Бесплатный фрагмент - The Way to Dehradun

To the reader

All events and characters in this work are fictional, any coincidence of names and events with real ones is an accident.

Author

Chapter One

Yana woke up to the sound of the alarm clock, stretched slowly and looked out the window. Outside, it was a sunny spring morning. “How quickly everything blossomed, just two days ago there was no sign of any greenery, and now it’s just like in the fairy tale ‘Twelve Months’ — the grass is green, the sun is shining.”

After taking a shower, quickly getting ready and taking a sip of aromatic coffee before leaving, she booked a car-sharing car and drove to the office.

The office of the medical tourism company was located on the territory of a former factory, which is now turned into a business center. Yana ran into her office.

— Hello everyone, Oksana Fyodorovna, please come to my place.

Little, brisk Oksana Fyodorovna followed Yana.

— What do we have with the patient for treatment in India? When is his flight time?

— Roman Petritsky flew to India today at 6 o’clock in the morning. Our partners should meet him in Delhi. The treatment program and all the additional services have satisfied him, don’t worry, everything should go well.

— Great, keep me posted.

Yana sat down to answer numerous emails, she usually answered emails within an hour, and then did not get distracted and dealt with more serious issues. Yana constantly sought to increase her efficiency in her work, because time management is not everything, you need to properly distribute your energy and attention.

The time until noon flew by quickly, and at two o’clock a business lunch was scheduled with Swiss partners at the famous Vanilla restaurant. Yana met with old partners — a famous plastic surgeon and his assistant — and planned some new marketing moves to attract patients, had a delicious meal, and after saying goodbye, Yana returned to the office.

After conducting three job interviews for new managers in the company, upset that again she did not find a suitable candidate, Yana went to a fitness club for a pilates workout. Yana loved fitness, at 35 she looked beautiful, fit and younger than her years. She tried to practice as much as possible every day, but at least three times a week. Yana also liked to meditate. She knew different meditation techniques, and they helped her concentrate and not get caught up in the fuss.

The company, which was owned by Yana Goncharova, existed for 5 years. During this time, a lot was done, her agency worked with the whole world, managers could organize treatment in different countries for almost all pathologies. But Yana constantly expanded the portfolio of her partner clinics, and also tried to find out current trends and study all the latest treatment methods and innovations.

Returning home, Yana immersed herself in reading another business book, until she heard the insistent ringing of her mobile phone.

“There’s no peace even in the evening,” Yana thought irritably.

A partner from India called. He said that the patient Roman Petritsky could not be met at the airport, because the greeter got into a traffic jam and was late, and the patient still did not arrive at the hotel and does not answer mobile phone calls.

“Oh my God,” Yana thought, “That’s the last thing I need!”.

She dialed Oksana Fyodorovna ‘s number.

— Good evening, but not at all kind — our patient still hasn’t checked into a hotel in India and isn’t answering his phone. Please give me his phone number.

Chapter Two

Roman Petritsky first flew to India. The Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi was very large and beautiful, and what surprised Roman the most was its almost sterile cleanliness, as he had been warned to be prepared for unsanitary conditions on the streets. He passed through passport control quickly enough, however, he could not take fingerprints in any way, for some reason they were not readable, but on the third attempt he succeeded, and he went into the luggage compartment. After getting a suitcase and changing some currency for the first case to Indian rupees, he went to the reception area. No one was holding the sign with his name on it, so after waiting for about fifteen minutes, he decided to find a car with a driver who could take him to Dehradun city, and then deal with the company why no one met him. Going out into the street, he asked a Hindu standing there:

— I need to go to Dehradun city to hotel Central Palace, — and showed him the hotel voucher with the address.

The Hindu thought for a moment, then muttered:

— OK, I will help you.

Three minutes later, he brought a young boy to Roman, who said:

— Will you go to Dehradun for 200 dollars?

Roman agreed, the weather was hot, and he wanted to get to the hotel by the evening.

The car turned out to be quite cool, Indian-made, Mahindra Thar, which very much resembled a Jeep Wrangler.

The guy sat down on the seat next to the driver. There was also a young, sporty-looking, rather good-looking European-looking man in the backseat, wearing a baseball cap pulled down over his forehead and dark glasses, but he completely ignored Roman, did not seek to communicate.

Roman didn’t get much sleep, because the flight was early in the morning, and he didn’t get much sleep on the plane either, because there was a woman sitting next to him with a crying baby. Roman dozed off and soon fell into a deep sleep. He had a nightmare, as if he was walking in the desert and was being sucked into a sand crater. He screams, but there’s no one around, and he sinks deeper. He awoke with horror and realized that he had been on the road for more than four hours.

— How far to Dehradun?

The kid mumbled.

— Don’t worry, only one hour.

Roman began to look at the road outside the window, passing small buildings, shops. Stray very thin cows were often seen right on the road. Motorists carefully drove around them, because in India the cow is a sacred animal.

There were also incredibly thin dogs, apparently some kind of purely Indian breed. And there were people everywhere, shouting, gesturing, cooking street food.

In general, life was booming and boiling.

Meanwhile, it was getting dark. The European-looking guy was napping and never tried to make contact with Roman.

Soon the car pulled up in front of a long, one-story building. The kid suggested to go out for a bite to eat and to stretch our legs. Roman followed the young Indian man into the house. The atmosphere here was quite ascetic, Roman was invited to enter the guest room. He found himself in a small room with a table, a chair, and a small cot. And then, suddenly, the door closed. At first, Roman did not realize that he was in danger, but after just two minutes, he remembered his dream.

“That was a warning,” he thought.

Roman started banging on the door and shouting in Russian:

“Open it now, you won’t get away with it! I will contact the Russian Embassy!”

But no one responded. Roman realized that he was trapped.

The should have be done something, but what?

His cell phone was dead, and the charger was left in his bag in the car.

“Calm down, the main thing is to keep calm,” thought Roman, lying down on the cot and began to think about his situation.

Chapter Three

Yana tried to call Roman several times without success. She found out through a girl she knew at Aeroflot that Roman had checked in and shown up for the flight, which meant that he had flown to India. What happened to him next?

Yana knew that this case would deal an irreparable blow to the reputation of her company.

Most importantly, she was worried about this overly intelligent young man who clearly wouldn’t be able to take care of himself.

The Indian partner was in constant contact with the hotel, but Roman never showed up there.

Yana knew from Oksana Fyodorovna that Roman was not married and lived with his mother in the center of Moscow on the Arbat street and Roman’s mother was a long-time friend of Oksana Fyodorovna. Roman had stomach problems, and in previously, Yana worked with a star gastroenterologist, which is why they arranged for Roman to visit the clinic where this miracle doctor worked.

Early in the morning, Yana and Oksana Fyodorovna locked themselves in the director’s office to discuss the situation.

Oksana Fyodorovna wailed:

“What am I going to tell Valentina, for God’s sake, what is this?” Where could the boy have gone?”

Yana sat with her teeth clenched and drew something on a piece of paper.

“We need to fly to India right away,” Yana said confidently. “I have to dig this case up on the spot. Oksana Fyodorovna, please apply for an e-visa for me and book a ticket for the exact same Aeroflot flight as Roman’s”.

“Yana dear, I’ll do everything, don’t worry.”

Yana has already visited India three times at exhibitions on medical tourism. She really liked India, the amazing colors of this country, friendly and a little naive people. On one of these trips, Yana visited Calcutta, she was the only Russian from the entire delegation, so the meeting with the Russian ambassador to India, who came to this event, turned out to be very warm. Calcutta literally captivated Yana, they were even taken to the monastery where Mother Teresa lived and worked. Yana has always admired this amazing woman who devoted herself to serving poor and sick people. The small photo of Mother Teresa that Yana had brought back from Calcutta was always on her desk, and it always seemed to her that it gave off a special light.

Yana tried to help people with all her heart in her business, and although it was her business, she did not take money for her services from children’s requests, from people with low incomes.

Yana loved photographing, especially portraits of people. She had a whole collection of photographs of Indian ordinary people on the streets. She did not want to believe or even assume that these people could do any harm to her patient.

Departure should be early in the morning, the electronic visa was confirmed literally immediately after filling out the application.

Yana called the Russian Embassy in Delhi and reported the disappearance of a Russian citizen. The Embassy will also use its resources to find Roman Petritsky.

She packed a small backpack for the trip, putting everything she needed there. “I have to be mobile,” Yana thought. Although she usually took her favorite suitcase on the road, which had already been through fire, water and copper pipes.

Recently, Yana did not take a laptop with her on business trips, but learned how to work with an iPhone. It was convenient. With her smartphone, she could work from anywhere in the world, sign accounting documents and contracts. Her iPhone became her secretary and assistant in all matters.

She tried to switch off for at least a couple of hours before leaving for the airport. As always, she sat down on the path before leaving the house, as her mother taught her. Yana wished herself success in this adventurous journey, but the main thing is that she finds Roman alive and unharmed.

— Have a nice trip, — she said, and went in search of her missing client.

Chapter Four

Alex Karte left Dr. Mueller’s office feeling upset. The doctor said that with his diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease, he would be able to survive without a transplant for no more than a month, and Mr. Karte did not have a related donor who would donate his kidney to him. Every time Alex visited the doctor, he hoped for a miracle, but alas, the miracle did not happen. He had long since started exploring the black market for organ sales, but he was afraid to trust anyone. But now it’s time to take a chance — otherwise goodbye, life. And he really wanted to live for at least ten more years, and even for five years.

Alex Karte was a well-off man, formerly a well-known German lawyer, and now retired. He had a beloved wife, a daughter, a respectable house in Bavaria, and a quiet, measured life. Everything would have been fine if his health hadn’t failed. In recent years, he has been doing nothing but his treatment, but the situation has gradually worsened anyway. And now he was facing a serious decision.

Arriving home, Alex opened his laptop, found in it the contacts of a Turkish company that guaranteed to find a donor and perform a kidney transplant for 130 thousand dollars, and slowly dialed the number.

On the other end, he heard a pleasant female voice:

— Merhaba, this is the office of the Anakhtar company, how can I help you?

— I urgently need a kidney transplant donor — can you help me with this promptly?

— We select a donor within three days after the payment is credited to our company’s account. The operation is carried out in Turkey, Dubai or India, at the client’s choice. Send a request and medical statements to our email address, and we will send you an invoice for fifty percent of the full package of services, and you will pay the rest before the operation. Do you still have any questions?

— How is the operation going? Is a diseased kidney removed with a one-time transplant of a new kidney, or is a healthy kidney simply transplanted without removing the old one?

— It all depends on each specific patient’s situation, it is decided by the doctor immediately before the operation.

— Thanks, — Alex said, and hung up.

After the conversation, he decided to send a request to the email address listed on their website, attached all his latest medical reports and resolutely clicked on sending the letter.

No one was at home, his wife taught at the university, and his daughter worked as a researcher at the Bavarian National Museum.

Alex turned on his favorite composer Vivaldi, “The Four Seasons,” and he especially liked “Summer.”

To the music of Vivaldi, Alex Karte, comfortably stretched out in a rocking chair, fell into a deep senile sleep.

Chapter Five

Yana was sitting with headphones on and listening to an audiobook near gate number thirty-one, where the flight was supposed to board. The landing was still not announced, there was already a slight delay. And finally, the light board came on, inviting passengers to fly to Delhi. About fifty people lined up for boarding.

Yana always took a place near the window, so it was easier for her to retire, no one bothered her to go to the toilet. And now, plopping down in an armchair, she suddenly saw Oksana Fyodorovna, who had appeared from nowhere, sitting next to her.

— Don’t be surprised, Yana, I couldn’t let you go on this dangerous journey alone. Moreover, Roman is like a son to me, and I am responsible for him to Valentina.

At first, Yana wanted to scold her faithful assistant, but then, sighing, she said:

— Well, then, we’ll unravel together, especially since reliable and trusted person is nearby — it’s worth a lot.

— I’m so glad, that you’re not angry with me.

— We need to work out a plan of action. I think we should ask the airport staff, maybe someone remembered Roman?

The plane was climbing rapidly, and Yana closed her eyes and dozed off to the music on her headphones. Mrs Oksana was reading a book. The food arrived about forty minutes later, but Yana was already fast asleep at that time, apparently affected by the nervous tension of the last two days.

They arrived in Delhi on time, and as our ladies had no luggage, they quickly passed through passport control and found themselves in the reception area. Yana saw an airport employee and an information desk nearby.

The first thing they did was approach an airport employee. Yana asked in good English:

— The day before yesterday, a young man flew in from Moscow: tall, thin, bespectacled, about thirty-five years old. He’s missing, do you by any chance remember him? Who was he talking to? Which way did he go?

— I didn’t work the day before yesterday, it’s not my shift, I don’t know anything, I didn’t see anything. We’re on duty in two days, it was Salim’s shift, he’ll be here tomorrow.

At the information desk, Yana repeated the same speech, but the girl said she didn’t remember the young man, and there were so many passengers that she couldn’t even remember them all.

— Let’s spend the night at a hotel near the airport so that we can talk with Salim tomorrow. Perhaps he will give us at least some information.

They checked into a hotel near the airport, Smart Signature, and had a delicious snack of Indian food at a local cafe. For the first meal, they ate palak paneer vegetarian puree soup, a fantastically delicious and delicate dish. Palak is spinach, and paneer is very similar to Adyghe cheese. The second course was tandoori chicken, which is marinated chicken in yogurt with spices. And finally, for dessert, they tasted Yana’s favorite dish — korma, a delicate creamy cream based on yogurt with nuts and spices. And, of course, afterwards ordered masala tea.

Yana was very fond of Indian cuisine, she was fascinated by all these mysterious aromas of Indian spices, she tried to cook something similar at home in Moscow. She was especially good at making lentil soup with cumin.

— Mrs Oksana, let’s have a good rest now, because tomorrow we have a difficult day ahead of us.

— Good night, sweetheart

And they went to their rooms in the hotel.

Chapter Six

Roman woke up to the sound of the door opening. An Indian girl brought him a tray of food, several bottles of drinking water and a bucket that was supposed to serve as a toilet. Roman was terribly hungry. He broke off a piece of flatbread, dipping it in some kind of sauce.

The girl immediately disappeared, and the door was locked again. There were no windows in the room. The only way to escape was through the door, which was always locked.

Roman began to analyze why he got into such a situation. What did he do wrong?

He should have called Oksana Fyodorovna or contacted a representative of the clinic in Dehradun, because he had these contacts.

“I wanted to solve everything on my own, without bothering anyone, and here is the result.

The situation is not only unpleasant, but it is unclear how it will end for me at all.

Mom’s probably going crazy. I texted her that I had arrived safely, but I didn’t tell her that I had arrived at the hotel.”

There was some noise outside the door and a conversation in Hindi. Probably, the people outside the door were arguing about something, their voices were irritated. Roman distinguished the voices of three men.

Then he heard a conversation in English, understood some individual words and put together a phrase from them: “The client is ready to fly.”

It remained a mystery who the client was and where he was ready to fly.

“They’re probably already looking for me. After all, I didn’t show up at the hotel and the next day at the clinic. Oksana Fyodorovna and Yana will not just leave this situation. For now, I’ll try to calm down and wait. They will definitely find me,” Roman repeated several times in his mind.

Then the door opened, and a young man, apparently a doctor or a medical brother, came in with medical devices for blood collection. Roman began to resist, but the man glared at him so fiercely that he realized it was pointless to resist.

After taking the blood, he strained:

— Don’t worry, everything will be fine, — and quickly went out the door.

Roman didn’t like it very much.

Why did they take his blood? What will they do with her?

He wanted to go home to his mother. He imagined her peacefully busying herself in the kitchen, baking her signature apple pie. Roman was usually sitting at his laptop or reading his favorite fiction at this time.

“Is this really the end? No, I have to believe that they will save me, they will definitely save me.”

The room was stuffy. Roman sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall, and began to cry softly.

Chapter Seven

The next morning, Alex Karte received an invoice for $130,000 from Turkey with the comment: “You need to pay 50% first, after payment they will start selecting a donor and will call for surgery. Payment of the second part of the invoice will be made immediately before the transplant.”

Alex, without hesitation, handed the invoice to his secretary, Abigail, so that she would make the down payment.

“There’s nothing you can do, there’s just no other way out,” Alex thought. “It’s also good that I’m financially well-off and can afford it. I have to live, I want to live, and I will live.”

Alex went out for a walk along Marienplatz and had a cup of coffee in a small cozy coffee shop near the Old Town Hall. Munich is beautiful at different times of the year, but Alex loved this city especially in spring, when everything is in full bloom. The weather was fine, and on the way to Marienplatz, Alex strolled through the shady park, where geese were strolling and even real hares were running.

After a cup of fragrant coffee, Alex went to the Frauenkirche (the official name of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary). This is a temple in Munich, which is associated with the legend that the devil himself entered it.

And indeed, at the entrance to the church you can see the “imprint of the devil, or the step of the devil” — this is the impression of a foot on a stone slab.

According to legend, during the creation of this grandiose temple, Satan was afraid that the patronage of the Holy Virgin Mary would weaken his position. He made a deal with the architect that he would patronize the construction in exchange for the architect’s soul.

Satan commissioned the architect to build a temple without windows.

When the construction was completed, the devil appeared in it even before the lighting. And when he stood under the organ, he did not see a single window. He was overjoyed and thought that no Christian would come here to pray. But when he stepped forward, he realized that he had been tricked. Out of anger, he stamped his foot and turned into the wind to smash the stained glass windows. But couldn’t do it. Satan left his little imp at the temple, which is still wandering around there and doing various dirty tricks to people.

It is curious that it is from the place where the footprint is located, indeed, not a single window is visible, and it is always very windy around the temple.

After sitting on a bench in the temple and enjoying the organ music, Alex heard a voice:

— Are you ready to do anything to live?

Alex turned around and saw a skinny gentleman in a tailcoat and a black hat next to him. The man’s eyes were small, but his gaze seemed to burn through.

— How do you know that I am concerned about this issue?

— Oh, I know a lot, and I’m ready to help you. I’m offering you a very good deal. Your transplant will be successful, and a suitable donor has already been found, but you will have to help me in my work.

— And what is it? — Alex asked.

— More on that later, dear friend. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow at noon on Sendlinger Strasse at Café Kare.

Chapter Eight

In the morning, Yana received a call from the Russian consulate informing her that the body of a European-type man had been found, similar in description to Roman. It was necessary to arrive urgently for identification.

Oksana Fyodorovna and Yana ordered a car to the morgue.

On the way, they observed a motley crowd of Hindus, cars, rickshaws, and very popular vehicles called tuk-tuks. They are colored yellow-green. For those people who find it expensive to travel by tuk-tuk, you can use bicycle rickshaws, which are also quite a lot, and it costs less to travel on them. Life in Delhi was bustling and bustling, the luxury of palaces was replaced by dirty slums, the contrast of wealth and poverty, antiquity and modernity was pronounced, but in this mix of colors and smells one could feel the unique energy and atmosphere of this ancient and mysterious civilization, a country with a great history.

Yana and Oksana Fyodorovna were met by two policemen at the morgue. They took them to a special room. Oksana Fyodorovna was very nervous, Yana held on with all her might. They were shown a man of medium height, fair-skinned, but with a large bald spot on his head. Yana breathed a sigh of relief.

— No, this is not our Roman. We don’t know this person. Under what circumstances was he found?

— He was found near the Indira Gandhi airport, the body lay for about three days. They didn’t find any documents or money with him, most likely it was a robbery.

Yana left her contact information to the police and asked them to inform her if they found anyone else of European appearance.

Oksana Fyodorovna wailed joyfully:

— What a blessing that this is not our boy.

After the visit to the morgue, Yana and Oksana Fyodorovna went to the airport to meet with Salim.

He was a plump, middle-aged man with brown eyes.

He thought about Yana’s question for a few minutes, then said:

— I think I remember. He is a young man with glasses, a backpack on his shoulders, shorts and a blue T-shirt. He waited for someone for fifteen or twenty minutes, then went up to the man who was standing at the exit and talked to him about something. After that, the man brought the guy to him, and he left the airport building with him. I never saw them again.

— Okay, thanks, Salim, for the information. Can you describe in more detail the man Roman was talking to, as well as the young man he went outside with?

— The man was tall, about four eighty-five meters, or maybe even ninety meters, slender and with a turban on his head, apparently a Sikh. The guy is about six feet tall, skinny, with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail.

— And this Sikh, has he ever caught your eye before?

— To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to the Sikhs, they often come across here. But that day, he blinked at me, stood near the exit for a long time and constantly called someone back on his mobile phone.

— Salim, here’s my phone number, think carefully, maybe you can remember something else about this Sikh. Please call me back and let me know. This is very important for us.

“And now, Oksana Fyodorovna, let’s observe what is happening at the exit, outside the terminal building,” said Yana. And they went outside to continue their investigation.

Chapter Nine

Denis Dunkel did not want Roman Petritsky to realize that he knew Russian, in general, that he was also from Russia, so he did not utter a word during the entire trip in the car.

Denis was going to turn 29 in a week, he was good-looking, athletic, tall, broad-shouldered, green-eyed.

He had his own business two years ago, he was engaged in the supply of medical equipment. Initially, things were going well, but he never managed to achieve success.

Besides, he still had debts to pay off.

His friend Vasily, who had been living in London for several years, offered him a job that was well-paid but criminal. Denis’ task was to find and bring donors to the clinic for transplantation. He was paid twenty-five thousand dollars for each donor delivered.

After working for a couple of months, Denis paid off his debts, but he was in no hurry to leave this job, because he liked a luxurious life. And what they do with donors after transplantation was the last thing he was interested in.

He had girlfriends in tour operator companies who gave him information about young single travelers to different countries, and then there was the matter of technology. As a rule, it was not difficult to organize their abduction.

With Roman, everything turned out purely by chance. He asked for a ride to Dehradun.

Denis was driving a VIP client to the airport at that time. Everything turned out unexpectedly well.

He took Roman’s blood to a laboratory in Delhi for analysis, and on the way back he stopped at the airport.

A beautiful girl in her thirties was standing at the entrance to the terminal building with a small elderly woman. They spoke to each other in Russian. Denis met the gaze of the Russian girl and suddenly asked himself:

— Are you looking for something? Do you need any help?

Yana was delighted when she heard Russian, and the young man was trustworthy.

— We are looking for a man who flew to Delhi three days ago and disappeared. This is our client. They found out that he left the airport building with a young Indian man, and no one saw him again.

Denis tensed up.

“Damn, they’re probably looking for that infamous Roman,” he thought.

And he said:

— Girl, don’t worry, we’ll definitely figure out how to find him. He probably left in some kind of car. My name is Denis, here is my business card. — He handed Yana his business card from his old business, his mobile number has not changed. — If you need any help, please contact us. I’ve been here for another week, and I have some free time. What’s your name?

— Yana, this is my assistant Oksana Fyodorovna. Thank you, Denis, and goodbye. Now we need to go to the Russian embassy and discuss our situation there.

Chapter Ten

At exactly twelve o’clock in the afternoon, Alex Karte was sitting at a table in Café Kare and waiting for the gentleman he had run into at the Frauenkirche. Less than five minutes later, this man approached him, but today he was wearing a light canvas jacket and linen trousers.

— Greetings, he said in a cheerful voice. — Sorry for the wait. So let’s get started.

My name is Asmodeus. And it’s no coincidence that I came into contact with you. I am aware that you have a big health problem. You’ve already paid a lot of money for the chance to live longer, but you’re not sure of anything. You are afraid that you will be deceived. You are not sure that the kidney will take root. In short, even with a lot of money, you can’t buy yourself peace of mind. But I can guarantee you that you will live for many more years, and with high quality and happiness.

However, I can guarantee you this for a reason, you will need to provide one service for me.

— What kind of service is this? Can you get specific? — Alex looked nervous.

Asmodeus chuckled.

— You will have to go to India and neutralize a certain Yana Goncharova and her Sancho Panza (assistant Oksana Fyodorovna), who are poking their noses into their own affairs and may interfere with our noble mission — to “help the suffering.” They must be eliminated in any way, completely, so that they no longer exist.

— So you’re suggesting that I kill them?

— Exactly, you understood me correctly. Upon successful completion, you will receive an excellent kidney, and the transplant operation will be performed directly in India at an underground VIP clinic by one of the world’s best transplant specialists who works in our team. If you agree, you will fly to India tomorrow, and I will take care of your tickets and visa. Otherwise, — he paused. — you know, you’re going to die very soon.

— But I’m not a murderer, — Alex said softly.

— You have to make your choice.

— Do I have time to think?

— I’ll give you until eight o’clock tonight. I’ll call you at eight o’clock sharp and I want to get a final answer.

— Okay, — Alex replied, got up from the table and went outside. When he reached the nearest park, he sat down on a bench and began to think.

“No, it’s just impossible. I can’t do that. However, who are they to me — two unknown women? I don’t know about them.… Why should I feel sorry for them? I’ll manage, and that’s the end of it, I’ll live happily ever after, I’ll wait for my grandchildren, I’ll go on a trip around the world, which I’ve been dreaming about all the time, and finally I’ll just enjoy life.”

Alex watched the ducks and swans swimming in the pond, the children playing on the shore, and the ice cream vendor, who was calling customers to her. No, he didn’t want to give up his life at all.

“I think I’ll accept Asmodeus’ offer.”

He resolutely got up and walked towards his house, because it was necessary to prepare for a trip to India. On the way home, Vivaldi’s soft music was playing in his head.

Chapter Eleven

Arriving at the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, Yana and Oksana Fyodorovna followed the security guard who escorted them to the meeting room. They were met by a Russian woman, an employee of the embassy, who dealt with missing Russians in India.

— Have a seat, would you like some water, some tea, maybe some coffee?

— Do you have any masala tea? — Yana asked.

— Yes, of course. We’ll order it now, and for you, Mrs Oksana?

— I’ll just have a glass of water.

— My name is Natalia Pavlovna. As soon as we received your missing person report on Roman Petritsky, I immediately reported it to the competent authorities of India and asked for assistance in finding Roman. So far, they’ve only reported one European-looking body that you went to identify. They assured that they are engaged in a search, but so far they have not been able to find any traces. Roman did not contact the Russian Embassy.

— That means he can’t do it. We always give the phone number of the Russian embassy to our clients before leaving for another country, — Yana said, — so everything is bad enough, something happened to him.

— We called all the hospitals, but during this period no one came with such signs that you gave us.

Yana told Natalia Pavlovna what she had learned from Salim, but this information was critically insufficient. The picture that emerged was that Roman had apparently ordered a car to Dehradun, but something had happened on the way, and they hadn’t brought him to Dehradun.

Natalia Pavlovna will help to ask the drivers of cars who was near the airport at that time, and will immediately pass on the information to Yana. She will also be in touch with the police and if there is any news, she will immediately inform them.

— Were there any such cases of missing Russians during your work? — Yana asked.

— There was one case three years ago, a girl was abducted and sold to a brothel. But she was found three months later. However, there have been cases of missing citizens from other countries in the last two years, and their corpses were found without organs, some had their kidneys removed, some had their liver removed, and some had their lungs removed. There is an organ-selling gang operating in India, but so far the police have not been able to track them down.

“What if Roman fell into the hands of these bandits?” Yana was thinking. “But he’s not very well himself, he’s got ulcerative colitis. But you can’t rule out this version. Think, Yana, think.”

After saying goodbye to Natalia Pavlovna, Oksana Fyodorovna and Yana returned to the hotel.

After taking a shower, wrapped in a soft snow-white towel, Yana lay down on a large double bed and suddenly remembered a young man, guess his name is Denis, who offered to help at the airport.

“But what if you use his services: he has free time, he is our compatriot, and in general, I liked him.” Yana searched her bag for Denis’s business card and dialed his WhatsApp number.

He didn’t answer the phone right away, Yana thought he was busy with something, but suddenly she heard a pleasant baritone voice:

— Yes, I’m listening.

— This is Yana, we met at the airport today.

— Yes, I’m very glad you called me. Do you still need my help?

— If you’re willing to help, why not? Let’s meet up, have dinner somewhere, and make a plan of action.

— With pleasure. What hotel are you staying at? I’ll pick you up at seven tonight.

— Smart Signature Hotel, I will be at the reception at seven pm.

Chapter Twelve

At eight o’clock in the evening, Alex Karte received a call from Asmodeus on his mobile phone.

— I agree, — Alex said firmly.

— All right, get your tickets and instructions tomorrow morning at Franz Josef Strauss Airport. See you. You should arrive at the airport by nine in the morning. I’ll find you there.

When Alex woke up, he took a cool, tonic shower, dressed, had a cappuccino before leaving, and drove to the airport.

No sooner had he entered the airport building than a beaming Asmodeus came up to him and shook his hand.