The Midnight Palace - Carlos Ruiz Zafon [31]
‘Tell that man to leave us alone,’ Carter groaned, his eyes still shut.
The doctor gave Ben a look and waited a few seconds before leaving.
‘The doctors say you’re going to get better …’ said Ben. Carter shook his head.
‘Not now, Ben.’ Each word seemed to require a titanic effort. ‘You must listen to me carefully and not interrupt. Understood?’
Ben nodded. ‘I’m listening, sir.’
Carter squeezed his hand.
‘There’s a man who is looking for you and wants to kill you, Ben. A murderer,’ Carter said, struggling to articulate his words. ‘You must believe me. This man calls himself Jawahal and he seems to think you have some connection to his past. I don’t know why he’s looking for you but I do know he’s dangerous. What he’s done to me is only a shadow of what he’s capable of. You must speak to Aryami Bose, the woman who came to the orphanage yesterday. Tell her what I’ve told you, explain what has happened. She tried to warn me, but I didn’t take her seriously. Don’t make the same mistake. Find her and talk to her. Tell her Jawahal was here. She’ll tell you what to do.’
The burnt lips of Thomas Carter closed once more and Ben felt as if the whole world was collapsing around him. What the head of St Patrick’s had confided in him seemed utterly unreal. The shock of the explosion had obviously affected Carter’s reasoning, making him imagine some kind of conspiracy and a whole host of other improbable dangers. At that moment Ben couldn’t contemplate any other explanation, especially in view of what he had dreamed the night before. Imprisoned in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the ambulance, with its cold stench of ether, he wondered for a split second whether the inhabitants of St Patrick’s were all beginning to lose their minds, himself included.
‘Did you hear me, Ben?’ Carter insisted, his voice failing. ‘Have you understood what I said?’
‘Yes, sir,’ Ben mumbled. ‘You mustn’t worry.’
Finally Carter opened his eyes and Ben realised with horror what the flames had done to them.
‘Ben, do as I said. Now.’ He was trying to shout but his voice was consumed by pain. ‘Go and see that woman. Swear to me you will.’
Ben heard footsteps behind him. The red-haired doctor grabbed his arm and began dragging him out of the ambulance. Carter’s hand slipped from Ben’s and was left suspended in mid-air.
‘That’s enough,’ yelled the doctor. ‘This man has suffered enough already.’
‘Swear you will!’ groaned Carter, reaching out to him.
The boy watched in dismay as the doctors injected another dose of sedative into the headmaster.
‘I swear, sir,’ said Ben, not knowing if Carter could still hear him. ‘I swear.’
Bankim was waiting for Ben outside. A short distance away stood the members of the Chowbar Society and everyone else who had been present when the disaster occurred. They were all watching Ben and appeared anxious and distressed. Ben approached Bankim and looked straight into his eyes, which were bloodshot from the smoke and tears.
‘Bankim, I need to know something,’ said Ben. ‘Did anyone called Jawahal visit Mr Carter?’
Bankim looked blank.
‘Nobody came today,’ replied the teacher. ‘Mr Carter spent the morning at a meeting with the Town Council and came back around twelve o’clock. Then he said he wanted to go and work in his office and didn’t want to be disturbed, not even for lunch.’
‘Are you sure he was alone when the blast occurred?’ asked Ben, praying that he’d get a positive reply.
‘Yes … I think so,’ answered Bankim, although there was a shadow of doubt in his eyes. ‘Why do you ask? What did he say?’
‘Are you completely sure, Bankim?’ Ben insisted. ‘Think carefully. It’s important.’
The teacher looked down, rubbing his forehead, as if he were trying to find the words to describe what he was barely sure of remembering.
‘About a second after the explosion I thought I saw something, or someone, come out of the office. It was all very confusing.’
‘Something or someone?’ asked Ben.
Bankim looked up and shrugged his shoulders.
‘I don’t know what it was,’ he replied.