The Black Devil's Cave by J. C. Pater

Author:J. C. Pater [Pater, J. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J.C. Pater
Published: 2021-12-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

Lisa Van Berg, Krill, and two men who accompanied them from the United States checked into the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Yekaterinburg. Supposedly, the two new guys worked for PharGen as contractors, but Lisa couldn’t remember seeing them before. They were both middle-aged, white, and dull. They introduced themselves as James—the taller one, and William—the one with a bald spot on top of his head.

Lisa was finally alone—mercifully, she had a room of her own. After several exhausting flights—from L.A. to New York, from New York to Moscow, and from Moscow to Yekaterinburg—Lisa was bone-tired. She checked the clock on the hotel-room radio. It was seven p.m., local time. She called Mike. Yes, back home, everything was fine. Olivia seemed to like her new babysitter, Miss Gonzalez, and they both missed Lisa very much. Mike gave the phone to Olivia, and hearing her daughter’s voice made Lisa’s eyes teary.

What was she doing here? Krill gave his word that the incident in Wisconsin was unintended and nothing like that would ever happen again. But she didn’t believe him. By now, she knew the people she worked for, including PharGen’s top management, were just greedy bastards. As long as they could have their research done and turned into a profit, they didn’t care how many lives were ruined. And Lisa was trapped in the middle of their cruel game.

She was supposed to meet her companions for a late dinner, around 8:00 p.m., downstairs. She had time for a long shower, and that’s exactly what she needed.

***

Taking a long shower was a luxury Krill couldn’t afford. There wasn’t time. Since the American women used their real passports, it was easy to find out that they went from Moscow to Yekaterinburg. He wondered why they’d come here. Why Yekaterinburg?

However, CX-5 was still with them, and that’s all that mattered. Krill knew the women stayed in this hotel, but the trail went cold from here. Then, two days ago, they disappeared without a trace. They didn’t use their credit cards to rent a car or buy plane or train tickets. They might’ve paid cash, although Krill considered it unlikely. They didn’t use their passports anymore. But before they disappeared, they stayed in this hotel, and somebody had to know something.

Krill went downstairs to the lobby. While the place was luxurious, employees still appreciated twenty- or fifty-dollar bills in exchange for information. Two American women? Young and pretty? One traveling with a son who didn’t look like her? Sure, everyone remembered them. Not many Americans stayed in the hotel, and the few who did were usually men traveling on business. Had anyone talked to the women or known where they went? Serioza, the concierge, followed them outside. He might know something.

At first, Serioza was reluctant to talk. Why would the American gentleman inquire about those guests? Krill played the role of a concerned uncle. The woman traveling with a child was his niece. She was supposed to wait for him here, but instead, she disappeared and couldn’t be reached by phone.

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