Read Online The Third Antichrist by Mario Reading - Free Book Online
Authors: Mario Reading
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kill Yola and her unborn child, because they believe her to be the mother of the Second Coming. You told me so yourself. So they won’t have left a trail. There will be nothing to connect any of them with this place.’
‘But Yola and Lamia might have been seen together. In the village, say. Or on the road.’
‘So what? Nobody cares what Gypsies do. Payos like you look through us, Captain. We scare you. We are a reminder to all you non-Gypsies that there are other ways of being. Other ways to think and act. The best answer to that is to ignore us. This is the easiest way.’
Calque chose to duck the implied insult. He sensed danger in the air. ‘Where do we hide Yola, then? If I agree to your plan, that is. And Sabir? What do we do with him? The Corpus will redouble its efforts to get to both of them after this.’
Radu turned to Alexi. They spoke together in low tones, in a language Calque could not understand. Alexi nodded a couple of times. Then he glanced towards Yola.
Yola was helping Sabir to his feet – she was doing this by supporting him around the lower back, as she was far too small to reach up and take him by the shoulders. She whispered something to him, and he nodded. He looked beaten. As if the simple exercise of holding himself upright was an effort too far.
Radu touched Calque’s arm. ‘We have a possible place, Captain. Amongst close relatives. It is far away, though. In Romania. Alexi has agreed to take Yola and Damo there. They can hide up for a while. At least until after Yola has given birth to her child. No one will find them there.’
‘But the border crossing. There will be records.’
‘There is no border crossing. There will be no formal records. You may count on this. We are all in the EEC now, remember? We cross through Austria and Hungary. No one will notice us. Gypsies come and go that way all the time.’
Calque gave a Pontius Pilate sigh. ‘I will want to see them. To keep in touch. There are things I must do.’
‘This can be arranged.’
Calque nodded. He was realist enough to recognize a fait accompli when he saw one. ‘Very well then. Bury them. And dynamite the shaft. No one will hear anything this far into the woods.’
Radu slapped Calque on the shoulder. ‘This is very true, Captain. We will cover all the entrances with our people. It will be as if the earth has swallowed them. You have made a fine decision.’
And opened myself up to a litany of blackmail and extortion whenever the whim takes these people, thought Calque gloomily. ‘And Lamia?’
‘Her too. The earth will swallow her too. But somewhere else. Somewhere secret.’
Calque turned away from the shaft. ‘I shall return our rental car to the hire company. Then I will revisit your camp. You will tell me where I can find Yola and Sabir if I need to. I shall give you pay-as-you-go cell phones for them. So that I may keep in touch with them. You agree?’
‘We shall do this.’
‘And Radu. One final question.’
Radu smiled. He rocked his head from side to side as if he knew what was coming.
‘What if I’d refused to go along with your plan of burying the bodies out here?’
Radu glanced at Alexi.
Alexi held out his arms apologetically. ‘Captain. I’m so sorry. It’s nothing personal. I like you very much. But we would have had to kill you too.’
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
6 November 2009
17
The flight from Chihuahua/Genvillalobos to Paris/Charles de Gaulle passed uneventfully. Abi was travelling on one of his many false passports – and they were the best that money could buy. He had used his real passport, though, and his real US green card, when crossing the border from Mexico back into the US at dead of night. One never knew when an alibi might prove useful.
The half-asleep Mexican border guard had proved predictably amenable when Abi had owned up to having lost his exit permit – an instant fine of $50, in small bills, had seen him breezily waved through
‘But Yola and Lamia might have been seen together. In the village, say. Or on the road.’
‘So what? Nobody cares what Gypsies do. Payos like you look through us, Captain. We scare you. We are a reminder to all you non-Gypsies that there are other ways of being. Other ways to think and act. The best answer to that is to ignore us. This is the easiest way.’
Calque chose to duck the implied insult. He sensed danger in the air. ‘Where do we hide Yola, then? If I agree to your plan, that is. And Sabir? What do we do with him? The Corpus will redouble its efforts to get to both of them after this.’
Radu turned to Alexi. They spoke together in low tones, in a language Calque could not understand. Alexi nodded a couple of times. Then he glanced towards Yola.
Yola was helping Sabir to his feet – she was doing this by supporting him around the lower back, as she was far too small to reach up and take him by the shoulders. She whispered something to him, and he nodded. He looked beaten. As if the simple exercise of holding himself upright was an effort too far.
Radu touched Calque’s arm. ‘We have a possible place, Captain. Amongst close relatives. It is far away, though. In Romania. Alexi has agreed to take Yola and Damo there. They can hide up for a while. At least until after Yola has given birth to her child. No one will find them there.’
‘But the border crossing. There will be records.’
‘There is no border crossing. There will be no formal records. You may count on this. We are all in the EEC now, remember? We cross through Austria and Hungary. No one will notice us. Gypsies come and go that way all the time.’
Calque gave a Pontius Pilate sigh. ‘I will want to see them. To keep in touch. There are things I must do.’
‘This can be arranged.’
Calque nodded. He was realist enough to recognize a fait accompli when he saw one. ‘Very well then. Bury them. And dynamite the shaft. No one will hear anything this far into the woods.’
Radu slapped Calque on the shoulder. ‘This is very true, Captain. We will cover all the entrances with our people. It will be as if the earth has swallowed them. You have made a fine decision.’
And opened myself up to a litany of blackmail and extortion whenever the whim takes these people, thought Calque gloomily. ‘And Lamia?’
‘Her too. The earth will swallow her too. But somewhere else. Somewhere secret.’
Calque turned away from the shaft. ‘I shall return our rental car to the hire company. Then I will revisit your camp. You will tell me where I can find Yola and Sabir if I need to. I shall give you pay-as-you-go cell phones for them. So that I may keep in touch with them. You agree?’
‘We shall do this.’
‘And Radu. One final question.’
Radu smiled. He rocked his head from side to side as if he knew what was coming.
‘What if I’d refused to go along with your plan of burying the bodies out here?’
Radu glanced at Alexi.
Alexi held out his arms apologetically. ‘Captain. I’m so sorry. It’s nothing personal. I like you very much. But we would have had to kill you too.’
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
6 November 2009
17
The flight from Chihuahua/Genvillalobos to Paris/Charles de Gaulle passed uneventfully. Abi was travelling on one of his many false passports – and they were the best that money could buy. He had used his real passport, though, and his real US green card, when crossing the border from Mexico back into the US at dead of night. One never knew when an alibi might prove useful.
The half-asleep Mexican border guard had proved predictably amenable when Abi had owned up to having lost his exit permit – an instant fine of $50, in small bills, had seen him breezily waved through
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