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Back The Double Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
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  63. Acknowledgements

Somehow, Ismail had breached the boundary undetected. Was there a short circuit in the system? When his body was found, the digital monitor was still strapped to his wrist, though it appeared to have been damaged in the fall. In the twenty-four hours prior to his disappearance, Ismail’s movements would have been tracked. Each position recorded on his personal log, along with his sleeping patterns, blood pressure, and heart-rate. With any luck, the data would provide some clues.

Gessen opened a window, but the bracing air did little to revive his spirits. He couldn’t put it off any longer. First, he would speak to Ismail’s bodyguard, and then inform the family. He picked up the phone and called Sendak. No response. With a twinge of apprehension, he summoned his head of Security.

When Walter Keller stepped through Gessen’s door, his face was ashen. Losing one of their patients would have hit him hard, of course, but there must be more to it. With the bodyguard not responding to calls, something felt off. Could Sendak have played a role in Ismail’s death?

In spite of the haunted look on his face, Keller’s back was ramrod straight. ‘He’s gone, sir.’

‘Who? The bodyguard?’

‘Yes, sir. Must have slipped away as soon as we found the body of the boy. Afraid for his own neck, I imagine.’ He looked past Gessen and squinted at the window. ‘Considering the family who employed him.’

Gessen ran his hand through his hair. ‘Do you think the bodyguard had something to do with the boy’s death?’

Keller shrugged. ‘Hard to say, but he’s probably on a plane by now.’

Gessen cast around for the right words. Keller might be worrying about his own job as well. ‘For now, it’s business as usual. I don’t want to upset the patients.’ He glanced at his watch, conscious of time slipping away. He had a session with Vidor in thirty minutes. Just enough time to get cleaned up. In Vidor’s fragile state, it would be better for him not to know that a patient had died on Gessen’s watch. Possibly lured to his death by the man hired to protect him. Highly suspicious that he’d slipped away. If he were innocent, why run?

Keller took a call on his phone. ‘The police are here. They’d like to speak to you.’

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