Magic of numbers

by Robin W. Hom

***
‘Damn!’ Patricia cursed only on special occasions. For three month they’d been trying to solve that case. It was all in vain. Nothing and nobody helped. All new ideas led into deadlock.
That was one of that ‘special occasions’.
She never liked detective stories but had to read almost all that’d been published. She knew one out of hundred or thousand might help in her work. That gave her hope. Vague hopes actually, but that was all that she had now.
‘Damn! They cannot even invent a fine heading! – said Patricia with resentment.’ How could anyone call a novel “Attack of Cinderella’s high heels”? Insane!’
Stephen looked at her, sat near and gave her a hug, a hug that could be given only by Stephen, tender and soft. That calmed her down.
‘Hungry?’ she asked.
Stephen bowed in agreement. He ate nothing since the early morning as Patricia was busy reading that useless books with dull plots and fake heroes. He never wanted to disturb her and never enjoyed a lonesome meal.
By three o’clock Patricia left for work. She could do it any time of a day or night. Being an independent expert on criminal issues she helped the local police to solve the most tangled cases.
Five years ago she used to be on the cops but had to leave. Nobody realized the reason but all her relatives and close friends agreed that her boss was an old duffer and never ever brought up that topic.
She had to be at work only in the evening but Lieutenant Daniel Grimasky was happy to see Patricia earlier.
‘We got the results of second medical expert review. The 14th has fingers on her body,’ young lieutenant reported right off the bat. ‘I wanted to call you. But you are here…’
‘Whose fingers?’ Patricia responded.
‘You’d never buy it! Look!’ Daniel smiled.
The report said the fingers belonged to one very important person. That VIP was a well-known person in the country, and a very influential one.
Unfortunately, he went to long rest the day before. Of course, funerals for the police were a good opportunity to check if they could finally shut the books. But that wasn’t the right time to take evidence of the VIP’s 4 ex-wives, 18 kids, 5 brothers, 3 sisters and other relatives who were really grateful to see him passed away leaving billions on his bank accounts. That was the right time to share money and power.
Patricia and Daniel decided to watch the new heirs and see if the late had any enemies.
***
Next morning Stephan woke Patricia up earlier than usual. She murmured something.
‘You asked me to wake you up, Trish! Come on!’ purred Stephen.
‘Stephen, five more minutes, please.’
‘No more minutes. You needn’t have to mingle with that lieutenant till midnight. I was worried, by the way!’ Stephen sniffed.
‘Okay, okay. I am awake. Don’t make a row. You are my one and only man in the whole world. And nobody can replace you. No one!’ Patricia got up and followed Stephen to the kitchen.
The first thing to do in the morning is breakfast for Stephen. If she started the morning differently, Stephen would be black as thunder and grumble non-stop.
‘Watch it!’ Stephen answered with a snarl. ‘Feed me, woman! I am hungry!’
In the afternoon Patricia went shopping with her friend Jenny. Jenny was a real chatterbox. It was hard to stop her. And today was not an exclusive day.
Patricia learnt a lot about Jenny’s new boyfriend. He was the best among all men in the world, and his kiss could be even better than the one you can get from Indiana Jones. Anyway, it was a usual story Patricia heard every two month. Every two month Jenny got rid of “this suitor” and found a new one who was “even better”.
But Jenny was a good friend. She inclined her ear into stories Patricia told her about her work in police. All that Jenny heard today except “the secrecy of investigation” and “a really important issue” was that her friend went through the pockets of the dead rich guy and found something there.
‘And was it him?’ asked she in a state of shock.
‘No, actually not.’ Patricia was away in her thoughts. She already knew what had to be done. ‘Charlie…’ she said and left Jenny considering the truth was out there.
 ***
Charlie lived in the suburbs, say the least of it. He lived in real slums, a deprived area. Patricia would never go there if only it was not that ‘special occasion’ when Charlie was the only one who could help. Charlie knew everything about numbers, digits and the stuff.
Bus number 66b was the only one that could take her to the place. When the bust arrived, Patricia took a seat and unfolded the note which she’d taken out of the old dead guy’s front pocket. It had only numbers: «531830213413132212413261».
Grimasky and she tried their best: divided, multiplied, counted same digits, and added and subtracted again. Nothing worked. The only thing they’d found out that wasn’t a bank account. Moreover, that note didn’t belong to the dead man. The costume was brought from dry-cleaner that morning. And no cleaners’ could be suspected too as they empty all pockets before cleaning.
Charlie loved Patricia, she was his goddess. She adored the boy too. Visiting him was a great joy for both. But she never did reciprocate his feeling as he was 4 years younger. Everything could be better if he hadn’t idealized her and she hadn’t pretended.
They drank tea as usual.
Today he chose green tea with dark chocolate flavor. Charlie loved tea. Patricia loved chocolate. An ideal union for an ideal tea party.
Patricia decided to tell him everything that she learnt about this case during these three months. 14 corpses, all nice looking girls with no flaws or bad habits, with numbers on their bodies. The fingerprint evidence of the dead millionaire. And the note in the front pocket of his jacket. The note intrigued Charlie.
That wasn’t a puzzle for the genius.
‘That’s easy, Trish. Every digit is a number of a letter in the alphabet… in the inverted order. There are also some contractions and…’ he smiled. ‘Initials. Look!’
He showed his notebook.
«P W N B L W M N C A T C H M E»
Two last words were easy to read «CATCH ME». What was that? Request? Or demand? Was it the killer himself? Was he at the funerals? Watching the police? Or following them? There were too many questions.
‘That’s about you,’ Charlie continued.
‘Who’s he?’ Patricia was surprised.
‘Look here, «P W» must be your name «Patricia Wright». And here «N B L W M N» means «noble» and «woman». Your name is of Latin origin. Patricia means noble, precious, generous, admirable, majestic... I may never stop if you like.’
Charlie winked and sat closer. Patricia was lost in a brown study. She didn’t see him smiling. She never did.
‘Some more tea?’ Charlie went out to the kitchen to bring some hot water as the tea drinking might continue till the dawn.
‘He’s sure you’ll catch him.’ Patricia heard Charlie’s voice from the kitchen.
‘Why me?’ asked she.
‘Coz you’re the best, my dear.’ Charlie returned with another pot of hot and delicious tea. ‘Milk oolong,’ he added.
She nodded. That was her favourite flavour.
Patricia decided to stay at Charlie’s that night. She needs time to think about her future. Now she had no one to trust to.
***
Stephen couldn’t sleep that night. He was waiting for Patricia, and she didn’t come. He knew something had happened but couldn’t help. He knew she was all right. Had it been different, he would’ve definitely felt that. He didn’t know how exactly but he would have felt that. Loved ones always feel each other…
Patricia was at home before noon. She was in a good mood. Stephen was as happy as a pig in mud. He’d worried to no purpose.
He got a hug and a “sorry”. And he let it off. It was always easy to forgive her.
‘I saw Charlie. He helped me a lot. The killer knows me and might want me to find him,’ Patricia tried to explain her absence.
‘What’d you do?’ Stephen looked at her inquiringly.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ and Patricia didn’t know what to do, to run and hide or to stay and wait for the maniac. ‘All these numbers, dead people… I’m tired to the bone. I want to find him abut I don’t want him to find me his fifteenth.’
‘You are safe now. I’m with you.’ Stephen hovered around her. ‘Think of all people you worked with. Who might know what you did?’
‘OK…’ Patricia sighed. ‘I have to see Dan. He must know about the note.’
***
That day the police office was impressed by the new look of Lieutenant Daniel Grimasky. It was not his usual worn to the last thread jeans and grey shirt. That was a front suit.
Gossips were not long in coming. Everybody knew he was going to make a proposal of marriage, and Patricia Write is his Miss Right. Otherwise what was the reason to be too dressed?
He also dragged a bunch of flowers. The most nosy ones counted. There were 15 red roses. A strange number for an American. The usual one is a dozen. That is just 12. Everybody laughed. Somebody also said lieutenant got an increase of pay. Daniel didn’t notice anyone. He was waiting for Patricia.
Half past nine Patricia was near the police office. She noticed people staring at her and felt uncomfortable.
‘Something must’ve happened,’ she thought.
Daniel appeared all dressed. All the troubles immediately left her mind.
‘Will you come in?’ he said.
She nodded.
Everybody was waiting silently. Every single policeman wanted to know how he would propose and what would be the answer.
Unfortunately Daniel closed the door of his cabinet.
‘Patricia,’ he started. ‘I was going to say that millions of times. You are the only woman I feel comfortable with. I can be myself. My real self. And you are the real one. Always.’
Patricia knew how all these small talks end. But that was a surprise for her.
‘Don’t interrupt me, please,’ Daniel gazed at her. ‘Let me finish my speech.’
‘Before I didn’t know what is love. But now I know – love is you. You are my real love. We know each other for 15 month already and I feel the chemistry between us. I can’t live without you. You are always in my head, in my heart. I feel you when you are not near. I can hear your voice in my night dreams…’
‘Patricia,’ the roses popped up in his hand, ‘will you marry me?’
‘Dan,’ she stepped back, ‘that’s not the best time, you know. I need some time.’
‘Then, tonight at 6 I'll call on you’, brightened Daniel as she didn't say ‘no’. ‘I have a surprise for you.’
‘Fine’, she answered. ‘But we have to talk on the case.’
‘As you wish, my queen’ proclaimed Daniel.
Patricia told him everything about the numbers from the note.
The case was almost solved but the situation changed. They were no longer hunting the maniac.
‘Seems like everything is on time,’ Daniel came closer and took Patricia’s hand. ‘I’ll always be near. Forever together. Even at night.’
‘Don’t even think of it,’ Patricia protested.
Daniel showed his best smile and was ready to get what he wanted.
She liked the way he made the proposal. She never thought of him as a husband-to-be. She knew, everything happens for a reason. He was a good policeman; he might be a good husband. And it was the right time to start a new life.
‘See you and your surprise at 6,’ she said getting out of his cabinet. ‘Don’t be late.’
***
Daniel came a quarter past six. They had a dinner out. Everything went perfectly. Daniel was funny and sweet. He told her a story of his life, then he was sweet and funny again.
After the restaurant he saw her to the door. In this case it might always be fine to invite the new amateur for a cup of coffee or tea.
Stephen didn’t expect the guests to come so late. Thereto he didn’t like that lieutenant. So he decided not to show up in the room or even show his presence.
Patricia brought a cup of tea for Daniel and they sat on the sofa. It was going to be a pleasant night. Daniel talked a lot about himself and his relatives, about his childhood and philosophy, then about the police academy. Patricia pretended to be a sounding board. She hated long talks, and already decided that Daniel has little talent in telling stories.
Daniel continued his speech about philosophy and magic, magic of numbers. At this moment Patricia seemed to wake out of trance. All facts and events of recent days were now in a strict row. The puzzle was almost solved. She needed some pieces to see the whole picture.
She jumped from the sofa.
‘I knew you could easily get it. But why couldn’t you wait for some other 15 minutes?’ Daniel looked happy. ‘Now, when you know all, you can do nothing, my sweetness. You belong to me. My number 15.’
‘You are my last and only. My greatest love.’ He continued. ‘We’ll be together. For ever and ever. Till death do us part.’
He got a knife in his left hand.
Patricia was not afraid. She just got lost as she didn’t even know what had to be done in such case. In a usual detective novel a girl screams and tries to run away. Useless. But the heroine always knows some karate or any other martial art. Useless again. What if she could get her gun from the purse. It could’ve ended faster. Usually even this plot line is specified in detective novels.
Daniel was very close. His hazel eyes that seemed so warm some moments before, that made him handsome, now became as dark as the night. He grinned, and feeling of pleasure appeared on his face. Pleasure of crime-to-be. He was glad to see his number 15. His victim, his beauty, his own puzzle. The game turned to be more interesting than he expected.
Daniel was close…
Suddenly the light went out of itself. Right at the moment Patricia heard a strange noise. It was almost like a fog horn and a little tiger roar at the same time.
Daniel screeched. He was a fight. But who was his enemy? They were all alone together.
In the darkness Patricia could see Daniel kneeling and preying. He groaned and rattled.
When she found the closing switch, the moans stopped.
In a moment she saw Daniel lying on the floor in a pool of blood. On his chest there was her Maine Coon. His fur was all spotted with blood. He gnawed through the maniac’s neck artery.
Patricia rushed to her cat and couched him.
‘I’m calling the police and we’ll have a bath,’ she heaved a sigh of relief.
Stephen looked at her. His eyes said ‘I wish you thanked me. I’ve just saved your life. And the only thing you can talk about is bath…’