The Immortality Plot

The Immortality Plot - chapter 14

Delaney arrived in New York City and went straight to the Rockefeller Centre, strode along to Eighth Avenue, swung a left and walked fast as far as West 21st Street. He then walked towards the Guardian Angels Catholic Church and located the apartment block. Miles Dunning’s suite was on the first and second floors; a discrete brass nameplate on the wall was inscribed ‘The Dunning Agency’. Delaney rang the outside bell to announce himself then, after the buzzer opened the main door, climbed the stairs rather than take the elevator, noting with admiration the faded elegance of the place. He rang the bell and a woman opened the door. She was mid-fifties with her hair tied into a bun. She was wearing a business suit.

“Mr. Delaney, I’m Eileen, Mr. Dunning’s secretary. Do come in.”

Delaney entered a comfortably furnished outer office with the secretary’s desk, sofas, chairs, antique sideboard, statues, drapes and a high ceiling with carved architrave. In another room Delaney could hear Miles Dunning talking on the ‘phone.

“I’m just about to leave, Mr. Delaney,” said Eileen. “Mr. Dunning won’t be long. Let me give you these keys. I understand you’re staying in the guest room on the next floor up. It’s just in case you get back late. There’s a front door key and one for room six upstairs.” She handed Delaney the keys just as Miles Dunning came out of his office smiling broadly.

“Mike, good to see you. Eileen’s taking care of you I see.”

The two men shook hands warmly. Delaney hadn’t forgotten how the agent, a complete stranger, had helped him when he needed it most.

“Thanks for letting me stay, Miles. I appreciate it.”

Dunning shook his head as if to say, think nothing of it, and led Delaney into his main office, a restrained yet tastefully enhanced version of the first room. He offered wine and Delaney accepted a glass of Beaujolais.

“I’ve looked through the numbers you gave me and the ones you just sent through and there are some I recognize, many I don’t and one that I found intriguing.”

“Go on,” said Delaney.

“It’s in the UK and as far as I know Maria has never been in Britain. But that’s no reason why she shouldn’t place a call there. Or, I suppose, why the number should not appear on her incoming list. So I dialled it.” Dunning was poised to excitement level. He clearly enjoyed playing detective.

“And?” Delaney coaxed him.

“It was a recorded message from Lifeforce International just saying the usual rubbish. But you see my point?” Dunning sipped his wine with the air of man who has discovered the secret of eternal life. Delaney smiled and waited.

“A recorded message cannot make an outgoing call. So somebody must have called Maria from that number, and it’s one of those weird global numbers you can’t trace.”

Delaney looked impressed.

“And, we must assume that she had contact with the murderer in order to make an appointment to meet him. Maybe his number is also there somewhere?”

“Maybe,” said Delaney thoughtfully, “though she might have made contact on our land line and that’s out of operation. I need to check those records.”

Dunning poured more wine.

“So, she had contact with Lifeforce,” Delaney was thinking this through. “Maybe it’s also possible she met someone from this organization. You can’t remember anything else about this project she was working on?”

“No, I’ve tried, I really have. I know she was excited, like she had stumbled upon something big. Clearly it was big enough to result in, well, you know. I’ve looked at various notes and ideas she had run past me, and nothing fits. There was one proposal about a man who believes a particular vitamin would increase life expectancy, another about the Renaissance, and something she was toying with to do with modern monks and sex, probably inspired by her life with you, and that’s about it.”