The Zul Enigma (40 page)

‘And what’ll happen to
the rest?’ Bob sneered.

‘Their descendents will
get another chance to make the leap some time in the future. He warns Maiz that
if he fails the planet will be destroyed, which will destabilise the whole
galaxy.’

‘More sci-fi bullshit!
And it’s a mystery? I mean how the call got in?’

‘The logs show nothing.’

‘Could Maiz have sent
it? Like the e-mails?’

‘No. The CCTV covers
every angle of the room. It shows him walking back to the armchair after
talking to his office. Then he turns round and sees “Zul’s” face on the screen.
From his expression he was as surprised as we were.’

‘How about his iTab?
Could he have used that like he did before in the john?’

‘No. He’s on video
putting it on the table by the armchair before he accepted the call from his PA
– that’s a good four metres away from the desk where the screen is. The
only way he could have sent it was if he’d programmed some delayed delivery
system or programmed the call to come in at a pre-set time. But we know he
didn’t do that, because we were watching his every move.’

‘Could one of our own
people be in on it?’

‘I wondered that too,
but I don’t think so. And it doesn’t explain why the call didn’t register in
the logs. The logs can’t be interfered with – not at all.’

‘And you didn’t pick up
any
clues from the recording?’

‘No, sir. Like the
videos there was nothing in the background – no wall hangings, no
ornaments. He wore no jewellery. There were no background sounds. Nothing
unusual to zero in on.’

There was silence at the
other end of the line.

‘Sir?’

‘And Dr Maiz? Did he
mention it?’

‘No. But he was
surprised when I got in the car to go with him to Vienna.’

‘So why didn’t he
mention it?’

‘Probably scared I’d
deny it, making it look like he’d imagined it and him seem even crazier.’

‘This recording –
does it prove he’s innocent?’

‘If he’s guilty, it
would take his planning and execution skills to an improbable level.’

‘But he could’ve
pre-recorded “Zul’s” half of the holovideo conversation, couldn’t he? And
filmed himself acting it out?’

‘That might just be
feasible, but how did he get the call in?’

‘The techie lads’ll work
that out.’

‘Well, they haven’t
yet.’

‘What did Greg say?
About giving Dr Maiz back?’

‘He refuses to hand him
over.’

‘So what do we do now?’

‘This latest info makes me
more sure than ever Maiz is innocent. I always had a problem believing he sent
the e-mails. The way he behaved the whole time he was at the safe house? To me
he didn’t act guilty or crazy.’

‘So… we’re back to
square one, although I can’t discount Dr Maiz as easily as you do. I don’t like
the man and I don’t trust him.’

‘That doesn’t mean he’s
guilty.’

‘But if it isn’t him,
then who
is
responsible?’ Bob exploded, ‘and how much longer’s it gonna
take till we find out? There’s gotta be some rational explanation.’

‘Sir,’ Barbara said, ‘I
want to tell the Secretary-General about the holovideo.’

‘Why?’

‘For two reasons. To get
him back onside with us and to persuade him Maiz’s communications should be
monitored.’

Bob sighed. ‘I guess
you’re right, Barbara. Right now we need to work together. Okay, tell Mr Howard
and see what
he
has to say about it all.’

***

Hans brought the “sniffer” laptop into Greg’s office. As the Astraea holovideo
played, he polished his glasses with such fervour Greg thought he might wear
away the lenses.

‘I don’t know what to
make of it. What do you think?’ Greg said, after the recording ended
mid-sentence.

Hans shook his head.
‘It’s the second time I’ve watched it and I still don’t know what she’s going
on about. Why’s she pretending to be an alien? And why contact Dr Maiz?’

Greg shrugged. ‘I don’t
have any answers, Hans. I’m as confused as you are.’

‘The thing that drives
me insane is how are they getting the messages in?’ Hans looked up as he put
his spectacles back on. ‘And how did they get a holovideo call through without
leaving any record in the logs?’

***

‘Carlos!’ Greg called as he walked through the door. Wearing hospital issue
pyjamas and dressing gown, Carlos was sitting in a chair by the window.

‘Oh my! You’re looking
so
much better. How are you feeling?’ Greg dragged up a chair beside him.

‘I got a horrible
headache,’ Carlos replied, dabbing at the purple lump on his temple with the
tips of his fingers.

‘I bet you have. That’s
a very nasty bruise you’ve got there. Here,’ Greg dropped a paper bag onto
Carlos’s lap. ‘Belgian chocolates. Don’t thank me, thank Corrinne.’

Carlos opened the box
and offered it to Greg.

‘Hm. I don’t mind if I
do,’ he said as he plumped for a rich brown smooth heart shape and popped it
into his mouth. ‘I assume you know where you are?’ he asked, the chocolate
making his voice sound sticky and thick, and Carlos nodded. ‘You were in a bad
state when I left you here yesterday afternoon.’

‘How did I get out of
the office? I can’t remember a thing. All I got is big blanks in my mind.’

‘Remember talking to
your friend Joseph Fisher? You had a holovideo call from him.’

‘
Sí
. Corrinne was
in my office when it came in.’

‘When she went back
later she found you’d collapsed on the floor. She called the UN doctor.’

‘Where are the American
minders?’

Greg smiled. ‘We used
the freight elevator to get you out. They still don’t know where you are.’

‘So,’ Carlos raised his
eyebrows, ‘Joseph was right.’ He scrunched up the cellophane he’d taken off the
box of chocolates and wedged it down the side of his chair. ‘The consultant
said they’re moving me to a psychiatric ward.’

‘I thought you’d already
be there.’

‘They had to delay till
tomorrow. No free bed.’

Greg helped himself to
another chocolate. ‘Did they tell you about the drugs?’

‘
Sí
. Amphetamines
and Benzodiazepine. I take amphetamines sometimes when I travel and
Benzodiazepine to help me sleep. Thing is,’ Carlos shook his head, ‘I don’t
remember taking anything yesterday. I wanted to check my briefcase, but they
won’t let me have it. I feel like a criminal.’

‘I think the Americans
would have confiscated any drugs you had on you at the safe house, don’t you?’

‘They were there when I
left DC. I checked.’

Greg cleared his throat.
‘They were probably substitutes. But you keep a supply in your office, yes?’

Carlos nodded. ‘It’s no
secret.’ he opened his arms in front of him. ‘Hey, my doctor prescribes them.
It’s all legal.’

‘Carlos, I’m not
accusing you of…’

‘But why would I take
both? Because I was acting crazy or because I tried to kill myself? I can’t
remember – I just can’t remember.’

‘Come on, son, don’t get
yourself in a state…’ and Greg put the second chocolate in his mouth and
chewed. ‘Could there be another reason you took them?’

‘Greg, I’m…’ Carlos
leaned in closer, ‘… I know I’ve been losing it. But it’s not what you think.
Before Zul appeared I was depressed. I didn’t want to admit it, but I guess
it’s true. I couldn’t see how we humans could survive what we’re doing to
ourselves. And sure… the past week… maybe I’ve confused what’s real and what’s
not,’ Carlos stretched out his arms, ‘being locked up for days like that? Not
knowing for how long or what was going on?’ he shrugged. ‘It would do anybody’s
head in. And yesterday,
sí
, I thought I was going crazy – that
what the Americans said – that what you said about Zul being a cry for
help? That it
was
true. And now there’s the drugs. And I can’t remember
taking them. And when I came round last night, I felt so depressed, so…
hopeless, I started to believe I did make Zul up.

‘But since then I’ve
been thinking… and I worked it out. I didn’t make Zul up because I’m crazy, I’m
going crazy because everyone says I made Zul up… because nobody
believes
me,’ Carlos’s eyes burned through Greg’s skull as if he was trying to force his
opinion directly into Greg’s brain, ‘and I’m scared these doctors here will get
it all wrong too.’

‘Listen to me, Carlos.
Corrinne stayed with you a long time last night waiting for the doctor’s
report. She said you were mumbling about another holovideo call coming in
– right after you spoke to Joseph. Do you remember?’

‘
Sí
– a
beautiful woman in a long green dress. Astraea.’ Carlos curled his lip in a
half smile, ‘and I guess you’re going to tell me I made her up too.’

Greg bent forward,
forearms resting on his knees, hands folded. ‘I had Hans check the logs.
There’s no record of another holovideo coming in…’

‘Jesus Christ!’ Carlos
shook his head. ‘Sure, I’m not surprised. But how am I ever going to make you
believe me? It
was
real, Greg,’ he said holding out his hands. ‘I didn’t
make it up. It really happened…’

‘Carlos,’ Greg put his
hand on Carlos’s arm, his voice low, ‘listen to me. I
know
you didn’t
imagine it.’

‘What?’ Carlos froze and
Greg leaned back, smiling.

‘Yesterday afternoon
Hans’s boys set up a sniffer on our system,’ Carlos opened his mouth to speak
but Greg raised his small pudgy hands. ‘Don’t ask… it’s a laptop that “sniffs”
out problems. They only told Hans about it today. It was disconnected just
after three fifteen, after Joseph’s call to you finished. Carlos, it recorded
the beginning of Astraea’s holovideo call.’

Carlos made a sound as
if he’d been punched in the solar plexus. Greg continued, ‘It proves the call
came in, even though there’s no other evidence of it in the logs.’

Tears welled up in
Carlos’s brown eyes, overflowed onto his cheeks and meandered their way through
the dark stubble stippling his jaw. He wiped them away with the palms of his
hands. ‘
!Graçias a Diôs!
’ he whispered.

‘And that’s not all.
Barbara Lord called me today. The Americans have got a recording of Zul’s
holovideo with you at the safe house.’

Carlos opened his arms
wide and raised his face to the ceiling. ‘Thank you, Jesus! THANK YOU, JESUS!’
he shouted.

‘So… all this puts a
very different light on the matter, don’t you think?’ Greg beamed.

‘Now you believe me?
Hey? And the Americans? Even if they think I acted Zul, there’s no way they can
hang Astraea on me.’

‘Not with the body she’s
got, Carlos, no way,’ Greg laughed.

‘I can’t tell you how
good this feels. It’s like a mountain’s been lifted off me. I feel free again.’

‘I owe you an apology,
Carlos. I’m sorry I didn’t back you up. But you must understand we were all
hung up on it being impossible for the e-mails to have got on the system unless
you sent them.’

‘Even so, you should
have believed me,’ Carlos tapped his chest leaning closer to Greg, ‘believed me
over them. You should have trusted
me
.’

‘You’re right. I let you
down and I’m sorry. But now we must look to the future. We swopped recordings
with the Americans…’

‘And what do they say
about me now?’

‘They believe you about
the baby and they can’t accuse you of sending the holovideos. Barbara told me
their CCTV records show you were nowhere near the safe house computer or your
iTab when Zul appeared. She also confided she never did believe you were
responsible.’

‘How about Bob? And how
about the doctors? There’s still the drugs, Greg, and I can’t remember taking
them. Or
why
I took them.’

‘The consultant asked me
to check for anything that showed what you’d taken or how many, but the
cleaners found nothing. It wasn’t till later I realised I shouldn’t have just
checked for wrappings I should have looked for the drugs. So Corrinne and I
searched your cupboard. We found your wash bag.’

‘You were snooping in
my…’

‘Relax, Carlos. Now we
found a bottle of amphetamines and some Rohypnol. But listen, this is
important, how many of each were in the bag when you went away?’

Carlos shook his head.
‘I don’t know. Six, may be eight amphetamines and a couple of strips of Rohypnol,’
he shrugged. ‘I don’t know for sure.’

‘I found half a dozen
tablets in the bottle and two strips of Rohypnol with four tablets missing.
Look.’ Greg took them out of his pocket. ‘I brought them to show the doctor.
You see, to my mind if you’d wanted to commit suicide you’d have taken the
whole damn lot. Which is backed up by what the doctor said… that there weren’t
enough drugs in your system to be severely life threatening.’