EYE OF THE HYDRA (complete)

CHAPTER EIGHT

The night had fallen by the time we returned to Tolo. Anna said goodbye, then returned to the hotel to sleep. I wanted to act similarly also but before that, I had to take care of something. I took out the phone number from my pocket, which I got from the bearded guy in the morning. It was time to find out who ordered the killing of Professor Bergman and my tracking.

I was standing on the promenade of the harbour while I called the number and waited. After two rings someone picked it up and a deep male voice spoke into it.

"You are late! I told you to call me at ten o'clock not half an hour later! What's up? How much does the private detective know?"

"Enough to see that you are a coward, who carries out his dirty work with someone else," I replied and noticed with satisfaction that the owner of the voice was surprised very much, on the other end of the line.

"Mr. Wyatt! How did you get this number?"

"From one of your gorillas. I had to persuade him a little bit but the boy made a wise decision later. Therefore, he was able to walk away with only some missing teeth and a broken nose. Moreover, I ran into your other assassin on Hydra. Poor guy still lying on the street with a nice hole in his head probably."

"You don't make my job easy, Mr. Wyatt."

"I'm glad to hear that. By the way... you didn't introduce yourself."

"It's enough that I know your name. The rest doesn't matter. Anyway, you can still walk away alive if you forget about this case, and continue your miserable little life. Otherwise, I will step on you like I step on an insect!"

"How poetic. Unfortunately, I have a reputation to protect. I always believed that truth comes first. Something is telling me that the painting doesn't belong to you."

"I suspected that you wouldn't retreat, but sooner or later I will get the picture."

"We will see. You better hurry then, before your competitor finds it!" I said to make his nerves dance a bit. My instinct told me that the blonde guy from Hydra was working for someone else, who was also hunting for the picture. Although, this was only a theory.

"I'm not interested in your empty threats. I'm warning you that I know everything about you, thanks to my information network! So don't try to get in my way again, if you want to stay alive!" The man hissed, while I tried to pay attention to his accent but I couldn't identify it.

"You sound very upset. You are afraid of me, aren't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous! Watch your back instead from now on!" He said, then closed the conversation. I guessed that this number wouldn't stay alive anymore. To become sure I called it again but a female automatic voice told me that the number is not available. Looks like I was right.

At least I learned one thing about my enemy: that he knows no compassion. In my soul I prepared myself to face many dangers. Only one thing ruined the picture and reduced my chances. The absence of my gun, which I left in London.

I needed a trump in my hand to survive the coming days. The only hope for me was to find that damn painting. I glanced at the dancing lights on the water's surface, then left the harbour.

Over the dark mass of the opposite island, a bright strip of a shooting star passed away in the sky, and a second later disappeared into the night.