12
Toronto, Canada
"Murdered!?" Jay and Sarah scream in unison, unable to hide their astonishment.
The man leans forward to retrieve the stack of cardboard folders. He pulls out the one from the bottom.
"Your husband. Brian Wessler, died of a stroke as he left his work here in Toronto." He selects another file. "Paul Rodriguez died of a stroke while having breakfast on the terrace of a restaurant in El Formigal, Spain. Sergey Kagda died of a stroke in a warehouse on the outskirts of Moscow. Allan Vaughan, missing in Chicago for several weeks. Chances are he will also be found dead from a stroke, in some secluded place." He puts the folders away.
"I can't tell you if Thomas Andrews also died from a stroke. The official cause of his death remains a car accident. Unfortunately, not much subsists from that time, especially since there was no suspicion of foul play. However, I was able to order a detailed analysis of the photos taken at the crash scene. Methods have evolved since 1999, and our experts are convinced that the fire started inside the vehicle. In other words, someone set fire to your comrade's car 'after' the accident... We will never know exactly what happened, but given the recent events, I lean towards the hypothesis of murder on my part."
"But still," murmurs Sarah. "Strokes?"
"It's true," Jay supports. "Even if the coincidence seems big for all these people to have died from this pathology, it remains a natural cause of death."
Placing his briefcase down near the armchair, the stranger sighs.
"Really? I understand your reluctance to accept that your friend and all your old acquaintances have been assassinated... This puts you either at the top of the suspect's list or at the bottom of the potential victim's one, I do not envy you. But you are an intelligent, deductive man, aren't you? So, deduce... They all died not just from strokes, but from strokes tied to the Mulcinchen syndrome, an extremely rare brain condition..."
A heavy silence settles. Jay and Sarah try to digest the news.
"You see," the stranger continues. "If these are not murders, then your little circle is plagued with very fragile health. In that case, Mr. Baltac, I would strongly advise you to consult a doctor as soon as possible."
YOU ARE READING
Unlimited Plan (*)
Mystery / ThrillerWhen Jeremy Baltac-former member of a hacker elite group turned cybersecurity engineer-learns about the disappearance of an old teammate, he has no idea it's the starting point of a real race against time. Members of his former group are being elimi...
