Where the Sun Sets (11 page)

“No, sir, I just meant...”

“Never mind. Dal Santo - Antonia Dal Santo is
doing remarkably well for all she went through, but then she’s
always been a tough cookie. Are you familiar with the woman?”

Dr. Kessler was lost in thought. He let his
left hand glide him into the chair in front of Dr. Luke’s desk.

“Why don’t you have a seat Kessler? Are you
getting enough sleep?” Dr. Kessler looked up but was not seeing
what was in front of him. He was lost somewhere back in time, in
his mind. “Dr. Kessler?”

“Yeah...oh, sorry...you said Dal Santo?”

“Yes, do you know her? You seem to have
drifted off, I wasn’t sure if you heard me.”

“I spent some time in Azerbaijan with an
Antonia Dal Santo. Do you think, I wonder if it could possibly be
the same woman?”

“You seem a bit...were you close with this
woman?”

“We worked together. I was doing my three
year and she was working with some CARE group. She was remarkable.
I thought she was a surgeon. She was extremely well skilled. I was
fascinated by her. But it turned out she was not a practicing
doctor at all, she was just helping out and filled in wherever they
needed her. There was nothing she couldn’t do. She was educated in
every field you could name. Someone like that, well it couldn’t be
the same woman.”

“Why is that, do you think?”

“It would be...well why would she be hanging
out in New Haven?”

“Our Ms. Dal Santo came back to New Haven,
bout, oh, maybe ten years ago. During the Ferrero stalking I think
it was. Seems she and Ms. Ferrero have been friends since
childhood. She came back from the Congo. I believe that was where
she was located at the time. Running a Literacy Awareness Program.
The movie star made one phone call and all the millions of children
in Africa got pushed aside. It is quite a shame. Yes, I believe
your Antonia and our Antonia are one and the same.”

Dr. Luke cleared off his desk as he prepared
to end his shift. “I am heading home now; it’s been a long evening.
Ms. Dal Santo should be awake enough for you to say hello when you
come back this evening. Why not stop in and see for yourself if she
is your Antonia.”

“Yeah, I will do that. Thanks. Can I walk out
with you?” Dr. Luke hung up his white coat and replaced it with a
tan trench.”

“Millions of children pushed aside. For what?
Can you tell me why? Why would anyone give up such meaningful work
to be, a what, a bodyguard? Just doesn’t make any sense.”

Dr Luke shut the light out in his office as
the two men left the room. Once out into the hallway, Kessler
asked, “Is that what she is doing now? A body guard for Ferrero?
Damn...” He shook his head. “Well, if I can remember correctly, she
was well skilled in martial arts. I seem to recall her having some
sort of military training as well. Something about the Sisters in
Calcutta and some of them being attacked and raped by some
guerillas. I think she covered as body guard for them as well. Who
knows? Maybe that’s what she wanted to do with her life.”

The gentleman stopped abruptly at the doors
to the parking garage. Letting his gaze travel the garage, the
Chief of Staff deliberately offered his opinion.

“I don’t think so. I think Ms. Dal Santo
wanted to be a missionary. She worked long and hard for it. From
all I have read about her over the years, it was what she felt she
was born to do. It was her calling. No, she hadn’t spent many
sleepless nights wishing she were a body guard. It’s a damn shame.
A damn shame.”

With that Dr. Luke turned and headed out to
his car. Dr. Kessler stayed for a moment longer. He debated whether
or not to head back in to her room or wait until the evening shift.
He was tired and hungry. Besides she wasn’t going anywhere for a
while. He dug through his pocket for his car keys and headed
home.

Chapter 11

Fortunately for him, during the month of
September, one could acquire lodging in New Haven for less than
seventy five dollars a night. He sat alone, having his
complimentary continental breakfast, while reading the local paper.
The paper had the story wrong. It claimed the body guard had caught
the shooter out on the lake. This annoyed, yet humored the man. The
article did not mention the recovery of any weapon. It went on to
say, “Ms. Dal Santo is listed in critical condition. Ms. Dal
Santo’s pregnancy had been terminated after she suffered a shot to
the womb. Murder charges are pending in the case for the life of
the child. Ms. Ferrero was treated for a minor head wound and
released".

Anger swelled inside of him. It boiled and
rose to his throat threatening to spill out on the table. He looked
up and away from the paper. He let his eyes wander to the outside
of the front window. It was a bright and sunny day. He needed air.
He stood and exited his hotel. A Cab was parked directly outside,
awaiting any fare. He gave the driver a dead stare and simply
walked on past. The hospital was just over a mile away. The walk
would clear his head. He needed the air and the sun to calm
him.

People walking down the street seemed to open
up a path for him. No one wanted to get too close. It was as if he
had leprosy, people backed away from his presence. He was angry, he
was thirsty for blood. His pace was quick. He made it to the
hospital in ten minutes, then, after pausing briefly at the main
desk, he took the elevator up to her room. Pushing the door ajar
just a crack, he heard a voice. He froze in place not knowing what
to do. He had not expected anyone to be here this early. He let the
door close silently and walked over to the nurse’s station.

“How is Antonia this morning?”

“She has been upgraded to stable but she is
heavily sedated this morning. We don’t expect her to wake up for at
least another hour, possibly two. She seems to be doing just fine
though. She sure does have a lot of people concerned for her. We
are all very hopeful for her full recovery. She has to be one of
the most physically fit people I have ever seen. She will probably
be able to go home within a week or two.”

His eyebrows arched, “Is that right?” he
tapped his hand on the counter top twice. “Good, very good then,
thank you.”

The door to her room opened and a man walked
out. He closed the door gently behind him, as not to disturb
Antonia. Heading towards the elevator, he never even noticed the
man following him. When the doors opened Bernie entered, hit the
ground floor button and leaned his shoulder against the wall. He
laid his head against it and closed his eyes, releasing a tear that
had somehow managed to remain, while thousands of others had
fallen. He never noticed the man enter. After the doors closed and
the elevator started down, Bernie felt a chill. His body stiffened
without thought, in an automatic attempt to protect itself from the
evil he felt surrounding him. He refused to open his eyes. When the
doors reopened, Bernie practically walked into the elevator wall as
he tried to escape. The man behind him watched. He was sickened to
the point of retching. And his anger grew.

Outside, the fresh air relaxed Bernie. He
stopped at the bottom of the stairs to clear his head. A cab pulled
to a stop in front of him. He watched as an older gentleman stepped
out of the cab. He watched the same gentleman reach back into the
cab window to pay his fare. With a tip of his hat, the older
gentleman turned to ascend the stairs. Bernie allowed his eyes to
follow him without much thought. When he brought his eyes back to
the direction of the cab, he noticed as the window was rolled back
up, the man standing behind him. He felt the chill again. His body
tightened again and he started to sweat. He turned quickly to
witness the reality of the man. There was no one there. Bernie spun
around in both directions, trying to find him. No one was there.
Only the older gentleman who had just entered the doors. Bernie was
alone at the bottom of the staircase. He walked briskly to his car.
As he inserted his key someone called his name. Startled he dropped
the keys by his feet. He bent to pick them up, and when he pulled
himself up straight he found himself staring into the eyes of Jim
Deloryan. Bernie jumped back a step and pulled his keys to his
chest in an attempt to keep his heart from beating through.

“Hey, are you OK? I called you but I guess
you didn’t hear me. Is it Antonia? Is she OK?”

Bernie leaned against his car and ran a hand
up through his hair. “No, I’m fine. Antonia is, well, she is as
good as can be expected. She is sleeping. They say she should be
out another hour.”

“Did you get any sleep? Man you look like
shit.”

“I napped a bit here and there. It’s hard,
you know? I just kept thinking about...”

“Yeah, we all had difficulty sleeping I
guess. I was on my way to the attorney’s office and thought, you
know, since I pass right by, that I would stop and see her. But you
say she’s sleeping? Maybe I’ll stop back after lunch then.
Josephine wants us to go over all the papers this morning anyway.
Guess I should get busy.” He softly slapped Bernie on the shoulder,
“Try and get some sleep man, she’s gonna need your support. She’s
going to need you rested.”

Bernie watched as Jim walked back to his car.
He watched as he drove past and exited the lot. He knew Jim was
right. At the moment he was too spooked to drive. He would just
stay where he was for a moment, just leaning up against the car,
inhaling fresh air, just till his head cleared a bit. He glanced
back over towards the entrance of the hospital just as yet another
cab pulled up. He watched another visitor step out and ascend the
stairs. He got into his car and took a deep breath as he started
the ignition, then backed out of his parking spot. Home. He wanted
to be back home where he felt safe and secure. When he pulled into
his own drive, it was as much as he could do to escape the car. He
wanted to run upstairs and jump in a tub to relax.

Anxiously he fumbled with his keys. He had
difficulty finding the right one for the door but he did finally
manage it. Once inside he turned to pull the screen door closed
behind him. He wanted everything locked. As he secured the door, he
noticed a cab drive by. Goose bumps covered his flesh abruptly.
Closing the main door, Bernie pulled the curtain aside just enough
to peek out. His hands shook as he latched the dead bolt tight. He
laid his forehead against the door frame hoping to compose himself
but it was no help.

He went straight to his bedroom to undress.
He removed his pants and shorts. His hands trembled so much he
could not undo the buttons of his shirt. He sat down on the edge of
his bed and grabbed the edge of the mattress with both hands. He
squeezed it tightly to try and regain his composure. With his head
bowed, chin to his chest, he tried to relax his breathing. Then he
felt it again, stronger now, closer. As if the breath of evil were
blowing down his neck onto his back. Quickly, he raised his head
and searched the room with his eyes.

‘The stereo should be on’, Bernie thought to
himself. Perhaps if there were some noise, there would be less
thinking. Bernie put on some music. He turned it up a bit too loud.
He needed to drown out his own thoughts. He went to his bathroom,
attached to the far end of the bedroom. He sat on the side of the
tub and started the water. Feeling the temperature of the water
with his fingers, he closes his eyes and started to relax. Bernie
stood and once again tried the buttons of his shirt. He managed the
first and then the second. He stopped and dropped his hands to his
sides. He felt a sensation of being watched. He did not want to
turn around. If he did not move maybe...

Slowly he moved his eyes, without moving his
head. He could see into the mirror above his sink. In the doorway
stood the same reflection that glared at him in the cab window;
towering, dominating Bernie’s bathroom without actually being in
it. ‘He knows I know he’s there’ Bernie thought to himself, ‘I am
going to die.’

With his large hands flexing by his sides, he
took a step in Bernie’s direction. Bernie turned to face his
predator. “What? What?” Bernie cried. “What is it you want, please,
just tell me.” Another step in Bernie’s direction, his eyes dropped
to what lay between his legs. With another step the man was
standing almost on top of Bernie. Bernie tried to back away but the
wall beside the tub was his only retreat. The man grabbed hold of
Bernie’s shirt and ripped it off of his body with ease.

His anger had reached its peak. He could not
contain it any longer. This body, this thing he had pinned in a
corner, wasn’t worth his time. It aggravated him that he even
needed to be in this house. With unnoticed speed, his left hand
wrapped around Bernie’s genitalia. With a straight blade and a firm
grip, he ripped it from Bernie’s body.

“Ohanoo...” Bernie cried as he slid down the
wall to his side. He curled himself into a tight fetal position.
“Whyeeee...”

“This!” The man held up his prize, held it
out over Bernie, so he could see. Blood dripped from the lifeless
organ. Blood dripped onto Bernie’s tear drenched face.

“With this, you...” He stopped himself and
bent down to look Bernie in the face. “How did she make you feel?
She must be some woman to squeeze a baby outta this.” He shook the
flesh at Bernie.

“Baby? What are you talking about? I never
touched any woman.” Bernie was whimpering. Bubbles of spit were
forming at the edges of his mouth.

He looked down at Bernie confused. “The Dal
Santo woman. She was pregnant, wasn’t she?

Anton...yes...not me...Joe...baby...” The
stranger stood. His anger had been misspent, which seemed to start
the rise again. He looked at the wad in his hand and tossed it
angrily into the tub, whose water level continued to rise. He
turned to the mirror above the sink.