was at the ABoI?”
“Yeah, he was. A long time ago, almost twenty years now.”
Special Agent Thomas Bennett said, placing an elbow on Patrick’s shoulder. And just like he used to, he roughly ruffled Patrick’s hair.
Patrick brushed his hand away, just like he used to, and frowned. Special Agent Thomas Bennett then explained with a wry smile.
“Sorry, Patrick. I didn’t mean any harm. But, you know, when I see you, I just can’t help myself.”
And scratching his temple shyly, Special Agent Thomas Bennett also said, “Every time I see you with that distant look on your face, like your mind is somewhere else, I can’t help but remember fifteen years ago. It makes me worry.”
Fifteen years ago. Even when he said that, Patrick had no idea what he was talking about. And when Patrick tilted his head in confusion, Special Agent Thomas Bennett’s smile vanished. And he put his hand on Patrick’s head again.
“Ah, well… —That was a strange thing to say. Sorry, forget I said that.”
Patting Patrick’s head lightly, Special Agent Thomas Bennett lowered his hand and stared at the door of the hospital room from which they had been shut out. His face, with the corners of his mouth turned down, looked as if he were imagining a very unpleasant turn of events.
Patrick also looked at the same door. But his gaze was different from Special Agent Thomas Bennett’s. And he muttered, “…Sir Arthur.”
“By the way, who is that?”
Noemi, who had not missed his mutter, immediately cut in. But Patrick played dumb.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Because the Senior Technocrat said it just now. That you’re Sir Arthur’s errand boy. —Could it be that this Sir Arthur is the one who shot the Senior Technocrat?”
Noemi’s intuition was as sharp as ever. She had already arrived at the answer. But Patrick did not reveal the truth. With a feigned smile, he turned and walked away from them without a word.
“Hey, Rickey. Wait up!!”
Ignoring Noemi’s calls to stop him, Patrick headed for the car park. He had decided he needed to return to ASI headquarters.
“…”
As he walked, Patrick’s mind raced. What was the purpose of the man in black, Arthur, and why was the Senior Technocrat protecting him?
But Patrick did not yet know. To understand these problems, he first had to face the problems he himself was carrying.
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