The Fifth World by Javier Sierra Page A

dead, is entirely coincidental.
    Copyright © 2009 by Javier Sierra
    Previously published in the anthology Thriller 2
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    First Atria Books ebook edition June 2012
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    Designed by Akasha Archer
    ISBN 978-1-4516-8960-0
ISBN13: 978-1-4424-1433-4 (eBook)

“Y OU’VE GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO A QUITE a mess, young lady.”
    Tess Mitchell’s blue eyes flashed at the precinct commander as he entered the interrogation room where she had been placed in isolation. She had seen his face before on local TV in Tucson.
    â€œMy name is Lincoln Lewis and I’m in charge of this precinct,” he said, with a sneer. His overall manner, however, was entirely professional. “I know you’ve spoken with some of our agents already, but it would be a real help if you could clear up a couple of things from your statement.”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œFor one thing, I need you to tell me what, exactly, you were doing at four o’clock this afternoon in Professor Jack Bennewitz’s office.”
    â€œYou mean when I discovered . . . the body?”
    The police nodded. Tess swallowed hard.
    â€œWell, we had been working together on a project connected to his field of investigation. I was doing research for him and this morning I came across some data that I thought would interest him. Observational data. Technical things.”
    â€œI see. And what was it that Professor Bennewitz taught?”
    â€œTheory of the Solar System, sir.”
    â€œDid you have an appointment with him?”
    A blush suddenly came over Tess’s cheeks and, unable to conceal it, she cast her eyes downward at the steel and wood table.
    â€œTo be honest I didn’t need one,” she explained. “He let me come and see him whenever I had to, and since I knew that hehad office hours for his students around then, I just decided to go by. That’s all.”
    â€œAnd what did you find when you got there, Miss Mitchell?”
    â€œI already told your colleagues: the first thing I noticed was how silent it was in Building B. Jack always spoke in such a loud voice. Whenever he yelled—which was often—you could practically hear him at the other end of campus. He was a very intense kind of person, you know? But I noticed something else, too—there was a very odd smell in the waiting room. It even drifted out into part of the hallway, a very strong, acidic odor, really awful.” Tess made a face at the thought of it before continuing. “So I went in without knocking.”
    â€œAnd what did you find?”
    Tess Mitchell closed her eyes, trying to conjure up the scene in her head. The image of her friend Jack Bennewitz lying back in his leather armchair, his face contorted and his eyes fixed on some indeterminate point between the plaster ceiling and the case filled with his chess trophies, flashed through her mind for a brief moment. Despite the fact that his jacket was fully buttoned, there was no way to miss the chocolate-colored stain that had soaked through the shirt underneath. There was no sign of a struggle. Books and papers were meticulously organized, and even the coffee that he must have poured himself shortly before ending up in that gruesome state remained in a mug on his desk, cold and untouched.
    â€œDid you touch Professor Bennewitz’s body? Did you make any attempt to revive him?” Officer Lewis insisted.
    â€œGood God no!” the young woman exclaimed. “Of course not!