فصل 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A visit from the priest

Hiro stood there staring at the door for five or six seconds, then suddenly remembered he had a job to do. Without wasting another moment, he looked through the eyehole.

The view was better than he expected. He could see a couple of metres down the corridor in addition to the door of Room 319 opposite. Schubert was there at that moment. Hiro could see him looking up and down the corridor, the gun still down at his side.

About ten seconds later, the door to Room 319 opened. A woman, blonde and very attractive, wearing a red nightdress, stood in the doorway. She and Schubert talked for a moment, then she stepped back with a worried look on her face. Schubert went inside with her and the door closed immediately.

A minute passed. Hiro kept his eye to the door, only checking that Schubert’s number was shown under ‘Last Call’ on his phone.

When he looked back someone had come into view in the corridor outside. Hiro’s heart beat faster. Could it be the Shark? Hiro looked more closely. No, it was a boy of sixteen or seventeen, wearing a smart hotel uniform. In his hand he was carrying a message on a metal plate. But could it be one of the Shark’s friends? Hiro watched through the eyehole as the boy came directly to Hiro’s door and knocked.

Hiro didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to open the door, but perhaps it really was a hotel worker. Perhaps the message was important - something Schubert should know. Hiro saw the boy look down the corridor, then heard him knock again, harder.

This time Hiro decided he must answer. Very carefully, he opened the door. It was only half-open when there was a dull sound twice: dumf! dumf! one after another. At the same moment the boy seemed to throw himself on Hiro, his arms flying round him almost like a lover. Hiro was knocked back, crashed against the wall, and fell to the floor. The boy came down on top of him and lay there without moving. The plate he’d been holding banged loudly against the door.

Hiro tried to get to his feet. He was so confused that for three or four seconds he still didn’t understand that the boy had been shot. Then someone else appeared in the doorway. It was the Shark. He was still dressed as a priest, but he was now holding a silenced gun at his side. Hiro tried to speak, but no sound would come from his mouth.

‘Yes, my friend, it’s me,’ said the Shark, with a sickly smile. ‘I apologise for my violent entry.’ He kicked the legs of the young hotel worker out of the way and closed the door immediately. ‘A most unlucky young man. I needed some way to make you open the door,’ he went on, ‘and unfortunately for this boy, I chose him.’ Then, getting down so he was level with Hiro, he continued, ‘Right, now listen, my Japanese friend. I have very little time. I saw you come into this room and now I need some information.’

Still fighting to get his breath, Hiro managed to pull himself free from the body on top of him. As he did so, Hiro saw his jeans were covered in blood. For a second he thought he was bleeding, then he realised the blood belonged to the hotel worker. A scream grew in Hiro’s throat, but wouldn’t come out.

The Shark had his face close to Hiro’s. His teeth seemed very bright. ‘In a short time I am going to kill you.’

Hiro was completely unable to speak.

The Shark nodded his head. ‘Yes, be sure of this - I will kill you. But I can do it in two ways.’ He came even closer. ‘The first way is with a bullet in the middle of the head. Tike this…’ He pressed the gun into the middle of Hiro’s forehead and made a clicking sound with his tongue, then pulled it away. ‘You will not feel a thing. Very clean, very quick - you will like it!’ He paused. ‘Or I can shoot you in the stomach. The pain is terrible, please believe me.’ His eyes seemed to dance with pleasure as he considered this. ‘Yes, very terrible. That is why you Japanese commit hara-kiri by tearing a knife through the stomach - because death is so slow and you suffer so much. Very brave people, you Japanese.’

Now the Shark sat back on his heels, and watched Hiro thoughtfully. ‘So that is your choice, my friend. If you tell me what I wish to know, pop, pop in the head, all very fast. If you don’t, you will die very slowly. So, which will you choose?’

All the time the Shark was speaking, Hiro was trying to think what he could do. Was there nothing? Was this really the end? All day long he had been putting himself in danger, but somehow it hadn’t seemed real. It had felt almost like a computer game which he could turn off when he’d had enough. Now this was completely real. He wanted to complain that the rules hadn’t been properly explained, but he knew it was useless. He thought of Akiko suddenly. Would he never see her again after all?

‘So, which is it to be?’ The Shark pressed the gun hard into Hiro’s stomach and smiled.

Hiro didn’t answer. Thinking of Akiko had suddenly given him an idea. His phone was still in his hand. Could he manage to call Schubert without looking at the keys? He knew his phone so well - where all the different keys were and what they all did. If he could just get his hand in his pocket so it was out of view. All he needed to do then was bring up Schubert’s number and press the ‘Call’ key.

The Shark was waiting for his answer. ‘Well?’

‘What do you want to know?’ Hiro said quickly.

The Shark seemed surprised. ‘So, you choose the head! This is very good. Right, I need to know this.’

Hiro had managed to sit up against the wall, and already he had his hand with his phone in it in his pocket. He turned the phone around in his hand. Was it the correct way up? He had to feel for the keys, but without pressing too hard!

‘The man who went into Room 319,’ the Shark began. ‘He is a bodyguard, yes?’

‘Yes,’ Hiro answered. He had the phone the correct way up. He was sure of it. OK, now to bring up Schubert’s number he had to press the ‘Back’ key.

‘And he is the only bodyguard, yes?’

‘Yes,’ Hiro replied. His fingers felt around the keypad. Top right. That was the one to press. He did so without delay.

‘And why has the bodyguard gone into the room?’

Hiro paused. ‘He’s going to move Schmidt to another room, I think.’

The Shark gave a short laugh. ‘Schmidt! Ha! That’s very good. And has the bodyguard called for any help?’

Hiro didn’t answer. He was trying to think about the phone. The ‘Call’ key - it was top left, wasn’t it? Or was it? Suddenly he wasn’t so certain.

‘Come on!’ The Shark’s eyes were full of sudden anger. ‘Answer me! Are there more men coming? Do they know my description?’

‘No!’ Hiro answered. ‘I don’t know, I don’t think so.’

‘You are lying! You told him I was dressed as a priest, didn’t you?’

Just as he was about to answer, Hiro remembered: the ‘Call’ key wasn’t at the top, it was the one below it.

‘Well?’ the Shark shouted.

‘Maybe,’ Hiro said quietly.

Ah, the truth at last!’ The Shark sat back for a moment, looking pleased. Anyway, it does not matter, I have what I need.’ He sat forward again. ‘My friend, the time has come. I am sorry that it is not possible to get to know you better - you seem a very brave young man. But…’ The Shark lifted his hands as if in apology.

Hiro felt a tight ball of fear rise in his throat again. His fingers moved over the keys on his phone again. Was this right? Did he have the correct key? There was no time to think about it any more. He pressed hard with his thumb.

The Shark raised the gun and pointed it at Hiro’s head.

Hiro thought he might cry. He had to keep the Shark talking. How long would it be before Schubert replied? Schubert was Hiro’s last hope.

Wait!’ Hiro called hopelessly. ‘Please, please, I know you’re going to kill me, but will you do one thing for me?’

The old man suddenly gave a grandfatherly look. A dying wish?’ His eyes went small again. ‘What is it?’

Hiro had to keep the Shark talking for just a few seconds more. He said the first thing that came into his head. ‘It’s my girlfriend, Akiko. We broke up just before I came to Berlin. Will you send her a message for me?’

‘Ha!’ The Shark gave a sudden laugh. ‘How romantic! Now I am to bring two lovers together in death!’

Hiro was unable to breathe. Perhaps he’d got the keys all wrong. Maybe there wasn’t any hope…

‘And what is the tearful message you wish me to send?’ The Shark had his caring look again.

‘Please tell her…’ Hiro started.

‘Yes?’ said the Shark.

‘I want you to tell her…’ Hiro began again.

The Shark suddenly tired of the game. ‘Bah! You are trying to waste time. You think I am stupid?’

‘No!’ cried Hiro. All of a sudden there was a tiny sound. It came from Hiro’s pocket.

There was silence in the room for a second.

Then it came again. It was a voice. ‘Hiro?’ it said quietly. Then more loudly, ‘Hiro, it’s Franz!’