“A friend,” he said, smiling to himself. “I wonder, does Sasha know how popular you are?”
“Why don’t you tell him?” A quick glare, then looking down, retreating. “It’s not what you think.”
“Ah,” the Russian said, enjoying himself. “You should get an appointment book.” He turned to Alex. “Or are you early?” He put on his hat, then stopped halfway through the door and looked at Alex. “You won’t be sorry. Make sure she washes, though. Between friends.”
The door closed with a click. Irene moved over to the table and put down the candle, then belted her robe.
“He works with Sasha,” she said, low, almost mumbling.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
“No?” She took a cigarette from a pack on the table and lit it with the candle. “I thought you weren’t coming here anymore.”
Alex raised his eyebrows, waiting.
“He came to ask me questions.”
“That’s some answer,” Alex said, nodding at the robe.
She looked at him, then away. “Yes, isn’t it? So now he knows. I’m a whore. Not somebody who would help Sasha. Somebody he’d stay here for. Because he loved her. Who loves a whore? So he thinks I’m innocent,” she said, cocking her head toward where the Russian had been. “That’s how they know if you’re innocent now, if you’re a whore.”
“Irene—”
“Oh, look at your face. You don’t have to— It’s always in your face. You know, when I saw you at the door I thought, my God, he couldn’t help himself, he had to come. Like before. Stay away? You?” She drew on the cigarette. “But that was when you were in love with me. Not now.” She crushed the cigarette on a saucer. “So why did you come? We’re supposed to be so careful.”
“We need to talk.”
“About this?” she said. “You already know. They think maybe I’m hiding Sasha. Now they don’t think it anymore. So that’s good anyway.”
“They’re going to think he defected.”
“Sasha? He would never do that. Why would they think that?”
Alex hesitated for a second.
“What is it? Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s the logic of it. It’s how they think. What else could it be? Now that he’s not holed up somewhere with you.”
“In our love nest. You know the funny thing? I think he did love me. In his way.”
Alex looked at her, disconcerted. “If you say so.”
“You didn’t know him. Anyway, he’d never defect.”
“But they’re going to think so and you’re going to help them.”
She looked up at him.
“They’re going to ask you again. And again. He didn’t want to go back to Moscow. You thought it was because he didn’t want to leave you. But now you know that wasn’t true, because you haven’t seen him. You’ve been thinking. He acted as if he was afraid to go back, that something bad was going to happen.”
“And they’ll believe that?”
“Bad things do happen. That’s the world they live in.” He paused. “Maybe it’ll be your friend again. Asking. He’ll believe you.”
“Don’t.” She turned away. “You don’t know what it’s like.”
Alex said nothing.
“So. That’s what you wanted to tell me? Sasha was afraid of Moscow? That’s why you came?” She looked over, her face softer. “Not to see me?”
“We need to talk about—”
“What?” she said, her voice intimate.
“Erich. I think you should go with him.”
“To the West?” she said, surprised.
“He’ll need somebody. I can get you both out.”
“Oh, like a travel agent. Two tickets, please. Just like that. One way. You can’t come back now if you do that.”
“You’ll be safe.”
“From what?”
“Maybe the next one who questions you isn’t your friend. Maybe it’s someone who wants real answers.”
“Why would they—?”
“Bodies get found. Things happen. You’re not safe here. You have to get out while you can.”
“Leave Berlin? What would I do? My life is here.”
“It won’t be, if they find him. It wouldn’t just be a few questions.”
“I know what they do. You think I’d—?”
“Everyone does. Whether they want to or not.”
She looked at him. “You think I’d tell them about you. You want to send me away to protect yourself.”
“To protect you.”
“You think I would do that? Give them you?”
“You wouldn’t be able to help it.”
“And you? Would you tell them?”
He looked away, not saying anything.
“No, not you. A man of principles. Only a whore would do something like that.”
“I didn’t say—”
She came over to him, reaching up for his arms.
“Don’t you know anything? I would never—”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re not safe here.” He looked down. “It’s not safe.”
“The only one who knows is you.”
He nodded. “I can’t protect you here. Sasha’s gone. You have to get out. Now. It’s not safe.”
“You keep saying that.” She looked up. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“You have to trust me.”
“Trust me. When a man says that he’s going to do something you don’t want him to do. Trust me. And then he’s gone.”
“This is different.”
“Yes? And are you coming too?”
“I can’t. I’m not welcome there. You know that.” He paused. “Not yet.”
“Oh, not yet. So I sit and wait for you. And you don’t come. And all we have is our secret.”
“But you’ll be safe. Erich will be safe. He’ll have a life there.”
“So it’s for Erich, all this.”