(no subject)
Contined from here
It was easy to get Professor Siedel to agree to come to London. People like him were always looking for fame and money, and when Giles’ friend called, saying Giles was interested in some of Siedel’s research for a book, the other man readily agreed to come. And after a few phone calls, and the cashing in of some favors, everything was set up.
Giles wanted to say he was doing this for every student Professor Siedel had killed but in all honesty, he was doing it for Fred. He remembered the fear in her voice the day she’d told him how she had ended up in Pylea. Her words had caused a surge of emotions to well up in him; emotions he hadn’t felt since his youth. He would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy feeling Ripper’s presence again.
It only took him a few more phones to set everything up. Giles‘ friend Alan picked Siedel up from the airport and brought him to an abandoned warehouse on the waterfront. In his cockiness, Siedel never thought to question why his interview was taking place in a questionable neighborhood. Everyone would have a laugh about that later.
Giles was there when Siedel arrived and was seated at the long table. Watching through the two-way mirror, Giles noted how snake-like the other man seemed. He knew he could easily kill the man but had promised himself he wouldn’t. Giles had other plans for him.
Their conversation started out in a normal tone. Siedel bragged about his research and Giles listened with a fake smile. “Sounds fascinating, Mr. Siedel,” he said as he circled the table. “I do have some questions about your research though and I want you to be completely honest. I’ve heard rumors about you.”
“What sort of rumors?” Siedel asked.
Giles chuckled. “About the things you did to your students.” Siedel started to shift in his seat and Giles put a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve done the same. You do what you have to do to get ahead, eh?” Siedel relaxed and nodded his head. “And whatever you say will be kept here and I do promise not to say a word.”
He then picked up a small remote and pressed the button. Siedel asked what it was for and Giles merely lied and said it was to close the two-way mirror.
Giles then pulled out a large stack of papers and slammed them on table. He then placed all the papers in front of Siedel, all of them papers the professor had written. “Tell me who wrote these papers.”
Siedel saw no problem in being honest. He told Giles who had written what and what awards he’d won for them. Giles had to control his temper the two times Fred’s name had been mentioned. Nothing Siedel had ever published had been written by him. But the topper was when he gloated about sending some of his students away because they’d gotten too smart for their own good.
“Not many people would brag about killing others,” Giles said, crossing his arms.
“Didn’t really kill them, you see,” Siedel said as he grinned. “Just sent them away. All of them died except for that bitch Fred. She had to live and she was my biggest competition.”
Giles felt his blood boil and he had to resist the urge to kill the man on the spot. No one spoke about Fred like that. Instead of throttling Siedel, Giles picked up his mobile and dialed a number, before picking up the remote and clicking the button again. “Mrs. Harris? Did you get all of that? You did? Good. No, it wasn’t a problem at all. Yes, I’ll send him back to his room for the authorities to pick up.” Giles rang off and grinned at the surprised look on Siedel’s face.
“Who was that?” The other man asked, shifting in his seat.
“No one you need to worry about right now, but by this time tomorrow everyone in the world will know what a fraud you are. And every single student you ever wronged, will have the credit they deserved.”
“And I’ll be in jail.”
“No. Jail is too good for you,” Giles said. He pulled out a sheet of paper, an envelope and a pen. He carefully sat them down in front of Siedel. “Before I let you go, I want you to write something for me-- a letter of apology to Fred Burkle.”
“No,” Siedel said as he started to stand. Giles blessed his quick reflexes as his hand flew back and pulled the knife that he’d stuck in the back of his trousers. Before Siedel could react, Giles plunged the knife through his hand, making it stick to the table. The other man roared with pain and Giles just shook his head.
“Write. And do be careful, I don’t want any of your blood on it.”
Siedel seem to realize that Giles meant business and started to furiously scribble on the paper. When he finished with it, Giles picked it up for inspection. Nodding, he told the other man to put it in one of the envelopes and after he did, Giles slid the letter into his breast pocket.
“Can I go now?” Siedel asked.
“No. You aren’t leaving this room alive.”
“You would murder someone for her?”
Giles smiled. “I’m not going to murder you, Professor. But there is a Boretz demon on the other side of the other door. He’s going to rip you apart. I would stay and watch but I have other matters to attend to.”
“At least pull the knife out of my hand so I can defend myself,” Siedel whimpered.
“No,” Giles merely said. And before Siedel could say another word, Giles had already left.
When Giles returned to his flat, he took a long shower and called Fred’s mobile. He was glad her voice mail picked up because he didn’t think he could speak to her at the moment. “Fred, this is Rupert. I just wanted to tell you to keep your eyes peeled to the telly. I think there might be a news story that may interest you. I’ll chat with you later. I love you very much.” He rang off and went to bed.
***
The following days were a blur of activity. Giles had been called out of the country to a remote location on Council business. No one could contact him and he was happy about it. He needed to clear his thoughts before returning to England.
When he did return, the news about Professor Siedel’s admission and disappearance was front page news. A package was waiting for him when he returned. It was one of the awards Siedel had one for a paper he never wrote. Fred had written it and now the award had her name on it. Giles had asked the committee not to contact her since he wanted to tell her himself. They agreed since he’d help them find out the truth about Siedel.
He rang Andrew and had him clear his schedule for a few days, then he booked a plane ticket to Texas. Giles knew he needed to see Fred and waiting another week wasn’t an option. Besides, he’d never been to Texas and wanted to see it for himself.
When he got to San Antonio, he rented a car and got directions to Fred’s house. It took him a while to find it but he finally did. It was Fred’s mother who answered the door, telling him Fred was upstairs packing. He asked if he could go up and Trish allowed him to.
Holding the award and letter from Siedel, Giles quietly stepped into Fred’s room. He had to hold back the urge to run to her and hold her against his body. He had missed her terribly. “Fred,” he quietly said. “I have something for you.” He looked at her and held out the letter and award for her.
It was easy to get Professor Siedel to agree to come to London. People like him were always looking for fame and money, and when Giles’ friend called, saying Giles was interested in some of Siedel’s research for a book, the other man readily agreed to come. And after a few phone calls, and the cashing in of some favors, everything was set up.
Giles wanted to say he was doing this for every student Professor Siedel had killed but in all honesty, he was doing it for Fred. He remembered the fear in her voice the day she’d told him how she had ended up in Pylea. Her words had caused a surge of emotions to well up in him; emotions he hadn’t felt since his youth. He would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy feeling Ripper’s presence again.
It only took him a few more phones to set everything up. Giles‘ friend Alan picked Siedel up from the airport and brought him to an abandoned warehouse on the waterfront. In his cockiness, Siedel never thought to question why his interview was taking place in a questionable neighborhood. Everyone would have a laugh about that later.
Giles was there when Siedel arrived and was seated at the long table. Watching through the two-way mirror, Giles noted how snake-like the other man seemed. He knew he could easily kill the man but had promised himself he wouldn’t. Giles had other plans for him.
Their conversation started out in a normal tone. Siedel bragged about his research and Giles listened with a fake smile. “Sounds fascinating, Mr. Siedel,” he said as he circled the table. “I do have some questions about your research though and I want you to be completely honest. I’ve heard rumors about you.”
“What sort of rumors?” Siedel asked.
Giles chuckled. “About the things you did to your students.” Siedel started to shift in his seat and Giles put a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve done the same. You do what you have to do to get ahead, eh?” Siedel relaxed and nodded his head. “And whatever you say will be kept here and I do promise not to say a word.”
He then picked up a small remote and pressed the button. Siedel asked what it was for and Giles merely lied and said it was to close the two-way mirror.
Giles then pulled out a large stack of papers and slammed them on table. He then placed all the papers in front of Siedel, all of them papers the professor had written. “Tell me who wrote these papers.”
Siedel saw no problem in being honest. He told Giles who had written what and what awards he’d won for them. Giles had to control his temper the two times Fred’s name had been mentioned. Nothing Siedel had ever published had been written by him. But the topper was when he gloated about sending some of his students away because they’d gotten too smart for their own good.
“Not many people would brag about killing others,” Giles said, crossing his arms.
“Didn’t really kill them, you see,” Siedel said as he grinned. “Just sent them away. All of them died except for that bitch Fred. She had to live and she was my biggest competition.”
Giles felt his blood boil and he had to resist the urge to kill the man on the spot. No one spoke about Fred like that. Instead of throttling Siedel, Giles picked up his mobile and dialed a number, before picking up the remote and clicking the button again. “Mrs. Harris? Did you get all of that? You did? Good. No, it wasn’t a problem at all. Yes, I’ll send him back to his room for the authorities to pick up.” Giles rang off and grinned at the surprised look on Siedel’s face.
“Who was that?” The other man asked, shifting in his seat.
“No one you need to worry about right now, but by this time tomorrow everyone in the world will know what a fraud you are. And every single student you ever wronged, will have the credit they deserved.”
“And I’ll be in jail.”
“No. Jail is too good for you,” Giles said. He pulled out a sheet of paper, an envelope and a pen. He carefully sat them down in front of Siedel. “Before I let you go, I want you to write something for me-- a letter of apology to Fred Burkle.”
“No,” Siedel said as he started to stand. Giles blessed his quick reflexes as his hand flew back and pulled the knife that he’d stuck in the back of his trousers. Before Siedel could react, Giles plunged the knife through his hand, making it stick to the table. The other man roared with pain and Giles just shook his head.
“Write. And do be careful, I don’t want any of your blood on it.”
Siedel seem to realize that Giles meant business and started to furiously scribble on the paper. When he finished with it, Giles picked it up for inspection. Nodding, he told the other man to put it in one of the envelopes and after he did, Giles slid the letter into his breast pocket.
“Can I go now?” Siedel asked.
“No. You aren’t leaving this room alive.”
“You would murder someone for her?”
Giles smiled. “I’m not going to murder you, Professor. But there is a Boretz demon on the other side of the other door. He’s going to rip you apart. I would stay and watch but I have other matters to attend to.”
“At least pull the knife out of my hand so I can defend myself,” Siedel whimpered.
“No,” Giles merely said. And before Siedel could say another word, Giles had already left.
When Giles returned to his flat, he took a long shower and called Fred’s mobile. He was glad her voice mail picked up because he didn’t think he could speak to her at the moment. “Fred, this is Rupert. I just wanted to tell you to keep your eyes peeled to the telly. I think there might be a news story that may interest you. I’ll chat with you later. I love you very much.” He rang off and went to bed.
***
The following days were a blur of activity. Giles had been called out of the country to a remote location on Council business. No one could contact him and he was happy about it. He needed to clear his thoughts before returning to England.
When he did return, the news about Professor Siedel’s admission and disappearance was front page news. A package was waiting for him when he returned. It was one of the awards Siedel had one for a paper he never wrote. Fred had written it and now the award had her name on it. Giles had asked the committee not to contact her since he wanted to tell her himself. They agreed since he’d help them find out the truth about Siedel.
He rang Andrew and had him clear his schedule for a few days, then he booked a plane ticket to Texas. Giles knew he needed to see Fred and waiting another week wasn’t an option. Besides, he’d never been to Texas and wanted to see it for himself.
When he got to San Antonio, he rented a car and got directions to Fred’s house. It took him a while to find it but he finally did. It was Fred’s mother who answered the door, telling him Fred was upstairs packing. He asked if he could go up and Trish allowed him to.
Holding the award and letter from Siedel, Giles quietly stepped into Fred’s room. He had to hold back the urge to run to her and hold her against his body. He had missed her terribly. “Fred,” he quietly said. “I have something for you.” He looked at her and held out the letter and award for her.