excerpt
She was crazy to have involved him in the head count. They must have known right away. Why didn’t they question her?
The horrible answer rushed in. Maybe they had already picked up Paul and he had confessed. Paul knew the plan, but he didn’t know, hadn’t really met Volodya so they would have to follow her to lead them to him. That was it. If she turned this telegram in at the counter, the man from Kazan would wait until she left and then stop the transmission. She imagined him flashing some sort of badge in front of the sour ladies, noting down Volodya’s address, them wondering what was the problem, what had the foreigner done, but not daring to ask.
She must leave. Right away. Not reveal Volodya’s address. It was off. She took the piece of paper, folded it and put it in her purse. She must leave quietly, pretend she had come in only to ask directions or something. She turned to a security guard by the door, the one farthest away from the suspect. “Can you tell me the way to the Beryozka store, please?”
Exiting from the door nearest the hotel, she walked rapidly into the vast portico of the Hotel Rossiya. A wave of relief washed over her. It was a stupid plan from the beginning. She had smuggled a few beers across the Canada-US border in her time, but to smuggle people! If Paul wanted to succumb to the passions of youth, fine. But playing with people’s lives like God, well, she could get her adrenalin kicks by driving a fast car on the freeway and.… A headache screamed up her neck and her legs shook. In one of the massive vinyl chairs in the lobby of the Hotel Russia she sat down and wept.
★
“I can’t believe you chickened out,” Maria repeated. She had shown up quite soon after Jennifer’s collapse, gliding across the vast football field of a lobby and up to her friend.
“Look, I came to find you because I’m sorry about what happened on the bus. You know, what David said. Of course we’ll help you.”
Jennifer blew her nose and struggled with her dignity. “You know, Maria, I don’t think you’ve got it. This is not a fun elopement and I’m not a bride that has suddenly got cold feet. This is a serious business and that’s what I was trying to get support for on the bus.”
Maria lowered her gaze.
Libros Libertad 