The Paper Factory (Michael Berg Book 1) by Norrie Sinclair Page B
Authors: Norrie Sinclair
Translate to get the Hungarian to English for cnimrah he drew a blank. He’d run out of ideas.
A thought occurred to him. It was simplistic, but why not apply the same simple trick that he used with his own passwords?
He reversed cnimrah. Harminc. He hit Translate.
Thirty
He straightened in his chair. Coincidence ? Probably. He tried another word, again reversed, translating from Hungarian into English.
Four
When Michael had finished, he couldn’t believe that he’d made something relatively simple, so ridiculously complicated. He pumped all the words in backwards with the exception of Miska which apparently was a Hungarian diminutive for Michael. He’d been hunched over the computer for more than three hours. The green shaded reading lamp rocked as his hand slammed onto the table, adrenalin pumping into his system. He was looking at a message very specifically meant for him.
Mike call me 0630106854
He couldn’t make the call from the hotel. He had no idea who might be watching him. The same went for the woman who had left Michael the message. Someone might be tracking her calls. Why else write with such secrecy?
He picked up some coins from the receptionist and strolled out into the market square. It would be dumb to call from his hotel.
He crossed to the far side of the square which, because of its large size, took a full ten minutes. He stopped by a bank of public telephones and stepped into one of the booths.
He removed the hotel notepaper from his pocket and looked down at the number. Anxiety flooded through him. Who was she? Why leave a message? What would he say to her when she answered? What if it was a man’s voice on the other end of the phone? He grinned to himself. Your life’s hanging in the balance and you’re acting like a teenager asking a girl out on a first date .
He dialed the number. It rang. Kept ringing. Then it cut out. No voice mail. He tried again. The same thing happened. He had no choice but to keep trying. He hit the keys and waited.
Chapter 28
A sense of euphoria flowed through her. Everything will be all right. Always. They were ahead of her. Not far. Trailing through the long grass. Her mother and Gusztav, hand in hand, laughing at something Papa had said. They were like giants to her, Papa particularly. His broad shoulders and tall, formidable build offering security and protection she was lucky to have.
Gusztav let go of her mother’s hand and ran off into the trees. Chasing a bird. She called out for them to wait. They stopped. Playing a familiar game. They would stand like statues until she touched them.
She ran to her parents, jumping in between them, clutching both of their hands at the same time, looking up to see their statuesque faces coming to life. She tilted her head upwards. Her mother’s face shocking white, unsmiling, dead. In horror she turned towards her father for reassurance. One eye stared blankly back at her from the remains of his skull, face ripped apart.
The scream tore through her. At the end, always the scream. Seconds passed. It had come from her own lips. The thumping of her heart began to ebb. Tears streamed down her cheeks, the deep chasm between the happiness of her childhood and the reality of the last two years impossible to bear. She turned over. The pillow damp with perspiration.
It was difficult to breathe. S he couldn’t lift herself from the bed. Her thoughts were dark, dull, never let in the light. It could last for hours, days at a time. She had been so close. Missed her chance to kill him. Nowhere else to go. The trail was cold. She had given it her best. Nothing to be done.
She flinched, the noise flipping her out of the dark funk that had swallowed her. It had taken her by surprise. Rarely did the phone ever ring.
Chapter 29
The caller was persistent. She’d let the phone ring out twice. Barely a moment
A thought occurred to him. It was simplistic, but why not apply the same simple trick that he used with his own passwords?
He reversed cnimrah. Harminc. He hit Translate.
Thirty
He straightened in his chair. Coincidence ? Probably. He tried another word, again reversed, translating from Hungarian into English.
Four
When Michael had finished, he couldn’t believe that he’d made something relatively simple, so ridiculously complicated. He pumped all the words in backwards with the exception of Miska which apparently was a Hungarian diminutive for Michael. He’d been hunched over the computer for more than three hours. The green shaded reading lamp rocked as his hand slammed onto the table, adrenalin pumping into his system. He was looking at a message very specifically meant for him.
Mike call me 0630106854
He couldn’t make the call from the hotel. He had no idea who might be watching him. The same went for the woman who had left Michael the message. Someone might be tracking her calls. Why else write with such secrecy?
He picked up some coins from the receptionist and strolled out into the market square. It would be dumb to call from his hotel.
He crossed to the far side of the square which, because of its large size, took a full ten minutes. He stopped by a bank of public telephones and stepped into one of the booths.
He removed the hotel notepaper from his pocket and looked down at the number. Anxiety flooded through him. Who was she? Why leave a message? What would he say to her when she answered? What if it was a man’s voice on the other end of the phone? He grinned to himself. Your life’s hanging in the balance and you’re acting like a teenager asking a girl out on a first date .
He dialed the number. It rang. Kept ringing. Then it cut out. No voice mail. He tried again. The same thing happened. He had no choice but to keep trying. He hit the keys and waited.
Chapter 28
A sense of euphoria flowed through her. Everything will be all right. Always. They were ahead of her. Not far. Trailing through the long grass. Her mother and Gusztav, hand in hand, laughing at something Papa had said. They were like giants to her, Papa particularly. His broad shoulders and tall, formidable build offering security and protection she was lucky to have.
Gusztav let go of her mother’s hand and ran off into the trees. Chasing a bird. She called out for them to wait. They stopped. Playing a familiar game. They would stand like statues until she touched them.
She ran to her parents, jumping in between them, clutching both of their hands at the same time, looking up to see their statuesque faces coming to life. She tilted her head upwards. Her mother’s face shocking white, unsmiling, dead. In horror she turned towards her father for reassurance. One eye stared blankly back at her from the remains of his skull, face ripped apart.
The scream tore through her. At the end, always the scream. Seconds passed. It had come from her own lips. The thumping of her heart began to ebb. Tears streamed down her cheeks, the deep chasm between the happiness of her childhood and the reality of the last two years impossible to bear. She turned over. The pillow damp with perspiration.
It was difficult to breathe. S he couldn’t lift herself from the bed. Her thoughts were dark, dull, never let in the light. It could last for hours, days at a time. She had been so close. Missed her chance to kill him. Nowhere else to go. The trail was cold. She had given it her best. Nothing to be done.
She flinched, the noise flipping her out of the dark funk that had swallowed her. It had taken her by surprise. Rarely did the phone ever ring.
Chapter 29
The caller was persistent. She’d let the phone ring out twice. Barely a moment
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