Polisiye Edebiyat / Crime Fiction

by Ozer MUMCU

IS INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS…

Chapter 1

Location: Istanbul, Beşiktaş

Date: 1975

      It was four o’clock in the morning when the strange noises she heard interrupted Şermin Toker’s sleep. The thirty-five-year-old woman initially resisted waking up, tossing and turning restlessly in her bed. But when the voices she could not understand continued to come to her ears, she stood up helplessly. She tried to clear her head and figure out what the sounds she was hearing were.

    As if… It was as if a stranger had entered their house and was speaking in a language she had never heard before. But this was absolutely absurd. She tried to figure out where the sounds were coming from.

       It comes from Melis’ room. But that’s not possible…

      She didn’t dare to get up and check what was going on. Instead, she woke up her husband, İsmail Toker, who continued to sleep, oblivious to everything.

     “İsmail, get up! Ismail!”

      ” Mmm…”

     “İsmail, there’s someone in the house!”

     “Huh? What’s going on, Şermin? I’m sleeping…”

    “Wake up now!”

     She had finally persuaded the man to get up. She told him what had happened. Ismail went to the room of their four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Melis, without turning on the lights. They did not dare to open the closed door immediately. But they didn’t have the luxury of waiting too long.

     Their daughter could have been in danger. 

    Ismail Toker turned the handle of the door quietly and slowly downwards. He opened the door.

     The couple, Ismail and Şermin Toker, almost fainted at the sight they saw.

     There was no one in the room except Melis. Little Melis was telling her in her sleep something in a language that the Toker couple did not know which country they belonged to.

    “Nem, én nem ide tartozom, a nevem Ilona Esterházy, vigyenek vissza a hazámba! Vigyenek haza, utálom ezt a helyet…”

      Şermin Toker put her hand to her mouth as if she was biting her nails and looked at her husband and said, “Ismail, what is this?” 

      Ismail Toker was in no mood to reply.

     Over the next five years, the little girl began to tell stories, sometimes in her sleep—in a foreign language that turned out to be Hungarian—and sometimes during the day, when she was awake, she went into a hypnotized state of mind, telling a story of life from another time and place. According to what she told at such times, her real name was Ilona Esterhazy, not Melis Toker. She was a Hungarian noble. At the age of thirty-four, she and her husband, Lazslo Esterhazy, also a noble and wealthy Hungarian, were in an automobile accident while on vacation. Her husband was dead, and she woke up as a little Turkish girl here in Istanbul after the accident. What she told was not limited to this. She also remembered the names of her parents, the name of the city where she lived in Hungary, the schools she attended as a child, and her close friends and relatives.

      Except at such times, little Melis behaved completely normally, returning to her daily life.

     At first, the Tokers took their young daughter to a psychiatrist. Initially, the doctor said he suspected it could be an early-onset schizophrenia.

     But as time progressed, it became clear beyond doubt that little Melis spoke Hungarian flawlessly. It was obvious that this situation was extremely strange and that a common-sense explanation was not possible in the short term. But it would not be possible to explain this phenomenon with a psychiatric disorder. For this reason, the psychiatrist interrupted the treatment, stating that he did not make any diagnosis and that there was nothing he could do in such a situation.    

Chapter 2

Location: Stanford University, California, USA

Date: 1980

      Fifty-three-year-old professor of psychiatry, Dr. Elias Wordane, was giving one of his lectures in one of Stanford University’s high-ceilinged, well-lit and spacious halls, which was interpreted by some as groundbreaking and by others as nonsense.

       There were many who slammed the man, said that ‘such subjects’ had no place in the academic world, accused Wordane of charlatanism, insulted him and even threatened him. But he also had a lot of fans, and when it came to the conferences he gave, the large hall, whose seating arrangement was designed in the style of a theater hall, was always packed.

     It was no different that day.

       “…and because of a number of highly unwarranted concerns, some authorities who have a say in institutional structures have doubts and prejudices about reincarnation. Such institutions that shape the system may sometimes be religious, and sometimes in the form of academic structures under whose umbrella we are now gathered, but when such structures, which seem to have adopted supposedly diametrically opposed ideologies, are confronted with a groundbreaking idea or research topic that they see as a threat to the general assumptions and impositions that serve to design society,  Well, they don’t hesitate to unite and attack. Moreover, they forget that they, too, exist because of ideas that were once considered radical. But in reality, progress is only possible when outdated structures are able to abandon the encrusted paradigms that give them power and control.

     Returning to our topic, when considered with some seriousness and common sense, the logic of the phenomenon of rebirth, that is, reincarnation, is very simple. As you, my dear friends, know, the evolutionary process in the biological realm is now a view that resonates with all scientific circles. This gradual development process, which depends on the conditions to which they are exposed, is also needed by spirits, apart from plants and animals, which have material equivalents. So, do you think that the evolution of spiritual beings can be completed by coming to earth once? The answer to this question would be an unequivocal no…”

     Dr. Elias Wordane, with his lively, enthusiastic demeanor and charismatic tone, continued his speech for another twenty minutes. He shared the concrete evidence and current studies that prove his thesis with his guests, most of whom were academics and some of whom were students. 

     By the time the conference was over, Wordane’s followers were divided, as usual.

Chapter 3

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Date: Unknown.

       On that day, a wedding rush was taking place in Budapest, right on the outskirts of Buda Castle, surrounded by historic palaces and elegant villas on the banks of the Danube River.

        The wedding ceremony was to be held in the Matthias Church, one of the most magnificent churches in the city. The church was located on top of Buda Castle. Known as one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture, the church has hosted weddings of noble families for centuries.

     When the beautiful twenty-five-year-old Ilona entered the church, the bells began to ring. Hymns echoed inside the church as Ilona walked in her white wedding dress.

       Lazslo stood next to Ilona, looking at her with a loving expression. After blessing the couple’s hands with holy water, the priest tied their hands, which were decorated with ancient rings, and made them make their marriage vows.

     After the ceremony, the wedding convoy set off for Gresham Palace, one of the most prestigious hotels in Budapest.

Chapter 4

Location: Istanbul

Date: November 1980

      Şermin and İsmail Toker were the guests of Melis’s guidance counselor Taha Aksoy at Beşiktaş Atatürk Primary School that day.

      Melis Toker was now ten years old and a fourth-grade elementary school student. Mr. Taha had been aware of Melis’s special situation for two years. In a way, he was embarrassed for the family because he had not been able to do anything about it until that day.

     Now, the situation was a little different. Or so Taha Aksoy hoped. He handed the folded newspaper in his hand to İsmail Toker, pointing to a certain part of a certain page. After waiting long enough for the couple to take a look at the relevant headline and what was written underneath, he began to speak.

     “Please don’t get me wrong,” he said, looking at Ismail Aksoy and his wife, “I’m not a person who takes such things for granted. I don’t want to manipulate you in any way. And to give hope in vain. I just wanted to give some information. It’s up to you to decide what to do. But I don’t think trying to contact him won’t cost you anything.”

     In the newspaper report handed to İsmail Toker by teacher Taha, it was written that Elias Wordane, a psychiatrist who gained worldwide fame with his studies on the phenomenon of reincarnation, had resigned from his position at Stanford University, that he would continue his career with personal studies by traveling to various countries, and that Turkey would be the first country he would visit. The news also included details such as when he would arrive in Turkey and which institutions and individuals he would cooperate with.

     Ismail Toker first turned to his wife, who was sitting next to him. Şermin nodded in the affirmative. İsmail Toker turned to Mr. Taha and said, “Thank you for your interest.”

     “I think if there’s anything to be done in our situation, it’s to talk to the guy. I think Şermin agrees with me. Can we keep the newspaper?”

     In the evening of the same day, İsmail Toker called Dr. Recep Toksoy on the phone. Recep Toksoy, a professor of psychiatry who would advise Dr. Elias Wordane in his work in Istanbul, was a faculty member at Marmara University. Toksoy was known for his work on subjects such as hypnotism, the magazines he published, and his colorful personality.

     It was not easy for Toker to persuade Recep Toksoy. The number of people who wanted to meet Dr. Wordane was huge, and very few of them came up with convincing arguments. Toksoy was rightly selective and careful. Finally, it was mutually agreed on the conditions under which Wordane, who will be in Istanbul in December, will be introduced to the Toker family.

Chapter 5

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Date: Unknown

      “Do you have any other requests, sir?”

      “Thank you, Miklos, I think that’s all. Take care of Gazsi until we return.”

     Gazsi was the name of the German shepherd of the couple Laszlo-Ilona Esterhazy.

      Ilona Esterhazy called out to her husband from inside the Mercedes-Benz SL R107, twenty yards away.    

     “My dear! Come on, leave Miklos alone. Don’t worry, nothing will happen to your house in a week!”

      Miklos Varady, in his fifties, had been working for the Esterhazy family for many years. When Ilona and Lazslo got married two years ago, Miklos was paranoid about whether I would be terminated. What he feared did not happen to him. Ilona loved him. And that is Ilona.

     The red Mercedes drove off in front of the hundred-year-old Esterhazy mansion, which is located on the hill of Rozsadomb, which is covered with greenery. The Esterhazy couple’s destination was Lake Balaton, where they would spend their week-long vacation. The journey, which would continue via the M7 motorway, which connects Rozsadommb directly to Lake Balaton, would take approximately two hours.

Chapter 6

Location: Istanbul

Date: December 1980

      The Toker couple, together with their daughter Melis, were guests at Dr. Recep Toksoy’s private practice in Şişli. Dr. Toksoy had another very special guest. Dr. Elias Wordane.

     Dr. Wordane did not speak Turkish. The Toker couple and little Melis were also not in a position to speak English fluently. For this reason, Dr. Toksoy had to undertake the duty of interpreter that evening.     With the help of Dr. Toksoy, Dr. Wordane chatted with the Toker couple and Melis for about an hour. He reassured them. Later, they explained the work they would carry out in detail to the Tokers. Dr. Toksoy would hypnotize little Melis, then ask Melis under hypnosis the questions that Dr. Wordane had previously given him in writing, and translate the little girl’s answers into English and transfer them to Wordane verbally and in writing. Depending on the results of the experiment, Wordane and Toksoy would jointly decide how to draw a road map on the subject.

     When the time came, Dr. Toksoy kindly asked the Toker couple to move to the waiting room and wait there until they were called. 

     After the couple left the examination room, Toksoy skillfully hypnotized the little girl. Then, looking at the paper in his hand, he began to ask Wordane’s questions.

     “Melis, we are now in a very distant place, in a very distant time. Can you tell me what you saw in this place?”

    Melis said, “It’s a wide hill… Everywhere is green and the air is clean. The surroundings are covered with large trees. The weather is cool. I’m cold, but it doesn’t bother me. There are some historical buildings in the distance. Castles. And then there’s the church.  I… I’m a woman. My name is Ilona. Ilona Esterhazy. We are in Hungary… In Budapest.”

     Toksoy said, “Please continue. Now tell me about the people around you.”

     Melis said, “We are in front of a big old-style villa. I see a short man. His name is… Miklos. Miklos has suitcases in his hands. We… My husband and I are going on vacation. Miklos carries our luggage to the car.”

     “What’s your husband’s name? Tell me about him and his other relatives.”

    “His name is Lazslo Esterhazy. He is a wealthy and handsome man. It’s been two years since I married him. Now we go on vacation together. I love him.”

     Toksoy asked, “How old are you? Are your parents alive? Where do they live?”

      “I am twenty-seven years old. My parents are alive. They also live in Budapest. My father’s name is Peter Andrassy. My mother’s is Erzsebet Andrassy.”

     While Toksoy was taking the necessary notes on the paper in front of him, Wordane was watching the speech carefully. Melis Toker conveyed all the basic information about her ‘other’ life from where she was lying with her eyes half-closed. Although it is unclear for now whether the information he provided was true or not, it seemed to be consistent in itself.

       The interview under hypnosis continued for more than an hour. Later, Dr. Recep Toksoy duly woke up Melis Toker. After carefully summarizing the notes he had taken in English to Wordane, İsmail and Şermin Toker, who had been waiting in the waiting room with great patience and curiosity, were called in. What happened was summed up.

     “I must admit that it has been a very exciting and useful work, Mr. Ismail. Dr. Wordane agrees with me. Now it’s time for the detective part.”

     “ Is it detective work? What exactly do you want to say?”

     “ Simple. The information provided by Melis is clearer and more consistent than it has ever been seen in similar cases. However, it should still be checked. We can only prove their accuracy by going to Budapest and doing research. If that’s not done, everything is up in the air.”

     “But I can’t finance such a trip.”

     “Mr. Ismail, you’re welcome. No one has asked you for money. How do you think Dr. Wordane left his job in the United States and got this far? It is financed by a wealthy businessman who has an individual interest in such matters. However, we do not guarantee you in advance that this journey will be carried out. Because it doesn’t end with the money. A number of official permits must be obtained. We’ll let you know when the procedures are settled.”

     “Thank you very much. You have made us very happy.”

      Dr. Recep Toksoy was content to smile. They said goodbye to see the family again as soon as possible.

Chapter 7

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Date: Unknown

     The section between the Budapest exit and Székesfehérvár, where traffic is usually heavy, is an area with a high risk of accidents due to road works and driver errors. During the holiday seasons and weekends, road accidents in this region increase even more. 

       Ilona Esterhazy, who was in a good mood, turned up the volume on the car’s radio a little more. Then she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek as he was behind the wheel. Lazslo Esterhazy, who was overwhelmed by his intense work tempo and responsibilities, loaded the accelerator pedal of Mercedes a little more, dreaming of leaving himself to the cool waters of Lake Balaton as soon as possible.

     As they approached Székesfehérvár, they noticed that traffic was suddenly concentrated on this area of the highway. Lazslo lost control of the steering wheel as a result of a moment of carelessness while trying to reduce his speed. Panicked when a pickup truck on the side of the road suddenly pulled into its lane, Lazslo slammed on the brakes and the vehicle spun out of control. After a few seconds of silence, the car left the road and crashed into the barriers.

     The next day, the whole of Hungary would be shaken by the news of the death of the young couple.

Chapter 8

Location: Istanbul

Date: December 1980

      It was not even eight o’clock in the morning when the Toker couple’s home phone rang. 

    İsmail Toker answered the phone. The caller was Prof. Dr. Recep Toksoy.

     “Hello?”

      “Good morning, Mr. Ismail. It is Recep Toksoy. Sorry to bother you at such an early hour. I called to inform you that Dr. Wordane had agreed with his financier and the Hungarian authorities for our research. He is leaving for Budapest on Monday morning. He plans to stay there for a week, but will extend this time if necessary. We’ll keep you posted.”

*

     It was 2:00 p.m. when the Boeing 737-800 passenger plane carrying Dr. Elias Wordane landed at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport.

      A group of officials greeted Wordane at the airport. The delegation accompanied Dr. Wordane to the hotel where he was to stay. Then they took the scientist to the Faculty of Medicine of Semmelweis University. Dr. Wordane would receive ethics committee approval from here for his ongoing research. (As a matter of fact, he had already received this permission through phone calls from Istanbul, now he was only going to sign some documents as a matter of procedure.)

     Dr. Wordane, who wanted to use his time economically, pressed his companions and got permission from the local authorities out of the way on the same day. Prior permissions from the municipality, the registry office, and the relevant museums and archives would have facilitated and accelerated their work.  

    Whether the families or the private individuals mentioned by Melis helped him was a matter entirely at the discretion of these people. There was nothing for the local government or academia to do about it. When it was his turn, what Wordane would do was wish him luck.  

    Dr. Elias Wordane, who thus got the procedural part of the job out of the way on the first day of his arrival in Budapest, got to work early in the morning the next day. Over the course of the following week, he systematically continued his research, starting at work very early each day.

     By January 1981, Wordane’s results were both promising and discouraging.

        On the second day of the new year, Dr. Wordane phoned Istanbul in the morning.

       “Please, I’m Recep Toksoy.”  

        “Good morning doctor, I am Wordane, how are you? I’ve called you to let you know.”

     “ I’m fine, Wordane, I’ve been eagerly awaiting hearing from you. Please, go ahead.”

     Dr. Wordane summarized the one-week process to Recep Toksoy. He was received with respect and interest in Budapest and did not face any problems during his research. He had examined all the official records that could be accessed, and had interviewed all private people who might be related to the names pronounced by Melis Toker. He had access to very tangible data. Unfortunately, apart from a few similarities of names, the Ilona Esterhazy they were looking for did not live in the past, nor is anyone with that name alive today.

      “If you don’t have a recommendation or a personal request, I’m thinking of returning to Istanbul tomorrow.”    

      After thinking for a while, Toksoy said, “I will be happy to welcome you again, see you tomorrow” and hung up.

     The next day, it was seven o’clock in the afternoon when the Douglas DC-9 plane carrying Dr. Elias Wordane landed at Istanbul Airport. Recep Toksoy personally greeted Wordane at the airport. An hour and a half later, the two colleagues sat and ate opposite each other at Hünkar Restaurant, which is located in Nişantaşı and offers the best examples of classical Turkish cuisine, and made detailed analyzes on the results of the research.  

     Based on the data he obtained, Dr. Wordane came up with an assumption that could be considered extremely unusual even for such a case, and Recep Toksoy, who is extremely open-minded, found Dr. Wordane’s hypothesis plausible. 

     Two days later, around noon, the Toker family was once again a guest in Recep Toksoy’s office. Wordane and Toksoy would share their conclusion with Ismail and Şermin Toksoy.

Chapter 9

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Date: January 4, 1981

      The ambulance, whose sirens made a moan, was heading at full speed towards Saint John’s Hospital at five o’clock in the morning.

       There were two people in the ambulance, except for the medical staff. The beautiful and rich twenty-nine-year-old Eszsebet Andrassy, who is about to give birth, and her husband Peter…

Chapter 10

Location: Istanbul

Date: January 4, 1981

      Recep Toksoy got into the subject without making the Toker couple, who were impatient to find out what was going on, wait any longer.

      “Dr. Wordane told me that he was treated with respect and interest by the Hungarian authorities. From the day after his arrival in Budapest, he worked feverishly without stopping. Based on what Melis told while under hypnosis, Mr. Wordane examined all the names and places mentioned, first the official documents that were available, then visited the relevant places and talked to everyone who could be connected in some way to the subject.

     “He told me that he had come across four names of Ilona Esterhazy in the official records, but for various reasons none of them could be the Ilona we were looking for. For example, none of them have a mother’s or father’s name that matches what Melis described. As you can imagine, this also applies to other elements. For this reason, I will not prolong the conversation by counting the details one by one…

       “At one point, just when we were about to despair, Dr. Wordane came up with some findings that cannot be ignored. Namely, there really is Erzsebet Andrassy, whom Melis refers to as her mother in her other life, and Peter Andrassy, whom she states to be her father.”

     Ismail Toker’s face turned red. Şermin Toker’s heart seemed to burst out of her chest. İsmail Toker said,

     “But?”

       “Mr. Ismail, what happened is difficult for you and your wife, I am aware of this. On the other hand, we may be witnessing a case that will go down in history together. The existence of Peter and Erzsebet, and according to Melis, the address where Ilona Esterhazy lived, as well as all the other details of her life, correspond to what your daughter said while under hypnosis. It would be naïve to explain this situation by coincidence. The problem is that Peter and Erzsebet are very young people. They have been married for two years and have no children. On the other hand, Dr. Wordane said that Erzsebet Andrassy is now nine months pregnant and about to give birth. So what I’m trying to say is, maybe Ilona yet…”

      İsmail Toker understood very well what Recep Toksoy wanted to say.

Chapter 11

Location: Saint John’s Hospital, Budapest, Hungary Date: January 4, 1981

      In the spacious and bright delivery room, Erzsebet Andrassy took a deep breath, holding Peter’s hand tightly.

        Soon it would all be over.

        Her husband looked at her with admiration as he did on the first day they met years ago. This man, who had been by her side in every difficulty, was now by her side when they were about to witness the greatest miracle of their lives.

     After a few deep breaths and a moment of silence, the first cry of a tiny baby echoed in the room.

     “Congratulations, you’ve got a very healthy daughter,” the doctor said with a smile as he gently laid the newborn baby in her mother’s arms. The mother’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at her baby for the first time. Her tiny face was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined.

      Turning to her husband, Erzsebet said, “We never thought about what to name her.”

      “Do you want to name her?”

      Peter thought for a moment, then said, “Ilona… Let her name be Ilona.”

*

     Prof. Dr. Recep Toksoy concluded his speech.

      “What I’m trying to say is, maybe Ilona hasn’t been born yet.”

 -THE END-

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