20

02:00

Melquiades hated this little grown-up boy. He came here so cheerful and naive with the looks of Jacob's childhood friends. He asked him so many silly questions that the smile which Melquiades pretended was continually more and more difficult to produce. He was fascinated with people and he started wearing some ridiculous shirts which made him look like a pathetic imitation of a K. man, covering the grown body of N. He grew his hair and beard. He stopped washing.

He was taking advantage of the girls who were probably dreaming of a better life in N., of being married to him and transferred to N. for their safety and security. Melquiades thought that John wasn't a marrying type. The more he blended in the culture of K., the less frequently he was at home.

Melquiades' only sanity was counting the days for the pass that had been promised to him. He was hatching a plan of a murder. He would use every possible means to make his brother non-existent but he didn't know where to find him and how to isolate him for a short while from the guards, security officers and his closest employees. He didn't care about the rest. Afterward, Melquiades might be killed or punished but there was one thing he had to do. He wouldn't be able to find peace if he stayed in K. and observed. The lump in his throat was getting bigger as he saw the children of K. grow literate just to appear on N. plates.

Gemma didn't come as often as she had in the past. She sunk in her life in N. and Melquiades was glad for that reason, even though she didn't make much progress. He shouldn't have expected that from a girl her age and her background. She was a natural K., looking like N., with education and experience of somewhere in between. She did what she could best. Besides, she was his only contact in N., and, as a matter of fact, a valuable one. She fitted in their ordered world and could live there all her life, sending precious information, having access to data, sheltered from any havoc in K.

John finally provided the pass. Melquiades had about three weeks to find Jacob. He was thinking of so many places that the ruler might be spending his days. He was considering his habits and events he might attend to. Melquiades wasn't the type of an assassin, as he had never killed anyone in his life, but Jacob was a different matter. He killed so many people. He was still doing so and couldn't be stopped. Melquiades was thinking about the weapons. What would be the best way to kill his brother. A knife? A rope? Maybe he would be able to buy a gun there? Maybe adding poison to his meal would be a good idea? That would be easy and effortless but how could he get the full access to the most important person in N.? What were the possible means of accomplishing it, taking into consideration that he, in fact, was from K. and was a long time forgotten relative that came back to his motherland after such a long time?

He was about to pack his things and enter the train. He gave himself a week of serious planning. He prepared ten different tools and substances that might be of use. He put all of these in his suitcase.

On Saturday he was bound to set off.

On Friday evening Gemma stormed the door with a mixed triumph in her eyes and said something that made Melquiades sit down.

'I'm going to be Jacob's wife! They chose me.'

All of Melquiades' plans were suddenly put to a halt.