TS 2 Part VI Chapter 2

Chapter 2

April 9^th, 2010

Austin

“You will love Siberia, angel. There is no other place in this earth where you can feel freedom so much as there.” Constantin turned around in the bed and took the book, full of pictures, to give it to Guntram. “Take a look by yourself. The sense of freedom is exhilarating.”

“Were people not sent there because they were against the czars? Like in Dostoevsky books,” Guntram asked with a raised eyebrow but accepted the folder muttering “thank you” before he opened it. “In my old geography book, Siberia was like a frozen hell.”

“Conditions outside the cities may be harsh but that was a century ago, and you will not live in a Gulag. It's a very nice house, away from the city and in the middle of the taiga forest. Near from the wells I bought five years ago and rebuilt from zero.”

“Near for a Russian is not the same than near for an Argentinean and much less for an European,” Guntram said with a small smile, looking at the pictures in the book Constantin had given him to familiarize with his new environment.

“Only fifty kilometres.”

“A hundred kilometres in a day. Far away for Argentineans even.”

Khanty Masyisk Airport

“Around the corner for a Russian,” Constantin laughed. “West Siberia is nice in summer and Khanty Mansiysk is a new, fast growing city built on mining profits.”

Love and Duty

Love and Duty

December 23^rd, 1969

Paris

With a heavy heart, Friederich descended the stairs of the large and elegant Art Nouveau building located at Avenue d'Iéna and turned around to look once more at the tall windows of the third floor. 'It's only for this week,' he thought and walked back to the hotel where he would be staying for the time being as he didn't want to leave Konrad alone in the city.

Back in his hotel room, he loosened his tie and removed his jacket to be more comfortable, hoping that reading a book would help him to forget the face of total desolation the boy had shown at seeing his mother and her new baby, Charles—the infant cuddled and well-loved. For her part, Marianne had simply said, “Ah, you're here. Go with the nanny.”

Once they were alone, Friederich couldn't refrain himself anymore and had said, lacing his voice with all the venom he could muster, “I see Madame has found herself a new position with Monsieur Fabourg. Congratulations.”

Marianne had only looked at him and smiled wickedly. “I understand Konrad is doing much better now. Perhaps he will be considered for the position he was created for or perhaps not. Maybe a new evaluation should be done on him.”

“One he will pass without any doubt, madam.”

“You are very certain of your own position, Tutor.”

“I only obey our Lord's commands.”

“Really? I hear the Jesuits are not regarded with as much favour as in the past. Revolting as usual. Perhaps it is time to get rid of them all once again. There are many talks in our circles about it. People also talk about my former husband, you and the real causes behind our divorce, Mr. Elsässer, and of his failure to find a new fiancée.”

“It must be a great source of comfort for you, madam, that people don't know your real face,” the young man had answered stiffly. “Enjoy it while you can. Masks eventually fall, and age only shows better our faults and flaws. I will return for Konrad on the 30^th so he can spend a pleasant Silvester with his father.”

TS 2 Part VI Chapter 1

Chapter 1

January 18^th, 2010

Zurich

“It was really unnecessary for you to come here, Mr. Lacroix,” Konrad growled, staring at the over fifty boxes full of papers, distributed in one of the meeting rooms at the bank. “Our lawyers and private investigators can take a look at them.”

“Yes, they can, but those are seventy-eight boxes full of documents written in seven or eight different languages forming a net of societies that will take years for your lawyers to understand. Is Merenghetti still around?” Michel answered dryly. “Your best chance is that we cooperate. I can lead your people through this maze and you can investigate the accounts and societies.”

“This is only Repin's files?” Konrad asked in disbelief.

“Ivan Petrov's.”

“Very well, my people will take a look at all this.”

“You are wasting precious time with your stubbornness. Let's join our efforts. Guntram might not have that time.”

“We are using all our resources somewhere else. In Latin America. Good afternoon,” Konrad finished the conversation.

“There is still one more box but we should see it in private. Thabo will bring it now,” Michel said very quietly, his voice almost like a whisper. “I have no means to process it but I've heard you had a forensic team working in Argentina.”