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“Nizhny Novgorod He has an import-export business, and an estate west of the city The Russians haven’t tipped us on what they know ahead of their report, but the officer who passed me the information implied that he’s a pretty unsavory character He has people in a lot of places, possibly even the US”

“Thanks I’ll have to get started on this right away I’ to leave both cell phones in et somebody to move the kidnapper’s phone around a bit—drive it around, ship it to friends in Italy or France He’ll be tracking the GPS to find out where I am”

“But where will you be? You can’t go off alone in this country You don’t even speak the language You can’t operate without the Russian police and that h us I want you to pro like that” Theand listened There was nobody on the line

He switched to an internal line “We’re about to lose track of Fargo He’s left the hotel He’ll probably turn up near Nizhny Novgorod in a week or two He left our cell phone and the kidnapper’s cell in his room Send somebody to pick up both Then send the kidnapper’s phone on a vacation to Rouy’s wife alive for a while”

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA

Sa forto trace

Re She had read soht or clocks would gradually lengthen their sleep cycles to a twenty-six hour day She heard the quiet knock of the girl ould be bringing her breakfast She was sensitive to Reh Remi was locked in and she had the key

The girl’s name was Sasha—a boy’s name, usually, but maybe it was a nickname, or even a name that she’d assumed because she worked for a crihteen, slireen eyes She had come in about five times now Each time she entered, Remi would make sure to talk to her

Re, Sasha What a nice breakfast you’ve brought me Thank you very much”

Sasha put the food down on the small table and pulled out the chair for Re the first few visits that she spoke English, but Relish each visit as though the tere friends, and had planted ideas

Once she had said shethe sun, and, most of all, sheon the estate when she was brought here The next visit Sasha put a bud vase on her tray with a sratitude, and she repeated her thanks just as enthusiastically the next ti-brewed Russian tea Sasha brought in a glass with sugar in it But the second time, she’d decided to sacrifice it She had said, “It’s too strong for ave the tea to Sasha Remi said that what she liked best was coffee sweetened with a little honey The next day, Sasha brought the strong tea as usual and kept it as her own, but she also brought coffee and honey Sasha sat on the bed with her tea and stayed with Remi while she ate

Each breakfast included coffee and tea, each lunch had a flower When Remi talked, she would ask Sasha questions about the world outside When there was a particularly beautiful purple-and-white tulip, Rerew, and Sasha used cups, napkin, plates, and silverware to make a little map of the estate As she placed the pieces she called theardenroadstablespasturegarage” in English

With every visit, Re to solidify the friendship and learn whatever she could about the house, the grounds, and its occupants Sasha didn’t volunteer much information Instead she listened to Remi, took a minute or two to ask herself whether the inforerous, and then invariably devised soet her in trouble

Four days—twelve meals—passed this way In the end, Re she’d arrived and partly frorounds She knew that there were twenty men on the estate ere not usually there and that they made Sasha’s work , laundry, and dishwashing And they were the sort of ave Sasha the creeps

What Sasha didn’t knoas that Remi had slipped a fork up her sleeve the second day Sasha would never have suspected that Remi had used a hole drilled in the steel bed frame to bend all the tines on the fork but one, that she had a husband who had taught her to pick a lock, and that she had broken one tine all the way off to use as a tension wrench