Final Challenge (4 page)

- I think I was wrong. From what I can see, you knew him very well!

Hanson liked people with sense of humor.
He r
esponded
him
in the same line.

Remember, FBI makes us an intuition test before entering the Brigade.

- Look at a detail that says it all: we hear about Klein's disease at the same time that his death, I mean, by the newspapers.

- And did
not you
notice something, something at least ... strange about his usual rarity during the last two weeks?

- No ... - Hopkins stopped to think for a few seconds - well ... on second thought ... yes.

Hanson became serious, suddenly could have something interesting to keep off him from the monotony.

- What? ...

- He spoke even less than usual, he avoided talks at any cost, was limited to answering in monosyllables.

Hanson sighed deeply. False alarm. Someone with that character was not surprising that avoided to keep any dialogue because his dire circumstances. He chose to change the subject.

- As told, he was all an eminence in his field.

- I don’t
know if he reached to that degree, but I assure you that he was really good, very good. As good as rare.

  Hanson was missing the last question, the one that he would have liked to do first but, by his nature, it should go at last, because otherwise his interlocutor had been placed from the first moment on gua
rd and would have hindered his
work.

- I am aware that you could answer me evasively to the following question. I understand that we are in a private company with cutting edge technology. Anyway, here
it
goes ...

As expected, the face of Hopkins changed drastically. His smile disappeared and, instead, he became serious, defensive, but without abandoning his mood.

- Try it ...

- Was he involved in some project ... we could say ... delicate?..

It was the question that Hopkins expected to hear, so he quickly found the answer, or so it seemed to at least Hanson.

- I knew that you
would as
k me that question. People as
they first enter here, expect to see dogs with eight legs or flies with a human head. Then they take a big disappointment - his smile reappeared again - you know, he was overturned on major projects for this company, just that, nothing that is not carried out in other laboratories in the competition.

After that re
sponse, little or nothing left
for him to ask. Hanson said goodbye to Hopkins not without before thanking by his feedback, and then, more relaxed, to the girl at the desk, after talking a while with her and display all his charms. Too bad he was already committed to Ingrid for the weekend, because that girl was all charm. In any case he exchanged with her his phon
e and promised himself to call
her at the earliest opportunity.

VII

It took less than
a month to the P
arty con
vention
. It
would
ratify the nomination of Harold to the November presidenti
al. It was not just a formality
but
the moment to reveal the best kept secret,
making public the name of his new vice president.
On the other hand, n
o one, including polls, doubted about Harold's victory
over the
candidate
of the opposition Party
, who, in the absence of policy weaknesses of the current president, was limited to insult Harry, the grim vice president that his rival had the misfo
rtune to carry around during his
entire legislature. Poor resource that little or nothing was going to serve from the time that Harold himself revealed the name of his future vice president. However, without discounting the positive effect of that last blow, the advantage between the two candidates was more than twenty points. It had to go many years back in history to find such a fact.

  However, Carol was still hoping to discourage her husband.

  For a long time they could not enjoy a weekend to
gether, so the site they chose
could not be other one: their
ranch in the heart of Tennessee. If this place could talk, could have written the biography of both. It belonged to the family of Carol. They had spent the most romantic moments of their courtship and marriage. But it al
so hid
other worse memories,
as that depression that Harold had managed
to overcome thanks to his wife,
when the policy had disappointed him so much. Or when they took refuge the
re trying to overcome the shock
after an abortion that would prevent Carol be
ing a mother for the rest of her
life. After the death of Caro
l's father, had become their
last refuge, where they fled
when they wanted to be alone, away from the world, the only place they perceived as theirs and only theirs, where there was a communion between them that became both in only one being melted with their environment.

That hot afternoon in early July had decided to go horseback riding, one of their favorite hobbies that both of them practiced since Carol had managed to transmit to
Harold practically from the first day
that he had first stepped on that ranch.

  Carol looked around, could see that everything seemed to be like forever. She thought that,
if it wasn't by
the court of police and bodyguards guarding the perimeter of the ranch, if they closed their eyes and opened them again would not know be able to guess at what point in their lives they really were. The only important thing is that when she opened them again, she could see Harold at his side. Everything else was incidental,
almost anecdotal. Carol didn’t
care to be the wife of the young graduate in law that the one of President of the Unite
d States of America. She let her
thoughts be translated into words.

-
         
This is the only place where I am myself, where we are ourselves. I feel even better here than at home. You just need to let the imagination fly a bit
to not fix
our look at the bodyguard.

Harold showed a smile of approval. Carol took a deep breath and continued.

- And this air ...This air is pure gold!

Harold approached
his horse to her, close enough to get giving her a kiss. Then he whispered in her ear:

- Without you nothi
ng would make sense. You know that I
would change everything, everything, for having you by my side - he paused a
nd continued - Luckily, I don’t
need, I can afford to be selfish!

Carol took the occasion to present
once aga
in her emotional claim
, conscious that it might be the last chance that she had to do it.

- However, you've ignored. You've committed to
present
to re-election. Do you really think that America needs you more than me? ...

- No, my love, no. But
I can’
t let down
people who so much supported me, who has been fighting side by side with
me, sacrificing hours to their
life, their family. It would be unfair.

- And is it fair to sacrifice the little time that life gives us to be together?

- No, my love, no. It's not fair. But life is made of choices that require setti
ng aside part of oneself. Don’t
you think I insisted that they should seek another candidate? ...

He looked into her eyes, then
continued.

- You know me as nobody in this world
could imagine. Tell me, do you think t
hat I did not insist?  That I just
limit myself to fol
low the script dragging my feet?
...
-  He slightly raised
his
voice -
Tell me, do you really think that
? ...

 
Carol
looked at him tenderly,
almost pleadingly, then took his hand and answered.

-
You know that it would be enough that you had pointed with your finger to one of your dolphins and people would dump with him. And it had been enough that you supported him so his chances of success had been almost yours.

- As
much as I
insisted, were not able to find another candidate that satisfied their expectations. In addition ...
it
would still be a little fraud, a hoax. And you know perfectly well that if people trust me is because I have not disappointed them so far, be
cause I have tried to lead
my honesty beyond reasonable limits.

They were arriving. They got off their horses. Carol ran her hand across his waist and pressed her body against Harold's.

-  You don’t even
know the desire I have of having you only for me. I realize that I can seem somewhat hoarder, but you'll at least agree that ... it's about time! ...

Harold hugged her and stood in silence for a long time. Then, without releasing her, whisper in her ear:

- And you'll got me. We'll have time again to deal with w
hat we like most:  to enjoy of
ourselves.

Then he separated slightly her until he could look into her eyes, and declared:

- But first, we have another four years of hard work ahead.

She knew him well enough to know that those words, far from being mandatory, were an appeal, claiming once again the support that he needed. And, once again,
she couldn’t
fail. So she said what he was expecting to hear, but not before a few tears surfaced. Harold noticed it and very gently wiped them with his handkerchief.

- Yes, darling, and though I'd been happy if you had taken other determination, you will not get rid of me so easily!

- Listen. These next two months will be
especially hard. I
n fact we hardly are going to have a chance to meet. The campaign demands all my time. But ... Knowing that I always have you by my side will give me the strength I need.

Both were merged into a long, warm kiss. The wind began to blow so that Harold's hat flew away without he bother
ed
to avoid it.

VIII

Marvin was not more fortunate than Hanson on his visit to the biotechnology company where worked Mills, the second scientist who
had
committed suicide.

As a starting point only had a few common data between the two scientists, such as character, shy and introverted, age (both were around forties years old), their terminal illness and the way they had decided, apparently, ending his life. But Hanson and Marvin could verify several facts that astounded them.
They didn’
t know each other, at least everything pointed in that direction. Their companies did not maintain any contentious, moreover, their lines of inquiry were apparently different. Their economic situations seemed to be well off. They had no close family and very few frien
ds. T
heir social life was almost nonexistent. But, yes, they both enjoyed a
remarkable reputation among their
colle
a
gues.

  For some days
Marvin and Hanson visited to their
few friends and all those who maintained a minimum daily relationship with them, without finding any relevant information. But yes, they concluded that no one was aware about the serious illnesses they had, absolutely no one. Perhaps it was not surprising given the nature of those two scientists.

  It seemed that all data were on the table, and that would be sufficient to write the report that his boss was looking forward anxiously in
his office. So, true to their
custom, the day before the drafting of the report were to exchange views to Gary's Bar, which was a few blocks from their office. There was not the first time that, between beer and beer, had left suddenly a happy thought, a source of inspiration that never would have occurred within the four walls of their office. However, on this occasion was more
by superstition, as they didn’t want
to break that routine-fetish that had been so successful in the past that interest in finding oil where there was only water. Hanson thought their biggest problem would be to fill out at least five pages with so little and uninteresting information, information that only returned them to the starting point, to a solution that had seemed obvious from the beginning. I
t had been just a fluke, as
many others that occur in life, if there are really coincidences in life
.