"What did they look like?" Aleksey interjects.
"Both were nondescript. Middle aged men, in the forty to fifty years of age range, one balding and the other with greying hair. Anglo facial features. Slacks and sports coats. They made little impression though. They remind me of some of the photographers I have seen at gallery openings and other special events. The type of guys who work in the background and don't call attention to themselves. Does that make sense?"
"Yes," Zachary answers. "You assumed they were reporters. You heard them mention my name. Did you hear anything else?"
"Nothing I can quote," Gustavo answers. "I saw them shake hands with the security guard, like I said, then it was back and forth. An example would be hearing parts of these questions and answers: You are certain it is Zachary Fellini? It is. How long has he been here? He just got here. How many guys are with him. One."
"You already mentioned they did not have cameras. Did you see any guns?"
"No."
"Why did you decide to warn me in the john that I was about to be ambushed?" Zachary asks.
"I had a distaste for how you were greeted so warmly in the lobby, then they go behind your back to alert paparazzi to get side money. It reeked of unfairness and fakery. I almost did not say anything, guessing you might be used to it in public places. Then I blurted out the warning to you. And here we are."
"You know those guys were not reporters, correct?"
"I do now, of course," Gustavo answers. "It did not occur to me at the time they were anything but reporters. Can I insert a question now?"
"Are you going to ask me who those guys were?"
"Yes, why did the two of you instantly assume they were dangerous?"
"Because they were," Zachary answers. "There is history, plus the attack I mentioned to you in San Francisco."
"Dangerous as in being undercover cops?" Gustavo asks.
"No."
"Bail bondsmen?"
"Nope."
"Assassins? Kidnappers?"
Zachary chooses to shrug and stare into Gustavo's amber eyes rather than lie.
"So we both have questions we want to skip," Gustavo notes.
"We do," Zachary responds, nodding his head.
"What are we going to do about this?"
"The peril is real. Trust is hard with a friend, much less a stranger. But the barriers will have to be broken down. The sooner the better."
"Right now, I cannot leave, walk into the sunshine, and vanish, can I?" Gustavo asks.
"You can try," Zachary says. "Aleksey may or may not stop you. Unless you are a total fool, you would stop yourself. You seem to have no idea what you are up against out there."
"Mister Fellini, can I have a few minutes of silence to think this through."
"Call me Zachary, please. I have been calling you Gustavo. We need to drop formalities."
"Why is my reason for wanting to meet with Heather Wanda of importance to you?" Gustavo asks. "I know you are curious. But it has nothing to do with why those men showed up for you in the lobby."
"We are grasping at straws here. We don't know which ones though lead to real insights. Rest here, on the couch, and let your mind consider that it is possible that we may be able to help one another."
22
Reflections
In the back seat of a shared ride, Aleksey Nabokov scrolls through numerous text messages from Rafael pleading for a face-to-face visit to discuss what happened. The messages include apologies and an assertion that Aleksey's conclusions about Peter are conjecture and speculation.
Ending their relationship with dignity and peace is important to Aleksey. He does not want turmoil, anger, or cruel and regrettable words in a melodramatic confrontation to be what he remembers about the bond he built with Rafael. From past experience he knows that final confrontations are fraught with hazards, as partners unload their arsenal of accusations and suspicions. Oftentimes these fights overshadow and tarnish all of the good moments and treasured intimacy.
Embracing brevity, Aleksey texts Rafael a short message wishing him well and indicating that he has not yet decided on whether meeting him again can happen.
Aleksey is dropped off at a pavilion that shares a central plaza with a library, police station, and multigenerational center. The empty pavilion-an open air theatre covered with a three-pronged canopy-style roof-has stone benches under a cluster of sixteen palm trees near its entrance. Aleksey positions himself on a bench, leans his back against a tree, and leaves messages with numerous contacts. His vague inquiries do not address the morning's events, his location, or the incidents in San Francisco. With less than a handful of the contacts, the ones he considers genuine friends, Aleksey specifically refers to Cobra de Capello or Wanda Barrone and asks them if they have heard of any recent activity.
His next task is locating a backup rental in the event that Zachary decides to immediately change their location. Aleksey believes this is likely and meticulously hunts for something Zachary will be satisfied with and that fulfills his security requirements. He chooses a townhouse in a newly constructed hillside neighborhood above a Catholic church with views of the Las Vegas Strip. It is a neighborhood Aleksey previously researched before selecting the condominium in the mixed-use complex.
While waiting for responses, Aleksey pays for a day pass at the multigenerational center, changes into a swim racing suit, locks his belongings in a locker, and takes only a towel and goggles to the Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool. He chooses an empty lane and dives in, exhilarated by the refreshing cool water and reflected lightwaves. A competitive swimmer throughout his youth, Aleksey knows he does his best thinking when merged with the pool, in a trance-like state, rolling through continuous laps with paced breathing. He believes there is nothing like it in all of sports, though long distance running can occasionally produce a similar and less intense effect.
Without having to shares his lane with other swimmers, Aleksey elects to swim the laps on his back. This stroke-the backstroke-was his greatest strength, compared to his peers, due in part to his dexterous shoulders which afforded him a long reach. Upon completing his first set of laps, while watching the clouds crawl and mutate in the sky, Aleksey's thoughts effortlessly stream around the day's concerns and mysteries.
He does not regret leaving Zachary alone with Gustavo. First, Zachary ordered it, likely for two primary goals-earning Gustavo's trust and giving Aleksey privacy to do his work. Second, Aleksey does not fear Gustavo's intentions. Gustavo did not have a weapon and all indications suggested his secret reason for being in the lobby did not involve any efforts against Zachary. Still, to be sure, Aleksey will continue studying Gustavo when he returns to the condominium.
Aleksey wonders why Wanda Barrone, one of the owners of Cobra De Capello, was enjoying a drink in the rooftop hotel lounge while an operation was active. Even if not the brains behind executing her order, wouldn't she want to be in a location more like an intelligence center-a situation room, at least-and getting live updates? Since she was not, does that suggest overconfidence or disinterest? Or perhaps her task in the lounge was paramount to whatever was occurring four stories below with Zachary? Her curious behavior needs much more reflection, Aleksey decides.
He next considers what would have happened in the lobby without Gustavo's warning. Would the men have taken only Zachary? Would his seizure be for ransom and intimidation or just outright revenge? Would they have wounded Zachary and destroyed his career?
Aleksey realizes he does not have the answers to the quandaries. Far too many pieces of the puzzle are missing. But he feels certain that if the fog could be cleared that one prominent man would be at the center of the reason for it all. Nathaniel Balder.
Aleksey finishes his final set of laps with this conclusion in his mind. Nathaniel is not directing the predicaments, but, ultimately, he is the reason for them. Zachary-Nathaniel's closest friend, and no easy target himself-is a much more accessible mark. It is danger by association. The cost of their friendship and the result of Nathaniel's often merciless behavior.
Aleksey returns to the locker room and rinses the chlorine off his body with a hot shower. As he puts on his clothes he reviews his messages, all of which hold little value, except for Zachary's text letting Aleksey know he needs more time alone to gain Gustavo's trust.
Wandering about two miles, past residential neighborhoods and to a small commercial district, Aleksey takes a booth in a locally-owned pizzeria with homemade dough. Starving from the exercise and day's challenges, he devours three glasses of iced tea and a large pizza covered with black olives, vegetables, and tangy tomato sauce. While waiting for the waitress to bring him change, he receives a text image from a friend.
"What the hell is this?" Aleksey mutters to himself, expanding the size of the image by spreading his thumb and forefinger on the screen.
The photo is from a security camera, full color and unblemished, apparently shot downwards from the height of the ceiling. The center of the image contains the facial features of a young man sitting on a sofa, looking upward, with an open magazine in his lap.