“Three hundred, and a room for the night.” I pulled the fifteen twenties from my pocket.
“A room for the driver here? Oh dear, I regret we are rather booked up. Perhaps the young gentleman and his the automobile would be better accommodated elsewhere.” He took the damp wad of twenties.
“Oh god, no. I definitely didn’t mean here!”
“Very good, madam.” He was visibly relieved. “I shall recommend one of the motor hotels on the way out of the city. I believe thirty American dollars will be more than sufficient to accommodate the young gentleman.”
I smiled and dug an additional thirty from my pack.
“I do not believe he will give you any more trouble.”
At the front desk, filling out the register, I heard the muffled squealing of tires and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
FIFTEEN
Downtown Odessa is so unlike Kiev; it feels like another country. I wasn’t used to seeing people actually enjoying themselves outdoors. I’d grown accustomed to the Kiev dash — a sprint from one underground passage to the next. Not only that, but the perpetual leaden ceiling of cloud that hangs over Kiev doesn’t make it all the way to Odessa. It’s an entirely different ballgame climatically, and all it took was that one crazy taxi ride to leave winter behind.
On the way to Alexi’s office, I noticed the interplay of shadow and light for the first time in weeks. Living in Vancouver, you’d think I’d be used to the dank and gray, but Odessa reminded me how starved for sunlight I’d become. The address Alexi provided, the previous night at the mall, turned out to be The Port Authority building, an out-of-place modern structure. It had likely been built in the last quarter century on a lot made suddenly vacant during the Second World War. Various government offices occupied its several stories of uninspired glass and concrete. Predictably, nobody in the place had heard of a Captain Alexi Laddin.
“What a bastard! I can’t believe I fell for whatever that crazy old goat was selling.” I was steamed. “You see a lamp around here?”
“It is daytime, Jess. For what do you need a lamp?”
“I’m looking for A. Laddin, as in ‘Aladdin,’ last I heard, he lives in one… or is it a bottle?”
“Jess, look. It’s Alexi!”
He strode toward us through the lunch crowd, his cape flying. “So sorry. Very important business meeting, very important.” He stopped. “Ah, lunch would be called for at this time, do you not think? Let us eat while we discuss business.” He led the way to a dark wood paneled restaurant where the maître d’ looked at us strangely. In no time, he’d ordered a bottle of about the most expensive German beer I’ve ever heard of, and then, almost as an afterthought, a bottle of Georgian wine for the table.
“It is very important that we are completely honest with each other. I am a businessman and I do business only with people who are serious about doing business. If you are not serious about business, you must tell me now and we can part ways honorably.” Alexi was firm. “You have money? You can pay for my services? I will not waste my valuable time helping you for nothing, you know.”
Undeniably, he looked a bit like a down-on-his-luck genie, but it wasn’t enough to convince me he’d make good on any wishes granted. “I’m not sure what game you’re playing, and I don’t really care at this point. This, my friend, is what’s going on. Maybe you have something to offer.” I gestured at Anna. “Her passport has been stolen. I am Canadian. Holland works fine as a destination, if you can get us out of Ukraine. Providing, of course, you really are a captain, or even have access to a ship… then I have money.”
Alexi whined, “Holland? Why Holland?”
“Didn’t you say you were sailing to Rotterdam? As far as I know, it’s in Holland!”
The waiter came to take our orders. Alexi evaded my question about what he had to offer. Instead, between mouthfuls of food and swigs of intensely sweet wine, he bragged of harrowing sea voyages and cargo only his finely honed skills could get in and out of various countries. With his fingers and long filthy nails glistening with grease, he held out a photocopy of a seaman’s certificate. It was written in German and issued in the city of Bremerhaven. I didn’t see his name on it, but he sure didn’t give me a lot of time to look for it.
“Ah, Bremerhaven. I can see how that’s easy to confuse with Rotterdam.” I wasn’t buying it. “Hey Captain, can you get us on a ship out of here? Yes or no.”
He went silent and looked around theatrically, “This, we shall talk about somewhere safe. Not here in public.” He leaned over the table. His stench was overpowering. “If you have money, I can get you out of Ukraine.” Then, gulping the last of the wine, stuffing a couple of buns in his pockets, and writing his very private number on a linen napkin, he rushed off to another “most important meeting,” leaving me with the bill.
“She still says you stole my passport.” Anna thumbed end-call on her cell phone.
“You’re completely sure she has it?” I looked at my watch. “What an idiot.”
“My mother?”
“No, that Alexi! I told him, ‘the Athena mall food fair, fourteen hundred hours.’ He even repeated it. How can he screw that up?”
“I’m surprised that you, of all people, Jess, are still dealing with him. To me he is an absolute swindler, a crook… and yes, I would say he’s an idiot.”
“That idiot, like it or not, swindler or otherwise, is the only chance we’ve got right now.”
We were about to leave when he finally showed up. Strutting through the food fair, he greeted us with an excuse about a very important meeting, “Back at the office.”
“Look!” I started in on him. “You have no office. The address you gave me is the port authority, and there is no Captain A. Laddin there or anywhere.”
“But, you are mistaken…”
“Hey, I don’t even care if you are a ship’s captain; you aren’t, are you? What I care about is getting out of Ukraine, and that’s something you might be able to help with. I assume you know people?”
“What people? I am an honest businessman, a consultant.” Alexi straightened up.
“Well consultant, now’s your chance to do a little consulting. I’d like to consult you on how you can get Anna out of here without her passport.”
Alexi looked thoughtful. “I can get you a boat, maybe even a passport.”
He got my attention, at last. I agreed to meet Alexi the following day in Sobornaya Square. He had mentioned a passport. Not promising, but worth a try.
A canopy of vines and ironwork filtered bright sunlight from a blue sky. Beneath it, a number of older Mediterranean-looking men puzzled over chess games. Alexi, like usual, was late. Not a big deal; Anna and I were enjoying the comfortable, old-world atmosphere of Sobornaya Square: soaking up the sunshine, relishing the downtime, pretending to be normal and wishing we actually were. Alexi finally ruined the moment by showing up with his usual bluster.
“Time is money, and money is time… Very important meeting, yes, indeed, so very important. You must forgive me for my late arrival.” If anything, he was theatrical.
I cringed.
Anna rolled her eyes.
“I have a solution to all your troubles, a friend in business who has boats for sale.” Alexi was boorishly loud. Perturbed chess players glared. “I can do business for you with my esteemed business comrade. It will be for a boat that will sail you to the new world. We shall go meet him now. This is a serious matter.” He paused dramatically. “Very serious, indeed. You have money?”