mustache, and behind him a dozen people with helmets, cameras, camcorders. “Monsieur, qu’estce vous faites là?”
I stood up, murmured something, rubbed away my tears, and fell in with the tourists. Two Japanese looked at me curiously, the guide opened a door: a babble of voices broke over me, the gallery was full of people. There was a souvenir stand selling postcards, lumps of the salt rock, and slides of milky salt lakes. An exit sign pointed to a staircase, a few minutes later the iron cage was cranking me noisily back up to ground level.
“You weren’t supposed to come till tomorrow!”
I lifted my head. Miriam Kaminski was silhouetted in front of me in a nimbus of sunshine. Her black hair was shot through with fine lines of light.
“I just wanted to say hello.”
“Hello. I’m leaving in an hour and I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“I’d hoped I could speak to your father.”
She looked at me as if she hadn’t heard right. “My father isn’t feeling well. Go for a walk, Mr. Zollner. Explore a little. It’s worth the effort.”
“Where are you going?”
“We’re establishing a Kaminski Foundation. I’ll be glad to explain the details, it could be of interest for your book.”
“Absolutely.” I understood: as long as she was there, I would not be able to speak to him alone. I nodded slowly, she avoided my eyes. It was natural that I would have a certain effect on her. Who knows, if I weren’t someone she considered dangerous . . . But nothing I could do about that. I stood up. “Then I’ll go exploring.”
I went quickly into the house, I had to make absolutely sure she didn’t see me out. The kitchen door was almost closed, behind it there was the clatter of plates. I looked through the crack, Anna was in the process of washing dishes.
As I came in, she looked at me expressionlessly. Her hair was gathered into a thick plait, her apron was dirty, and her face was as round as a cartwheel.
“Anna!” I said. “May I call you Anna?”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m Sebastian. Call me Sebastian. The food yesterday was wonderful. Can we talk?”
She didn’t answer. I pulled up a stool, then pushed it away again and sat on the kitchen table. “Anna, isn’t there something you want to do?”
She stared at me.
“I mean, that . . . you could do today. Yes?”
Through the window I saw the banker who’d been at last night’s dinner come out of the house next door. He crossed the parking area, hooked his car key out of his pocket, opened the driver’s door, and climbed in laboriously.
“Let me put it another way. Whatever you’d like to do today, I’d . . . no, let’s say . . .”
“Two hundred,” she said.
“What?”
“Just how dumb are you?” She looked at me calmly. “Two hundred, and I’ll be away until midday tomorrow.”
“That’s a lot,” I said hoarsely.
“Two hundred and fifty.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Three hundred.”
“Two hundred,” I said.
“Three hundred and fifty.”
I nodded.
She held out her hand, I brought out my briefcase and counted out the money. I never normally carried so much around with me; that was the sum I’d hoped would cover the whole trip.
“Okay, let’s do it!” she said. Her skin had an oily sheen. She seized the money, her hand was so large that the bills disappeared into it. “My sister will call this afternoon, then I’ll say I have to go to her at once. Tomorrow at noon I’ll be back here.”
“And not a minute earlier!” I said.
She nodded. “Now go.”
My legs were a little wobbly as I went to the front door. All that money! But I’d gotten what I wanted. And God knows I had set it up pretty cleverly, she hadn’t had a chance against me. I slowly set down the briefcase and leaned against the wall.
“Mr. Zollner!”
I whirled around.
“Lost your way?” asked Miriam.
“No, no—I just wanted . . .”
“I wouldn’t want you to have any wrong impression,” said Miriam. “We’re
I stood up, murmured something, rubbed away my tears, and fell in with the tourists. Two Japanese looked at me curiously, the guide opened a door: a babble of voices broke over me, the gallery was full of people. There was a souvenir stand selling postcards, lumps of the salt rock, and slides of milky salt lakes. An exit sign pointed to a staircase, a few minutes later the iron cage was cranking me noisily back up to ground level.
“You weren’t supposed to come till tomorrow!”
I lifted my head. Miriam Kaminski was silhouetted in front of me in a nimbus of sunshine. Her black hair was shot through with fine lines of light.
“I just wanted to say hello.”
“Hello. I’m leaving in an hour and I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“I’d hoped I could speak to your father.”
She looked at me as if she hadn’t heard right. “My father isn’t feeling well. Go for a walk, Mr. Zollner. Explore a little. It’s worth the effort.”
“Where are you going?”
“We’re establishing a Kaminski Foundation. I’ll be glad to explain the details, it could be of interest for your book.”
“Absolutely.” I understood: as long as she was there, I would not be able to speak to him alone. I nodded slowly, she avoided my eyes. It was natural that I would have a certain effect on her. Who knows, if I weren’t someone she considered dangerous . . . But nothing I could do about that. I stood up. “Then I’ll go exploring.”
I went quickly into the house, I had to make absolutely sure she didn’t see me out. The kitchen door was almost closed, behind it there was the clatter of plates. I looked through the crack, Anna was in the process of washing dishes.
As I came in, she looked at me expressionlessly. Her hair was gathered into a thick plait, her apron was dirty, and her face was as round as a cartwheel.
“Anna!” I said. “May I call you Anna?”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m Sebastian. Call me Sebastian. The food yesterday was wonderful. Can we talk?”
She didn’t answer. I pulled up a stool, then pushed it away again and sat on the kitchen table. “Anna, isn’t there something you want to do?”
She stared at me.
“I mean, that . . . you could do today. Yes?”
Through the window I saw the banker who’d been at last night’s dinner come out of the house next door. He crossed the parking area, hooked his car key out of his pocket, opened the driver’s door, and climbed in laboriously.
“Let me put it another way. Whatever you’d like to do today, I’d . . . no, let’s say . . .”
“Two hundred,” she said.
“What?”
“Just how dumb are you?” She looked at me calmly. “Two hundred, and I’ll be away until midday tomorrow.”
“That’s a lot,” I said hoarsely.
“Two hundred and fifty.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Three hundred.”
“Two hundred,” I said.
“Three hundred and fifty.”
I nodded.
She held out her hand, I brought out my briefcase and counted out the money. I never normally carried so much around with me; that was the sum I’d hoped would cover the whole trip.
“Okay, let’s do it!” she said. Her skin had an oily sheen. She seized the money, her hand was so large that the bills disappeared into it. “My sister will call this afternoon, then I’ll say I have to go to her at once. Tomorrow at noon I’ll be back here.”
“And not a minute earlier!” I said.
She nodded. “Now go.”
My legs were a little wobbly as I went to the front door. All that money! But I’d gotten what I wanted. And God knows I had set it up pretty cleverly, she hadn’t had a chance against me. I slowly set down the briefcase and leaned against the wall.
“Mr. Zollner!”
I whirled around.
“Lost your way?” asked Miriam.
“No, no—I just wanted . . .”
“I wouldn’t want you to have any wrong impression,” said Miriam. “We’re
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