The Unthinkable Truth, page 20
The rest of the group was sitting around the table and nobody seemed to object to Jerry’s role, but George suspected this was a charade. Takahashi must have had something up his sleeve.
‘It’s nearly time,’ the voice from the orb said. ‘When you hear a magnetic click from the double doors, they will be unlocked and one person only can approach, open them and go out into the perimeter corridor. On this occasion, Jerry will have exactly forty-five seconds. That’s fifteen seconds more than usual. This will allow him to fetch other supplies in addition to the food and bring them back into this room. Any deviation from this procedure and the doors will lock again with your food and/or your friend outside. Tomorrow morning, food will arrive at 8 a.m. sharp. Any questions?’
Jerry glanced at Takahashi, who responded with a quick wink. Takahashi pushed some buttons on his watch and waited by the double door. As soon as the click sounded, he pressed the pusher. Once Jerry was out, the doors closed behind him with a metallic click. Takahashi looked at his watch and started a countdown. ‘Forty … thirty-five … thirty … twenty-five.’
‘How long does it take to push a trolley through a door?’ Gertrude asked irritably. ‘I hope he doesn’t mess this up for all of us.’
‘Twenty … fifteen … ten.’
There was no sign of Jerry. The heavy doors blocked any sound of activity on the other side. Everyone exchanged worried looks.
‘Six … five … four …’
The doors suddenly flung open and two large plastic bags came flying in. A metal trolley and Jerry behind it followed. As soon as the doors closed behind Jerry, the familiar click sounded again.
They were locked in.
The upper shelf of the trolley was laden with two large trays of various sandwich wedges covered with cling film, a bowl of salad and another bowl with crisps. The bottom shelf had plastic forks, paper plates and plastic water bottles. George handed out the plates and passed the sandwich trays around. Meanwhile, Meghan opened one of the plastic bags and inspected its contents. It had eight navy-blue blankets. The other bag contained eight beige hand towels and eight amenity kits with the Air France logo. She opened the zip on one of the pouches and announced each item as she laid them on the table. ‘A tube of moisturising cream, dental kit, ear plugs, toothbrush, a travel-size tube of toothpaste, a two-in-one comb and brush, dental floss, an eye mask. Looks like someone took a lot of business-class flights.’
‘Yes, very thoughtful,’ Takahashi said. ‘Using a personal stash would avoid any possible suspicion that a purchase of eight toiletry bags in a nearby supermarket could raise – that’s if the police were suspecting anything, of course.’
‘Do you think this whole plan has been hatched on the spur of the moment?’ Meghan asked.
‘Not really sure. Let’s all try to get some sleep and discuss the situation tomorrow.’
The food was consumed eagerly and quickly. George noticed with relief that Max’s face had gained some colour. The complaints about the food quality confirmed his suspicion that he was on the mend. When the last sandwich was eaten, they all moved to the lounge, each clutching a blanket, a hand towel and an amenity kit. Max inspected his blanket carefully while walking, first visually and then brushing it against his face. He stopped in his tracks. ‘I think I get it now,’ he called out.
Everyone turned and looked at him.
‘Feel your blankets. Please, humour me.’
They all did.
‘It’s luxuriously soft, don’t you think?’
‘So? What about it?’ Meghan asked.
‘Well, I thought you of all people would remember the tactile priming experiment Helen described for us.’
‘Yeah, I remember,’ she said, and stuck her tongue out briefly. ‘It’s the one where touching soft fabric made people soft on crime.’
‘Exactly!’ Max said. ‘Don’t you get it?’
‘Er … no, not really.’
‘They are trying to manipulate us, so we won’t judge them harshly for this false imprisonment.’
‘If that’s the intention, it’s sick, and it won’t work on me,’ Meghan said. ‘If anything, I’m more livid now than before.’
‘Maybe that’s actually a good sign,’ Jerry said. ‘Perhaps they intend to release us and want to keep us sweet.’
‘Could just be a coincidence,’ George said sceptically and followed Takahashi into the lounge in search for a place to spend the night. Without his Panama hat he looked almost vulnerable. George put his arm on the small man’s shoulder. ‘How are you, my old friend?’
‘I’ve managed quite a few escape room games,’ Takahashi said with a chuckle, ‘but this one is different. We don’t know the rules yet.’
‘No, I mean besides this business of us being stuck here.’
‘Oh, I’m fine. Well, maybe just getting a bit rusty and forgetful.’
‘I don’t know about rusty – you seem as sharp as ever to me – but you did forget your hat in the conference room.’ George chuckled.
Takahashi felt his head casually. ‘I won’t need it at night.’
They reached a pair of sofas arranged in an L-shape at the far corner of the lounge. Takahashi sat down on one and gestured towards the other. George placed his new possessions and his leather bag on the coffee table between them and sat down.
‘How is your family?’ he asked.
‘Same old, same old. Wife still complains that I work too many hours, but she’s a darling.’
‘Are you working too many hours?’
‘Just the hours I need to,’ Takahashi said with a chuckle. ‘Well, to be completely honest, since my twin daughters left for Uni, I’ve been burying myself with more work than usual. How am I supposed to fill all the hours in the day now that they aren’t around? You tell me.’
George poured out the contents of the amenity bag and inspected it. ‘Well, I’m not sure I’m the right person to ask. My perspective on life and work has changed drastically.’
‘How? Tell me.’
‘You know,’ George said, choosing his words carefully, ‘when you have a soulmate in life and share with them all the ups and down and everything in the middle, you might be fooled by a false sense of security and perhaps start taking all this great fortune for granted. Then, out of the blue, it’s all just taken away from you …’ He swallowed hard. ‘You realise – well, I realised – that anything can change without warning. What can I say … Memories are not what they’re made out to be. They are just not comforting enough.’
Takahashi scratched his head. ‘So what’s the lesson? What would you suggest?’
‘Live the moment like there is no tomorrow.’
‘Ah, easier said than done. Habits are hard to break.’
‘I guess so, but there is one thing I bitterly regret.’ George leaned towards Takahashi and lowered his voice. ‘That I didn’t spend more time with Ella when I could. We thought we had the rest of our lives together, so it felt okay to postpone things. Spend more time with your loved ones; that’s all the advice I have, really.’
‘I appreciate it, my friend. Maybe I should make some life changes myself.’ Takahashi leaned back and stared at the ceiling in silence for a long time before speaking again. ‘It may sound insensitive, George, but could you ever see yourself in a new relationship?’
‘Insensitive? Not at all.’ He gathered the items on the coffee table and put them back into the amenity bag. ‘It does make sense, but I can’t imagine ever finding a substitute for Ella. You know, now that I’m starting to see past the tragedy of losing her, I’m even more grateful for all those wonderful years we spent together, but the guilt is still eating me inside.’ He immediately regretted mentioning his guilt and hoped his friend wouldn’t ask him about it.
‘I wouldn’t call it a substitute. After all, everyone is special in their own unique way. Besides, nobody can take the memories of Ella away from you. But maybe a new partner would be good for you. You don’t believe each person has only one perfect match, do you?’
‘No, of course not,’ he blurted. ‘Maybe you’re right. I’ll think about it when we’re out of here.’
‘Good night, my friend,’ Takahashi said as he removed his shoes and lay down on the sofa. ‘We have a big day tomorrow. Must find a way out of here before it’s too late.’
27
The first rays of morning sunlight invaded the lounge and woke Meghan. Sitting up, she surveyed the rest of the group. A head poked from a blue blanket on each sofa, arms dangling down towards the carpet. All were still asleep. She gathered the items that had spilled onto the floor back into her Air France amenity bag, picked up her hand towel and headed quietly towards the ladies’ toilet.
Ten minutes later, on entering the lounge, she heard low, rhythmic grunts. The sounds came from the direction of the window wall. Meghan took off her shoes, held them in one hand and tiptoed slowly towards the source.
She froze.
Something round and dark was bobbing up and down, appearing and disappearing behind one of the sofas. Her hands became slippery with sweat and she adjusted the grip on her shoes. The grunts continued. She made a large circle around the sofa and sighed with relief. Jerry, in T-shirt, boxer shorts and socks, was doing press-ups. She stood there for a while, watching him with a smile. When he noticed her, he jumped to a crouching position and smiled back.
‘Hey, Jerry,’ she said, and sat down on the nearest armrest. The dark stubble adorning his face was visible from this distance.
‘Hey.’
‘I couldn’t bring myself to do push-ups, especially not first thing in the morning. The only thing I can do this early is a strong coffee.’
‘Funny you should say that. For me, push-ups are the only way I can start the day. Not much of a free will, eh?
‘Yeah … How did you sleep?’
‘Oh, I slept great,’ he said, panting. ‘But that’s usual for me. I could sleep anywhere, even on a hard floor.’
‘Lucky you. I had a real hard time drifting off. Thoughts whirling in my head. How long will they keep us here, what McFarland meant by “another way to silence us”, will they harm us?’
‘Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll soon realise that they can’t imprison innocent people.’
‘So you think they’d release us just like that and face criminal charges for false imprisonment?’
On the far side of the lounge, Takahashi shifted and sat up on his sofa, looking around.
‘I think they’ll have to. Surely people will miss us and start making inquiries.’
‘Who’d miss you, Jerry?’
‘Mike, my partner. I’ve been calling him from my hotel room every evening.’
‘Oh, good. He’ll probably call the hotel reception and find out you haven’t been there for a while.’
‘No. I called him from my mobile and he doesn’t know what hotel I’m staying in. How about you?’
‘I’ve been texting Olivier every morning and evening, except yesterday. He will certainly be worried. I’m just annoyed at myself that I didn’t call him after the accident. Now it’s too late. We’re cut off from the world.’
* * *
Soon the low conversation woke the others, who made the short trip to and from the toilets. By 7.45 a.m. they had all moved to the conference room and taken their places around the table.
‘Good morning, everyone,’ Sherlock said. ‘Breakfast will arrive in a few minutes, but there will be a small change. As Jerry will tell you, all the doors in the perimeter corridor are locked too.’ All eyes turned to Jerry. ‘But to make sure no one is tempted to try anything clever again, the doors to this room will unlock for just ten seconds. That should be just enough time for one of you to push the empty trolley out and bring in the one waiting for you in the corridor.’
Takahashi nodded, his lips puckered. He removed his Panama hat, revealing a glistening scalp covered with sporadic long thin strands of black hair. Holding his hat in his hand, he aimed and threw it across the table in one smooth move. It landed perfectly on top of the orb. All eyes turned to him with surprise. He put his index finger against his lips then quickly wrote something on his yellow notepad in large block letters. He picked the pad up and showed it slowly to everyone around the table.
SILENCE PLEASE
He continued scribbling.
SHERLOCK MAY BE SPYING ON US
Flipping to a new page, he wrote more.
IT MIGHT ALSO BE VERY GOOD AT LIP-READING
Gertrude wrote something on a scrap of paper and held it up.
WHY?
Just as Takahashi started writing a reply, the familiar click came from the double doors. Jerry, who stood at the ready, opened them and quickly pushed out the trolley with the empty paper plates and cups. A loud metallic clang came from the corridor as it bashed against the trolley waiting outside. He swiftly exchanged them and pushed the full one in. The manoeuvre was quick and the doors locked behind him with a few seconds to spare. All eyes turned from Jerry back to Takahashi.
‘Excellent,’ Takahashi said cheerfully as he raised his yellow pad in the air again. ‘Let’s eat.’ Then he wrote another message.
SHERLOCK KNEW WHAT I WHISPERED IN JERRY’S EAR. WE TOLD NO ONE ABOUT THE PLAN TO CHECK IF THE EXTERNAL DOORS ARE LOCKED
The trolley had a selection of yoghurts in different flavours, croissants, a jar of strawberry jam, butter, two jugs of hot drinks and the usual supply of bottled water. The group moved quietly and in an orderly manner towards the food, but turned back to look at Gertrude as she held up another scrap of paper towards Takahashi.
WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST WE DO?
George watched the exchange with relief. There was nothing like a crisis to bring old adversaries together. Takahashi was quick to write a reply.
LET’S KEEP SENSITIVE ISSUES IN WRITING ONLY IN THIS ROOM, AND FOR GOD’S SAKE – START TALKING BEFORE SHERLOCK SUSPECTS SOMETHING
There were some nods, followed by a smattering of artificial small talk. As they ate, George borrowed the legal pad, flipped to a fresh page and wrote a message.
LET’S MOVE TO THE LOUNGE AFTER BREAKFAST TO DISCUSS OUR OPTIONS
Takahashi waited behind until everyone had moved to the lounge before fetching his white hat off the table. He placed it on his head then flipped the chair that held the conference room door open and pushed it away. As he left the room and the doors closed behind him, the orb’s blue lights flashed twice.
28
The group rearranged four sofas at the centre of the lounge to form a square facing inwards and sat down on them in pairs.
‘What’s the idea of closing the door to the conference room?’ Gertrude asked sternly, looking at Takahashi. ‘It could now be locked and we’d be left without food.’
‘Look, if they wanted to starve us, they could do it easily with that door open or closed. The idea is that we can talk here freely without being listened to. Is that okay with you?’
‘Whatever.’ She made a dismissive hand gesture.
In the silence that followed, Meghan’s quiet sobbing dominated the room.
Helen put an arm over her shoulder. ‘What is it, Meghan?’
‘We’re stuck here. That’s what it is,’ she managed, wiping the tears with her sleeve.
Takahashi leaned forward and offered her a crumpled cotton handkerchief. ‘You were the only one who used it. I promise.’
She took it, flashing a smile. ‘I really miss Olivier. Not sure when I’ll hear his voice again. If ever.’
‘Now, now, let’s not despair,’ Takahashi said.
Grinberg coughed. ‘Talking of despair, I’m desperate for a smoke.’
‘You’re a smoker?’ Meghan exclaimed, looking somewhat calmer.
‘Guilty as charged, a pipe no less. But only when I’m in trouble.’
‘I’ll certainly be in trouble without my meds,’ said Max. ‘And I took my last one yesterday.’
‘Depression?’ asked Gertrude.
‘No, why?’
‘Just assumed … because you’re a psychologist. Ironically, many of you are depressed and deal with it by taking antidepressants rather than talking therapy,’ she said with a smirk.
‘It’s for anxiety.’
‘Oh, in that case, I may have some Valium.’ After a pause she added, ‘But without hearing from my cat sitter I may need all the tablets I have. My cats might not be getting the love and attention they need.’
Love and attention? George winced as he contemplated the poor creatures relying only on Gertrude for love.
‘If I may,’ said Takahashi, ‘I’d like to summarise the facts as I see them.’ His abrupt change of subject was met with puzzled looks. ‘The sooner we figure out what’s going on, the sooner we’ll be out of here.’ He continued without waiting for a response. ‘We’re being held here against our will after reaching a unanimous conclusion – based on a scientific inquiry – with the majority supporting its release to the public. It looks like someone at UNESCO deemed the conclusion or our view to release it, or both, as dangerous. What’s not clear yet is what they’re planning to do with it, and more importantly, with us.’
‘I don’t plan to find out,’ Meghan said, and leaned forward with her elbows resting on her knees. ‘I think we should get out of here as soon as we can.’
‘I agree,’ George said. ‘We may be in danger, especially after the blatant attempt on your life.’
‘Do you have proof it was intentional?’
George turned to Takahashi. ‘Do you want to tell her what you found out?’
‘Sure.’ Takahashi interlaced his hands and twiddled his thumbs. ‘It was either a murder attempt or a highly unlikely series of coincidences. Fairly soon after you gave McFarland what I’d describe as a legal ultimatum to ensure the release of the conclusion, you got an unexpected phone call at the restaurant. Except that only a few people knew we were there. This suspicious call separated you from the group. Then a car with stolen number plates tried to kill you, and now we are all prisoners after expressing similar views.’
