The Prodigal Spy

“I don’t know. He was all right at noon. Then at the concert, all of a sudden he has to leave. Something happened.” But how many possibilities were there? The gallery. The walk to the Loreto. The bridge. He looked at her.

“Did A

“I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”

“Is it possible that—” She stopped.

“What?”

“Please don’t be angry. That he did kill himself?”

“No.” She waited for more. “Why would he have gone to all the bother about the train? The whole plan, making me get tickets. Would he have done that to me?”

She shook her head.

“He was murdered.”

She flinched. “But why?”

“Because someone didn’t want him to leave. There can’t be any other reason.” He looked straight at her. “So who else knew he was pla

She didn’t meet his eyes but looked down at her glass, somewhere else. Then she folded her arms across her chest, shivering, as if there were a draft in the stuffy room.

“What?” he said.

“I’m sorry. It’s the wine.”

“It’s not the wine.” Tell me.

“No, it’s everything. It’s my fault, isn’t it? Starting this. We never should have come.”

Not what he’d expected. “Stop.”

“You blame me.”

“I don’t blame you.” But why did you lie?

“It never would have happened.”

“Stop it, Molly. Somebody killed him, not you. This isn’t helping anything.” He put his napkin on the table. “Come on, we’re both tired. Let’s go up.” Play everything through.

“Sorry,” she said, stung by his tone. “This is just making it worse, isn’t it?”

And upstairs it was no better. They got into bed, an acting kiss, then turned away from each other, lying on their sides. He looked at the light on the ceiling, thinking of the other night, the tram bells outside, drowning in her. Now he was alert but absolutely still, as if he were afraid moving would wake her, even though he knew the reason he could not sleep was that she was awake too.

They took a taxi to the funeral address, a street out past the station, near the outskirts of town. The room, a kind of chapel with pews, was plain and functional, stripped down to a lectern, a Czech flag, one vase of flowers, and the wooden coffin on a platform in front. An undertaker in a black suit hovered near the door, an anxious maitre d‘ waiting for the room to fill, but after a few early arrivals no one came, and finally he had to start.

A

He and Molly sat across from A

The loneliness of the room was oppressive, and Nick shifted in his seat, causing a creak. Were they watching him? He had seen it in their faces, that he had a new role to play now, the cause of his father’s despair, the unbearable reminder of everything he’d lost. His fault. And for a moment he gave in to it, became what they wanted. What if none of it was true, the whole story a pretense his father could no longer keep up? No Silver. No plan. Just a story whose plot had run out. Easier for everybody. What had he actually seen in the flat but the disorder of a final night? Then Molly squirmed beside him and he was alert again. He turned. People were nodding at the speech, their heads down. Only Zimmerman was looking at him, his eyes bright, interested. Who knew it hadn’t been suicide, only that people wanted it to be.

The Czech went on, František dropping to a guttural rumble, then chopping the air with his hand, making some point. A

The words ended abruptly, and František sat down next to A

The room emptied quickly, a few polite condolences to A

“I’m sorry, A

“Thank you for coming,” she said formally. Then, softly, “He would have wanted that.”

He felt his insides lurch. “I wish I had known him better.”

“I think you knew him better than anyone,” she said sadly. “You knew what he was like before.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again, at a loss. “Can we take you home?”

“No, no. I have to stay here. For the arrangements. Goodbye,” she said to Molly, holding out her hand. “He liked you.”

“Oh,” Molly said, struck. She reached over and embraced A

“No,” she said stiffly. “It’s all arranged. Goodbye.”

Nick looked at her, not knowing what else to do. His stepmother, a stranger. But she was already turning away from him, back to her life.

“A

She looked up at him. “He took a nap.”

“You were with him? I mean, did he see anybody?”

“No,” she said, sterner now. “He took a nap. He was thinking. He would do that, lie on the sofa thinking and then fall asleep.”

“He didn’t go out?”

“No, I told you. Leave me alone now.” She looked up, her eyes fierce. “Leave Prague.” Then she turned her back to him and walked over to the undertaker.

Outside, the street was empty except for the Skoda, parked in front where he would see it.

“Maybe they’ll give us a ride,” Nick said.

“Don’t,” Molly said, nervous. “It’s not fu

They walked to the corner.

“Mr Warren.” A voice from a car window, rolled down.

“Miss Masaryk,” he said, surprised.

“You remember. Good. Please, come to lunch.” She handed him an address.

“That’s very kind of you, but—”

“No, it’s not kind. I want to talk to you. Alone.” She glanced at Molly. “Excuse me.”

“Why?”

“About your father. It’s important. You’ll come?”

“When?”

“An hour. Don’t ring the bell, it’s broken. The top floor. There’s a good view,” she said irrelevantly, then rolled up the window and started the car.

“Who was that?”

“A friend of his,” he said, not wanting to give her a name. “She probably wants to talk old times.”

“It didn’t sound that way.”

“I won’t be long.”

“Let me know if—”

“If what?”

“You’re going to be late. I’ll be worried.”