Lynne Heitman - The Pandora Key aka The Hostage Room

“What would you like?” he asked me.

“I’m fine.”

He sat back so that only his fingertips still touched the table. “What is your name?”

“Alex. Alex Shanahan.”

“Short for Alexandra?”

“Yes.”

“Sashen’ka.” He clasped his hands and pushed them forward on the table. “Please, Sashen’ka, you will order something.” It didn’t seem like a request.

“I’ll have a cup of tea. Thank you.”

“Yes. Very good.”

He called over to the bartender, held up two fingers, and pointed to his own empty espresso cup. He was ordering for Bo. Interesting. I wondered how well these two men knew each other.

“My friends, what can I do for you?”

I glanced at Bo to see if I was supposed to talk, but he took the lead.

“I lost a friend yesterday. Someone came into his home and took him away.”

“This is sad news.” Tishchenko shrugged. “But what concern of mine?”

“We made a mistake,” Bo said quietly. “We are here to ask your advice.”

“What mistake?”

“We took him back.”

Tishchenko’s gaze slid over to me. Whether he had known all along we had been the ones or whether he figured it out right then, I couldn’t tell. But he knew now. “What is this man’s name?”

He was looking at me, so I answered. “Harvey Baltimore.”

“And who is he to you? Is this man your father?”

“He’s my business partner. He’s also my good friend. He’s also…he’s sick.” I glanced at Bo. I wasn’t sure how much to say. “He has multiple sclerosis. We were afraid if we didn’t get to him soon, he would die.”

A small boy appeared from behind the counter. He had a sucker in his mouth and a tray in his hand. On the tray were two steaming cups of espresso, which he distributed to the men. He put the small carafe of milk, the little pot of brewing tea, and a cup and saucer in front of me. He handled it all like a pro, despite the fact that he couldn’t have been even seven years old.

He grasped the tray under one arm, put his other hand on Tishchenko’s shoulder, and casually leaned in toward him. Maybe he was there to pull a thorn from his paw.

Tishchenko put his arm around the boy, pulled him close, and kissed him on the top of his head. “My grandson.”

The boy’s face was vulnerable and mischievous at the same time as he whispered something in the older man’s ear.

Tishchenko laughed, spoke to the boy in his language, and shooed him away. As his grandson wandered off, Tishchenko called out to the bartender, who nodded in return.

“Such a smart boy. He wants ice cream, but he knows his mother won’t permit treats before school.”

I looked over. The man at the bar had an ice cream scoop out.

Tishchenko stirred milk into his cup. When he picked up his spoon, Bo did, too, but I let my tea steep. I was afraid to handle anything hot with my unsteady hands.

“Do you think this man, Harvey Baltimore, might have something of value? Is that why he would have been taken?”

“He doesn’t have any money.”

“Whoever took him, I do not think it would be for money. There are easier ways to get money, you know?” The corners of his mouth quivered into what might have been a smile. “Something he knows, perhaps?”

“We do not know why he was taken,” Bo said. “We know that if he had died, whatever he might know would have died with him. Perhaps the people who took him did not know that.”

He seemed to consider that. “Djuro, if you were Tishchenko and two people came to you in this way, how would you advise them?”

Bo put his hands in his lap and stared at the table. “I would advise them to find out what it is that Harvey Baltimore has, or what it is that he knows, and to let the man have it, this man who took him. But”-he held for an extra beat-“I would also understand that they meant no disrespect in taking him back. They didn’t know.”

“Then you believe this man should…”

“I would ask that he forgive any disrespect that was shown and accept in exchange the full and true disclosure of whatever it is that Harvey Baltimore knows that he needs.”

Tishchenko sat back and scratched his chin. “If he did, that man would be a very understanding man.”

“Yes.”

“A benevolent man.”

“Yes.”

“And in line,” I said, “in front of the FBI, who also wants this…this thing, whatever it is, which…which we don’t know what it is because…because…” They had both turned to look at me. “Because Harvey is home recovering and hasn’t told us yet.” They turned away, and I knew how it felt to get smaller.

“This man who took your friend, Djuro, would he not be stupid to forgive the thief who stole his chicken before he got his eggs? With no chicken and no eggs, he has nothing now. My six-year-old grandson knows this much.”

“He would have my word.”

Tishchenko picked up his cup and drank down the rest of his espresso. Then he picked up the spoon and dropped it into the cup, where it clanked delicately.

“Sashen’ka.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a brother?”

I looked at Bo. He gave me a subtle nod. “Yes.”

He put his hand on Bo’s forearm. “Djuro reminds me of my brother Vladislav. Vladi was also my business partner. We came here to America together. I miss my brother very much.”

“What happened to him?”

“Someone killed him.”

“I’m sorry he’s dead, but Harvey never killed anyone.”

“Perhaps. But this man who took your friend, he might believe Harvey Baltimore knows something about the man who killed my brother, a man who left this country and to this day has never paid the price for what he did.”

“Wait a second. Roger Fratello killed your brother?”

Tishchenko sat back abruptly. He reacted as if I’d squirted lemon juice in his eyes. Bo was also staring at me. I had apparently violated the code of vague communication. I tried again.

“Why do you-” I had to pick my pronouns carefully. “May I ask why the man who took Harvey thinks Harvey can help him with his problem?”

“He might have friends who know such things.”

Friends in the FBI? That was a scary thought, though not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

Tishchenko aimed his steady, impassive eyes at me. “Would he have your commitment, Sashen’ka?”

“For what?”

“If this man were to let your friend go and forgive your mistake, would he have your commitment to provide a service in return?”

“What exactly is the service requested?”

“Find the man who killed Vladi. Tell me where he is. That’s all.”

“First of all, I have to be clear. Are we talking about Roger Fratello?”

He offered a curt nod.

As far as I knew, no one knew where Roger Fratello was hanging out. Certainly not the FBI. Maybe Harvey did, maybe he didn’t. “If Harvey knows something-”

“I do not believe in if. It is a weak word. Something either is or it is not. You either do or you do not.”

I was afraid my voice would come out as a squeak, so I made myself calmly reach for the teapot, lift it, and pour the tea into my cup. I put the pot down, picked up the cup, and took a sip. It was strong and hot, and as I settled my cup back on its saucer, I looked at Tishchenko.

“If I did this, then this man we’re speaking of would no longer have interest in Harvey?”

“He would have no interest in Harvey Baltimore.”

I glanced at Bo. He was giving me no cues. This was apparently up to me. I looked at Tishchenko’s dead eyes. “Yes, he would have my commitment. I’ll find Fratello.”

“Conscience and honor,” he said, looking at Bo. “This is the law I live by. Not the laws of this country or my country or any country but the laws of man. You know this, Djuro.”