Tsvetana Alеkhina "Palmist. Books 1,2,3"

The next day, the investigator came toВ interrogate, or rather toВ talk toВ the Sultan. Amir was aВ translator, and from that moment, their close communication began. Amir and Sultana were toВ some extent closely related. They had one goal toВ catch the criminal, Sultana was the victim, and Amir was the defender and translator.

– Tell us from the very beginning how you met.

– It all started with the fact that my father and I lived very poorly. My father was widowed early, and at that time, he was out of work. And one day I went dancing to improve my financial situation with my father. Exactly a year later, I became the best dancer in our city. My father and I were well known and respected in the city. I had nothing to be afraid of. Every evening I returned home to my father, and we were happy. One day a man came to one of the restaurants where I performed every Thursday, it was Arthur. He started coming every Thursday. I did not pay any attention to him. I thought it was just a tourist from another city. But one fine evening he offered me a job in our capital city of Phnom Penh. Of course, I refused; I did not want to leave my father’s house anywhere. And from that moment on, he literally began to haunt me. It got to the point that this man started telling me that he would kill my father if I did not go with him. I had to agree. I did not tell my father anything. I said it was temporary and I would definitely come back. With these words, Sultana burst into tears. She could not talk anymore.

– You will definitely come back. This bastard will soon be put on the criminal wanted list in many countries.

– He has a private plane; he will fly wherever he wants. Sultana was so hopelessly desperate to catch Arthur, for her he was invulnerable.

– I do not know how to assure you. But if we help each other, then things will go uphill. Amir was so penetrated by Sultana’s grief that he was ready to cry himself. – What happened next?

– Then I performed all over the capital. I was taken to banquets, cafes and restaurants. I became famous. At first, everything was fine. I had a house that Arthur rented for me. This house was guarded; it was safer for me myself. I had money, I sent most of it to my father, and I kept less for myself. Then I began to notice that I had imperceptibly turned into a prisoner. The guards literally chased me, and sometimes I just could not go to the store, they would not let me out. Then I began to receive less money, and eventually the connection with my father stopped. I became a prisoner, and one day I found out that I was flying to Russia. This news sent me into shock. I realized that this is the end. Sultana’s eyes were full of tears, and her voice was hoarse. And I decided to run. During my entire stay in Phnom Penh, I noticed that one of the guards who stand at the entrance to my house likes me. I managed to get him to talk, and he confessed his love to me and offered to run away together. Then he disappeared without a trace. Sultana could not stand it and burst into tears.

– Let’s let her calm down. Maybe that is enough for today. The investigator stood up.

– No, I will continue. A week later, I managed to overhear that this guy was killed because he was able to steal my passport to escape. Also from their conversation, I found out who Arthur is. He is a murderer. And he killed many people. He kills everyone he does not need anymore. Those who have served their service have brought their benefits. From their conversation, I realized that he only needed me to open the restaurant that I opened. Then he will kill me. And I decided to run alone, by myself. I managed to go to the store for shopping. Accordingly, under escort. Two guards accompanied me. They were so afraid of losing me, and they lost me. I ran away. I succeeded. Without a passport, with a small amount of money, I managed to hide with a kind woman, and I told her everything. This woman understood me and helped me. Her relatives took me to my father. And I managed to see him. Sultana fell silent.

– You have achieved a lot. Well done. You are here. And your father is alive, too. Everything will be fine. Sultana looked straight into Amir’s eyes, trying to figure out if he was lying to her.

– We arrived late at night. Father was not expecting us. I could not tell him what position I was in. And Karima did it. She told him everything. I was so ashamed. But my father, he and I are so close. He raised me after my mom left us. In the morning, the guests left us, and we had to go to the police and write a statement, but Arthur’s people broke into the house and started shooting. I thought my father was murdered. I was taken out of the house, and on the same day, they brought me to Moscow. In Moscow, I found out that my father was alive, this news infuriated Arthur, and he decided to get rid of both of us. First from me, then from my father.

– From whom you will learn this news.

– I am eavesdropping. I can eavesdrop.

– You are doing great. Amir translated everything word for word. And Sultana broke into a smile.

– After my performance, I was locked in the basement, where I found out the latest news, and they took me somewhere again. Where I do not know. But the guy who was driving, he knew where and why we were going. And after Arthur said the words in Russian, he looked at me and gave a sign. I realized that this was my chance, and I began to hold on tighter. The driver accelerated the car and put Arthur under attack. Then you know.

– Yes. Then we know. You are doing great. You have told us a lot and helped us a lot. We will see you again. The investigator left the chamber, leaving Sultana and Amir alone.

– I will come to you tomorrow. Rest today, you are tired. Amir went out, leaving Sultana alone. Sultana looked out the window as Amir and the investigator got into the car. Then she went to bed and fell asleep.

– From the general picture, it is clear that this Arthur is looking after poor girls in restaurants that no one will look for much. Then he takes them to another country and when the girl is no longer needed, he gets rid of her. This picture has been painted for a long time, but it is not easy to prove it.

– Yes. This is a complicated case. We need to figure out how to contact her father. He needs to be informed that she is all right.

– It is better not to do that.

– I know. But she’s so worried about her father. Maybe something really will happen to him.

– «Something will happen to him if he finds out she’s alive. He will go to the police and tell them everything.

– «Oh, so he doesn’t know she’s dead yet. So leave it as it is. In a month, everything will fall into place by itself.

– Do you think in a month?

– I think yes, and be sure to examine her legs. This is very necessary for the case.

– I wanted to see them myself; it just has not worked out yet.

– I hope you will do it tomorrow, we just have to wait for this Arthur to come out of his coma, and he will. People like him are tough nuts.

All this time, Ahmed continued toВ be depressed, and almost did not leave the house. His neighbors noticed this, and began toВ come toВ his house. After finding out the reason for his condition, they decided toВ look after him until his daughter was found. Sometimes Karima called him and asked about his condition. He replied that everything was fine, and did not want toВ burden anyone with worries.

On the day when Ahmed’s house was attacked, the neighbors heard gunshots – we thought it was some kind of robbers. Although what to steal from us, we are already poor. We wanted to call the police, but the police themselves arrived so quickly. How is it so to steal people in broad daylight? It remains to trust in God. Your daughter will be found. If she came back the first time, she will come back the second time. You will see.

– I do not know why, but I feel trouble.

– It is a parental instinct. You just think about it a lot. Let us go to the mosque with you and pray. I have not been there myself for a long time.

– That is a good idea.

– I will pick you up today. And we’ll go. The neighbor left. Ahmed revived thanks to the arrival of a neighbor. Communication and support of a friend that is what he lacked. It was so hard for him alone. His neighbor was about the same age as him. True, he lived with his wife. They rarely talked. But in a difficult moment, he came to support a neighbor, and Ahmed was glad to communicate.

Exactly a week has passed since the accident. Sultana was fine. Arthur’s condition stabilized, and as the investigator said, he was a tough nut to crack and opened his eyes. His eyes darted nervously from side to side; the nurse on duty quickly ran up to him and called the doctor. Arthur came to his senses, but he did not remember everything. From a strong blow to the head, there were blackouts in memory. He immediately remembered a lot, but not everything, and did not want to show it.

– You should not strain yourself so sharply. Arthur glared at the doctor. The doctor was afraid of this look and left the intensive care unit. Arthur was transferred to the ward and a new doctor took care of his health.

– «I need to recover as soon as possible.

– I understand you; it all depends on your body. If you were able to get out of the coma, then you will quickly get better. Arthur felt for a moment that he was full of strength, and was ready to return to his old life. But his strength quickly left him, and the headache made itself felt, and he went to bed.

His people were notified ofВ his recovery, his loyal dogs rejoiced. Women murmured at the sky and poured curses on his head. Only Vina thanked God and prayed for his health.

Left alone in the ward, Arthur tried to remember the latest events. A car ride popped up in his memory, but he could not remember why and where he was being taken. Arthur went into his phone book and began to look at the latest calls, but did not dare to call. He wanted to remember everything by himself in the smallest details. His premonition told him that his affairs were bad, and it was so. His affairs were very bad. He called one of his loyal people. And his faithful dog Jamal came running to his call— – Tell me how I got here.

– It is all because of this girl. It was her you were taking to sell for one night. And this driver of yours seems to have betrayed you. He escaped. We cannot find him anywhere.

«I knew it. From overexertion, a vein swelled on his face, and he felt worse. He lay down. His health condition was actually severe. Arthur was sick and weak. There was a stubble on his face; Arthur had not shaved all these days. And the imprint of the disease added wrinkles. His appearance was not very good. His habit of combing his hair back with his left hand has remained unchanged, for all these days his hair has taken a funny shape and Arthur looked like a lion after a fight. – This girl is stealing my best people. My driver was one of the best, I trusted him, he went through so much with me, and was able to fall under her spell. When I get out of here, I will personally finish her off.

– «She’s dead. She died in an accident.

– How? Have you personally seen her corpse?

But IВ know for sure that her body was taken toВ the morgue.

– «That doesn’t mean she’s dead. I will not believe it until I see the death certificate and her grave.

– This is also impossible. She was undocumented. So she was buried as a rootless one. Especially in the form in which she was taken away. No one thought of her, so she was just buried.

– Well, if so. But it seems to me that this girl was able to escape from the morgue. I can feel it. What about my fugitive?

– We are looking for him, but he disappeared without a trace. Thanks to the faithful servant, Arthur remembered a lot, but he completely forgot about the Wine, and where he brought it.

Vina was an Indonesian citizen. Where Arthur’s business flourished quite well. It was in this country that Arthur was the king of the criminal world, and no one cared about that. He was doing so well there. In addition to all this, he appeared there so rarely that no one knew him by sight. His well-tested people were behind all his affairs. The main direction of his business was the sale of girls, mainly dancers who were ordered from him, also for personal pleasures. He simply sold them to brothels, but he himself did not like to engage in brothels. He also engaged in the purchase and sale of cars, including stolen ones, and weapons. Despite all his dirty activities, Arthur has never been involved with drugs. Once he promised himself that he would never get involved with drugs, all this because he was afraid of them himself. He was afraid to get hooked on them, and thereby ruin his life, as well as his business ahead of time. It was enough for him that he was already making good money.

The next day, Amir came to Sultana in the hope that she would allow him to show his feet. And ask a few more questions. – Hello Sultan. Sultana looked at him affably. She liked him, but she was afraid to admit it to herself, she was also afraid to bring a person closer to her for fear of causing him trouble. The story with the guy who wanted to steal her passport ended badly. The fate of the driver who saved her was unknown to anyone. The guy who couldn’t kill her father died himself, and Sultana was just afraid to let anyone help her.

– What happened to you? You are sad.

– Nothing. I am just scared.

– Why? Sultana told Amir everything she knew about the people who tried to help her.

– «I’m afraid of causing you trouble.

– Don’t be afraid. Nothing will happen to me. Anyway, we have already met, and I have already helped you. So nothing can be fixed anymore. I have something very important to tell you.

– What? Amir told the Sultan about his origin and about the gift of palmistry that he inherited from his father.

– On the opening night of the restaurant, when I first saw you, I immediately realized that you were in danger. So I ordered a table for the next evening. But when my friend and I came, you were no longer there, there was another dancer.

– «Another dancer?» Sultana uttered these words with such indignation.

– Exactly. Another. So when I first saw you, I smelled death. And I was afraid for your life. I tried to find a connection with you from the restaurant staff, but I was refused. And no one could contact you. I realized that I had lost you. And that same night I saw you in the morgue. You see, death has bypassed you. You managed to escape.

– Yes, I succeeded. But for how long? Now a new victim has been brought in my place. And when she gets tired of her, they will get rid of her as well as of me.

– «Let me examine your legs.» I can see the future and we can change it. This will help us find answers to many problems. Sultana did not decisively take off her slippers and showed her feet to Amir.

– Amir touched her feet and flew far into the future, but he could not understand anything. Some episodes that had nothing to do with what was happening surfaced before his eyes. There were strange visions. His institute. His family. But nothing related to Arthur.

– That is weird.

– What happened? Sultana looked at Amir with such naive eyes. He could not say anything back to her.

– Nothing. We need to look again. If you don’t mind? Sultana did not decisively take off her slippers again. For the first time in all this time, Amiru faced such a difficulty as this. He could not reliably read the future, fragments and episodes surfaced before him. Reading Igor’s fate, Amir was able to see everything in detail. Up to the conclusion of the contract. But reading the fate of this girl, he saw himself, his institute, his family. – That is weird. What could it mean? Amir could not understand anything.

– «So what happened anyway?» Am I going to die?

– No.

– And what?

– I do not know myself. I guess I just lost my gift. With these words, Amir went outside. After standing on the threshold for a while, he returned to the ward. We will return to this issue later.

– OK. I have one more question.

– Which one?

– I would like to go outside at least sometimes, to be on the hospital grounds for at least twenty minutes.

– «Do you even know what you’re saying?» You are practically dead. If they see you, then everyone will end, including this clinic that sheltered you. Amir did not notice how he raised his voice to Sultana and Sultana looked at him sadly. – I am sorry. He said softening up.

– Yes. You are right. I was just daydreaming.

– OK. Go for a walk. Let everyone see you.

– No one will see me. I will go out the back door; I will be wearing a medical mask and a hood. I will be like a medical worker.

– «You’ve already thought of everything. Well done. Who is helping you, your nurse, with whom you are friends? Do not forget that she can be dangerous, too. You had better trust me more than her. With these words, Amir, offended, silently left the ward. Sultana sat down on the edge of the bed in thought.

Amir walked in thought over the lines of Sultana’s fate that he had seen. «Whatever that means.» Either I have lost the gift, or her fate is closely intertwined with mine. But how? What if I tell my father about it? I will test my gift first. When he got home, he examined Lyosha’s legs. – Well, that is quite another thing.

– And what actually happened?

– Nothing. I just cannot see the fate of this girl.

– How’s that?

– I see our honey, my house, and some other pictures. And nothing related to Arthur. Strange. Lyosha laughed and patted Amir on the shoulder. – What does that mean?

– Nothing. You will find out soon enough. Amir thought about it, and when he came to himself, he said that Lyosha would have a second half this year. – You too.

– I have already appeared, do not forget that I am engaged and I have a wedding date. Lyosha was laughing convulsively. Amir believed that it was from overwork in the classroom.

The next day, Amir met with the investigator and told him everything that he could not see the fate of the girl, and considered it right to seek advice from his father. – I will send him a photo or video of her legs, and he will help us.

– If you think so, then apply. I am interested in the driver who drove them. He is gone. If we could find him, this person would help us a lot. Perhaps he knows where and why they were going. In addition, everything points to the fact that it was he who changed the bodies, and he disappeared without a trace. Maybe this guy is just hiding from Arthur.

– Yes, it is possible.

– And the most important news is that Arthur has come to his senses. From now on, we will be watching him tirelessly. Behind his every move. To speed up his capture, we just need our own person, and it would be best if it were a woman. We need a decoy duck, and this duck needs to be found in the shortest possible time.

– «You’re right. That would solve all the problems. Can I use a ready-made duck?

– Who is she?

– This is the dancer who came to Sultana’s place. If she is initiated into the case and provides substantial evidence, then she will be on our side and will help us with the investigation.

– «You’re right. I will take care of it. The investigator left, Amir remained in his thoughts, he mentally built up his conversation with his father, asking him for help and explaining the reason. If his relationship with his father would be the same as Sultana’s. It would have been much easier for him. But everything turned out the way it is, and he decided to call.

Amir’s father was waiting for this call. He foresaw this storm, and it came. – Father, how can it be that I cannot read fate, but only see its episodes?

– And this episode is you? After a long pause, Amir squeezed out,

– There are in some places.

– I understand what you want to tell me. Send me a photo of this girl’s legs as soon as possible. Amir was surprised by such a peaceful conversation with his father, and quickly left for the clinic. Because of these events, Amir missed classes too often, which began to negatively affect his studies. Sultana and the investigator occupied all his free and not free time. Amir just became obsessed, and it seemed that he was personally involved in this case. Amir managed to take a picture of the girl’s legs, despite long persuasions, and he sent the photo to his father.

Rashid was waiting for this photo. After Amir’s departure, he was not at ease. It was as if he had been waiting for this conversation. Rashid himself could not understand how two completely different girls could occupy such a significant place in his son’s life. Looking at Sultana’s legs, he lost his peace finally. Not seeing his son’s legs, he saw that his life was in great danger. And not even just in danger, but could lose it at any moment. Rashid locked himself in his office and did not come out for dinner. His wife knocked on the door.

– What happened to you?

– What makes you think that something happened to me? In his entire life, Rashid has never closed himself in his office, and even more so for a long time.

Nina talked to him through the door and did not try to get inside. She hoped that her husband would come out to talk and want to see her. But he didn’t let her in and didn’t come out for dinner. She understood that something was wrong, and it had to do with their son. What Rashid saw simply horrified him, and only when he lay down to sleep he uttered the words, «oh, if I could only see his legs, everything could be changed. At these words, Nina got out of bed and handed her father a picture of Amir’s legs. – Where did you get this?