The Caligula Curse by Andrei Kozyrev

Author:Andrei Kozyrev [Kozyrev, Andrei]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781665705639
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Published: 2021-06-30T04:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-THREE

In late November, they came to Masha and Seryozha’s place for lunch. Seryozha talked about a recovering patient that he was monitoring. A month ago, the poor devil had a heart attack, but refused to have a bypass in the presidential hospital. Instead, he decided to risk a delay and fly to Switzerland, with a private jet provided by Valeri.

At that point, Victor looked at Pat almost triumphantly, as if to say, “See? Valeri does good things.”

She winked back at him, listening to Seryozha.

“The patient is currently recovering in the hospital. Occasionally he speaks bluntly, like people who’ve escaped death frequently do. He was managing procurement for government medical facilities of coronary artery stents. A surgeon should have at hand a wide range of sizes, since arteries vary from person to person.

A Valeri-owned firm bought stents from Switzerland and the US, but only in the most in demand sizes while charging the government for the full range portfolio. The price difference amounted to millions of dollars. Aware of those tricks, the talkative patient who needed a rare size stent was careful not to step on a landmine that could’ve been set by a colleague, or even by himself in cooperation with Valeri.”

“It’s a hell of a story. A confession of a crook who nearly crooked himself!” Pat laughed. “But why don’t they fear being caught?”

“Corruption. Those millions of dollars end up in the pockets of Valeri who shares the money with complicit government officials,” Seryozha said emotionally.

“And his media claims that the Americans and the Swiss refuse to sell the entire medical package to Russia. The West hates Russians because they are Pravoslavny and envies their unique talents,” Masha added with indignation.

“How is the investigation into Valeri’s dealings advancing?” she asked Victor.

Pat waited for his reply with a glimpse of hope, but …

“Oh, you know. It’s progressing,” he said, and Pat noticed a shadow of that grin she hated the most.

Watching her, Seryozha and Masha didn’t press the issue further, and instead were quick to tell jokes and funny anecdotes as if nothing happened. She pretended to go along with them.

Then, rather unexpectedly, Pat said, “Victor and I are breaking up.” She said it so abruptly that even she seemed surprised by her own words. Everybody was speechless. No one said anything, and soon the couples said goodbye to each other.

In the car, Victor looked at her, “Did you mean it?”

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