Chapter 77
Mariam Avery was waiting for us at the exit, as she had told us she would. She raised a hand seeing us, we raised it back, attempting a strained smile.
“Thanks for coming over to pick us up”, Jack said
“I’ll drive you home and give you some time to get yourself in shape and then I’ll have to ask you to come with me to the police station. I hope you aren’t too tired?”, she replied
“To the police station?”, I asked, perplexed
“We got a hold of a guy and I think you guys can help me understand if I hit on the right person”
“Who is he?”, I asked
“Let’s talk in the car”, she told me
While we walked to the parking lot I observed that her expression was alert, almost anxious. I kept throwing glances at her but either she didn’t notice or didn’t acknowledge my unspoken questions, as her attention was drawn to something else. We walked past some doors and into the elevators.
“I have the feeling a guy is following us”, she said at last, when the elevator door closed
“Which guy?”, I asked
“Small man, bold, innocent looking really”
“Ronny’s back”, I said, and began laughing
Jack and Avery looked at me with an astonished expression, as I kept laughing in an outburst of incontrollable hysteria.
“I want you to get a grip on yourself now and pay attention”, Avery told me with an authoritative tone, holding my arms firmly, her gaze straight into me.
She could have been trying to discipline her kid.
“When we get out of this elevator, I want you to carefully, and I said carefully, throw glances around. If the guy I think is following us is Ronny, make sure I understand it. Don’t take initiatives, just follow me. Clear?”, she said
I nodded
“And I want you to do the same”, she said, addressing Jack
“Sure”, he reassured her, looking calm
But when we got out of the elevator the parking lot seemed deserted, with only cars and hot air filling the space. We walked to Avery’s car in silence. Avery had come here with a private vehicle, so that it looked like she was a friend or a relative who had come to pick us up from a trip.
“So whoever was following has disappeared”, I said as Mariam drove out of the parking
She looked around into the rear mirrors and from the windows.
“Maybe. Or maybe he is going to catch up with us later”, she replied
“But would he follow a policeman? That’s pushing the risks”, Jack wondered
“Sure it is, but he is following you, he needs to know when you and I meet to predict the next move”
I nodded
“And I will do the same with him”, she continued
I looked at her questioningly
“We need to know who he works for”, she explained, looking into the mirrors as she drove
“But do you think he knows you’re a policeman?”, I asked, and realized my question was naïve as soon as I formulated it
Instead of answering it Avery said, “Look at that car on the right lane, the grey Chevy. Look carefully”
“Yes”, I said, but the reflection from the glass concealed the face of the driver
“I cannot see too well”
“I think it’s him”, Jack confirmed
“I can’t see”, I reiterated
Avery kept driving without changing her speed, and the Chevy did the same.
“There’s an exit in few hundred meters, I am going to take it”, said Avery
The memory of the car crash flashed back into my mind and I told myself, this is it. I won’t make it this time. I felt almost a sense of relief giving up the fight. But then I saw the exit sign and Avery shifted to the right lane, and I was tense again. I was sitting on the back and couldn’t see Jack’s face, I wished I could. Please not now, please tell me it will be fine, I prayed in silence, although I am not a believer.
The Chevy was behind us now and the exit just few meters away. I turned around quickly and saw him. Ronny. At this point I was sure he knew I knew it was him. I stopped breathing. We took the exit and the Chevy kept going straight. All of a sudden I felt the urge to release my bowels. We followed the curved ramp leading us out of the highway and drove till we reached a residential area where low wooden houses lay in perfect stillness on the two sides of a reassuringly empty road.
“It was Ronny”, I said then
Avery nodded, and kept driving without talking till we got to my home.
“I’ll wait outside, I want to keep an eye on what happens around your house. Don’t rush, but don’t take too long either. We need to move fast, sorry”, she said, speaking with tense curtness
We said all right, and went inside to give our abraded bodies and mind a clean-up before the next round.