The first person on Mary's list was a certain Ivanov who answered my call at once and declared himself ready to meet us as soon as possible.
"Why such a hurry?"said Hewlett as if asking himself as I reported to him Ivanov's answer.
"As I told you, in nowadays Russia one is never sure of managing to be live before the end of the day. So..." I pretended to be joking but kept my eyes serious.
"Ok, but even if we make a deal of some kind, and one dies all the same at the end of the day, what's the sense of making such a fuss?".
"Oh, one never knows. Striking a deal may be, at least in the eyes of the Russian candidate for the afterlife, some kind of guarantee of postponing his departure for the other world..."
We are both giggling with an uneasy feeling, as if we were expecting every moment a bullet entering through the window aimed at our heads.
Mary came in the moment we were still giggling.
"Funny offers?" she said with nonchalance.
"Yes, a bullet in the head or a dead man in your room," said Hewlett, as he looked with suspicion at the window through which bright sunrays were flooding the room. "We should draw the curtains", he said. "There's too much sun here."
I looked at Mary. Now she wore a light green sweater and a black tight skirt. Her forms were not at all as flabby as I had imagined.
"What's going on here?" said Hewlett with growing worry. "Are we now in a free Russia, or what? What's this ongoing threat of getting a bullet in your head?"
"This is the price of freedom", I ventured. "And then, people have been starving for too long and are impatient to catch up now, at any cost, even at the cost of dying. A couple of hours in a bless, that is with the awareness of being rich and all, and then with a tragic evening. All is for sell, the most valuable things going for nothing, high treason doesn't exist anymore, motherland has become a whore which is ready to cheat on its people with any stranger offering money..."
"Ok, ok, that's enough," said Hewlett, raising his hand. "Are they shooting foreigners as well? I mean, those poor devils who happen to be near their national targets during talks?"
"It's a matter of luck", I reassured him. "You know, luck is one of the fulcrums of our national culture, along with the utmost contempt for individual life. So, prepare to become part of it."
"I could only confirm the bit regarding luck and contempt for individual life," said Mary quietly, her thick cheeks stiffened a little. "Anyhow, what did you say to Ivanov?"
"That we shall ring him back."
"Then do it. We can meet with him in an hour, here. We have to adjust ourselves to the hectic pace of life in today's Russia."
I looked at Hewlett. Hewlett raised his brows and thought a little bit, then nodded: "Ok".
Mary didn't even wait for his reaction as she turned away to go out. "Will you come with me for a moment, Serge?"
I followed her into the corridor, she was headed to her room. It was the next door on the right.
Hers was a two-room suite, with high heavy windows in Gothic style and mirrors of the same fashion, in the open door I caught a glimpse of a big one. Unlike Hewlett's three-room suite, quite impersonal and average with all its luxury, Mary's seemed to be a part of an ancient manor or castle. The hotel itself, though, was a rather recent one, perhaps its luxury sector contained lodgings of different styles for clients with fanciful tastes. So Mary preferred to live in the Middle Ages?
"This is not my life preference", she smiled seeing my astonished look. "They had only this one on the floor. I didn't mind, end of the story."
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Want to get a cup of coffee?" she asked, "I can make you one. Be seated, please."
The furniture matched the medieval style too, being rather simple in design, the chairs had high straight backs, though with soft pads that was the only concession to the modern world.
The coffee, that I didn't want but accepted for the sake of politeness, was made in a few seconds from boiling water and a bag.
As she sat down near me, she made a sip and said:
"I wanted you to take care of mister Hewlett. He's like a child."
She gave a short laugh at my puzzled expression:
"He can be easily deceived, especially in a place like your new Russia."
I took a sip at my turn and asked:
"Have you been working long for Mr Hewlett?"
She sighed:
"That's the trouble. Only for two months."
"And..." I began, but she interrupted me:
"His former secretary was sacked by Mr Hewlett's wife for having had an affair with him, you know. The same old story. In fact, I was engaged, besides my direct duties, to keep an eye on him. As you can see, I'm not the classic type of a secretary, a long-legged blond bombshell."
I kept silent, sipping my coffee.
She resumed, having put her cup on the table:
"I could be mistaken, but his former secretary might have followed him here. It seemed to me that I caught a glimpse of her at the airport. She was disguised and wore sunglasses, of course."
"Why should she have followed him here?" I asked cautiously. "Did you see her in Istanbul?"
"No, but I could have mistaken. It's only a possibility."
"What's the line of business of Mr Hewlett?" It was time to begin fishing.
"But don't you know this?" she seemed really astonished. "I thought you were informed beforehand about your clients."
"Generally we are," I hastened to assure her, "but in your case it was a very short notice." I didn't lie. "Russia has suddenly become such an interesting place for business. So…"
Mary said after a short pause and a scrutinizing glance at my honest eyes: "He's the managing director of a big company that makes a very fine electronic equipment. Very alluring offers arrived from Russia. He couldn't refuse, being, apart from everything else, in low water." Why did she mention this last personal detail?
"Sure", I said, "and his former secretary might be pregnant and blackmailing him."
She nodded without reacting to the irony in my words.
"But what do you want me to do?". The question was not rhetorical at all.
"Nothing special. You see, in his present situations he might be willing to swallow any alluring offer they would make him. Caution him in time, as you did splendidly today. Be his critical eye, without overdoing, of course. He might be so enthusiastic and naive."
"How old is he?"
"It doesn't matter, perhaps, 45 or so. He's a very kind person, generous and trustful. I think that you're of the same kind of people."
It dawned on me that she might be in love with Hewlett. I stared at her, pretending to be puzzled and embarrassed, for some seconds, then said:
"I'm really surprised by your request. Mr Hewlett is the head of a large company and I think he's capable of taking care of himself. Besides, to give advice in such things one must have information as to the specific contents of the talks and offers." I swiftly corrected myself as I saw her face darkening:
"Ok, I'll do my best, but if you help me too. Give me all kind of information you manage to get on the persons you get in touch with, then I'll try to evaluate them with my sources, ok?"
As she saw me off two minutes later, when I stood on the door, she muttered with her eyes low:
"Am I really that ugly?". I gave her a bewildered glance. Did that question get tossed permanently in the depth of her conscience, coming to the surface in the most unexpected moments?
And without waiting for my reply – that had to be obviously and elusively polite – she said, closing the door behind me:
"See you at Hewlett's suite in half an hour."