Ethernyt: War of the Angels

By Márson Alquati

When the Special Agent Rafael Thomas accepts the task of investigating the death of a foreign diplomat in Brazil, he cannot imagine what he’s getting into. Gradually, the truth is emerging and he discovers that behind the crime is a powerful sect of fanatics...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evandro Raiz Ribeiro
• Release date: Jul 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9788578550240

Book preview

Prologue

The first sun rays were shyly awakening in the horizon and the city was already showing some signs of life. Some noises here and there of car engines and car horns intermixed with the sounds of voices from the few people who walked through the streets at that early hour of the morning, since most preferred to enjoy their Sundays by resting until later in the day.

The noise awakened him. He opened his eyes, noticing that he had slept in the open air (outside): He was lying on the cold sidewalk, under a door step.

A dog barked nearby and he felt like his head was going to explode.

— Damn! Shut up! – He muttered in a bad mood.

He tried to stand up, but felt the world spinning around him. He gave up, and closed his eyes again. He could not say how long he remained in that position until he decided to try again and this time managed to at least sit down. He rubbed his eyes, opening them slowly.

— Where am I? What happened? – asked himself frightened.

He looked around and noticed that there was nobody around. He shook his head to see if he could remember something, but could not remember anything that could explain what he was doing there, in that precarious condition: he was dressed in an expensive suit, although, all dirty and torn.

He realized that this was a commercial center with shops on both sides of the street. He decided to stop in front of one of them, seeing his reflection in the show window and was astonished to see a strange face, completely unknown, a black—skinned face, with stubble around his face, with a penetrating cold gaze, hard as steel, but totally foreign (a stranger to him).

— H—how can this be possible? – exclaimed bewildered, feeling a chill of fear. – I—I cannot remember my own face!

Then another thought struck him, causing an even worse shiver: it was not just the face... In fact, he did not remember anything!

Who was he? What was he doing in that place? Even his own name, was unknown to his memory. Everything seemed to show that his memory had left him overnight and without any explanation.

— God... – he muttered completely terrified. – What is happening to me? Why can’t I remember anything?"

He looked at his own reflection in the shop window in more detail and noticed a trickle of dried blood on his forehead.

— What is this? – he asked himself, following the red trail with his finger.

What he found was a relatively deep cut on his shaved head, which at least explained the strong headaches and the dizziness that he felt. But how that injury got there, he had no idea.

He forced his mind, trying to remember if he had been a victim of any assault, aggression or if he had simply fallen hitting his head on a rock. The effort was in vain, because, besides not remembering anything, the headache increased significantly. Then he directed his gaze to the torn dirty suit, reflected in the shop window... But, of course: The suit! He put his hands desperately into his pockets.

Empty. All of them! No documents, business card... Nothing at all!

Not even a simple piece of paper that could help him find a solution for the mystery of his own identity.

— But, damn it! – He complained anguished, looking down the avenue where he was – What do I do now? Where do I go?

A group of people passed him by, ignoring him as if he didn´t even exist. They were cheerful and talkative. They were probably going to the beach, because they were carrying beach chairs and colorful beach umbrellas.

A drop of sweat trickled from his forehead. It was the sun that was beginning to warm up the area, bringing a slight feeling of comfort and shelter, as he looked around once more, desolated, at the landscape, not remembering any beach.

— What the hell is this place? – he thought becoming totally desperate – And what the hell is happening to me?

His head throbbed and ached. A strong dizziness overcame him. His eyes blurred. His legs buckled and without warning, he collapsed on the cold sidewalk. Darkness came to him and with it, sounds of voices and footsteps running toward him, becoming increasingly weak and distant.

And then, there was only silence: total and absolute.

Chapter I

At the same moment that the man was rescued and taken to a hospital, a local police car parked a few blocks away. Sergeant Jonas Maciel compared the number of the mansion in front of him with the address in his hand, confirming that they were in the right place.

— It’s right here! Let’s check! – He ordered his young partner.

The young man promptly jumped from the car, and running across the street, without hesitation, he pressed hard on the intercom button. All this even before the sergeant had gotten completely out of the vehicle. Jonas shook his head and thought, smiling:

Young people! In the beginning it is always like this... They’re in a good disposition all the time! All they want is to show that they are very willing to work! But as the years go by, they get tired of the routine and their day—to—day becomes a long and tedious wait for retirement....

The sergeant sighed, looking at the mansion. It was sure huge. A high wall surrounded it with an electric fence on top guaranteed its security. In front, two iron gates blocking the passage to a long well—tended lawn that separated it from the street. The garden, in turn, ended at a veranda, decorated with five broad black marble steps, rising to two columns inspired by Greek architecture. The main door to the house itself contained beautiful art carved in noble hardwood, also used on its many windows, which could be seen from where he was.

It was then that he noticed that in most of the windows, the lights were still on, although the sun had already been shining for a long time. He felt anger at the reckless people who lived there. The whole city with energy rationing and they were wasting energy like that.

At that moment, he remembered that he should have already been home, enjoying the company of his wife and two children. After all, his shift had ended half an hour ago, but as they were the only ones nearby, they were forced to check that incident. Jonah needed to verify the complaint of shots inside the mansion, as quickly as possible and... Damn! His Sunday barbecue would have to wait!

The rookie pressed the intercom button for the second time, while both waited impatiently. Again, there was no response.

— I don’t think there is no one at home – said the young policeman.

— Or they are sleeping – replied the sergeant, who was not willing to lose any more time. – It must have been a hoax! Let’s go!

Jonas was already turning around to return to the car when the young officer decided to test the gate, which to their surprise opened with a light touch making a creaking sound.

— It’s open – he exclaimed, smiling excitedly already going inside – Let’s go in there and wake those sleepy heads!

— Hey, we can’t invade people’s homes without a warrant! – The sergeant tried to argue. However, the daring young officer was already running across the lawn, too far to hear him.

— Damn! – Jonas shouted furiously. – Ah! This kid is going to get some talking to as soon as we get out of here!

While running, he began to think of a way to explain to his commander why they were deliberately invading a private residence. Crossing the lawn, Jonas noticed that to his left was a spacious parking lot with half a dozen vehicles and he couldn´t help but whistle in admiration while noticing that they were not common vehicles. Some, like the red Ferrari, he had never seen up close ... He decided to look at it more calmly, when they left the house.

On the veranda, the young officer was waiting with the door of the mansion half—open.

— This one is open also! – He said. – Let’s go in!

— Now wait a minute there! – Jonas was suspicious and looking more closely, he noticed that the lock had been forced. Something very wrong happened there. – The place was broken into! – The sergeant said, his heart already beating faster. – Let’s go in, but stay close to me and give me coverage because we do not know what is going on in here and we don´t know what we are going to find inside.

The two drew their weapons and invaded the residence.

— This is the Police! Is there anybody home? – Jonas shouted with all the force of his lungs. And once again, nobody answered.

They gave a quick look around the first floor, just to make sure if there might be something there, as was the standard procedure in such cases, and climbed the staircase leading to the second floor, where the lamps were still on. Jonas turned them off, after checking each room, but in the end he found no sign of life. He had ended investigating the last room, when he heard a desperate cry. His young companion, who had gone downstairs a few minutes before to further examine the downstairs, now called his name.

— Sergeant Jonas! I found something! Hurry!

The heart of the veteran cop now seemed to want to jump out of his mouth as he ran towards the scream.

— Where are you? – He shouted breathlessly, as he reached the last step of the staircase.

How he missed the good physical condition he had when he was younger…

— In the basement! Through the kitchen! There is a door next to the pantry! – There was a sense of urgency in the voice of the young officer.

The sergeant ran as never before. He crossed the large living room and entered the kitchen which was spotlessly clean, with the exception of three glasses, three porcelain plates and some dirty cutlery on the white marble sink. He found the door and descended the narrow staircase without handrails. When he reached the last step, he saw the young officer paralyzed in full shock and the gun held loosely in his hand was pointing down to the floor. A yellow puddle on the floor revealed that the officer had vomited. Jonas looked around and at that very moment, he wished he had never answered the call to that cursed occurrence.

They were in a relatively cramped room with no windows and on the granite floor were several bodies interspersed by a river of blood and in the background, on a rustic table, a woman’s body, half naked from her waist on up and a dagger stuck in her chest.

— Oh, My God! What... – Jonas choked up, perplexed, feeling that all his years as a police officer would never have been enough to prepare him for that. The grotesque image that was now unfolding before his wide open eyes went far beyond what he could bear.

Suddenly, the old police officer remembered his wife and children waiting at home and became saddened, knowing that he would not be going home anytime soon ... at least not that day. Before long, like his partner, his stomach lurched with the ocher smell of blood and death, and he threw his breakfast up also.

* * *

Rafael Thomas, the investigating officer, felt the cool breeze coming in through the open window of the car in motion. He enjoyed driving through the partially empty streets, which was not very common in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where he lived. At that hour on Sunday morning people were still sleeping, recovering from the festivities of the night before. He smiled. He also loved his profession, but he was also a son of God, and from time to time he needed rest too. He had decided to take his first day off of the year on the beach, drinking and eating until he could take no more…

He parked and was beginning to get out of his SUV, when his mobile phone rang.

— Damn! It was from the police station... – He felt like not answering, because he knew that if he did, his only leisure Sunday after a full year of uninterrupted work, would be completely lost. But unfortunately he had no choice.

— Hello, agent Thomas! – He growled, trying to control himself, but he was furious for them interfering in his rest.

— Good morning, sir! This is Mari. I’m speaking from the central station – a female voice said.

As if he did not know! Was she so ignorant as to not know that mobile phones today come with Caller ID?

— Good morning! How can I help? – He grumbled even more furious.

— We have a serious problem on our hands! A murder ... Can you talk now? – She asked gently.

— Yes, I can, but today is my day off! So why don´t you call another agent? – He asked, hoping to get rid of her.

— Excuse me sir! But it is a case with severe international implications... – She seemed to be looking for the right words – therefore Superintendent Sergio wants you to take care of it.

Oops! If the Superintendent of the Federal Police wanted him on the case, then the problem must really be serious. His rest would have to wait for another time.

— Okay, go ahead and tell me! – Now he was totally concentrated.

— Several bodies were found in the basement of a house in Angra dos Reis. From the finger prints, one was identified as Jean—Paul d’Aurillac, the Ambassador of France in Brazil.

— And where do I come in? – Thomas wondered.

— Nothing was taken from the mansion, therefore excluding the possibility of theft or assault, and also there is no evidence that the murders have any connection with organized crime or drug traffickin...

— Therefore, my mission is to find out who did it and why. – Thomas concluded.

— Exactly. The French Embassy has been notified and is sending one of their best agents to assist in the investigations. He will work with you until the case is cleared up.

— No way! — Thomas refuted. – I work alone.

— I’m sorry, but the order came directly from the Presidential office and it is not open for discussion – she justified, and made a pause before continuing. – And there is one more thing. You must cooperate with the French agent in all that is necessary. Now write down the address of the mansion in Angra.

Thomas wrote the information down and hung up the mobile phone, snorting indignantly.

— This is just what I needed! Besides losing my day off, now I’ll have to endure a French idiot annoying me.

He took a deep breath and then, resignedly, turned his SUV around and drove in the direction of his home because he needed to change clothes before traveling.

* * *

Rafael Thomas had been the investigating officer of the Federal Police of Brazil for a little over seven years. He was part of the Intelligence Department and worked in the Division for International Affairs. He was Master in self defense and shooting champion..., at the age of thirty two he had an athletic build that would make young boys in the academies envious, thanks to his almost six feet, light complexion, short hair and eyes as black as night.

He took off his indiscreet swimming trunks and put on jeans and a t—shirt, over which he adjusted his shoulder holster with his 380 Taurus, covering it with a light leather jacket. It had been some time now that he was no longer required to wear the familiar black vests of the Federal Police. He actually liked them, but they were too flashy for the cases he operated with and which usually required the utmost discretion.

Once outside of his home, he caressed the hood of his new Pajero (SUV), which he had taken out from the dealer on the previous week. It was a beauty: four—wheel drive, turbocharged and complete! The car was his greatest passion at the moment. He liked it so much that he wouldn´t even bear to see it with a scratch, no matter how small! Therefore, he was not encouraged with the idea of traveling with it. But it would be good to test it on the road — something that he had not had the time to do yet — even on a journey as short as this.

After more than half an hour in traffic to leave the city limits, he heard the shrill sound of sirens. Seconds later, a fire truck speeded by in the other direction. It was as if a movie was passing inside his head.

Seeing the fire truck, Thomas remembered the past, when he was still a boy and one night, he woke up feeling suffocated. He looked around and noticed that there was fire on all sides of the tiny apartment where he lived with his parents. The heat was so intense that it burned his skin. His lungs were burning from the smoke, his eyes were watery and his head ached. He screamed calling his parents and no one appeared. The flames advanced toward him, consuming everything around him. He had nowhere to flee. He became dizzy, fell down and everything went black. When he awoke, he was in a hospital room. He had suffered only minor burns and nothing else. An aunt and uncle on his mother´s side appeared, introduced themselves and took him to their house, where he was raised as a son. He remembered also the anguish he felt when he was told that his parents had not survived the fire and the surprise of the people that he had escaped virtually unscathed.

He returned to the present, at the moment that he parked in front of the iron gates of the beautiful mansion in ‘Angra’, now completely wide open. Inside the gates, police cars and police officers crowded the area.

He drove the SUV toward them and a police officer beckoned him to stop.

— Federal Police! – Thomas growled, showing his identification.

Before the man could reply, he accelerated, entering the property and parking the ‘Pajero’ (SUV) next to the red Ferrari.

— Wow! One of these days I’ll still drive such a car – he commented admiringly, rubbing his hand on the horse emblem.

He noticed that every side he looked there were police officers and specialists talking. He tried to guess about what issue they were debating: the deaths inside the mansion, or the big imported cars in that parking lot. Meanwhile, a young police officer saw him and ran towards him, extending his hand.

— Good morning, sir, are you the FP agent? We have been waiting for you. Please come with me, I will direct you to the crime scene – said the young man, turning toward the house.

Thomas followed him, noticing the deep dark circles and pallor of his face without however, imagining what could have left him like that.

They arrived at the veranda and climbed up the black marble steps, going through the two Greek columns. Thomas was still thinking about asking the young officer what was the matter with him when he realized at a glance that the lock of the entrance door of the house had been broken into. The agent paused for a moment, examining it, but declined to comment about it, since the officer had kept silent throughout the journey.

They entered the mansion itself through a room decorated in Victorian style, with expensive furniture and works of art of inestimable value, and went straight to the kitchen. Thomas noticed the three dirty plates and three dirty glasses on the sink.

— It’s over there – The young officer pointed toward a narrow door. –, Sergeant Jonas is waiting down there.

— Aren’t you coming? – Thomas asked suspiciously.

— No. – The young officer made a face. – I’ve seen too much blood for today!

* * *

Thomas was used to murders of all kinds, but the scene he witnessed here, shocked him more than any other one. Death reigned absolute in every corner of that basement. The agent counted nine bloody bodies scattered on the floor, but his gaze fixed on the table at the far end of the room. The vision of the dagger stuck in the chest of a half—naked woman lying on the table, gave him a chill. The funereal atmosphere, humid and devoid of windows, further aggravated the stench of blood and human excrement exhaled by the corpses.

Thomas felt his stomach lurch.

— Good morning. You must be the federal agent – said a guy with the uniform of the military police from Rio who came forward. – Sergeant Jonas. I didn’t let anyone touch anything until you arrived.

— You did very well, Sgt. My name is Rafael Thomas – he said with a serious expression, without taking his eyes off the dagger in the woman´s chest. – Where is the ambassador´s body?

— It’s behind the table – the officer pointed out.

The two went to the place indicated, where they found the body of a middle—aged man, of medium height, gray hair and a somewhat protruding belly which devalued the expensive suit he wore.

The agent noticed that the guy had a cut clear around his neck. He bent down to examine it, but when he touched the dead man’s head, with properly gloved hands, it rolled to the side, away from the body.

— Holy God! – Thomas yelled frightened, falling down sitting on the floor, almost getting dirty with blood.

He just sat there, momentarily paralyzed, dazed and trembling, staring at the decapitated body. He felt nauseous and put his hand to his mouth. Only then did he look away, turning to the sergeant.

— Who would do such a thing ... and why? – he muttered perplexed.

The sergeant did not answer. He just reached out to help him get up. The agent accepted and in a moment was up again.

— Thanks. What the hell happened here? – Thomas asked, still trying to get over his fright. – Do you have any idea, Sergeant?

— I cannot think of anything plausible – the police officer sighed in frustration. – All the hypotheses which I have thought about do not make any sense at any point! I thought of assault, vengeance, drug trafficking and even getting rid of witnesses, but nothing matches what we’re seeing!

— Perhaps, you’re not looking in the right direction and therefore cannot see the obvious – the agent said.

— Sorry, I did not understand... – Jonas muttered confused.

— In exceptional situations, we often try to cover the sun with a sieve, logical explanations for unusual events, forgetting that the truth can hide itself in exactly what is illogical.

Thomas walked around the table and looked more closely at the body on it. It was a blonde woman, beautiful and judging from appearance, around forty years of age. Two large cuts on the belly, perpendicular to one another. The dagger a little higher up, between the pair of bare breasts, stuck in the heart. Both arms were extended sideways, hanging off the table. And her legs straight and crossed, with the feet overlapping each other.

— It can’t be! – He exclaimed stunned. – An Ambassador involved in such a thing!

— What are you thinking? – The police officer asked curiously.

— This here is looking like some kind of ritual – the agent pointed to the woman. – Analyze her position. What does this remind you of?

— I do not know... – Jonas replied. – I only see a dead woman!

— The legs and arms – Thomas sighed. – She was killed in the same position of Jesus Christ crucified.

Jonas felt his legs buckle.

— Now look at her belly! – Thomas pointed to the two cuts. – What do you see?

The sergeant looked more closely and was horrified at the sight:

— The cuts... They... They form a cross!

— Exactly. – Thomas nodded. – And it would be quite a coincidence if these two events were not linked...

— My God! How did I not see this before? – The old policeman became pale.

— Easy now, there’s more: the cross on the stomach is upside down, which brings us to the mark of the Antichrist that some Satanic cults both utter and exalt – Thomas concluded – Which leads me to believe that she was sacrificed during a demonic ritual.

— Sacrificed? – The poor man was terrified now. – But by whom?

— Doesn’t it seem obvious to you? – Thomas asked. – I believe that the murderer of this woman is our headless friend: the Ambassador.

— What? – Jonas was caught by surprise. – You must be joking! It makes no sense! What makes you think that?

— Look, sergeant! He must be some kind of black priest, because he is positioned behind the ‘altar’ – The agent concluded, pointing to the table. – And by the position of her body, he was still performing the ritual, when he was killed.

— My God! – Exclaimed the sergeant, and suspiciously he stared at Thomas. – Where did you get all this information from? And how do you know so much about satanic rituals?

— I love horror movies. – Thomas replied laughing. – You have no idea how much you learn from them!

— Well, at least one death is explained! – The old policeman blurted out.

— Not yet. These are just guesses. But what I do not understand is the fact that everyone is dead. – The investigating officer pointed to the eight bodies on the floor. – And in the case of the Ambassador… — He ran a hand over his neck.

— They may have killed each other! – The Sgt speculated. – Like those cults that preach mass suicide...

— There is no logic in this! – Thomas reasoned. – Since most were killed by gunfire and none of them are armed!

— Then someone came in here, killed them all and then ran away?

— This would explain the broken lock on the front door of the house!

— But who would do that? And why would they do that? – Jonas asked confused.

— Did you check the fingerprints of those others? – Thomas pointed to the eight corpses on the floor.

— They didn’t reveal very much! None of them have a police record – the sergeant reported. – They were ordinary people, unknown and without any apparent connection with Ambassador d’Aurillac.

What a mess! Thomas thought about the implications of it all. He had been summoned to investigate the murder of a foreign Ambassador. The evidence at the crime scene, however, pointed to the diplomat as an integral member of a diabolical cult. What was worse was that everything indicated that a woman had been brutally murdered by him, during a macabre ritual of human sacrifice. Adding to this, there were eight other corpses lying around the basement, apparently all members of the same cult, five of them with bodies targeted by large—caliber projectiles, and the police had not found any weapons in the house.

The case was much more complicated than Thomas imagined when he was summoned on the phone. Now, he understood the reasons for Superintendent Sérgio not wanting another agent in his place in that case. The situation demanded the maximum discretion possible.

— Does the press already know something? – he asked worried.

— No, I thought I better wait for you. Besides, I did not know what to say – Jonas replied.

— Great! – The agent sighed with relief. – For now, say it was a robbery, and under no circumstances, talk about the ritual!

— I understand... – the Sergeant nodded. – Leave it up to me!

Thomas directed his gaze back to the woman on the table.

— And she, who was she? – He asked inquisitively, not realizing that the answer could be so disruptive.

— Sophie Léfèvre d’Aurillac, the Ambassador’s wife!

Chapter II

The hospital was busy that Sunday morning.

Lunch time was approaching and the fat nurse began to feel her stomach grumble. Of course! She hadn’t had anything to eat since last night, when her twelve hour shift had started. She still needed to attend to one more patient and then she would be released to go have the desired meal.

She then rushed through the hallways of the second floor. She was in the public wing of the building where there were the individuals who had no health insurance or could not pay for services received.

She stopped at bedroom door no. 257. She knocked hard three times. She turned the knob and entered, unceremoniously. The man on the bed had arrived early in the morning: he was tall and stocky, and had no documents and no money. He had been directed to that sector, as a pauper.

He had a deep cut on his head and remained unconscious.

— So how is my new patient? – She asked, looking at the blood—soaked bandages.

She knew he would not answer, but she did not mind: she really loved what she did and felt very happy to treat all her patients in a kind way.

She removed the bandages from his head carefully, replacing them with new clean ones. After completing the procedure, she walked toward the door and was leaving when she heard a faint moan.

She turned and saw the patient’s eyes open, and suddenly, he started to speak a bunch of strange words in an unknown tongue.

— Well, well, look who woke up... Is everything Okay? – She smiled, closing the door and approaching him. – How are you feeling?

— She... Is dead... I could not save her... – the man whispered, now in crisp clear Portuguese. He seemed, however, in some sort of hypnotic trance.

— What are you talking about? – The nurse asked apprehensively. – Who’s dead?

— Sophie... The Ambassador... All of them... They are dead... – The man was agitated and almost fell out of the narrow bed.

— Hey! Easy! – The nurse went and put her hand on his shoulder to keep him on the bed. – You’re in a hospital. Everything will be alright now!

Suddenly without the slightest warning, the huge black hand grabbed her arm, squeezing it tightly, very tightly.

— Ouch! Help! Help me! – The frightened woman yelled.

— They deserved to die… The disciples of Lucifer… – The big guy yelled, now struggling violently on the bed.

— Help! For God’s sake, somebody help me! – Despair gripped the nurse.

— He killed her... The bastard... – The man’s eyes rolled over.

— Calm down, you need rest! – She gave a tug, trying to get her arm away from the grip of those strong hands, but her effort was in vain and only served to increase the strength with which he was holding her.

Suddenly the door opened giving way to a doctor and two nurses.

— Hold him firmly! I will use a sedative! – The doctor said taking fluid from a vial and putting it into a syringe and then injecting it into the big guy, as soon as the nurses immobilized him.

— No… – He shouted uncontrolled. – I’ve got to go back to the mansion... Ambassador d’Aurillac is dead... The demons got the key... Our time is running out ... The end is near!

The tranquilizer took effect and the energetic voice of the big man was becoming gradually inaudible. Seconds later, he relented, returning to full unconsciousness, and only then, he let go of the nurse’s arm.

— Are you okay? – The doctor asked, looking at the injured forearm of the woman.

— Yes, it was nothing serious, thank you! – She thanked him, massaging the sore numb wrist. – What a shock! I thought he would kill me!

— Glad we got here in time – the doctor smiled. – What happened here?

— He woke up and when I approached to see if everything was OK, he began to speak some weird things and was striking around and then he grabbed me. – The woman said.

— I do not know if you paid any attention, but I had the clear impression that I heard this man mention a death! – One of the nurses commented. – He even mentioned a name, what was it?

— D’Aurillac! – The other one recalled that name – I won’t forget! I had a roommate at the nursing school that had that name! I hated her!

— Since a death was mentioned that we have no idea in what circumstances occurred, I think we should warn security, or rather the police. – The doctor reasoned. – Can you imagine if this guy is a criminal or something?

All four left in search of a phone.

* * *

Thomas turned the mobile phone off and looked at Sergeant Jonas smiling.

— They found a man who may have some connection with it all. The man is in a hospital near here. I’ll talk to him to see what I can discover. Meanwhile, will you take care of this mess?

— And do I have a choice? – The sergeant shrugged.

— No, you don’t, – the agent was adamant. – Good luck and see you later.

He was grateful to leave that house behind. He returned by the same path he had gone and crossed again with the red Ferrari. He looked at it and sighed: Oh, what a car! It is a true dream of purchase! But he could not complain, after all, his SUV (Pajero) was also a nice car, the model of the year, powerful and comfortable. Then he remembered how hard it had been to save the capital for down payment and how many years it still would take him to pay it in hard gained installments!

— The Ferrari and all the rest be damned! All I need is you! – He concluded, slamming his boot on the accelerator and leaving the Aurillac property behind.

On the way he reflected about the case he was investigating.

— I hope to find some convincing answers in this damn hospital! – he said to himself, as he parked in a spot near the reception ramp.

Minutes later, he was lost in a wide long hallway. He felt a wonderful smell of food and remembered that he still had not eaten. He looked at his watch: two in the afternoon! He decided he would see to that, after talking with the fellow who he came to visit. He stopped in front of Room 257. He opened the door without knocking and entered and instead of seeing one person he saw four people.

The man he was seeking was stretched out on the bed, unconscious. He looked like a giant compared to the other three who stood around him. The FP Agent realized that two of them were positioned behind the big guy, facing the door and the third, had his back to the door. Both dressed in black from head to toe, making use of hoods to conceal their faces partially. Therefore they couldn’t be doctors or nurses and besides, there was a dagger in the hand of the one that had his back to him, which left their intention very clear: they intended to kill the black man.

— Who are you? – Thomas asked. – What are you doing here?

The guy with the dagger turned around frightened, staring at him through the hood. For a moment he hesitated, and then attacked him. Thomas acted out of pure reflex, throwing himself to the side. The blade passed too close, cutting the air at the exact spot where his head had been, a split second before.

The agent turned around, giving him a strong punch in the stomach. As the man writhed and fell to the ground, dropping the dagger, Thomas kicked it away while he drew the Taurus. With gun in hand, he fired against the murderer’s head that was more to the left, which shuddered and fell dead, without even having had time to grab the pistol he was carrying in his belt. Meanwhile, the one on the right, went around the bed and with a sharp kick, kicked the Taurus from Thomas’s hand, and pulling a knife from his pocket, pointed it towards the agent. Thomas turned aside escaping the first assault on his belly and on the second, he turned his chest freeing himself from the blade and, using the same motion, he kicked the killer’s groin hard. The howl of pain from the man left no room for doubt about the damage caused.

— And this is for you to learn to never point a knife at me, you moron! – Thomas snapped, throwing him down for good, with a violent punch in the face.

With the corner of his eye, the shrewd investigator noticed a shadow sneaking up behind him and quickly identified it as the first villain that recovered from the blow to the stomach. He planned to attack him from behind. He ignored his companion, still sprawled on the floor and turned on his feet, stretching his leg at the man’s head. He hit him squarely with the side of his foot, strong enough to throw him against the wall. When he fell, a trickle of blood ran from the mouth of the villain, and at that moment, Thomas knew he would not get up anymore. The unfortunate man had broken his neck and was dead. By turning to the last member of the trio of assassins, he suffered a violent push, by which he became unbalanced and fell in a sitting position on the floor. The thug jumped over him and ran with large steps down the hospital hallway.

Thomas picked the Taurus up and took off behind the fugitive.

— You bastard! – he shouted, while he ran. – You just wait and see when I put my hands on you!

* * *

Desirée Lechaud was peacefully crossing the hospital parking lot, toward the entrance. At the mansion, they told her that the man she was looking for would be there, but she didn’t have any idea whatsoever what he looked like. She opened her purse and pulled out a handheld mirror in which she looked at herself, checking her makeup. It still remained intact. Good. And her red hair was all in place. Satisfied with what she saw, she put her mirror away. She needed to make a good impression at least on that first meeting.

As if that were really hard! She knew she was pretty, she had a doll face, perfect, her skin was smooth as velvet and very well cared for, and her stunning blue eyes further enhanced her natural beauty. However, she also knew that behind that fragile and delicate appearance hid another woman, fierce as a lioness and hard as a rock: the Desirée, that since very little, learned to take care of herself on her own.

She still was only a baby when she was abandoned on the doorstep of an orphanage, a suburb of Paris, where she spent her entire childhood. She had grown up, studied, and because of her desire to resolve the problems of the world, she had joined the French Secret Service, participating in a series of successful missions, and always surpassing all expectations, both of her superiors, and her own. Perhaps that is why she couldn’t understand why suddenly and without explanation, she had been appointed to work at the French Embassy in Brasilia, and since then, a year had passed, in which she could no longer bear the boring bureaucratic routines and office work that she had to undergo in Brazil. But this morning, the miracle of salvation occurred: her superiors finally called her for a field mission!

A prominent French diplomat and his wife had been killed at their summer home on the Rio de Janeiro coast and since the French Secret Service did not have any other agent available in Brazilian territory, she was the one who received the commission to investigate the murders and conduct the guilty people to French justice without creating embarrassing problems in diplomatic law, in doing so.

She got the first flight to Rio de Janeiro, where she rented a car, at the airport. With the help of a map, she soon arrived at the Rio—Santos highway, the popular BR—101, from where she drove to the south of the state. Two hours of travel and 151 km of road later she came to the city of Angra dos Reis, heading to the mansion where the bodies of the Ambassador and his wife were still at. When she arrived, she had been shocked by the brutality of the crimes, as a local military police sergeant passed her the name of the Federal Police agent responsible for the investigations, a certain Raphael Thomas, along with the address of the hospital.

And here she was, looking for someone she had never seen in her life!

While waiting for the attendant at the reception desk to locate the room of the man who supposedly was the only eyewitness, and also the prime suspect for the murders, she felt an uneasy twinge on her back. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, until the pain decreased gradually stopping altogether. She did not know why, but since childhood she was affected by these horrible pains. She had done everything, in short: spent much of her adult life undergoing treatments of all sorts, seeking the best specialists and the most advanced and diverse therapies, but to no avail, because the terrible pain still haunted her day after day.

— Room 257, – the attendant said impassively. – It is on the second floor, climb those stairs over there at the end of the hall.

— Thank you, – Desirée said, ignoring a new pain on her back.

On all sides, patients, doctors and nurses mingled amid a mixture of voices and faces. She began walking through the crowded hall, when she heard two dry bangs.

— What was that? – A frightened nurse asked, as she passed by pushing an old lady in a wheelchair.

— Those were firearm shots! – Desiree replied and then turned on impulse to passersby instructing them, while withdrawing a weapon from her bag. – I am from the police! Quick, get out of the hall and look for a safe place!

People ran and disappeared. In a matter of seconds, she was left alone, gun in hand, in the deserted hallway.

* * *

Thomas was running down the stairs in pursuit of the murderer.

— Freeze! Police! – he heard a woman’s voice from the hall below. – Do not move and nobody gets hurt!

The agent jumped down the last few steps and couldn’t believe his own eyes. His fugitive was now standing still with a dagger in his right hand, while at the other end of the aisle, pointing her gun, the most beautiful woman that the FP agent had ever seen throughout his life.

— Put the knife down! Slowly! – the girl ordered firmly.

Thomas relaxed and lowered his weapon. After all, the redhead seemed to have the situation under control. However, the guy with the knife, struck by a fit of rage, threw himself violently toward her with the blade in hand.

— For Lucifer! – He screamed with all his might, as he ran.

— Stop! – The redhead still insisted. – Don’t do that!

But the killer did not stop. Without hesitation, she shot at his chest three times. The bandit’s body spun around and, when he finally fell to the floor, he was already dead.

Thomas could hardly believe it. He was amazed, astounded.

The redhead ignored him, or perhaps didn’t see him at the end of the dark hall and ran to the man that she had just killed.

— You stupid bastard! If you had done what I ordered, you could still be alive! – She swore, while kicking the limp body of the murderer.

Then she stooped, probably to look for some document or any other clue in the pockets of the dead man.

— Who are you? – Thomas asked, approaching.

He was too amazed by her coolness to think of formalities. Only then, it seems that the French woman noticed his presence, getting up with her gun pointed at him.

— First, tell me who you are! – She ordered seriously, without lowering the gun.

— Investigator Agent, Rafael Thomas, Brazilian Federal Police! And you?

— Desirée Lechaud, Sûreté, the French Intelligence, – the girl lowered the gun and tried to smile, – I was just looking for you, when this guy crossed my path.

— Looking for me? Why? What do you want from me? – He began to worry, looking at the dead man, then at the redhead, and already imagining what it would be. But he needed to hear it from her.

— The government of my country sent me to help you, monsieur, in investigating the Aurillac case! That is, from now on we are partners! – She smiled cynically, knowing in advance the surprise of the Brazilian agent. – You were not warned?

— No! – He lied, confirming his worst suspicions. I was told it would be an agent and I supposed that meant it was a man and not a woman. This changed everything, because to him, to put up with another (male) agent would be very complicated, imagine to put up with a woman? A real punishment! Suddenly, he felt tempted to drop everything and leave because he sure didn’t need anything like a new carrot cake recipe or a nicely ironed shirt. Although she had demonstrated full capacity, and was by far the most beautiful of all the partners he had ever had, the