“What did she say?”
“She said she was taking Stanislav out for a walk.”
“Your dog, I believe, a gift for your retirement.”
“Yes. I thought maybe the caller was her lover and Maria was slipping out to meet him. I followed her, in disguise, of course.” He looked to Sokalov for approval.
“Of course,” Sokalov said.
“She took the subway.”
“To walk the dog?” Sokalov asked. Again, this did seem like odd behavior.
Kulikov sat forward in his seat and put his glass on Sokalov’s desk, his eyes wide, his voice again seeking approval. “That’s what I thought. Odd, isn’t it? I mean, we live in the Yakimanka District. There are many parks to walk a dog. We are not far from Gorky Park. So I’m thinking, Why would she take the subway?”
Sokalov leaned forward, lifted Helge’s glass, and placed it on a coaster so as not to damage the wood. “And did you follow her? Where did she go?”
“First? First she went to Teremok.”
Another surprise.
“She said she was picking up something to eat. After, she went to the Temple of the Martyr Anastasia. The temple is small and there was only one other couple so I remained outside.”
“A temple? That does seem odd.” Sokalov felt himself getting angry. “But how do you know she met a lover if you did not go inside?”
“I watched from a window. Maria knelt before an icon. She waited until the couple left.”
“To do what?”
Kulikov raised a finger. “That is the odd part. She walked around the back of the icon.” He arched his eyebrows, as if he’d just disclosed some nuclear code.
“To do what?” Sokalov asked.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t see. After a moment, she left.”
Sokalov sat back, trying to hide his anger for having wasted precious time with this fool. “She picked up dinner, then went to a church where she knelt before an icon. Then she went behind the icon. Then she left?”
“Yes. I was about to go inside the church when a man arrived.”
“Her lover?” Sokalov again became interested.
“I believed so, yes.”
“You confronted him, then,” Sokalov asked.
“No.”
“No?” Bosh! This man is a coward as well as a fool.
“I could not be sure, not without Maria present, but I watched him and . . . he, too, went inside and he, too, walked to the back of the icon.”
Sokalov had to admit, there didn’t seem a ready explanation for this behavior. “Then what?”
“He left.”
“And then you confronted him.”
“No.”
“You didn’t confront the man you believe your wife is having an affair with? For God’s sake, why not?” Sokalov caught himself. “I’m sorry. I just expected that you would.”
“How could I confront them if they were not together? The man would have denied any knowledge of what I was talking about, and then he would have warned Maria that I was on to them. If he was her lover.”
“What then did you do?”
“I went inside to see what was behind the icon.”
“And . . .”
“A guard showed up and kicked me out to lock the temple for the night.”
“So . . . you found nothing?”
“No, but don’t you think that is odd behavior for one person, let alone two so close in time to one another?”
“Yes. It is, certainly.” Sokalov pushed a button beneath his desk. A moment later his phone buzzed. Sokalov picked up the receiver and acted as if he were listening to someone speak. He hung up. “I’m sorry to cut our conversation short, Helge, but I have meetings, as I said. Let me cut to the chase here. What is it that you would have me do?”
“Maria respects you, Dmitry. She respects this office. I understand that affairs are forbidden so employees don’t divulge classified information to a lover.”
“As I said, it is frowned upon.”
“I was hoping you might speak to her, in private, remind her of her responsibilities and the potential risk she is taking. This is a difficult thing for a man to ask . . . I was once a professional football player; have I told you that before?”
Sokalov tried his best to look grave. Inside he smiled. The man was asking Sokalov to spend time with his wife. Sokalov would certainly accommodate him. He’d spend time on top of and below Maria. “Yes, Helge, and I know you are a proud man, a proud Russian man. I promise you I will look at this from every possible angle. You don’t need to trouble yourself or do anything more. If I learn of anything, anything at all, I will notify you immediately.” He looked to the jewelry on the desk. “Let me keep these for when I speak to Maria. It will give me some credibility, don’t you think?”