Fly Hunter: The Story of an Inquisitor - страница 14

– Jigit, it's all over, Sardar Kareem went to the emir's palace. If Nadir is there, he'll definitely arrange a meeting with Iosif Besarionis out of spite. You wanted to become the chief inquisitor of the region, didn't you?

Aman-Jalil understood everything.

– He went by train?

– By train.

– Don't worry, boss, give me your personal plane, and I'll be in the capital before Sardar Ali… I swear on my father, he won't return alive: two gangs, a hundred coins, a lump of sugar, and the case is closed. Don't fret, boss, worrying gives you wrinkles on your forehead.

Every night, Ahmed had the same dream: he was chasing some neighbor girl around a bright sunlit construction site, they were both fourteen, and Ahmed, catching up with Ika, grabbed her breast, tight like an unripe peach, and Ika squirmed, evaded, and it all started again… The same thing. A sweet and painful dream… Ahmed never actually grabbed Ika's breast in real life, the neighbor girl died of diphtheria at eight years old, she never reached fourteen in life, and in the dream she never was older than fourteen, the same happy age. And this dream, the same one, never left Ahmed throughout all the years, it came to Ahmed in the mountains of the Sierra and here, at the peak of glory and honor, power and wealth. No matter how many women Ahmed had, not one of the most beautiful, passionate, loving women appeared in his dreams, Ahmed never saw his children in his dreams, or his parents, whom he vaguely remembered in reality. Ahmed had gotten used to this dream and loved it, and would be surprised and saddened, if not frightened, if he didn't see the expected dream.

Aman-Jalil had never been to the capital. It surprised him with its senseless bustle, but upon closer inspection, he realized that most of those running around were visitors, eager to hit ten spots at once.

With Aman-Jalil came two gangs, and in Aman-Jalil's safe were the evidence: both boys had participated in the robbery and murder of the carpet merchant Jumshid. The boys willingly agreed to serve in the government instead of going to prison and to follow Aman-Jalil's orders without question.

All three went to the railway station to meet the arriving train carrying Sardar Kareem, who was going to the capital to seek protection and justice from Iosif Besarionis with the help of his friend Nadir.

The train arrived remarkably on time, without being shot at or robbed along the way, without plunging into a ravine, without any bridges collapsing under it, which Aman-Jalil secretly hoped for.

Sardar Kareem went straight from the train to Nadir, and Aman-Jalil followed him with the gangs. To Aman-Jalil's relief, Nadir was away and expected back the next day; one of the boys "eavesdropped" and skillfully overheard a conversation between Sardar Ali and Nadir's wife. She invited her husband's friend to stay at their home and wait for Nadir, but Sardar Kareem flatly refused, saying he had somewhere to stay, and leaving a basket of peaches as a gift for his friend's wife, he left. As he passed the criminal, he heard Sardar Kareem mutter clearly:

– It's not right to stay under the same roof as your friend's wife when he's not home. The laws of the mountains still exist on Earth…

And Sardar Kareem went to the ancient "Inter" hotel, and Aman-Jalil followed him with his helpers.