The Calculation

The calculation was that if the observer was indeed alone, he would hang on Sasha's tail, and Marina's movements would remain unnoticed.

Marina yawned and, saying, "Well, guys, see you tomorrow," dragged the sleepy Tolik with her to the elevator. About fifteen minutes later, Sasha and I went up too. The guy in the bar remained in his place.

• "Take Marina and head to the garage," he commanded. "As soon as you're ready, call me from the mobile."

Sasha got off on the seventh floor and went to his room. I got off on the eighth and, having gone down the stairs, cautiously peeked into the hall of the seventh floor. The guy from the bar was already there reading a newspaper. I went up to my room. Marina was reading, a dressed Tolik was sleeping in my bed.

It took two elevator trips and a quarter of an hour to move all the things and the sleeping Tolik to the car. When everything was ready, I called Sasha. Three minutes later, our car shot out of the underground garage of the "Sheraton" hotel and moved in a direction unknown to ourselves, as we didn't have a map of the city. I looked at my watch. It was half past one in the morning.

• "Do you think we got away?" I asked Sasha.

• "Devil knows! If he was alone, then we did, but in the city it's impossible to tell. Once we get out on the highway, it will be clear."

• "If only I knew which way to go," I said.

At the intersection stood a group of yellow taxis. A flock of drivers, huddled by the first car, was heatedly discussing something. I stopped the car.

• "How do I get to Istanbul?" I asked in English. "Istanbul, Istanbul!"

A long explanation in Turkish followed. I explained to the taxi driver with gestures that I would follow him—let him lead us to the Istanbul direction. Half an hour later, having paid the taxi driver, we set our course.

• "Stop the car for a moment," Sasha asked me after a sharp turn in the highway. "Wait for ten minutes... So... Seems like there's no one, let's go further."

We drove most of the way in silence. The cheerful mood of the previous night's trip was replaced by gloom.

• "I won't be taken alive," Sasha suddenly said. "If they start extraditing me, I'll kill myself."

I looked in the mirror. Marina and Tolik were sleeping.

• "Sanya, don't stress," I advised, remembering a book on popular psychology. "Try to think in a positive direction. Otherwise later, when everything works out, it will turn out that you were worried for nothing."

• "Do you have a plan of action?"

• "Get to Istanbul, check into a hotel and get some sleep. And then think."

• "Do you want me to take the wheel?"