Владимир Андерсон
Rimanoa
Prologue
His appearance is the last thing many people will see before they die.....
The dark figure reached the middle of the room and turned toward the bed, where a man in his thirties and a pretty girl dwelt in deep sleep.
The unknown man pointed a gun in their direction. He didn't want to take the girl away at all, and he shouldn't have: according to the latest data, the object was alone in the apartment.
But in fact, there was a stranger in the room. A stranger who could easily be a witness. The old thought of success stabbed into my head like an arrow, "No witnesses."
His finger pulled the trigger six times, and there was one less living thing in this world.
With a shriek, the girl instantly woke up, "Don't kill me, please. Don't kill me, I beg you I want to live"
She's so young and beautiful, she's got her whole life ahead of her. Why kill her?
She's not gonna tell us anything anyway.
"No witnesses!!!" rumbled a terrible thunder in the killer's head.
"Noooooo!" wailed the victim, noticing the bottomless abyss in the shooter's eyes.
The bullet flew into the forehead, tumbled in it for a couple of moments and, flying out of the back of the head, crashed into the wall along with pieces of skull and drops of blood
Change of plans
11:14 p.m. July 21.
"Where are we going?" Giuseppe asked me as the back door of the Skoda Fabia slammed shut.
"To the pay phone," I replied and thought. One more incident like this and I'm going to be a total paranoid freak. No, seriously, I can't even walk into a regular bar anymore. Or maybe I'm just getting too old for this job"
We drove down Wilsonova Street, turned left, stopped, and the chauffeur's upraised hand showed me a pay phone.
54 year old Garibaldi is our 4th level employee in Prague (under the supervision of Jean Carlo LaScoltz ("Ambassador" of the Family in the Czech Republic)). A long time ago he worked as a cab driver, but after accidentally saving the life of one of our higher-ups, he joined the organization, went where it was "quieter", and now he drives people like me around the city. From the point of view of work, he was perfect: he didn't know much, didn't want to know much, had no memory for faces and names And what else does a good driver need but good driving with good knowledge of the city nothing.
"Hello."
"This is Faust (my call signs in the underworld)." "You're in Prague?"
"Yes."
"When by the way did you pri" "Weren't you warned I was here?" "No, why?"
Robert Emerson was talking to me, you could understand it not even by his poor pronunciation (he could hardly speak Italian), but by his "smart" head (no one really had to know that I was in the Czech Republic), it's not clear how he got to Koza Nostra in the first place, perhaps because of an old friendship, though I doubt it hell knows. "Yeah, nothing," I smiled into the phone.
"So. The Ambassador is sick" "That's a real problem"
"Yes. And we have a meeting" "With who?"
"Some Morten"
"Morten? The butcher who (with my dog job I managed to keep my sense of humor)?" "I don't know Maybe"
"So, what does he want?" "Meet"
"That's it?"
"I don't know"
"Ah" the cell phone rang, "Okay, bye. "But"
I hung up the phone, stepped out of the booth, and moved toward the car. "Hello."
"It's Richard."
Richard "Lionheart" (we all have weird nicknames) was sort of my personal dispatcher and his call was almost always a sign of a change of plans.
"What?"
"The ambassador is sick" "That's news."
"He was supposed to meet with some goods carrier (felons talking on the phone sometimes resembles the chatter of toddlers in kindergarten)."
"Let me guess, he can't get out of bed and you want me to replace him" "Yes."
"Where? In bed?" "No, at the meeting"
Despite the fact that Richard had never killed anyone, he had no sense of humor at all. "Where do I have to go?"
"The ambassador will tell you himself. Everything." I turned my phone off.
"To the Ambassador, Jos."
"Whatever you say (he never argued, he just liked to ride)."
After getting a chance to sleep, I laid my head back on the seat and closed my eyes.
It's been a long time
11:41 p.m. July 21.
"Faust, stop snoozing. We're here."
I opened my eyes and saw the driver in front of me and Nerudova Street outside the window: this was where LaScolza lived. When I got out of the car and crossed the road, I pressed the bell. The door was opened by Jarno Galanzio (he didn't need a nickname), one of the landlord's ten bodyguards (he hadn't changed at all in the six years I hadn't seen him).
He was still as tall, muscular, with fire in his eyes. His most terrible disadvantage in the physical sense was a slight lethargy at those moments when the situation at the
"shooters" was heated to the limit and the shooting started. So he was the last to know about the fact that everything had gone wrong But he opened fire with a frenzy. You should see it. A big "eagle" fires like a man possessed, screaming all over "Ivanovskaya" and never hits anyone: all the bullets seem to fly in the wrong direction on purpose. And it's not that he didn't want to hit and aimed too badly, it's just that during such "eruptions" of emotions and adrenaline, his hands shook a lot, and consequently the weapon in these hands. In general, he is not a bad guy, but he takes his work too close to his heart and considers Koza-Nostra his direct family, probably because he has no family of his own. The organization simply pulled him out of the orphanage when he was seventeen and made him their "son".
He led me down a long corridor, stopped suddenly and pointed to a small door on the right: "The boss has moved in there for a while. I opened it and saw Jean Carlo lying on a disassembled sofa.
Usually a very formidable and strong-willed man without a single trace of insecurity in his voice, who always gave the right commands left and right, was now lying in bed almost helplessly. LaSkoltza knew how to find the right "warm" approach to each of his subordinates, so that he not only did a good job, but put his heart into it (possessing a wonderful talent finding the "golden mean" between "carrot and stick"). He was very often directly involved in some cases, thus encouraging the guys. Three times the Ambassador was in critical condition after shootings, and each time, when his life seemed to be over, he had a second breath. Such people can be "waterboarded" for the rest of their lives, so the fact of his illness surprised me very much.
"Oh, I greet you Faust, come closer. I entered, closed the door, and approached the sofa as requested. That's it well he coughed, along with rusty wheezes and extraneous noises, it was clear to a fool (I emphasize, only to a fool) that it was pneumonia at the hour of the meeting you see I can't, you see for yourself.... he pointed to his throat and you are the highest rank after me in all Bohemia at the moment a smile spread on his face yes I remember myself the same way Well, go Cepino will explain everything the cough was coming out of him.
"Get well," I replied and thought, "If only you were still sick."
Found the man
11:44 p.m. July 21.
I was led to the end room of the corridor, where Cepino, who had a short mustache and narrow sideburns, was located. It was the first time I'd seen this guy, but I knew at once that he was no genius. I could see nothing interesting in his face. It seemed too trivial, even with the extra vegetation. The eyes are just empty and seemingly monochromatic (black circle on a white background). The forehead was too narrow, and if you could tell the weight of brains by it, anyone would say: "About 200 grams."
"Vice-boss," quipped our young man. "What?"
"Now that's what you should be called" "Call me Faust and don't call me Faust." "Whatever you say"
"The brake lights don't work?"
"Yes, yes Whatever you say Anyway, there's a meeting with Koschei the Immortal"
"You didn't get anything mixed up, did you?" "No."
"Are you sure?" "Yes."
"So who's the meeting with?" "With Koschei."
"Alright, Serpent Gorynych, you better tell me who he is and why we should mess with him?"
"He's the new head of the local mafia"
"You must be the first to answer my first question." "His name is Koschey"
"Cool. Someone tell me, are there any other smart people inducted here?"
Galanzio, standing behind me raised his voice, "No one else knows the situation except the Ambassador and Cepino, sorry."
"Nothing, Jarno, it's not your fault So, Gorynych, tell me, what's his first and last name?"
"José Mortain." "A Frenchman?" "Yes."
"Have you looked at the dossier?" "No."
"Then what makes you think he's a he?" "Well Last name and first name"
"And my name is Faust, that I am a German?" "Ah, don't you think so?"
"Your next task will be a dossier." "Will do."
"Next. What does he want?" "Wants to talk"
"I realize it's not to go to the bathhouse. What does he want?" "Talk"
"Yeah, about what, your three-headed head." "About the case."
"Which one?" "Obviously important."
"Uh, how about a little more specific?" "I don't get it."
"Do you know what this is about?" "No. He just wanted to meet" "He doesn't have a cell phone?" "He doesn't trust him."
"Have you, what, already tried it?". "I don't, the boss does."
"Well, okay I'll try it too. Isn't he a 'lefty' by any chance?" "What do you mean?"
"I mean, isn't he a policeman?" "Apparently not. The source is reliable." "Which one?"
"Police Connections."
"I see. That's probably what you said, 'Isn't he a cop?'" "I don't know? I wasn't the one who asked."
"I see. His phone number?" "253-43-58"
"Where's the phone? (You can call anywhere from here, this is the Koza Nostra embassy, no one sends a letter here without authorization)"
"Over there," Galanzio pointed to a desk in the corner. I took a few steps toward it, picked up the phone, and dialed the right number. I heard a ringing bass: "Yes." "This is who you wanted to meet."
"One minute."
Came the wheeze of a man as old as they live, "This is José Mortain on the line" "The meeting's canceled."
"Why?"
"What did you want us to do?" "Talk"
"You have that opportunity now." "Can't do it over the phone." "Your Difficulties."
"But it's really serious." "Appreciate in money." "Thirty million." "Which ones?"
"Euro".
"What kind of occupation?" "Contraband."
"What do you mean, we don't do that sort of thing, it's against the law (either he really is a cop and wanted to catch me in a "clean confession over the phone" or he's a headless horseman).
"But"
I hung up the phone and called back (actually, I could, like LaSkoltza, forget the whole thing, but he had already passed it to me (but I have no one to pass it on to here), and
then they might inadvertently ask me: "Faust, and why the hell did you refuse the "easy" 15 million? And what will I answer: "The mood was bad" or something even worse.
In short, no matter how it's done, but I'm not going to be patted on the head for refusing). The hoarse one.
"Hello?"
"Meeting July 22 at four o'clock." "It's late."
"Explain."
"Can't on the phone." "Your Difficulties."
"The goods are already in place. We need protection, and you're the only ones we can trust here."
"What makes you think that?" "Your reputation"
"Our reputation is worth 50 percent." "But that's robbery, isn't it?!" "Goodbye, then"
"Wait!"
"What?"
"45%".
"We don't bargain, goodbye" "Okay, okay, come on over" "Where to?"
"You know that."
"It wouldn't hurt to refresh your memory." "Petrska ul. 7".
"He's all yours?" "Temporarily rented." "When would that suit you?" "On the hour."
"I'm doing you a favor." "Thank you"
"You do realize that if even a small part of what you said is not true, someone is going to get hurt badly."
"Yes."
I hung up the phone and decided to get some more sleep before fifteen minutes past one so I wouldn't fall asleep at an inopportune moment in the meeting. When I woke up, the brief dossier was already ready: Jose Morten was born in 1971 (you can't tell by the voice, although my husky baritone in my fifteen everyone accepted as in thirty) in the city of Kladno, near Prague, moved with his family to the capital six years later, studied medicine, but after graduation became the personal doctor of the local mafia, slowly rose through the ranks, starting to carry out torture with enemies of the organization and finally seized power in his own hands in 2002. Appearance (a nice picture was
attached, with a BMW and several eagles nearby): tall, sturdy, brunette, square-shaped face. Special data: hates Jews. Methods: thinks everything is good, so he is unpredictable. Count: according to our calculations, six murders with firearms, edged weapons, explosives, poisonous and narcotic substances, as well as electroshock (so much for "he thinks all methods are good"; a real amateur; one thing is clear he is not a plant agent).
"So," I barked, gathering six men (Galanzio, Cepino, Garibaldi, Gento, Reynato, Penzalla (the last three also bodyguards)) around me in a small hall, "gentlemen, we have an unpredictable man to deal with (it's always best to re-insure the morale of your men against shocks), so arm yourselves to the fullest, we'll go in three cars. Which ones do you have?" Replied Galanzio, "Two Skoda's and the boss's Mercedes."
"Alright, first group: me, Galanzio, Garibaldi, second: Cepino and Reynato, third: Gento and Penzalla, all will ride the Skoda."
"Nah, well, we kinda only have two of them," Cepino objected. "And Garibaldi's car."
"Ah, yes."
"So, your next assignment is to not ask stupid questions. Does everyone know where to go?"
"Yes," replied all but Garibaldi. "Where to?" I asked Cepino. "D. 7 on Petrska Street."
"You're a fast learner!!! At the moment of my speech, the mustachioed man vigorously tapped his fists, reminding me of King Kong "We leave in 13 minutes.
Under the cover of night.
0:55 July 22.
"What exactly do you want?" I asked Morten, standing ten meters ahead of the car, after the whole Skoda group, having passed the red gate of the garage d. 7 on Petrska Street, drove onto its yellow sand with clean tires. "Escort those trucks over there to d. 3 on Jeremenkova Street," he pointed to three KAMAZs, two of them with two people in each, the third with only one (obviously the second seat was for the main smuggler himself). "Let's go in three groups on different roads," I commanded.
We drove a little behind the "Russian light tank" along Petrska Street, then Truhlarska, turned off at Rybna, Hybernska, Rytirska. My cell phone rang.
"Hello."
"It's Richard." "Well, what else?"
"We have another important case"
"Hey, I need a vacation too, send someone else."
"No one else can handle it, it takes an experienced person" "There are no irreplaceable people."
"Maybe, but we haven't found anyone."
"First, tell me, what do you want?"
"Some work needs to be done in the city of Brno" "Which one?"
"Teach one guy some tricks" "Take him to the circus."
"I mean it" "Me too."
"We'll pay 500,000 thousand" "How long is this job designed for?" "5 Days"
"Don't tell me that's where I'm supposed to arrive at five o'clock tomorrow night" "No, five o'clock in the morning."
"There you go" "Yes."
"All right, it's a deal."
We were passing Spalena Street when I turned off the phone, we got onto Reslova, Rasinovo, finally we reached Podolske highway and, having passed it more than halfway, we turned onto Jeremenkova Street. "The KAMAZ stopped at the next red gate, Giuseppe a little farther on. Morten got out of the "tank", approached the gate and knocked, which made the latter open with an unknown hand. The smuggler said something, and then the barrier moved away, the KAMAZ moved inside, the Skoda too. We found ourselves in the same garage as on Petrska Street. As we went along, it became clear that the people standing in front of the KAMAZ were the buyers (three fat men in white suits) and their bodyguards (three big men in black near each of them).
The room could hold a total of six long-haul vehicles. At the end stood a couple of containers. On the sides were large crates, canisters, cylinders, and the like. There were two more men looming at the gate (one of them had opened whatever it was he was looming at in the past).