‘Papa,’ Lara said, appearing from behind her mother and running straight to me. She threw her arms around my legs and squeezed them tight as I put down a hand to pull her to me. I held my other hand out to Natalia and she came closer so all three of us were reunited. She put her fingers on my face as if to reassure herself I was really there, and her eyes filled with tears.
‘You found her,’ Lara said. ‘The man told us you found Dariya.’
‘Yes,’ I said, seeing Svetlana come into the room.
Once she was inside, Lermentov ordered the soldier to leave. He saluted the policeman and closed the door behind him.
‘What about Viktor and Petro?’ Natalia asked. ‘Where are they?’
‘Somewhere safe.’ I looked across at Lermentov, who was still sitting behind the table with the pistol in his hand. I couldn’t tell Natalia where Viktor was, not with the policeman there, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth about Petro. This was not the time. Soon she would be taken from me and our family would be fragmented for the last time, so it was better for her to think both her sons were safe from this nightmare. She didn’t need to know.
Lermentov kept his eyes on me and stood. ‘You have until morning,’ he said.
‘Before what?’ I asked.
‘This village is going to be cleared.’ He put the pistol on the table and went to the door, turning to look at me standing with my family. ‘If I were you, I’d gather what you can and leave. Just the four of you.’
‘You’re letting us go?’
‘It would be safer if you leave before I remember what I’m supposed to be. A man like you, with your skills, I think you might even make it to Poland.’
‘Is this a trick?’
‘No.’ The policeman put his hand on the latch and opened the door.
‘But why?’
Lermentov stopped without turning round. ‘Perhaps I forgot who I really am for a while,’ he said. ‘Or maybe it works both ways: maybe even bad men can do good things.’
Then he stepped out into the cold and closed the door behind him.
About the Author
Dan Smith grew up following his parents across the world. He has been writing short stories for as long as he can remember and has been published in the anthology Matter 4, shortlisted for the Royal Literary Fund mentor scheme, the Northern Writers’ Award, the 2010 Brit Writers’ Published Author of the Year Award and the Best First Novel Award. He lives in Newcastle with his family. Find out more about Dan at www.dansmithsbooks.com
Copyright
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Dan Smith
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