Chapter 60
Bogdan has seen where Marina lives, and now is as good a time as any. She will know what to do about the bones; he sensed that as soon as he met her. He has brought her flowers. Not from the shop but from the woods, tied the way his mother used to tie them.
The external door to the building swings open.
“I am here for Marina? To see Marina?” he says as he walks through.
The first door off the carpeted hallway swings open; he sees an elderly man in pajamas running a comb through his thick gray hair.
Maybe he has got this wrong? Either way, the man will know Marina and can point him in the right direction.
“I come looking for Marina?” says Bogdan. “I think maybe she live here, but maybe another flat?”
“Marina? Of course, of course, come in, let’s get the kettle on, shall we? Never too early, is it?” says Stephen.
With an arm around his shoulder, the man ushers Bogdan in. He is relieved to see a picture of Marina, a younger Marina, on the hallway table. It’s the right flat.
“I don’t know where she is, old chap, but she won’t be long,” says Stephen. “Probably at the shops or round at her mother’s. Sit yourself down and let’s make the most of the peace and quiet, eh? You play chess at all?”