ACT I - CHAPTER 1

DECISION IN DUBAI

Thursday August 17, 2017

Hotel Luxor Arab

Dubai United Arab Emirates

The taller man said to the shorter:

“We are in danger… of death… we will use these to communicate,” he whispered in his ear, pointing to the two cell phones on the dining room table, in the penthouse on the 52nd floor of the seven-star Luxor Arab Hotel.

“Will it be safe to talk here?” the shorter asked, frowning.

“Turn on that TV and put it at full volume,” the tallest answered.

The panoramic view of the sea, which bathed the beaches of Dubai on that sunny day, was combined with the blue of the thick carpet in the large living room illuminated by floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Do you think they killed him?” asked the shorter.

“Yes.”

“Do you think they discovered us?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why did you want to see me?”

“We need to make a decision,” the tallest said and paused. He was almost six feet tall, had an athletic build, thick gray hair, and blue eyes.

The shortest, five foot six, but he was a little overweight; thick black hair and brown eyes, both in their fifties. They were athletes with brilliant intelligence and a heart of gold.

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“A woman offered to help us write Ronald’s book, but on the condition that we don’t ask questions and keep it a secret,” the tallest said.

“Did she say ‘Ronald’?” asked the shorter.

“Yes.”

“Who is she?”

“Don’t know. She approached me on the street as I was leaving the gym. I’ve never seen her before.”

“Why trust her?” asked the shorter.

“It’s a good question, but something tells me we can trust her,” the tallest answered and added, “I can’t forget the look on her face. It seemed like a matter of life or death. She will contact me in a couple of days to let her know if we accept its help or not. What do you say, do we take the risk?”

“How did she know about the book?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m sure Ronald told her!”

“I don’t think so, he knew it was dangerous. The last thing he told me was that he had discovered something horrible and that he was being followed. He made me swear that if he died, we had to write it down,” said the tallest.

The shorter one’s eyes widened and he put his hands on his head.

“Horrible? did he use that word?”

“Yes.”

“What are we facing, Manuel?” the shorter asked, pressing his lips together.

“Don’t tell me more Manuel. The other condition she set is that we can’t use our real names to do this work. So, from now on, call me Ricardo,” said the tallest one, and from now on we will call him Ricardo.

“Why use another name?” asked the shorter one.

“She told me that the job was dangerous, especially for us who were so famous. They could record us with a directional microphone or listen to what we talk on our cell phones,” said Ricardo, the tallest one.

“Okay, then don’t call me Diego, call me Arturo,” said the shorter one, who from now on we’ll call him Arturo. Then he added, “It’s so unfortunate that he died. How I admired that young man! Did Ronald tell you that he had discovered something horrible?” Arturo asked.

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“Yes,” answered Ricardo, seeing that Arturo was walking like a caged lion, sinking his shoes into the thick carpet.

“Look! If someone knows that we want to write the book and objects, they already know! Are we going to be scared? No! Maybe this woman is a trap or maybe not! We do not know! But if she’s going to help, we set the conditions! Who do they think they are!” Arturo roared with his Argentine accent.

“Lower your voice!” Ricardo exclaimed, he went to the bar and made himself a whisky. “You’re right, if we continue, we will set the conditions,” Ricardo said when Arturo calmed down.

“If we continue? Are you crazy? We are already committed and we have to take risks! Even more so now that he’s dead! This is urgent!” Arturo exclaimed, taking him by the lapel, “If anyone wants to help us, they will do it our way! Do you think his friend Alexandre will want to do it alone?” he asked, releasing its lapel.

“We’ll have to ask him,” Ricardo responded, paused and added. “I’ve already made up my mind and I want to do it, but I’m not going to do it without you. What do you say, if Alexandre accepts, do we do it?” Ricardo asked and after several seconds Arturo responded.

“Yes! Let’s do it! Let’s write the damn book!” said Arturo.

“Good! When she contacts me, I will tell her that we accept,” Ricardo said, handing him the cell phone and the battery that they would use to communicate.

“I’ll call you every day between six and seven in the afternoon, so don’t forget to put the battery in. Then keep everything here so they don’t know your GPS,” Ricardo added, handing him a steel bag.

“Well. Now let’s get out of here!” Arturo said.

The tallest man, Ricardo, fixed his cap, put on his sunglasses, and swung his long legs to the elevator that took him to the helipad. In the luxurious hotel, shaped like a sailboat, the shortest man, Arturo, felt like a Viking setting sail from the beaches of Dubai ready to fight to the death.

When he turned off the television, he saw some news that said: “NUCLEAR TENSION INCREASES DUE TO THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA”.

In Washington DC, US President John MacDoe was leading an emergency meeting in the State House bunker.

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One Exceptional Mind, by Charles Kocian. Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

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