Requiem: Chapter 2
- Stephen March nodded affirmatively. When the man pulled off the white cloth with a tip to identify the corpse, his face turned pale. He swallowed a few times to calm his protesting stomach. His sister Suzy was almost unrecognizably mutilated all over the body, but the small tattoo on her neck, the red round sickle around the green bulb of mistletoe in the right bottom of the neck would be recognized everywhere.. He was mechanically looking for something else and found the little scar on her cut off left hand. The jagged white scar tissue on her ring finger was less obvious than when she was alive and the blood was still flowing through her limbs.. But with both of these landmarks, he was able to officially confirm to the coroner's clerk that these were unmistakably the remains of Suzy Chang. Strange that the memory of the scar Stephen shot through the head at this time, there in the vicinity of her lifeless body.. The scar was the result of a small accident with a broken glass. Trying to save what was already lost! Was this the inscription he should have etched on her grave? His half-sister lay naked, in pieces together, like a macabre puzzle on the metal sliding flap of one of the refrigerated storage cabinets of Sanctuary's urban morgue, Tokyo's new sister city and capital of the New World. He didn't remember what to say, could barely control himself at that time. His eyes were shooting full and he swallowed hard to nip the cry that sought out of his inner way out. He put his hand unmechanically in response over his mouth and stood for a while in the same position. A nervously silent voice ripped him out of his ossification. 'Sumimases! Sorry, Mr. March. I realize it must be difficult moments for you. Forgive us that we have to show your family member to you. However, we were not allowed to degrade the remains because the judicial pathologist has not yet been able to close the forensic investigation. The Security Service has so far not authorised this because of the ongoing investigation into the cause of death of the victim.’ The Japanese clerk apparently felt extremely bored with this situation. The man almost constantly rubbed his hands together in a gesture of despair. Stephen frowned amazed the eyebrows and waited impatiently for further explanation. As a diplomat, he was heard daily meaningless phrases and bombastic explanations, sometimes against will and thanks, but this exceeded his understanding.. He looked at the man who was clearly having a hard time. A sidekick, a messenger? From this man with his neatly combed hair with the parting in the middle and with a nervous tic around the left corner of the mouth he could not expect much. Fortunately, the man had covered the remains of Suzy again, and he had reinstated the slider, because in the time he had made the identification something up in Stephen. Seeing the body, the recognition and the flashes of a living Suzy. It was something he barely had in his hand. That's why Stephen had to get rid of his anger somewhere, and he pointed it at the man before him..“I suppose the ripening of a man must be “the cause of death or not sometimes?“he asked bits snarling, disguising his grief and confusion, when the man did not immediately answer. 'Ie!“the man answered in the negative in Japanese, when he suddenly realized that Stephen was an American. 'No,... uh, yeah... I mean, as far as I understand it, the mutilations are post mortem inflicted, so after the death of your sister, Mr. March. Perhaps this finding can offer you a little comfort at this sad moment. Perhaps your sister hasn't suffered as much as at first sight... I mean as it seems now..’ Stephen suspected that the man was trying to calm him down and felt that the servant was just trying to move his best foot forward. The man had no right to be treated like this. ‘ Could you please tell me who was appointed to lead the murder investigation and who the responsible coroner is? Where can I go with all my questions?'asked a tired and excited Stephen March now a little less evil. However, the impatient sound and anger that still sounded in his voice, he could not hide. It was the anger for the impotence in the whole situation. It was the bubbling realization of a final loss of a piece of his own life. 'Oh yes, of course, 'the servant reacted nervously. “Chief Inspector Norino Vastai has taken this case under his wing. If anyone can find the beast that committed this inhuman murder, it's him. I think Mr. Vastai will be here any moment, 'said the nervous man as he consulted his clockwork for the umpteenth time. 'The coroner, Mr. Huang, I have just seen you arrive when you were standing at the entrance desk, 'Stephen was given as additional information. 'He had an appointment here with Mr Vastai at ten o'clock. So you can meet them both at the same time... if you please. If you'd like to follow me?’ He led Stephen through several corridors to a small space where there were a dozen easy chairs and a low table. A kind of waiting area he assumed, sober and impersonal. A tune muzak broke the awkward silence in the room. 'You can wait here for a moment. I will inform my commander Mr. Huang and Chief Inspector Vastai that you are here..“The servant was apparently relieved that the shocking identification was over and his task was done. He saluted briefly and disappeared railroad. Stephen sighed loudly and fatigued his head in both hands. Notwithstanding his ninety-two and his hundred kilos, he was a giant of a man, as he was sitting there, bent shoulders and his head in his hands looked like a broken and lonely man. A few days ago, he was still unaware of the drama that was going to fall on him.. Yesterday in the early morning, when he landed at Sanctuary airport after a long-haul flight from the Old World with a stopover at Zaventem airport — he had a meeting with the local ambassador in Brussels — he did not know yet that he had his diplomatic mission would begin to identify the corpse of his dead half-sister. His thoughts floated away like a seagull over a sea of time, to a moment somewhere thirty years ago. Around this time, his father Thomas March had married for a second time. After a successful diplomatic mission in the East, he had met a woman and built a second life. His new wife's name was Kathy Chang. Thomas's first wife, Maddy Silverstone, had died five years before. It would have been a short and uneven battle. Bone cancer, diagnosed much too late and with metastasis all over the body. In a dozen weeks, his sweet Maddy Silverstone had passed away as a merged creature, no longer comparable to the beauty she once was.. Stephen had a sister from this new marriage. Her name was Suzy and she was the child of Kathy Chang and her first husband. A loser who had left his stepmother four months pregnant with his child and disappeared with the northern sun. Years later, Kathy had heard of him a few more times. It was when she read that he was murdered during a skirmish that fell out of control between two youth gangs. She had thought of his deserved wages angry and bitter. Suzy Chang was the result of this relationship, a teen-year-old little girl, the same age as Stephen. Slightly shy with a disarmed mysterious smile and pitch-black hair braided in a long ponytail. That's how Stephen saw her at this moment in his memory. He immediately noticed the tattoo of the red sickle around the green mistletoe on her neck. When he asked her what it meant, she had simply answered proudly with one word: 'Akai!’ Later, through his stepmother and Suzy himself, he had learned more about this group of people, about their special way of life, what they believed in and about the rules of their doctrine that they followed as best as possible during their lives as Akai.. Unfortunately, Stephen's father and stepmother died six years ago. They had become the unfortunate victims of an accident with a new prototype glider or autobot. The new means of transport was still in the test phase. As often with new things, sometimes something goes wrong. The one time for Thomas March and Kathy Chang with disastrous consequences. Now he was left alone, his family was gone. He felt literally and figuratively orphaned. The loneliness that suddenly overtook him and rested like a great weight on his shoulder, was so tangible that he sagged even deeper into his chair. He had no idea how much time had passed when he was ripped from his memories by a sound that brought him back to the present. “Mr. March, Stephen March.?'asked the voice again. He looked up and nodded hesitantly affirmatively while at the same time he was hard to get out of his chair. It seemed as if he had dozed off for a while and woke up a little dazed. The shock of the facts and the subsequent identification clearly left its mark. “My condolences for your loss, Mr. March, I realize it must be difficult, but unfortunately I will have to ask you a few questions about your half-sister... the victim Suzy Chang?’ The man spoke perfectly English and was dressed in the uniform of the Security Service. He sat down and took out a small flat black device from the inside pocket of his jacket, pushed a button and put it on the table in front of him. “Better than all that paper waste from the past decades, you won't find?'the man began.'I'm Chief Inspector Norino Vastai. May I also introduce our pathologist, Mr Kim Huang, who carried out the autopsy?’ Huang made a short bow with his hand on his heart and gave Stephen the Western handshake that was customary in the Old World and also sat down next to the Chief Inspector. Chief Inspector Vastai was a small corpulent Japanese with a short-shaved military haircut. His eyes were very perceptive and looked at Stephen in an inquisitive way. Occupational malformation likely. The coroner Kim Huang, of Chinese origin was rather the opposite type of the Chief Inspector. Kim Huang was rather on the skinny side with hair that could best be described as a rebellious ragol. The scattered professor types— maybe? Stephen knew that the appearance could sometimes be misleading. “Make it easy, “the inspector pointed to the chair he had just come out of, “I suppose you have several questions about the death of your half-sister Suzy Chang.. But let me briefly summarize what I can or can tell you about this matter. Perhaps that will answer some questions.’ March had not escaped that the policeman used the phrase 'may or can'. At that time, he felt that there was some special case here. Despite his grief and a pressing fatigue, his attention automatically sharpened. He shook briefly, not unnoticed before Norino Vastai's inquisitive gaze, his head to get his mind clearer. His diplomatic background and influence here might be more than necessary to uncover the truth. 'I listen, 'he answered waiting and looked the captain straight into those perceptive eyes. 'The remains of Suzy Chang, daughter of Kathy Chang, your deceased stepmother, 'began Mr. Vastai, 'were yesterday morning in the' Deeplands 'at a distance of five kilometers from the' Catacombs' discovered by an accidental passerby. She was found... 'here he stopped for a moment in order to formulate his words as tactfully as possible,' in the state as you could see at the time of identification. She must have died the night before between 10:00 and 11:00 according to the first investigations. The victim was mutilated... presumably “after” her death in order to complicate identification as we presume, we have no conclusions on that.. Maybe it could be just a sadistic act of a psychopathic killer.Here he stopped for a moment to give Stephen March time to process everything. The coroner had wanted to add something to the Commissioner's comment when Vastai spoke about the time of the mutilation, but was given a warning look from the man in such a way that he swallowed his reaction again and looked at the ground somewhat dazed. weird? 'However, we found a short note in the lining of her jacket. The note probably slipped through a hole in the jacket pocket into the lining. I don't suppose it was supposed to be. The killer must have overlooked that if he was trying to avoid the identification of the victim.. But in this way we have been able to make the necessary link to you. On the other hand, we were almost 100% sure it was about Suzy Chang. Her identification chip, which was implanted with her when she was staying in the Old World with your late father and Kathy Chang for a while, 'he took a moment to read and weigh his words, frown the eyebrows and looked deep into Stephen's eyes and then went on, 'became although damaged in an attempt to remove that, however, with less success than intended. After some failed attempts and a lot of puzzle work, our ICT services could still get their name out of it, which confirmed our suspicion by the note, 'he stated in his statement, 'but you understand that we needed an independent and personal identification. for our files.’ Stephen let this flood of words flow over himself and remembered only a few words: ' Deeplands' , ‘ note ' and the ' Catacombs' , ‘ Identification chip damaged' . The Deeplands and the Catacombs were neighbourhoods that are not normally frequented at dark. What was Suzy doing there? About the letter he was most astonished. 'A letter? What do you mean that letter was able to link me? I never wrote letters to Suzy. We had regular contact via mail or our mobile phone. Usually when I was on a diplomatic mission in the New World, I always came to visit her, but it was too. What was on that note?’ Mr Vastai doubted a few seconds, which, of course, Stephen immediately remarked. It was one of his skills to be able to read the body language of the people, one of the required and highly valued characteristics as a diplomat, which had already given him the advantage in a discussion on several occasions.. “Your name, let's put it on that, Mr. March..'More he wouldn't hear about this, not now, but Stephen March had his sources, that came later. They weren't done with him yet. “I suppose you haven't been able to track down the perpetrator yet, otherwise you would have informed me.. Do you already have any suspects?“Stephen March didn't even blink when he asked this question. His senses and mindfulness were only now at full speed. He pushed his fatigue into the background and felt that there was more going on here. They wanted to send him here with a little lump in the reeds. Notwithstanding his grief, he was now very observant. Neither Chinese nor Japanese would play with his feet here. Then they didn't know Stephen March yet. 'No... unfortunately not, Mr. March, but we keep you informed of the progress of this case, 'replied Vastai while he was looking at Kim Huang for a moment. Again that single count of doubt and looking away to the left. Norino Vastai was right-handed and would normally look right when he drew from his memories. He had had a good teacher to his father Thomas who had once explained that to him. A right-handed person looks to the right if he used the part of his brain where his memories were stored, then he speaks the truth or tries to remember the truth. The opposite here in this case therefore clearly indicated that Inspector Vastai was not telling the full truth or making up something. 'If you have any questions for Mr. Huang, rest assured, 'the Chief Inspector added, 'we do not want to violate the fragile friendship of the Old and New World, not in the slightest way,' and again a look went back and forth between Norino Vastai and Kim Huang. They definitely withheld something. Stephen had no questions for Mr. Huang. It couldn't bring Suzy back anyway if he asked for more details about her injuries, but he did have another one for the Chief Inspector of Security. “Okay, I understand.! So you don't want to lose anything to me, 'which gave him a thoughtful look from the Chief Inspector. 'Perhaps a small question to which you can answer. Has her apartment already been released? Can I visit it without obstructing your ongoing investigation?'he asked, clearly weighing his words so as not to smack them in the head, for he had noticed the tightening of Norino Vastai after his brief accusation . Stephen had already set aside five days to make up for some lost time with his half-sister. He didn't know he'd have to spend them this way. That way, he didn't have to answer to the home base for his absence. By the way, when urgent, they could always reach him on his cell. “Of course, Mr. Huang will give you the necessary things, what remains of her garments and the rest of her personal belongings she had in her pocket. If you don't have any more questions...?'the Chief Inspector decided. Stephen still had a question for the pathologist anatomist.May I put a question to Mr Huang?He added the deed to the word when Mr. Huang nodded. 'Have you already established the cause of death??'asked Stephen. Again he mainly watched the wordless communication between the two people before him. There was always a moment of subcutaneous tension that prevailed before an answer was given. “Your sister died from the consequences of arterial bleeding, Mr. March,” Huang replied. “I can assure you that she did not suffer long. After the toxicology test, we found a substance in her system that suggests she was sedated.’ Stephen noted that the pathologist didn't mention if that drug was still working when Suzy was killed. The answers he got here were not to his liking. He would have to investigate himself, or else he would remain as ignorant as he had arrived here a few hours ago. For his own peace of mind, he should know more than what they were trying to get rid of him here. Nevertheless, he thanked Mr Huang in his own language: 'Xiè xiè, thanks.’ 'Bù yòng xiè, happily done' replied Kim Huang mechanically but amazed back in Chinese. copyright Rudi J.P. Lejaeghere Requiem: Chapter 1 or 3 - Requiem: Chapter 1 - Requiem: Chapter 3 -
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