Chapter 1
The vivid bunch of red petals in a flow of black lustrous hair went round and round as the swirls of her long dress would cut across the dance floor, in dazzling sharp moves that seemed to draw an invisible pattern in the air. The dancer kept the audience speechless. Her hands were rising graciously in the air, black swans drifting with the music.
Kevin watched the dancer captivated by her undeniable talent. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful dancer he had seen up to that moment. He felt she had every chance to become the star of the pre-selections and the main attraction of the international contest ahead. He was lost in a daze, although he wasn’t there to evaluate her dancing skills: he had come to investigate a series of events that had caused a suspicious unexplained accident for the dancing team before.
The team manager sat next to him.
“Good evening, detective. Do you like our dancers?” Kevin nodded thoughtfully, while his head was actually blank like a computer on stand-by. He was too lost in the mirage of the leading dancer. Surrounded by other girls in bright colorful gowns with wavy folds, she still stood out, a black beauty with delicate gestures.
In hypnotized motion, Kevin raised his camera to take a picture. At that moment, as she was swirling round, her eyes noticed his intention. She immediately turned her back to him, drifting to the other side of the dance floor.
“Consuelo doesn’t like to have her picture taken too much”, the manager explained. “She’s a bit shy, though she’s Spanish – and Spanish girls are hardly ever bashful. But she’s very good at dancing; I’m sure she’ll make the pre-selections to the next level. However, she’s wary of too many photos.”
And the manager gave the detective a disgruntled stare.
The music stopped. The dance was over. The girls went behind the stage. Kevin stared after Consuelo absently, then he placed the camera on the wooden bench and looked at the manager, unimpressed by the Spartan beard and glaring eyes.
“Are you going to accompany the girls to the international competition?” he asked casually.
“Yes. Are you coming with us?” the Spartan-looking manager inquired sternly.”
“I think I will. I’m waiting for my colleague to join me soon. We must find out what happened the last time. Why did the bus crash?”
The manager shrugged, looking away.
“Nobody knows for sure. It might have been a technical fault, or human error, but neither was confirmed by the investigation. Aren’t you here to tell us what went wrong?”
“I intend to find out.”
The music changed to Oriental rhythm. The stage was filled by agile girls, swaying and jingling their shiny golden belts, their heads covered by colorful scarves.
“That’s Aysun in the middle”, the Spartan manager told Kevin, pointing to a beautiful girl with long brown hair and warm eyes glimmering behind the veil. “She’s the Turkish representative. She’s already been selected for the big competition. This dance is just a formality. She’s the best from her group.”
Kevin raised the camera again and the girl smiled as he took her picture. She seemed to enjoy it, and she threw off the scarf, unveiling the soft locks of chestnut brownish hair, in a charming flow. The next moment, she drifted away from the stage, disappearing mysteriously with the music.
A row of Slovenian folk dancers with flowery blouses and blonde braided hair entered marching rhythmically.
Kevin’s phone started ringing.
“Hey what’s up?” the voice at the other end seemed eager to get the news. “Where the hell are you?” she asked impatiently.
“Hey Jackie”, he answered calmly. “I’m in the dance hall, watching the pre-selections.”
“Why are you wasting time on that? We’re supposed to investigate the accident.”
“I’m also investigating.”
Kevin stood up and went to the back of the room, distancing himself from the Spartan manager, to discuss privately. His colleague was still rambling on the phone:
“How are you investigating anything? By watching the dancers? Get down here, I’ve got some files with details about the bus that went over the cliff.”
“I’ve spoken to the manager of the team that will go to Rio. I think we should keep an eye on him, he might know something that he isn’t telling.”
“Okay, but come outside. I’m in the car. You have to see these files from the technical analysis.”
“I know what it says. The brakes didn’t function.”
“Yes, but they had been previously checked by the mechanic. Something doesn’t add up.”
“I’ll be right there.”
He left the room.
Jackie was waiting in her small brown car. Her ginger hair and green eyes were flaring from the window. She opened the car door and extended a hand to him with a bunch of files.
“Here. Read it yourself.”
Kevin took the files and sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, next to the car. Jackie lit up a cigarette, staring nervously at her watch.
“We should be packing by now. Tomorrow morning we have a plane to Rio. Are those girls still dancing in there?”
Kevin nodded.
“Yes, they are.”
She glanced at him inquiringly. Her sharp intuition could see right through him. She knew he had enjoyed watching the show, but she didn’t say a word. She just puffed the smoke away and stared at him, thinking of something he couldn’t guess and didn’t try.
“The brakes were messed up”, Kevin said after a while.
“Yes, definitely. But who did it – and why?”
“Well, the technical analysis says they were going downhill and the driver didn’t adjust the speed so eventually the brakes heated and didn’t function anymore. He lost control and the bus went over the cliff. ”
“I don’t buy it. Four people are dead. It’s the fourth accident with the dancers’ team. I don’t think it was random. Somebody has a grudge or an agenda.”
“I agree… but we have to see who it is. It must be someone who’s been with the team the last four years.”
They stood in silence for a few minutes, staring pensively at the dance hall building that looked like an ancient temple.
Then Jackie’s phone rang unexpectedly.
“Yes, lunch is on the table, I left it for you. Don’t wait for me. You can go to sleep if you feel tired. Yes, I’ll see you tonight. My son, Andrew”, she mentioned sideways after turning the phone off.
“He’s staying with his uncle while I’m away.”
Kevin didn’t comment. He knew Jackie was a single mother, struggling between work and house chores. He also knew she was a very energetic and active person who could face anything.
“He’ll be fine”, he said browsing through the files.
“He will, but he’s very attached to me and he’s a bit upset that I’m not taking him along. It’s a dangerous trip though.”
“He’s better off at home.”
“I told him I’m not going there for a vacation, just work. He understands, but he’s already waiting for me to come back.”
Jackie finished the cigarette.
“What do you think?” she asked.
It was a question about the files. Kevin slammed the pages shut and handed them back to her.
“It could be someone from inside. It must be someone who had access to the engine. Someone who was with them – someone who knew when and where they would be.”
“Maybe they were followed?”
“Maybe.”
They stared at the busy street.
Kevin was thinking about the dancers. The Spanish girl was still swirling round and round in his mind, her deep dark eyes turning away from his camera, in a delicate, defensive gesture. The Turkish swinger was waving her scarf charmingly, her almond eyes shining for a second and disappearing mysteriously behind the stage.
“We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again this time”, he said, staring in the distance.
On the plane, the two detectives were seated together at the back of the row. They requested the back seats to have a complete view of the passengers.
It was a small charter, not one of the bigger aircrafts. It was taking a special trip for the dancing team.
Kevin watched carefully every passenger. Most of them were dancers from many countries. He recognized Consuelo from Spain, Aysun from Turkey and a blonde slender girl with braided hair, accompanied by a tall man with features of a carved statue.
“Who’s the blond dude with stiff jaws?” he asked Jackie.
“He’s Boris - Natasha’s boyfriend.”
“Who’s Natasha?”
“Slovenia’s representative. I thought you watched the dancers yesterday”, she added a bit ironic and amused.
“I did, until you called me outside. Is her boyfriend allowed to be here?”
She smiled.
“He’s a dancer too.”
It seemed Consuelo also had company: a dark haired man. By the costume he wore, Kevin thought he must have been a dancer too… or a boyfriend. He wondered.
“That’s Miguel”, Jackie said, catching the direction of Kevin’s somehow worried glance.
“Spanish dancer,”