CHAPTER 9
Returning home a day later, Fred found everything in perfect order. Sofia had managed to communicate with the parishoners and clean the church. They wanted to eat at the place on the corner where they served delicious potatoes with sausages and ketchup, but then Fred received an unexpected text message from Danny, reminding him to call Simon about the apartment.
Fred explained everything to Sofia and she understood that their plans had changed a little. In the past, this could have ended badly, but now they had a common cause, she appeared to fully support Fred.
Simon refused to speak on the phone, whilst Fred had to call an Uber. The taxi driver wouldn't stop talking about strange news from Europe, a place he referred to as the 'Old World'. He probably thought that his passenger was more familiar with History than Geography, which was in line with his view of most Americans. The man was worried about some new Chinese virus, which had worryingly spread to Europe and now threatened all of America. Their elections were in jeopardy and even the President had almost been infected in Brazil. That morning, he had closed the borders and forbidden entry into the country for thirty days.
The road over the bridge across the bay seemed even longer than usual. Fred thought about the past. By happy coincidence, Fred met Danny at a club and then he took him to the psychiatric clinic, and helped find a job there. When Sofia Lindstone came to their clinic, Fred's relationship with Danny did not change, but Sofia captured his heart. They were head over heels in love and Fred had a hard time, because previously he had an affair with Teresa Fly, the doctor in the department, where Sofia had arrived. It was Teresa who informed Fred that the doctors and Sofia's parents had agreed to change her course of treatment and administer more serious drugs that would cause her side effects. Fred was confident that he could help the girl with her addiction and hallucinations caused by the drugs. Foolishly, he told Sofia about the change in her course of treatment and possible side effects. Sofia was frightened and tried to run away, but she was caught and placed in isolation for her own protection. The doctors spent a week thinking what to do, so Fred decided to get her out of there at any cost and asked Danny for help. Simon came to the rescue. He was prominent in the city's informal LGBTQ community and had strong ties with both city hall and the police. The amount of money he requested frightened Fred at first, but nevertheless withdrew all his savings and took a chance. A week later, Sofia ran away and a homeless driver picked her up in the street. The car bumped into a footbridge and their bodies were found in the burned out car that the homeless man had stolen the day before. Of course, Sofia was not in that car, she was far away in safety. The homeless driver had another person in his car.
The issue of identifying the remains did not cause problems – Fred and Danny replaced Sofia's DNA sample with the homeless man's directly in the morgue, despite the presence of the authorities.
Fred worked as a pathologist in the psychiatric clinic and was a very valuable member of the team. However, when the central hospital unexpectedly offered him almost double the salary, he seized the opportunity. Because the hospital was located outside the city, he needed to relocate.
Everything turned out well for Fred, as this allowed him to conveniently hide Sofia at his new address. However, Fred needed Simon's help again. Simon helped by finding a new landlord – one which he knew and controlled. Fred and Sofia were safe there and no one would question them. They were happy, but in their haste, they made an error. Sofia fell pregnant and she wanted to keep the baby. Her faith and a blessing from Father Roger had affected her judgement. However, her faith also helped keep her from addiction and depression.
Lisa came into the world and fortunately, without any issues inherited from her mother's past, but how could they solve the problem of her birth certificate? The baby was born in the apartment, and Fred had to pay again to buy the certificate. Danny was put on the certificate as Lisa's parent, so as not to arouse suspicion at Fred's work. Hospitals were more complicated than the clinics with the gender problems. There was no need to mention him being an LGBTQ activist, who went to Miami several years in a row for their 'Winter Party'. For four years after Lisa's birth, all was quiet.
Now he had to ask Simon for help again. Fred didn't understand why Danny hadn't asked Simon directly, but now it didn't matter. There was nothing to fear – he had money and only needed advice which wouldn't cost much.
'Are you mad? Adoption papers can't be forged!' Simon was furious, causing him to raise his voice. He didn't know about Lisa's adoption, but now it made no sense to fill him in. 'It's not a joke. There's a baby who has a mother and if you want to change parents, there'll be trouble. These cases are rare and there'll be a search for answers. Psychiatrists, tests, everything. Who is this anyway? How did she become pregnant? Was it you and you now want to be their saviour?
'You're right,' Fred bowed his head.
'Is it your junkie friend? Are you going to run off with her?'
'Most likely, yes. Therefore, I'd like you to tell me...'
'Don't be an idiot. You've got a great job at the hospital and staff there highly recommend you. Seems I got it right when I told them to hire you.'
'So that was you?' Fred seemed sincerely surprised.
'Don't thank me now. There are people who need protection and it's good you're here. There's a nurse in New York who died in a Manhattan hospital from the damned virus. He was just forty-eight. He was a close friend and his bosses now want to say he died from HIV picked up at the Winter Party in Miami. Supposedly, he caught HIV and coronavirus at the same time. So, are you a pathologist?'
'Well, yes.'
'I'll give you some advice. The same lawyer will contact you. The guy's relatives need help as they don't want to lose out on any insurance pay-out. You're going to have to answer the lawyer's questions and that's it. What will you do after that? Will you leave and make a new life elsewhere?'
'Not exactly. I only need an apartment, but there's an issue with my notice period. I've put feelers out a couple of times, but they're not interested, especially due to this new virus. Transfers and all movement has been blocked.'
'Is the virus so terrible?' Simon stopped and looked at him with curiosity.
'It seems so. If there is a special protein that...'
'Say what you think. I've been told it's worse for the elderly and those with a poor immune system'
'In short, yes, you're right. You can say so, but it's still difficult to draw conclusions. I am not a virologist.'
'Okay, as for your apartment, it'll cost a couple of hundred dollars. That's not an issue. As for you leaving your job, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to someone else and pay them for the advice. Previously you could take unpaid leave and add it to your notice and you took care of this from home. You emailed, then received a letter with documents to sign, that's it. Now it's all different. Our lawyer will tell you not to bother, but as I said, you need to pay. Adoption isn't easy…' Simon suggested taking a break. 'I have a friend in 'Long Life Adoption' who I can talk to first, but it'll take time.'
'Fine. Let's wait. As you say. You just ask him how long it'll take and how much, of course.'
Simon crossed the road and disappeared into a group of pedestrians wearing white masks. Their conversation was over and it was time to go back to Sofia and Lisa. He also had to prepare for his chat with Danny.
Fred had a feeling that serious change was coming, but nothing as good as the small jewel he found in the stomach of a murdered young woman.