Final Challenge (3 page)

- Is this all?

The boss
nodded his head, then Hanson confirmed something that
seemed obvious.

- That is, we must check that it i
s just a strange coincidence …

This time t
he boss
was more assertive.

- Right.

Marvin tried to ensure that he had not misunderstood.

-
         
So it seems that all they have in common is their profession and their ... terminal illness.

The boss
nodded, then replied.

- And they both have committed suicide. Or so it seems.

- I don’t
know what is so strange. It says here they were only a few weeks of life. It seems more than reasonable. In addition, tumors were different, one was a brain tumor, the other one a bone tumor.

- Another thing in
common is that both have chosen
the death by poison, although with different substances.

 
Hanson intervened to refine the last words.

- Well, after all they were biotechnologists, surely they were familiar with a lot
of lethal substances that don’t
cause any suffering. In fact I would have done the same. If I had to choose between shooting me or ...

The boss
was forced to give a new explanation, knowing that calling it a case was almost an insult.

- Okay, all right! I know many people would react the same way in similar situations. And I know that a priori there seems to be nothing unusual, but a little research never spare. After all, though belonging to different laboratories, both were highly qualified and involved in researching at the highest technological level.
We should make
sure.

V

When Marvin was approaching which had been his home for so many years, so many memories passed through his mind that, once front the do
or, he was forced to a deep breath
to concentrate before ringing the bell. He had to admit that Hanson, as direct as usual, had exposed his wound, giving shape to one of his greatest flaws. Under an emotional point of view he was quite a coward, unable to try to recover what was lost awkwardly. For years h
e had turned in his work, so his
relationship with Susan had been deteriorating gradually, almost without realizing it. But now he knew what he had lost: the real reason to fight daily. And the more he reproduced that last fight in his mind, the more he was convinced of his clumsiness. By taking refuge in the arms of Helen, his former girlfriend, he was implicitly acknowledging his inability to manage his life. No matter that it had been only for one night, or later confided to Susan. Not only the damage was done, but that behind his apparent sincerity and conscience cleaning, a new cowardice was hidden, by transferring the weight of his guilt to his wife.

   Perhaps there was still hope, but when he looked himself felt so disgusted with himself that he knew his lack of self esteem was not going to let him win back the woman he loved.

    How would be
Susan? They had barely exchanged three or four sentences from the moment that they decided Marvin was away from
home. And it had been more of
two months ago. They had told to the little Billy that daddy had to leave because the work. But the shadow of the separation loomed like a slab. Marvin knew it. So he was afraid to return to meet face to face with her.

He was tempted to turn around and not face reality. Then he remembered the main reason that had brought him there: Billy. It was hard, but finally decided to ring the bell. Those seconds until the door was opened, seemed endless. When the eyes met, they both felt that the time had stopped. They were unable to utter a word for several seconds, until Susan motioned to close the door, or at least secure it, as in a desperate attempt to preserve her privacy. Marvin jumped like a spring, putting the palm of his hand on the door. Addressing Susan decided to tell him what had so often played mentally.

- Wait, wait, we need to talk.

- Everything has been talked. You come for getting Billy, right?

- Yes, but I want to tell you something first.

Marvin was startled to realize the importance of what he had said. Once the first step had been done, now took courage and time to put his thoughts in order, so he looked around and hesitated a few seconds before finding an excuse to buy time.

- By the way, where is Billy?

- He
is playing with his
iPad
, you know that he loves it.

Marvin smiled, things were going better than planned.

- Yeah
, he got that we bought
it
finally.

  In assessing the reaction of anger of Susan he
realized that he was not right
appealing to the past.

- That was a different time, I prefer not to remember.

Marvin decided to look at her tenderly, almost with an air of appeal to her eyes.

- Susan, you know that I am very bad at expressing my feelings.

- Yes, you are better hurting the ones you want.

- It was just a dru
nken and nightmare night, don’t
you think that the price I have to pay is very expensive? , Marvin replied, lowering his head.

-  A nightmare for me, c
ertainly not the same that you were thinking as you were fucking her
.

-  I do not know what I should do to apologize,
I am so bad in that ... Marvin
answer
ed
her again as he held her hand. Susan sharply separated it.

- What would you do another night when we returned to be angry?  Would you take another drink and then you would go to mourn your penalties to Helen? ... Or perhaps to other bitch?
...
No thanks, it is not a problem of knowing how to forgive, but of attitude.

- I thought you no longer loved me, I panicked, I could not stand it. I know I acted like a child. Give me another chance, please.

In reply, Susan chose to enter the home to find Billy. After a while she came with her son by the hand. Billy, just seeing his father lunged on him.

- Daddy! Daddy!
Got the tickets?

Marvin got out two tickets from his pocket showing them to him.

- I always keep my promises. Come on to the Baseball.

Billy took the tickets
in an enthusiastic way, Susan suddenly cl
osed the door. Marvin addressed
with Billy towards the car. As he put the vehicle in motion, he could not
avoid to
take a last
look at the house and watch as
, half-hidd
en behind curtains, Susan didn’
t lose detail from the window.

VI

The first premise of an investigation is gathering information. But that case was more like a formality to cover a file, a veiled attempt to keep them entertained for a few days while other colleagues were dealing with larger issues. So when Hanson, after showing his badge and talking briefly with the security guard to tell the reason for his visit, parked his car in the parking of the biotechnology company Genfly, could not help being overwhelmed by a sense of disappointment and failure of interest. He did not expect to collect relevant data of th
at visit, despite being quoted
with one of the coworkers
of Eduard Klein, one of the scientists who
had committed suicide.
Nor, as he entered the reception Genfly, he was concerned about the tight security that seemed to be more than logical.
Nor it was not strange the attitude of the beautiful and nice lady on reception, when she invited him to enter a lounge and sit down while she warned the person who was cited. Nevertheless he became concerned when the wait threatened with extending too much, because it had spent over half an hour and still nobody had come to address him. Reading the magazine with the latest developments in the sector seemed interesting at first, then went on to become somewhat slightly indigestible to finally end in the category of boring, so he decided to give up and start short walks around the room, which otherwise offered no worthwhile reason to rest the sight.
It was f
unctional, drab, irrelevant. At least his office was more endearing. H
e thought that in recent times
fortune had been
a bit elusive,
or maybe it was just playing to hide
games with him. Because nothing can be worse for a person of strong character, nervous, restless in every sense of the term, that inactivity. And it was still ironic that for once that he had the opportunity to be where he was in his element, in the streets, he had to wait enclosed in a room. Nor he was successful quitting a few months ago, because he   got in his hand several times into the pocket of his jacket as if moved by a spring. Moreover, this long wait had not made sense if, from the beginning, Hanson had not insisted on taking a look at the work environment of the deceased Klein, because then his colleague had limited to get down for chatting briefly with him to cover the record. But he also thought that you must be set aside discouragement in work. If you fall into it, then you start moving in a vicious cycle that goes from bad to worse. And Hanson considered himself as an honest and tireless worker, although their superiors put it so hard and difficult to him. Although little or nothing could make it clear, it was imperative to know where and how Klein unfolded his work. They had put him many obstacles to get up to the plant where he worked, so it seemed logical to deduce that they were "preparing it for visits" removing from among all those traces that could reveal any indication of a research which would lead some progress on competition.

  Finally, when he was about to return to reception
to outline a slight complaint,
the door of the room was opened. Hanson only
had seen the lady of reception
seated, he found a beauty when he saw her face. There was no doubt that in that respect at least the company of Klein was fully right.
She invited him to follow her,
then called a security officer who accompanied him to the second floor by an elevator. It was clear they wanted to limit his freedom of movement.

When Hanson went through the lab door, but not b
efore saying goodbye twice his
companion, who not seemed unwilling to leave him alone, he recalled his student days. He had always liked chemistry and especially the practical classes, if only for the joke that he always mounted with peers. The silence was absolute, and at first could not see anyone. He noticed several test tubes that were on the shelves, especially in one of them whose strange shape caught his attention. When he was looking it from different points of view, he was frightened for a hand that somebody put on his shoulder, to the point that the tube flew literally a split second into the air. Fortunately, his reflexes were still the same, he m
anaged to intercept it before
reached the ground. When turned observed the spontaneous laughter of the investigator.

- We were lucky. This is the only one of this model we have left!

- Sorry! I have always drawn attention these pottery. Many of them are really originals.

- Sorry, it has been my fault for introducing myself in so unusual wa
y. I'm Clark Hopkins, you can’
t be other than ... - Offered his hand, Hanson shook it  -

- Doctor Hopkins! Yeah
, I am Hanson, Stuart Hanson. We talked on the phone.

- Well, please tell me how I can help you ...

- As I mentioned, we are preparing a report regarding Dr. Klein.

- I do not understand, he was ... say ...

- Do not worry, it is quite routine. Paperwork, you know.

- I understand ...

- Tell me, did you know Dr. Klein?

- Know him? I do not think anyone has ever known him.
He was the prototype
of scientist who people like
. He was strange as he alone.

- Rare? You mean those guys who never talk to anyone, they are always absent?

Hopkins could not avoid
laughing, then told: