Juli raised her head and looked through the weeds, but it was too dark to see the entrance to the wine cellar. Lazlo said it looked like a box, most people never knowing it was a cellar at all. If she went to the back of the house, away from the men at the cars, she might be able to see the wine-cellar entrance, or she might be able to see into a back window.
As she crawled, she saw the man at the front of the house go to the door. The door opened, and light swept across the yard. She crawled faster.
Suddenly gunshots erupted in the house, one after another. The men out front and the men at the back and sides of the house ran toward it. Not knowing what else to do, Juli ran into the backyard.
Then she saw it, a box shaped like a coffin. She hid behind the box for a moment, felt along its edge, pushed up one side, then the other.
She lifted the edge of the box, glancing to the house, where two men with rifles stood in the doorway looking in. She lifted the lid of the box farther, felt for the ladder, and started down. As she eased the lid closed, she could see the men with rifles through the crack.
They turned and spread out, going back to their positions.
The cellar was darker than the night had been, but it was warmer.
When she reached the bottom of the ladder, she stepped off onto soft earth. She turned away from the ladder and stood perfectly still.
After a while she heard a sound, something like an animal feeding.
She thought of rats, and a chill went through her. She thought of Lazlo. Lazlo could be here hiding.
“Is anyone here?” she whispered.
“Who are you?” It was a woman’s voice.
“My name is Juli. Have you seen Lazlo Horvath?”
“My God!” whispered the woman harshly. “Lazlo is in the house where the shots came from! He’s with Bela! Tell me they’re all right!
Tell me they’ve escaped from the madman!”
“I don’t know,” said Juli. “I was coming up to the house when I heard the shots.”
Juli moved closer to the woman’s voice. She heard a murmur. A baby! Lazlo had said Mariska had a baby.
“Did Lazlo tell you about the wine cellar?” A voice from Juli’s left, a different woman.
“Yes.” Juli knew she did not have to ask, but she did anyway.
“Who are you?”
“I am Nina Horvath, Juli. You must recognize my voice.”
Juli backed away, found the ladder, sat on the dirt floor, and wept.
33
The cellar, at first warm in contrast to the cold night, soon felt like a tomb. The tomb was damp and cold, conspiring with Nina Horvath to make Juli feel as though she should die. This was the place Mihaly and Lazlo had spoken of, the wine cellar deep in the ground behind the house, the wine cellar with its wine-cellar smell making tears seem bitter and self-serving.
After Juli’s arrival, she heard Mihaly’s daughters whispering to their mother, asking who this woman was. “She’s a friend of Uncle Lazlo,” Nina had said. “Now be still, little dears. Try to sleep. Soon it will be a new day, and we’ll be out in the sun.”
Mariska’s baby had been nursing when Juli arrived. Now the baby was asleep. Mariska left the baby with Nina’s girls at the back of the cellar. Juli could not see Nina or Mariska, but she could hear them gently shushing the children before they made their way to her, so close she could feel their warmth. The three of them stood near the ladder at the entrance. They spoke quietly, whispering in case one of the guards surrounding the house should happen to walk close to the cellar entrance. While they spoke, Juli felt Mariska’s arm on one side and Nina’s on the other.
“What could be happening up there?” asked Mariska in an excited whisper.
There was a pause before Nina answered in a more controlled voice, her composure reminding Juli of the night Nina had called her at the apartment and asked for Mihaly. “We have no way of knowing,” she said. “At first I thought Komarov was only after Lazlo and Juli. Now I’m not sure. He’s insane. I’m convinced of it, and I’m certain Lazlo was convinced of it when he told Bela to have us hide down here. The only reason Bela isn’t here is because he provided a diversion. There were too many men to do anything else.”
“My Bela,” gasped Mariska, choking back tears. “He could have escaped during the day while out in the fields if it weren’t for us!”
Juli held Mariska to calm her. Then she felt Nina’s hand on hers, Nina also trying to calm Mariska. Neither pulled away, and their hands stayed in contact.
Mariska continued, this time careful to whisper. “I heard the madman threaten Bela before he left for the fields yesterday. He reminded Bela about the well-being of his family. And now, with all that shooting up there…”
“I don’t think Komarov shot Bela,” said Nina.
“Why not?” asked Mariska. “What else has he got to do? You said yourself he’s insane. He questioned you in Moscow. And last night he hit you…”
“He was trying to frighten me,” said Nina, her voice still composed. “He succeeded, and now we have a dilemma. I’ll do what I must to stop him from hurting my daughters.”
Nina and Juli let go of Mariska, their hands sliding apart in the darkness.
“I’ll do what I must,” repeated Nina, with determination.
They were silent for a time. Juli felt like telling them she wanted to help. But she sensed Nina needed to say more. Finally, Nina spoke again.
“If we give ourselves up, we might delay Komarov’s plan for Bela and Lazlo. But we can’t allow the children to fall into his hands. We can only stay down here so long with nothing but wine to drink.
You’ve been quiet until now, Juli Popovics. What do you think we should do?”
“It’s what I should do,” said Juli.
“What do you mean?” asked Nina.
Juli knew what she needed to say. She took a deep breath and began. “I’m the one Komarov is after. I’m the one who worked at Chernobyl. Komarov is trying to create a conspiracy. Because Mihaly isn’t here to defend himself, Komarov wants to build a conspiracy around him by pursuing Lazlo and me as if we are co-conspirators.
Lazlo said it’s an old KGB trick. If you pursue someone long enough, they begin to take on an implied guilt, especially if they hide, as we have done. Lazlo doesn’t know I’m here. I was supposed to escape into Czechoslovakia. I’m not here because I want to be a heroine.
I’m here because of my guilt. I am responsible for what Komarov is doing. There is no conspiracy. But if it weren’t for my relationship with Mihaly, none of this would have happened.”
“Your relationship caused Chernobyl to blow up?” whispered Mariska.
“That’s not what she means,” said Nina. “Perhaps she is here for forgiveness.”
Juli reached out and touched Nina’s arm. “No. I want to help Lazlo’s family.”
There was a long silence. Juli let go of Nina’s arm. Then Nina spoke.
“Komarov insists there was a conspiracy. He wants to prove you and Lazlo and… and Mihaly were involved. Mihaly is gone.
Komarov has Lazlo. Now he wants you. Is that it?”
“There’s more to it,” said Juli. “A cousin named Andrew Zukor might also be implicated.”
“Cousin Andrew?” asked Mariska.
“Andrew is from the United States,” said Nina. “I can understand how the KGB might have made the connection. I remember Andrew asking questions about Mihaly’s work at Chernobyl.”
Juli wished she could see Nina’s eyes. She recalled Aleksandra’s eyes and the eyes of the farm wife in the hospital. “Komarov wants to capture us. But he also wants to use our capture and the Chernobyl situation in a push for power.”
“If this is true…” said Mariska.
“Go on,” said Nina.
Mariska continued. “If this is true, if his goal is to uncover a conspiracy where there is no conspiracy, he’ll want to capture you in order to torture you or kill you.”
“I agree,” said Nina. “Komarov is a hard-liner. I saw it in him in Moscow. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants. No matter who gets hurt.” Nina’s voice grew somewhat louder as she turned to Juli. “No matter who gets hurt.”