32 CONNOR
I’d spent half an hour going over this damn mural, trying to see what we’d missed. Something that would lead me to Cohen. I sat down at the computer with Sam’s necklace in my hands.
The screensaver was a photo we’d taken the day before, when Sam floated the theory that maybe I was just a figment of her imagination. She swore she’d fallen asleep in the desert on her birthday and was trapped in a mirage.
I smiled, remembering what I’d told her.
“What we have is real, my little one,” I murmured, full of self-pity.
When I woke the screen, I noticed an unread email. Ravi had sent me a message with the address of a rehabilitation clinic.
I think I found your man.
P.S. With this one, you owe me two.
“God bless you, Ravi,” I murmured, grabbing the computer and heading to the address.
On the way, I dialed Gretta’s office. By now, she was probably signing my termination papers.
“I shouldn’t even be answering,” she said before I could say hello.
“But you did.”
“Out of respect for what we’ve been through all these years on the force,” she grumbled. “I’ve got a bunch of old white guys with erectile dysfunction calling me, asking how my detective ended up in Egypt interfering with local investigations.”
“Tell them the beer’s cheaper here,” I joked, but she didn’t laugh. Instead, I could hear her impatient breathing.
“Some guy named Ahmed made a point of filing several complaints about you,” Gretta complained. “I can’t stand answering his emails anymore.”
“Gretta… I know who he is.”
“Good. Kick his ass.”
“I’m not talking about that idiot Ahmed,” I said, starting the car. “I know who Ammit is.”
“What? Seriously? You got him?” She sighed with relief. “I’ll arrange for you to come home.”
“Not exactly.”
“Don’t tell me you killed him. My God, Connor.”
“Gretta!”
“Connor, I’m not a mind reader.”
“His name is Bradan Cohen.”
“I don’t remember that name.”
“Because he was never on our radar,” I explained.
“And how do you know it’s him?”
“I had a hunch… and contacts you’re better off not knowing about.”
“Don’t tell me all you’ve got on him is a hunch.” Gretta must have been losing her mind on the other end.
“I won’t. Gotta go, Gretta.”
Day was breaking when I arrived at the clinic. They’d barely opened reception, but I insisted it was a matter of life and death. The sleepy girl at the entrance seemed plenty distracted by my arms.
In the end, stopping to do push-ups to relax had worked better than I’d expected—that, combined with my badge lending plenty of credibility to my international investigation story.
“The room you’re looking for is at the end of the hall,” the young woman said, pointing down the long white corridor. “We were sad when we learned his daughter couldn’t be here.”
“She said that?”
“Yes, she called last night. Said she’d send someone to handle the burial.” The girl seemed to be holding back more than she was saying.
“What is it?” I touched her arm and she smiled.
“Actually, she’s been acting really strange lately,” she said, lowering her voice.
“She used to come twice a year, every year, but then she started coming every day and her father showed significant cognitive improvement. But a few days ago, she started cutting back on visits until she stopped showing up altogether. The other day she got into an argument with her boyfriend over the phone. It was so loud we thought something was wrong.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Yes. He came a few times. Always stayed outside waiting.”
“Could you describe him?”
“Never saw him. He was always in the car.” She shrugged. “An old one… I don’t know anything about cars. I just know it was coral-colored with a bull on the emblem… But I haven’t seen him in days.”
“Thank you, Raya.” I glanced at her name tag. “I’ll see Mr. Bradan before it’s too late.”
I said goodbye to the girl and headed to the room she’d indicated. Apparently, Bradan had been transferred to this room two days ago when he took an irreversible turn for the worse. According to her, the doctor had said he was on palliative care.
I took a deep breath before turning the doorknob. I hadn’t imagined our meeting would be so… cold.
As soon as I walked in, I saw he was completely unrecognizable.
Nothing like the robust man in the photo.
His body had been completely consumed by sarcopenia.
There was barely any hair left on his head or eyebrows—what remained was mostly white.
A machine was hooked up to his body, monitoring his vitals.
Another sedation machine showed he was in sensory suspension.
I stood there staring at the man who had haunted my nightmares and stolen countless nights of sleep. A man who may have murdered a hundred people over the years, slipping across borders undetected.
Looking at that bed was like staring at the empty tomb of a man I'd made sure to kill. There was no victory in watching him drift toward a peaceful death, hooked up to these machines.
“Ammit,” I said, approaching the bed. “This isn't how I planned our reunion.”
I pulled up a chair and sat beside him. The sound of the machines was all I could hear. That and the respirator forcing his chest to rise and fall.
“Of all the ways we could meet again, this is the most unfair.
You lying here peacefully while I have to clean up the shit you left behind.
By the way, I met your daughters, and they couldn't be more different.” I threw my head back.
“Like ice and fire. Isis is unhinged and twisted like you, but Samantha—she's like a sunny morning by the sea.” The machine beeped, almost like a response.
“May you die without ever being touched by her light.”
I went back to staring at the vulture's carcass.
“Ironic that I fell in love with her. The only good thing you ever did only exists because you didn't contaminate her with your black slime.” I let out a long sigh.
“It's unfair that I'm the only one who's had to endure pain that none of these drugs pumping through you could ever contain.
Not that my body doesn't remind me of that day constantly.” I touched the scar on my waist.
“That day we condemned ourselves, but it feels like I'm the only one who served the sentence.” I shrugged. “I came to see if I could find any leads on her. I'm hunting her like I hunted you. The difference is this time I won't miss.”
I stood up and studied the readings on the screen.
“Today is the day to correct the mistakes of the past.” I touched the pump that controlled the sedatives. “Death let us escape that day, and now it's here to collect its due.”
I pressed a few buttons, figuring out how the sedative and analgesic dosages worked.
“Let's face our judgment here and now, Ammit.” I pressed the button, lowering the pain medication. “Cohen Bradan… your heart officially weighed more than the feather.”
His vitals immediately began to reflect his suffering. Everything started beeping. I leaned down and whispered in his ear.
“Don't worry… Soon your youngest will be dancing with you in hell.”
Nurses rushed into the room along with a doctor. I stepped back and let them take control of the machines. I slipped out in the confusion, but not before grabbing his file from the records room down the hall.
When I was far enough away, I pulled over and went through the files more carefully. I found a registered address. It was a shot in the dark. But I had to take it.