The Boy from Reactor 4

THE ZOOLOGIST RAISED his hand from his plush velvet seat. It trembled from residual electrical current.

“No more,” he said.

Kirilo sighed and replaced the cattle prod in his coat’s lining. After bringing Karel a glass of water, he sat down on the sofa directly across from him, beside Victor. The River Casino’s gaming floor bustled with activity beyond the soundproof glass wall.

Misha returned from the restroom. Sweat dotted his forehead even though it was cool in the room.

“Diarrhea,” he said as he sat down on the couch.

Kirilo slid a few centimeters farther away from him. “You’re from America. Some of our fine water probably got into your system. Happens to tourists all the time. Victor didn’t really poison you, did you, Victor?”

Victor didn’t react; instead, he kept his head tilted at an angle at Misha.

“You old prick,” Misha said, wiping his brow. “If this is a joke, I’m going to more than even the score back in New York.”

This time, Victor grinned. “And if it’s not?”

Kirilo had gotten the zoologist’s name and address in Kyiv from the deputy minister of the interior. Pavel’s men had identified themselves as militsiya and dragged Karel out of his apartment. By 8:00, he was in his current seat. Twenty minutes later, after substantial prodding, he motioned for Kirilo to stop.

“I didn’t think a zoologist could be so tough,” Kirilo said.

“He watches animals all day,” Victor said. “He should have learned something by now.”

“Good point,” Kirilo said.

Karel tipped the glass to his lips. Water trickled around his lips, down his chin, and onto the velvet around him.

Kirilo winced. “The furniture, dammit. Watch the furniture.”

Karel drank some more. Kirilo took the glass away from him, put it on a coaster where he couldn’t knock it over, and sat back down.

“Why did the Tesla woman go to the Zone?” Kirilo said.

“To see her uncle.”

“What uncle?”

“Damian. Damian Tesla.”

“He’s alive?”

“As far as I know. I haven’t seen him since he asked me to do a favor.”

“What favor?”

“To go to Korosten and bring his son to Kyiv.”

“Does this have anything to do with the Tesla woman?”

“Yes. He’s meeting her tonight.”

“Why?”

“They will travel together.”

“Where are they going?”

“I don’t know.”

Kirilo squinted.

Karel sighed. “Honestly. I don’t know. My instructions were to leave him at Babi Yar.”

“Babi Yar?” Misha said. “What’s at Babi Yar?”

“Nothing,” Kirilo said. “Monuments and a park. Nothing that would give their ultimate destination away. That’s why he picked Babi Yar. What do they have in their possession? Why did the Tesla woman come here?”

Karel shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Kirilo chuckled. “What’s that, you say? You haven’t really had enough? You want some more?”

Karel raised his hand in self-defense. “No. Honestly. I don’t know. There was a formula. The scientist died. I thought the formula died with him. But maybe that’s just what I was led to believe. Maybe the truth is that Damian and the scientist didn’t trust me.”

Kirilo moved to the edge of his seat. “And you suffer for them? For these so-called friends? You owe them nothing. Nothing, I say to you. You are a prospective Chernobyl invalid?”

Karel nodded.

“Then you have suffered enough. My sources tell me you have published books of great importance regarding animal behavior in a nuclear environment.”

Karel lowered his head.

“No. Now is not the time to be humble. This country owes you a great debt. A great debt that is long overdue. I can guarantee you invalid status by the end of the month. The deputy minister of health is a close friend of mine. We’ve hunted caribou together on the Taimyr Peninsula. Your full pension will begin the first of June, and you will be free to continue with your important research.”

“Full pension?”

“Full pension.” Kirilo leaned over and tapped Karel on the thigh. “Now, my good friend, tell us, what formula?”

CHAPTER 53

A THREE-TIERED GOLDEN chandelier hung from the soaring ceiling above the steps to the concourse at the Central Railway Station. Ornate murals of baroque castles with vivid blue stained-glass windows and churches with gleaming golden domes decorated the walls. The brass hands of a giant clock suspended above an electronic message board announced the time: 7:23.

As Nadia and Adam cut across the tiled floor toward a ticket booth, Nadia scanned the concourse for familiar faces. Tourists in khakis and jeans mixed with businesspeople in suits, sports jackets, and light coats. She didn’t recognize any of them. Still, Kirilo’s men could be watching her at this very moment, and Victor and Misha could be waiting for her around the corner. Anton’s words echoed in her ears: in Ukraine, the criminals and the government were one and the same. If she stayed in this country, it was just a matter of time until they caught up with her.