Chapter 36 Wang Chen - 7

Aestivation Page died on January 17, 1961. As in previous years, she spent Christmas in the United States with her family.Besides a few Ethiopian girls, she is accompanied by a Swiss woman—she is a doctor, and she is always by Aestivation's side, never going far away.During the two weeks in New York and Connecticut, she seemed lively, even cheerful, although her eyes often showed that anxious excitement.On such occasions, the Swiss woman—her name was Martha Hodler—approached her very discreetly, ready to intervene.But every time this happened, it never got worse. Xia Mian always smiled and said, "I'm fine, Marta."

She loved the children of David and Diana Setiniaz very much, and this year, as in previous years, she brought gifts in abundance.Among them is a very realistic Swiss country chalet with six rooms and all kinds of furniture, even including a funny clock: a cuckoo will jump out of the clock at the most unexpected time, Screaming in a drunken falsetto: "Now is the time for children! Mom and Dad are crazy, but the children are fine!" The entire cabin, including the chimney, was a one-piece model at a two-to-five scale. So when the Hawaiian servants of Setiniaz wanted to clean the inside of the cabin that stood at the end of the garden, they had to do it on their knees, and sometimes crawled inside. (The model was assembled by a carpentry team flown in from Zurich by freight.)

The kids couldn't tell how much they loved this gift.Of course, they insisted on vacationing in their cabins, locking themselves in with their cousins, cousins, and little friends.Asking them to come out to take a bath at night requires patient negotiation and someone has to talk.Naturally, they adore their Aunt Xia Mian, only she can come up with such an idea that others can't think of... . . . the family of David Setiniaz felt the same way, even her wife.Every time Setiniaz confronted the question of aestivation (what he only dared to call aestivation's "neurotics"), they shrugged their shoulders.They may want to criticize him for bringing it up.Xia Mian has a weird personality, and has been like this since she was a child, so what is there to be surprised about?They had heard that she had married "that Klimrod," but no one had ever seen him, except Diana once or twice.They even heard such a thing: in the spring of 1955, somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, Xia Mian had shot her ghost man a few times on her yacht. (David had told his wife the truth of what he had heard from George Tarras.) But there was little basis for it, the police hadn't really done any investigation, and besides, who knew what was going on? "That Klimrod or Delekrom is nothing more than coveting her dowry of 10 million dollars, that's for sure. Aestiva must have married him for a joke, and killing him later is also a joke. Son. She is the smartest of all Peggy's family, and no man can force her to do what she doesn't want to do. It's probably that Klimrod who went to ask her for more money, and if it was actually him A few shots were fired at Xia Mian, and it was not surprising that Xia Mian, who had always been magnanimous, decided not to turn him over to the police.

"What's more, if there is something abnormal about aestivation, it can always be seen. She has seen doctors in the United States and Europe, and she has never kept this secret. But did the doctor decide to send her to the hospital for treatment? No. She lives in Switzerland, and she has a huge, luxurious villa near Zurich. She wants to have a doctor around her all the time, which is the result of her whim, just like other people believe in mind reading or astrology. "Really, David, look! . . . Does she show any signs of being abnormal? Is it a crime for her to live alone, I mean without husband or children? Why can't a woman be celibate? You men It's all the same: if a man doesn't want to marry and have kids, you all think he's a hero, but if a woman wants to, you think she's crazy."

The call came late at night on January 16th, to be precise around 2:00 am (8:00 am European time) on the 17th.Settiniaz answered the phone, only to hear a voice with a German accent say, "Something has happened, sir. The situation is serious." When they arrived in Zurich, he and Diane rented a car and headed southeast along the highway.The villa was situated on a beautiful plateau overlooking Lake Warren. Marta Hodler was waiting at the door, her eyes red and swollen. "I will always blame myself until I die, Mr. Setiniaz. Until I die." She began to cry again.Hodler has been in aestivation for seven years.She wasn't the only doctor who regularly attended to Aestivation; there were two other doctors who worked day and night shifts with Hodler, as well as nurses.This luxurious villa has a surprisingly large number of servants and so-called secretaries. In fact, it is equivalent to a private psychiatric sanatorium. It is only set up for one patient, and the purpose is to protect the patient and prevent her from harming herself.

"We saw a film last night, we often show films. She was very quiet, much quieter than usual, and sober, very sober. That's why I feel responsible: that sobriety itself should cause my alert……" When Xia Mian had just returned to Switzerland from the United States, she had an illness for a short time.She is always like this. "Because she saw those children in America. Every trip like this will have the same adverse effect on the land. If it was up to us, we would never let her go." But she seems to recover quickly.In her case, the most elusive moments were the periods when she became normal again. "In the past two years, the state of being absent-minded has become less and less common in her body. This state will make her forget the names of the closest people. She can't recognize her husband, too...but she Seems to be getting better. Last year they spent three days together in Zurich and her husband told us that it was doing well. It was just that she was sick for another month after she came back..."

Aestivation returns to her room at eleven o'clock.The Ethiopian maid helped her to bed.One of the other two doctors went to give her medicine, and she fell asleep peacefully, and everyone was relieved. "Because at the time we were sure she was getting at least eight hours of sound sleep." "We found the pills under her pillow. She pretended to swallow them, pretended to be asleep..." When her husband was away, two Ethiopian maids always slept with her.They didn't hear anything because they were drugged with aestivation. "She had planned her suicide in advance, she had prepared everything for it...she came out in her pajamas. We found her footprints in the snow. If nothing else, she would freeze to death because the day It was cold at night, minus fifteen degrees Celsius. We're pretty sure it was around one o'clock in the morning..."

Xia Mian walked under the tree in a straight line until she reached the end of the garden and entered the gardener's hut. The dogs didn't bark because they knew her.She sat directly on the frozen ground, first cut her own wrist, but the blood froze, so Xia Mian used a long-handled scythe to stab it into her abdomen... "It took at least an hour for her to die..." Diego Haas was there.The Settiniazes had arrived on the first flight to Europe after learning about it, but Haas arrived at least two hours earlier than them.Not only was he present, but he gave orders, as if he were the head of the family, and everyone obeyed him naturally.In this emotional moment, David Setiniaz, who had always hated the little Argentine, could no longer contain his disgust.

"What right have you to have a hand in everything?" The pair of yellow and beads stared at him indifferently. "I am carrying out Reber's orders." "Aestivation Page is our kin," said Diana, trembling with rage. "She's my sister." "She's Reber's wife," Diego replied calmly. "That's the bottom line. Nothing else is anything compared to that." In his golden pupils, David seemed to see—whether rightly or wrongly—a sneer, and it drove him into a rage that he had never felt before. "Get the fuck out of here, right away," he said, "This is the house of aestivation."

"This is Reber's house," Diego said. "Everything here belongs to him. First of all, including me, and you, Setiniaz. Anyway, I will do whatever Reb tells me to do. For this reason, even if I have to put you-you and your wife —Kill him, and he will not hesitate. See now? You still don’t believe me, so let me tell you, the lawyer’s name is Karl Sigwart. Here is his address and phone number in Zurich .I'd love to dial the number for you. He's waiting for your call, just mention your name. He can speak English." He dialed the number, said something in German, and handed the receiver to Setiniaz.The voice on the phone told Setiniaz that the entire villa, and everything in it, even the most insignificant, was the property of a Mr. Hass in Buenos Aires, doctors, nurses, servants and He also paid for all other personnel expenses.Sigwart added that it would be "very much appreciated" if Mr Setniaz and Mrs Setniaz could visit his office as soon as the funeral was settled so they could work together on Mrs Klimrod's will Some details in the problem.

David hung up the phone. Diego did not move a step, but he said: "The ceremony will take place at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, and the body will be cremated in accordance with Mrs. Klimrod's wishes. Everything has been arranged." "Her relatives couldn't come here on time." "That has nothing to do with me." Georges Taras arrived the same afternoon and telephoned him with the news, which shocked him greatly. "David, I implore you not to let your animosity towards Diego get the better of you. He obeys Rayber in everything, and legally Aestivation is Mrs. Klimrod. You know that. There's no point in venting Diego's anger." Xia Mian's mother, father and David Setiniaz's mother, as well as three or four other relatives, all arrived that night.Therefore, at least ten people went to the crematorium the next day, and there were also those who had taken care of the aestivation. But there was no Leiber among them. Setiniaz once again clashed with Diego. "where is he?" "Where he wants to be." "Isn't he going to be there?" The last two words Setiniaz almost screamed out. "It's no one's business what he wants to do, Setiniaz." Those yellow eyes, which were always mocking, had been particularly blatantly proclaiming in the last few days the hostility and cruelty of the dumpy man.Whether before, during or after the cremation of the aestivating body, the Argentine showed no emotion at all.He looked at the others, at the tearful woman and the distraught man, with an almost sinister grin on his face. "You're crazier than him," Setiniaz couldn't think of any more incriminating words, so he finally had to say this to him. Dinagopi replied with a half-smile: "Nobody can surpass Leiber in anything." Finally he added: This afternoon and this evening I will deal with everything about the people and the house here .Reber said, if you, your wife... or they," he pointed to Peggy's group of relatives with his chin, "like anything in this house, you go get it first.Take whatever you like.Everything is planned.I have discontinued my insurance. " "To hell with it," Setiniaz said. "I do hope to meet the devil someday, even though I don't really believe in the existence of the man," Diego replied. "I have high hopes for such a meeting." In fact, the way he said "tonight" aroused Setiniaz's curiosity.On the evening of January 20, he and Taras returned to the villa on the top of the hill near Lake Walensee. Prior to this, Setiniaz and Peggy's family participated in the ceremony of reading the will of aestivation.The young woman left about $23 million.Her siblings' children received $10 million—exactly the amount she received when she turned twenty-one in 1947—and the rest bequeathed to International Children's Fund. "At least that Klimrod couldn't swindle her out of her money," Setniaz's mother-in-law pointed out. The original employees in the villa were all dismissed, and the method of dismissal was undeniably generous. The house is a beautiful white three-storey building set in the middle of a twelve-hectare garden with outbuildings and stables.Setiniaz had been there two or three times, in summer and spring, and knew that in those two seasons the flowers were in bloom.There are a total of thirty rooms in the whole building, all of which are magnificently furnished. It was dark when Taras and Setiniaz turned the car into a long lane lined with towering trees.But every window and every open door in this building was brightly lit.At first they thought there might be some party going on.The car stopped in a porch between two rows of pillars.The black painted door opened and they walked in. Immediately they sniffed a scent.The two exchanged worried glances.The apprehension was only heightened when they found spilled gasoline trickling down the black synthetic rubber carpet that partially covered the white staircase.Almost at the same time, Diego himself appeared at the top of the stairs, looking down at them.He holds a can of gasoline in his hand. "You've come just in time," he said, "and it's only a few minutes before it's too late. Reber said: 'If they want anything in this room, let them take it, whatever it is...'" He smiled and said: Then please.But be quick. "What are you doing?" Setiniaz asked. Diego lifted the gasoline can in his hand and poured what was left on the banister.Gasoline was also splashed on Taras' trousers. "I'm sorry, Monsieur Taras," Diego said. "Of course you can guess what I'm going to do." "It's very obvious," Taalas said. Setiniaz took two steps towards the stairs. "Tut tsk tsk..." Diego said, "Look." He held up his right hand and showed them a gold lighter.He pressed lightly, and a small flame burst out.Diego smiled. "There's enough gasoline in this building to set the whole of Zurich on fire. I'm wading through gasoline myself. If you take one more step, Setiniaz, we're going to die together. If you don't believe me, Let's get closer..." "David, for heaven's sake, come back," said Taras.Setiniaz retreated helplessly. "Now, you two must go out and drive your cars away. I don't want to burn cars or people. Reb didn't tell me to burn you." He laughed loudly, still holding the open flame in his hand, ready to ignite this large piece of gasoline at any time. "Come on, David." Taras dragged his companion outside the door into the snow that had been trampled by the people who came and went the day before. "David, please start the car and park a little further away." "He has to be stopped," Setiniaz said, shaking with rage. "We should call the police..." "Please shut your mouth and drive this damn car away, Mr. Setiniaz." At least this time, Taras was not as phrasing as usual, although his tone was calm. Taras watched the car drive away, then ran back up the steps and came face to face with Diego coming out of it, holding two more cans of gasoline.Taras held up his hand. "I don't want to stop you." "I know," Diego said, "Reb said it." He passed Taras, apparently unmoved. "Watch your feet, Professor." Gasoline was all spilled.Diego finally poured out what was left of the can on the wooden shutters.Then he walked towards the outbuildings, which were illuminated as if by day by the brilliant lights of the main building. Taras saw him drenching the bungalows and stables again with gasoline.George walked to a larch fifty meters away and leaned against the trunk.He was shivering, or shivering, not knowing why, whether he was cold or excited.He heard Setiniaz coming crunching through the snow and standing silently to his left. "Have you calmed down, David?" "yes." "Now do you understand?" "Yes, I think I get it. But it's horrible." "Which bastard said it wasn't scary?" said Taras.He was thinking: Maybe Reber is very close to us, hiding in the night, expressionless, with those owl-like eyes, and the fire of hell burning inside.God, that person must have suffered more than anyone... The first flame appeared, shy and evasive at first. Blue tongues of flame spread along the railings of the wooden balconies of the servants' quarters.It suddenly turned into a raging fire, with a blinding yellow light.At this very moment, he could only hear the sound of hoofbeats and neighing of horses, which was so incompatible with the scene in front of him that Taras thought he was dreaming. But these voices are real.Diego reappeared, riding a bare-backed sorrel horse--the horse had three white feet--and led eight others by a long bridle.He rode his horse away from the fire, but when he reached the two men, he quickly reined in the horse. "Reb didn't say what to do with the horses. But he knew the horses were the only thing I cared about." He turned his head slightly to look at the white house.With a swish of his arm, he threw the lighter toward the porch.The three-story villa was suddenly ablaze. He let out a wild howl, and the horses galloped away through the snow, soon engulfed in night.