Strolling into the room, Romano is as fresh and dapper as ever and appears genuinely happy to see me. He comes over to the side of the bed and scrutinises each medical display before addressing me.
“Would you like me to leave?” asks Lorenzo.
“No, Lorenzo. It’s fine. You know most of what I have to tell,” says Romano before pulling a chair up to the side of the bed. “As for you, Aksel. Quick thinking, telling Coleman to check yourwrists. I found traces of a toxin compound similar to aconitine. When I got to you, you had an acute arrhythmia and were not far from going into cardiac arrest. I managed to stabilise you pretty quickly, but you’d lost a lot of blood. How are you feeling now?”
“Tired. I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open.”
“To be expected. I have you on some powerful medication, but you are already recovering incredibly quickly. Do you feel up to a debrief?”
“Yes, please. I would like that.”
“Good. First of all, I’m sorry I couldn’t have the rest of your team alongside you all the way, Aksel—”
“Gabriel, please. I’m sticking with Gabriel from now on.”
Romano smiles and nods.
“As you wish. The reason I couldn’t provide more direct support is that your situation was both unique and sensitive. Friendly forces were involved, and, for a time anyway, I could not be seen to be directly aiding you. Which is why we helped from the shadows. But in the end, we were working together to draw the key institute founder out from hiding without him suspecting anything. You became the perfect bait, I’m afraid, and for that I must apologise.”
“Lorenzo says they were shot down—”
“Mrs Bellacci does not miss, although launchers are not her forte. Nobody survived. And yes, before you ask, we scoured the wreckage. Everyone and everything was destroyed, including the samples.”
“How did M2 find out I was still alive?”
“Leblanc senior. He set the whole thing up for us. They were still in contact infrequently. After the attempt on her life that you thwarted, Sylvie called her uncle and told him you might go to see him in Carlisle, and begged him to help. She convinced him that you would need to see M2 as much as he needed to find you. She also suggested having Coleman there to assist you.Honestly, our American friend proved to be the ideal aide, even if he wasn’t entirely pleased with the idea.”
A memory comes back easily, of Coleman crouching down to help me fire off shots, the man completely out of his comfort zone.
“Is he okay? Coleman?”
“He’ll be up soon. You can ask him yourself. I think more than anything, he’s relieved that you pulled through.”
I take a deep breath and let out a sigh, then wince at the pain.
“Dr Romano, is that really the end? M2 informed me he’d found someone else to take over his work, someone involved in illicit cloning.”
“There will always be rogue governments interested in this kind of research. And there will always be friendly agencies like ours ready to shut them down. In the meantime, here is what I have discovered about the Hartfield setup. Two retired ministers founded and led the Knights’ Watch, one of them a very senior figure. We can put names to them now, though you don’t need them. The sole surviving founder, Professor Srebro, known to you as M2, was supposed to be living out his final days in a nursing home in Zurich, suffering from pancreatic cancer.”
“At least we helped put him out of his pain,” I say, but I can tell from the flash of Lorenzo’s eyes that he does not find my remark amusing.
“What happened to the other one?” asks Lorenzo.
“He took his own life. A year after the institute was shut down. Apart from the fact that he would have been in his mid-nineties by now, we have solid proof of his death. But if you wish to pursue this—”
“No,” I say firmly. “Enough. I know there’s an appetite among some to seek recompense for past sins, but I agree with what Sylvie Leblanc said in her note. I need to move forward.”
“He deserves to have a normal life,” says Lorenzo.
“Normal?” I say, smiling as Coleman’s words echo back to me.
“His life will never be normal, Lorenzo,” says Romano, checking his phone before popping the device into his pocket. “But maybe together we can work something out.”
“What’s your opinion, Dr Romano?” I ask. “Would you bring this to the attention of the public? Make sure nothing like this ever happens again?”
“That much, you need not worry about,” says Romano, smiling. “The press is about to hear the very credible testimony of two institute instructors now living in South America who have come forward despite being sworn to secrecy. Their stories are extremely compelling. Both have testified that all Knights were slain. One even has video evidence of bodies being brought out from the gymnasium. But I do have a question for you, Gabriel, if I may?”
Strange, it’s unlike Romano to seek permission to ask me questions.