Tears in Rain by Rosa Montero, Lilit Zekulin Thwaites Page B

be just about done by now, and she hadn’t seen the results yet.
    “Yes. I was running the last few tests. I’ll return it this afternoon. So, am I still on the case or not?”
    “Of course you’re still on it. I’ll speak with Valo. Anyway, she doesn’t have the authority to fire you.”
    “Do
you
?”
    “I do, but I’m not going to. If what you’re asking about is the power structure within the RRM now that Myriam is dead, I can tell you that I’m her successor until we hold an extraordinary meeting, which I’ve just called. It will be in two weeks’ time.”
    “And then what will happen?”
    “Most likely, they’ll ratify me in the position. But that doesn’t mean I murdered Myriam so that I could take her place,” he added with a dry laugh devoid of any joy.
    “Murdered?”
    “I’m convinced she would never have injected herself with a mem.”
    “So am I. By the way, speaking of adulterated memories, how did you find out about the earlier cases?”
    “That was Myriam’s doing. She came in one day with the information. She was very worried.”
    “But who provided it?”
    “I don’t know. All she told me was that someone reliable had given it to her.”
    “Weren’t you surprised she knew about the mems? They’re something you can only know about if you have access to the official autopsy reports.”
    “Well, no, it didn’t surprise me at all. Myriam always was extremely well informed. She had confidants and contacts everywhere. She even had the odd memorist friend. She was an extraordinary woman.”
    In fact, it wasn’t all that difficult, reflected Bruna; she herself had accessed the report on Cata Caín. As to the memorist, she couldn’t help but think about Pablo Nopal.
    “When was the last time you saw her, Habib?”
    “She came to my office yesterday afternoon. There were things we had to decide about the RRM, work-related matters. But I found her very nervous, very distracted. I asked her if she was okay, and we began talking about the deaths. Then she got up and left. She said she was very tired and she was thinking aboutgoing home soon to sleep. But she didn’t leave, or at least not by the main entrance. Her bodyguards hung around waiting until midnight, and when they went upstairs to get her, they couldn’t find her anywhere.”
    “How come they waited so long?”
    “She often stayed late working on her own.”
    “And they weren’t concerned when they didn’t find her?”
    “Yes, they were worried, and they called me. I got onto Nabokov, who knew nothing either, because Chi hadn’t come home. That was when we got really frightened. And rightly so.”
    They stopped talking for a few seconds while violent images of Myriam’s death flashed blindingly inside their heads and the space between them seemed to acquire a blood-red brilliance.
    “At what time was your conversation with Chi?”
    “Between about 18:00 and 19:00. I was the last person to see her alive.”
    Bruna tried to hold back a small start. Myriam’s call had been at 18:30.
    “Are you sure?”
    Habib smiled. He, too, had huge bags under his eyes and looked haggard.
    “Absolutely. And you don’t have to hide your surprise. I was there when she rang you, Husky. Moreover, I know what she wanted to tell you.”
    He paused dramatically, something Bruna found difficult to endure.
    “It’s possible...You have to promise to keep all this a complete secret, Husky; there’s too much at stake. So, there is unfortunately a possibility that some reps may be implicated in the deaths. It’s not exactly the best news for our movement, but I’m afraid there’s considerable evidence.”
    “What are you saying? Implicated how? What evidence are you talking about?”
    “There have always been violent reps, as you know. And if you want me to be honest, I understand it perfectly, because the marginalization and disdain that humans subject us to are hard to bear. But in the RRM we’re not in favor of violence, either