MORNING SERIAL
HE just went about his work, no task any more unusual than the next.
In the cellar a lamp was already lit, and the blockage to the tunnel had already been removed from the entrance. Evgeny was readjusting his burden, and he looked at me and said, “How is your stamina, painter?” I nodded gingerly, but I knew it was not with confidence, and he motioned with a dip of his head for me to follow him into the tunnel.
It was dark, but it was not long, and took just a few minutes to reach the fresh air. Viktor had followed behind me, and I could hear the big guy breathing heavily at the mid point, and then more lightly. We came out into a small barn-ofsorts, and Evgeny led us out into more orangery – the partition had split some farmer’s land right down the middle.
“They just cut this land in two,” I said, using my observation as an excuse to catch my breath.
“Come,” Evgeny said. “We don’t have time. Every moment we are away the girls are in danger.”
We lifted our boxes, and Evgeny his blankets too, and marched through the trees. We were just a few steps when Viktor grabbed Evgeny by the forearm. “We are followed,” he said in a hushed voice looking back in the direction from which we had come. Evgeny cursed in Russian and we moved off to the side behind some trees and peered back toward the barn. Evgeny cursed a few more times.
“We cannot lead him right to the girls,” he said.
Viktor carefully put down his boxes. “There was always this risk going back to the house,” he said, and took a revolver from his concealed shoulder holster.
I was paralysed behind my tree, but still managed to speak. “Who the f*** is following us?”
“The man from the other night,” Evgeny whispered.
The killer, I thought. The hired killer. I looked at Evgeny and at Viktor and felt no safer. Evgeny had now also armed himself.
“There,” Viktor whispered and pointed his gun.