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Joining her parents, Madeleine said, “We’ll have time to chat at dinner since you are both at my table. You’ll be able to explain why you left.”
His date had not yet made her appearance, despite the royals being here. Only one person would be so bold. Nick was looking forward to meeting his teacher again. Secretly, he was also looking forward to seeing Amanda’s reaction.
*****
Jukkasjarvi, Sweden
January 2000
Snow dusted the shoulders of his black overcoat as Nick stomped his boots to dislodge the snow in the lobby of the hotel. Taking quick nervous looks through the thick glasses, steamed up by the warm interior, he fished in his pocket for a handkerchief, dropping his hat in the process. A bell boy hurried up, relieving him of his suitcases after picking up his hat. Nick pulled his glasses off his face and absent-mindedly tucked them into the pocket. He looked confused at the handkerchief, shook his head and put that in the pocket as well.
Nick peered at the bell boy myopically. “Thank you young man,” he began, then stopped. “Oh, I suppose it’s very American of me to assume you speak English. One moment.” Taking a small electronic device from inside his coat, he quickly typed something on the small keyboard. His brow wrinkled as he tried to adjust the distance from his face in order to read the small screen. “Can you read what that says?” he asked the bemused young man, still standing patiently beside him.
“Yes I can, and you’re welcome,” the bellboy responded after reading the screen.
“You are most kind,” said Nick, looked at the device to the young man, and back to the screen. “I guess we don’t need this.”
“No Sir. We all speak many languages here. Are you here for the conference on the effect of global warming?” guessed the bellhop, walking slowly to the front desk indicating that Nick should follow him.
“Yes, how did you guess? Wait a minute; it was the glasses, wasn’t it?” Nick fumbled in his pockets again, finally coming up with the offending object. He put them on his face and smiled triumphantly. “You do realize that the absent-minded professor with thick glasses is a stereotype, don’t you? A statistical study has proven that most scientists have very good eyesight.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Sir,” answered his companion. They had reached the registration desk. The bellhop stood patiently as Nick peered once more from him to the woman behind the desk.
“May I help you Sir,” asked the woman.
“Yes please. My name is Doctor Alexander Charleston. I believe I have a reservation. At least I hope I have a reservation. Otherwise I will have to build an igloo and sleep in that.” He laughed at his own joke, snow falling from his greying hair onto the polished wood of the desk. He used his damp coat sleeve to attempt to dry the drops of water.
“Right here Sir,” announced the desk clerk. “You’ll be in Room one sixteen for two nights. If you wish to spend one night in our Icehotel, I can see if we have a vacancy.”
“I’ve heard about that. Completely built of ice, with reindeer hides on the ice beds. Fascinating, just fascinating. I hope our conference will help convince the world powers that for such a hotel to exist in the future we must all work together to take control of the actions of humans to curtail global warming.” He caught himself before he launched into his prepared speech. “But no thank you. I don’t particularly like the cold, and I’m sure sleeping on a bed of ice would play havoc with my arthritis.”
“Of course Sir, but if you wish a tour, let me know.” The woman handed the key card to the bellboy. “Just follow Hendrik and he will show you to your room. Have a pleasant stay and do let us know if we do anything to make you more comfortable.”
Nick nodded to the woman, dropped a few more things which Hendrik picked up and handed to him. Finally they left the lobby. Hendrik breathed a sigh of relief as he closed the room to the scientist’s room behind him. The man was definitely a character, but at least he tipped well.
In his room, Nick removed the padding from his mouth as well as the thick glasses designed to make him look much older than he was. He looked around the comfortable room with its simple Scandinavian furniture. After checking the room for bugs and finding none, he used his cell phone to call Bert’s number in Washington DC. “I’m here and all is well,” he said when Bert picked up.
“You be careful,” his friend’s voice came clearly over the line. “Dr. Charleston here is nervous for you.”
“Better me than him,” assured Nick. “His work is important. I’m just an ex-cop.” He looked around the comfortable room. Lapland, Sweden was very far away from anyone he knew. That’s all that mattered to him anymore. Still angry, still reluctant to accept or even think about his immortality, Nick was doing his best to stay away from his old life. Especially Amanda.
Amanda. His heart still faltered when he thought of her.
“You still there?” Bert’s voice sounded alarmed. “Damn it Nick, I knew this job was too dangerous for one person. Let me send you some backup.”
“No!” Nick insisted. Since his immortality was triggered many months ago, he deliberately bullied Bert into sending him on the riskiest missions. Knowing he couldn’t die very easily had allowed him to take many more risks, and his anger at being immortal made him take even more risks. Hell, he was supposed to die in that warehouse in Paris. Every day since then had just made him more aware of that. “Everything is fine. Keep Dr. Charleston safe and ready to answer any questions he may have to answer.” Nick got up and paced the room as much as the phone cord would allow.
“Okay, but listen,” Bert knew there was little he could do now that Nick was two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle. “I have new information on the possible assassins. Yes, you heard me right. Assassins. It’s not the Russian mob as we first thought. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the KGB morphed into something far more sinister. The official name is the Federal Security Bureau, but underground they are known as Siloviki, the power guys. They have no master, no outside control. That’s who is after our professor.”
“Even more reason for you not to come here; some of them could be old friends of yours from the Stasi. Any idea on a motive yet?” asked Nick, watching the snow continue to obliterate the scenery outside his window. It was still early afternoon but already the sky was taking on the light grey color of snow-darkened evening.
“Nope. But his university cares enough about him to want him safe,” answered Bert. “Don’t get killed, Nick. Get through the conference and get back here.”
“It still makes no sense, Bert.”
“Well the only other organization making any noise lately is some idiot group calling themselves Death to Royalty. Lots of posturing, saying that monarchy as a whole is an outdated concept which needs to go. Since Dr. Charleston here has no claims on a throne, I think he’s safe from them.” Bert chuckled.
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