Palmist. Books 1,2,3

– Well, how was the meeting with a friend! Lyosha uttered these words with interruptions, between each word he laughed with restraint.

– What is so funny? Amir asked in all seriousness. At the same time, he himself restrained laughter.

– Nothing. That is why I am asking.

– Morgue, this is actually a serious excursion. She needs to be taken seriously, and that is why you are coming with me next time.

– How is that?

– That is it. I am afraid of my new friend. I wonder why girls run away from him!

– «He probably takes them to the morgue on their first date!» Friends laughed at the poor guy for a long time. – Why should we go there at all?

– «I don’t know. For some reason, it skidded. Let us go together while they invite.

– Okay, come on. Let us go to the restaurant first, and then to the morgue. The restaurant is more interesting. There are live girls there!

– You are all about your own.

On the opening day, the restaurant was lively and many people crowded around the entrance. As already mentioned, all the tables were ordered and even more, there were those who just wanted to come during the performance, and since there were no empty seats, the audience watched the performance standing up to watch the dance. Lyosha and Amir arrived earlier to enjoy oriental cuisine and an oriental-style interior. I must admit that this host was generous, and did not skimp on the interior and treats for guests. Everything was decorated with exquisite taste and chic. The menu of this restaurant was also designed with taste, and fully corresponded to the interior of the cafe.

– And here the truth is like in a fairy tale.

– Yes, but be careful with Oriental women.

– Thanks for reminding me. Lyosha was looking around animatedly. It was his first time in an institution decorated with such a subtle oriental taste.

The musicians were already ready to play their instruments. They were sitting in their seats. The uniform of all employees of the restaurant was also in the Oriental style. It was something medieval, reminiscent of the period when men wore dresses. The waiters and cooks were men. There were two waiter girls, they served certain tables, and they were forbidden to talk to customers. Alternatively, they just did not know the language. The ceiling was painted with a fine oriental painting, and Lyosha just went into himself admiring this beauty. But the most important highlight of this restaurant was that the tables were in Oriental style, and the guests were sitting on pillows. It was a surprise for the guests, the guests found out about it when they entered the restaurant. This highlight was surprisingly exciting, and the guests were simply delighted. The seats were occupied, the musicians played their instruments, and after making a pause, the owner of the restaurant came on stage. After greeting the guests, he congratulated the guests and himself on the opening and left. The musicians continued to play and there was a performance on stage, several numbers were presented before Sultana came out.

When Sultana came out, complete silence reigned in the hall. She created an atmosphere of rigor and at the same time, she quickly captivated with her rhythm. Everyone looked expectantly at the girl whose face was not visible. Sultana felt like a fish in water. And thanks to the fact that her face was not visible, no one knew what she was feeling right now. In fact, it was her last dance and the last hours of her life. Sultana had several performances and all took place with interruptions. At the very end of the dance, she took off her headscarf and showed her face. Lyosha and Amir’s table was not far from the stage and Amir was able to see the girl’s face in close-up. A shiver ran through his body and it seemed to him that they were familiar. – Strange, where did I see her?

– Do you know each other?

– No. But I have a strange feeling. Lyosha grinned and said nothing.

The next two dances Sultana danced with an open face, it was a dance with a sword and a dance with a candlestick on her head. The audience applauded standing and those who did not have enough seats did not want to leave. Amir was also in no hurry to leave, and they sat until closing time.

Nobody wanted to leave. All the guests did not even get up from their pillows and most of them booked their tables for the next performance.

– When is the next performance?

– If I am not mistaken, three days a week, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

– That is, tomorrow?

– Yes. Tomorrow. What happened to you? You got a crush on the Sultana.

– Sort of.

– I will order a table.

– Thank you. I will pay for the treat.

– So I do not mind. With these words, they left the restaurant and went home.

By his origin, Arthur had Arab roots, which is why he had such a subtle and rich oriental taste. He had been accustomed to money since childhood, and this habit of getting rid of people originated in him since childhood. Arthur had a younger brother, the children grew up with their father, since their parents divorced, and the children belonged to their father’s family. The boys did not know their mother and grew up in cruelty. Their father died when they were old enough, they never managed to find their mother. Their father bequeathed them his business, in half, together with his brother. But since Arthur was quite cunning and cruel, he got rid of his brother and appropriated everything for himself. Thus, he became such a wealthy villain. All the people who worked for his father and did not want to be his supporters, they just disappeared without a trace. His brutality grew with his power. His dirty deeds grew with his years, and now he has achieved such results as business in different countries. Arthur was very pleased with his heights, and the success of tonight only made him even more excited.

Now, his main problem was how to silently get rid of Sultana. He did not want to get rid of her just like that, and a thought was maturing in his head. As previously stated, Sultana was a Muslim, and she had not yet had contact with a man. Arthur wanted to sell it to a very rich man for one night. This thought was spinning in his head, and he wanted to put it into action. Then of course get rid of her body.

Lyosha and Amir came to their apartment. – Tell me, are you into her?

– To be honest, no.

– And then what?

– When she came to the edge of the stage, I smelled death. I saw death walking beside her. But I could tell by her eyes that she knows this and doesn’t want to die. I could not mistake this smell for anything else.

– You are at it again. The whole world cannot be saved, much less a dancer. You just will not be able to contact her. She is well guarded.

– And here it is possible. I will order it. I will come up with something and order it.

– Nothing to yourself. Well, you give. See for yourself. If you are so set up, then it is up to you.

Amir was not the only one who wanted to order Sultan. After her performance yesterday, the restaurant received calls and even customers came to order a dancer. But the dancer disappeared without a trace, and this disappearance caused a sea of indignation.

On Saturday evening, the restaurant hall was as full of guests as on the opening day. The evening also began festively, it was Sultana’s time, but to everyone’s surprise, a completely different girl came on stage. Indignation was heard in the hall. But this murmur quickly subsided, out of respect for such a charming young dancer, and Vina began her performance with an Indian folk dance. As Arthur expected, the audience did not feel the difference, and fascinated the audience. The majority of the audience was sure that Sultana would definitely return, and these young girls would delight them in turn. The only guest who knew the reason for her disappearance was Amir.

– She will not appear on this stage again.

– Are you sure?

– Absolutely.

– And what should I do now?

– It remains only to pray.

– And how did you smell the smell of death?

– You know, when I first went into the morgue, I immediately smelled this smell. Now I will definitely not confuse it with anything. I felt the same yesterday as I did that night.

– To be honest, I feel sorry for her. You know, I am sure there is something wrong here. The guy who performed yesterday is kind of muddy. He has such a criminal face. Amir silently listened to Lyosha and thought about his own. «You’re right. It is actually muddy. Is there something wrong here, just what? With these words, they paid for the order and left the restaurant.

– What are you going to do?

– The first thing I will do is call Igor, really on Monday. I will not bother him on Sunday. Then we will see. Do not forget that we have an excursion to the morgue tonight. You know, it seems to me that you and I will be interested there. Amir switched from one topic to another so quickly that Lyosha felt uneasy.

After her brilliant performance, a terrible imprisonment awaited the Sultan. She was placed in some kind of basement and the door was closed. It was a restaurant basement where canned food was stored. She recognized this basement because she had been in it once. The night passed, in the morning it was heard how the work shift came, but everyone passed by her room. So a day passed, the girl was wearing an oriental costume in which she danced the last dance, and for exactly a day neither food nor water entered her stomach. She sat leaning against the door with the corner of her ear, hoping to hear and understand something, but it was all in vain. So the morning passed, and finally at lunchtime she heard movements in the hallway and realized that the front door had opened. Hearing Arthur’s voice, Sultana froze. Russian Russian was one of the languages Arthur knew, but he did not like Russian and did not speak it well. Fortunately, Sultan Arthur spoke in Lao, since his interlocutor knew this language. Arthur was talking to one of the guards who took part in the attack on Sultana’s father’s house. Sultana tried to hear every word as best as possible. They opened the door to ventilate the room and after smoking, a cigarette exchanged a few words in Lao.

– First I will finish her, and then I will personally fly to Poipet to finish her father. I am tired of this family. That is enough. They took too much time and effort. Do not let me down, or that fool let me down, leaving her father alive. She is here in this basement, you grab her in the evening, put her in the car, and then I will tell you what to do. With these words, the door closed and the voices died down. Sultana remained in the same position, but her heart beat joyfully. She found out that her father was alive. It makes sense to live, there is where and for what to return. And she decided to fight for her life.

There was not much time left until the evening, in her favor was the fact that the person who was supposed to grab her knew the Lao language, so he was his own. «Where is my passport now?» And what time is it now?

Everything was quiet in Poipet. Ahmed felt well enough, and could even get out of bed already. He had not received any news from Sultana and did not know whether she was alive or not. It was killing him, and the only thing that kept him alive was the hope that his daughter was alive and could be saved. The police were searching, including Arthur, he was already a suspect in several crimes, but no one could accuse him of anything, he always managed to get away with it. This time his position was shaken, there were too many clues pointing to him, and various rumors were circulating about him not only in this city, but also throughout Cambodia.

Arthur understood his situation, and to some extent in the depths of his soul, he was losing his peace. But he didn’t want to realize it and pretended that nothing was happening. His dirty deeds gradually surfaced. The police found the corpses of men and women who were once wanted, their relatives were looking for them, and over the years, their traces were lost. And gradually the moment came when it was time to answer.

CHAPTER 5

Amir and Lyosha were waiting for their evening to go to the morgue. To their surprise, they were not afraid, but on the contrary, they were having fun, and they laughed uncontrollably. On the way to the morgue, they stopped at McDonald’s to have a snack, and laughed at their new friend – maybe he should buy a burger, and the fact that he is sitting there hungry!

– No, if anything, he will eat homemade food next to the corpse on a stretcher!

– Oh, yeah, I forgot, he is at home there!

– Exactly.

Approaching the morgue, they looked around with apprehension. – Are you sure we are going?

– Exactly. And opening the door slightly, they entered the room.

– Hi. I thought you were not coming. Their meeting is a little man in a white coat, with a pleasant voice and with too smart and boring appearance.

– Why?

– I extracted this information from our last meeting with you. Lyosha could not stand it and laughed. – I do not see anything funny.

– You are right, it is not funny. We came in all seriousness. Come on; take us to your workplace.

Roman led them through a gloomy corridor and led them into a room where there were several corpses, two of which were covered with a sheet, two were lying undressed. – These have just arrived. These two are rootless; they are on a mass grave.

– What a horror. How bitter it is.

– Yes, a sad fate.

– And this one did not die a natural death.

– I have already had a look. Stop mourning everyone.

– Lyosha is right. The whole world cannot be saved. You know how many of these I have already washed.

– He fell in love with a dancer yesterday and is eager to save her. He says she should not die her own death.

– With such zeal you gather troubles on your head.

– «I know about that, too. That is what I have been afraid of since childhood. Troubles on your head. And Sultana, yes, she charmed me. But I can’t see her like my ears. She is already gone.

– Who knows? Never say never. I need to wash these two corpses, and then the autopsy. I am still studying. I work at night, on corpses that have no relatives. Then, over time, I will become a better pathologist. He uttered these words with such pride that Amir and Lyosha looked at him with admiration. – Sometimes it’s quiet, almost no one. And sometimes there are such nights that there is not enough day. I study during the day, the same place as you.

– And how do you know Igor?

– Our parents are friends.

At the same time, in the restaurant, the door of the basement in which Sultana was located opened, and the guard shouldered her and carried her to the car. Of course, no one saw it. Everyone was busy serving tables, the Wine was dancing its folk dance, the chefs were preparing an order and trying to watch the performance, the waiters were running around the hall and could not cope with the work, the music was playing loudly, and no one heard or saw anything. Sultana was thrown into the back seat of the car, the door slammed shut, and she realized that this was the end. Arthur was sitting in the front seat. The same security guard they had talked to at lunch got behind the wheel. Sultana recognized him; he was there too on the day she was abducted from her father’s house. She quickly ran over, looked into his eyes, and took her gaze away.

– «Don’t fall for her tricks. Otherwise, you will suffer the same fate as her late fiance. The driver drove the car in silence and occasionally threw quick glances at the back seat. He was afraid of Arthur’s anger. Arthur nervously negotiated in Russian so that Sultana and the driver would not understand anything. Arthur did not know that the driver had learned Russian while working for him and was silent about it. Arthur tried to behave with restraint so as not to spoil the deal. The driver understood what was going on, wanted to release the steering wheel of the car, but restrained himself in time and pretended that he did not understand anything. He worked only as a personal driver for Arthur and spoke to him only in Lao. This man realized that now everything depends only on him.

– Now we will come to a cozy place. Take this girl and give her to a very useful little man. Then you take me and come back, this little man will return it to you, and you will get rid of it. When you get rid of her, you will need to get rid of the corpse so that this corpse will never be caught anywhere under any circumstances. There are too many corpses. Bury her in an unmarked grave, or I do not know where. He made these speeches so easily that the driver could not help but keep silent, but he kept silent. He began to drive noticeably slower, and Arthur noticed it. Do you feel sorry for her? Do you want to lie down next to her on an unmarked grave?

Sultana heard everything. Her eyes widened. She became even colder from the horror she heard. The clothes she was wearing did not warm her. It was no longer hot outside, and she froze over. Her teeth were chattering, probably from fear, and her body was covered with goosebumps. She took a handkerchief that was lying next to her; maybe someone left it, and wrapped herself in it. Arthur nervously negotiated in Russian so that Sultana and the driver would not understand anything. The driver turned his head to the back seat, and made it clear with a gesture that this was a sign. Sultana quickly understood everything and took hold of the door handle. The driver pressed the pedal and accelerated the jeep. Arthur got scared and started swearing loudly. The car reached a high speed and crashed into an oncoming car rushing at the same speed. The car braked sharply, and making a turn put Arthur sitting next to him under attack. It turned out to be a cool accident. Both cars were smashed. Arthur’s driver received severe blows, but he was able to get out and stood on his feet.

The ambulance and the police arrived quickly. There were four victims, Arthur and Sultana were unconscious. The driver of the oncoming Jeep was dead. His two passengers sitting in the back seat were injured and were in serious condition. The police examined the accident and tried to identify the culprit. The ambulance examined the injured and carried Arthur and Sultana away on a stretcher. There was a car nearby to take the body to the morgue. While the police recorded the death, the driver stared intently at Sultana’s body, which was lying on a stretcher next to the ambulance.

– Well, let us go?

– Yes, bring the gurney in.

The deceased body was also standing next to the waiting car, and the police turned their backs on him, discussing something. There was no time to delay. And Arthur’s Driver decided to do it, knowing that he himself would soon become the same body. He swapped the bodies, not knowing how he did it, but he could. His body was trembling from the fear he had experienced, from what he had done, but he knew what he was going for— – I hope, he said faintly, that she knows what to do next. He covered her face and helped her roll the gurney into the car.

– Thank you, he heard. He nodded his head in response and quickly walked to the ambulance to fix the headscarf on the head of the deceased as soon as possible, which he removed from the Sultan and carefully covered the man’s face with it. He wrapped this corpse in a sheet so carefully that everyone thought it was her fiance.

– This must be your fiancee?

– Yes. This is true. He said in broken Russian. She is a Muslim; she is not allowed to show her beauty. The doctors smiled and gestured for him to go with his fiancee. Arthur was unconscious, and this poor guy was afraid of the day when he would come to his senses. He did not take decisive steps towards the ambulance, and he had to go with them. After getting into the car with them, he put his hand to his heart and groped there for his driver’s license and passport, believing that God himself was smiling at him in heaven. This man decided to run. Run wherever you want. Moreover, he had earned money. And he ran away as soon as the ambulance arrived at the hospital.

The car arrived at the morgue in parallel with the ambulance. While the ambulance was processing the patients, a stretcher with a corpse was brought into the morgue. The ambulance found the substitution of corpses and raised the boil. – Which morgue was the living girl taken to?

– What is the difference? If she is alive, then she will be delivered by herself. You do not have enough work. Let us make out the corpse now. Where to deliver it? Call your relatives? Relatives were waiting in the morgue for the corpse of the deceased. A phone call alerted them to the substitution.

– How is this even possible? Does that happen? To confuse a living person with a dead one, and even a man with a woman. Where to complain. Roman heard the indignant woman’s voice receding. And entering the room, he threw off the covers from the corpse.

– This corpse is rootless. But I’m sorry to send her to a mass grave. The time was about three o’clock in the morning. But this boiling dispelled the dream in the whole morgue. Amir and Lyosha approached the girl and froze. She was lying in front of them. Sultana was actually lying like a corpse, but there was still a glimmer of life in her.

– She is alive!

– How? And she’s really alive. Sultana opened her eyes. She lay motionless as a corpse and moved her eyes from side to side. From the recent events that she had to go through, she decided that she had been brought to be killed, and there were already corpses lying next to her, working for Arthur.

– «They’re already dead. I am next. She thought, and after looking at Lyosha and Roma, she realized that they would not understand her language. Amir approached her and looked into her eyes, he saw fear. The first thought that came to her mind was that he was Arthur’s man and wanted to kill her. And at the same time, she had hope that she would be able to persuade this guy to let her go. She could not figure out where she was. Turning her head from side to side, she was attacked by such horror, these corpses disgusted her, and she felt sick. And the feeling of hunger caused such weakness that I just didn’t have the strength. Her body was so weak that she closed her eyes again and passed out.

– You are alive, you are all right. Amir tried to bring her back to consciousness. Roman heard footsteps in the corridor.

– They are coming here. Oh my god. It is behind her.

– A girl. Where is she?

– Here it is. Roman replied with indifference.

– How did she get here?

«She was wrapped up like a corpse. She is a corpse. Especially not Russian. Nobody needs it. Do not worry, it is in my line. Look at her. They just got rid of her. Sultana was actually lying like a corpse. But she was as beautiful as a sleeping beauty. This girl was young, so fresh, the length of her black and smooth hair reached to her buttocks. Her eyelashes were lush like a porcelain doll. Eyebrows are clear and even. And her dark skin complemented her beauty. This flower girl looked like Princess Jasmine from the cartoon about Aladdin. Roman tried to cover the sleeping corpse with himself, and wriggled out as best he could.

– Okay. Good. I will not bother you; masterfully do your favorite job. With this grin, the man left the room.

– Well, you give. You are also a first-class actor. You can be envied. Roman proudly accepted this compliment. Amir tried in every way to bring the Sultan to his senses, but it was in vain.

– Sultan. Amir called her in such a voice as if she was his woman. I was at your performance. I have seen you dance. I also know you are in danger. I will help you. I am not one of those people who work for Arthur. I am a student who came here to study. My homeland is Laos. Amir fell silent with a sigh. – We cannot do without Igor, his help and a car. And Amir dialed Igor and told him everything.

– What a night. I have never had a living corpse before.

Igor arrived just in time. Amir got into his car and told him everything in detail. «Gee. But most importantly, what?

– What?

– Finally you asked me for help. I will be happy to help you. I will put your beautiful friend in a paid clinic. She does not have any documents. Isn’t that right?

– So.

– She needs medical services now. And be well hidden.

– That is also true.

– The only question that arises is how to get her out of this building. We need to bury someone instead of her.

– To bury someone, you need to bring someone into this building.

– «Gee. But we’ll figure something out. Stay in touch. With these words, Igor left.

– Morning is coming soon, and I will leave this building. And you too. What do we intend to do with it?

– I understand. But me too, what should I do? If she is found, she will be handed over to the police, and then she is definitely a khan. Amir paced nervously from side to side. His only refuge was Igor, who did not call. Dawn was coming.

Sultana came to her senses and understood, and having understood what was the matter, mentally thanked the driver who helped her to escape. She was still pretending to be dead and trying to eavesdrop on something. Sultana no longer trusted anyone and was on her own. She was alarmed by the fact that Amir was Asian as well as she was, and the fact that he was there at such a difficult moment did not cause her to trust him. Sultana thanked heaven that she managed to survive and God gave her life. Her body lay among these bereaved corpses, and yet she understood that if God had given her life, then she would be saved and live.

Roman was preparing the corpses for burial. Sometimes his mentor came to him and watched him at work. – How is your girl here? You will leave it to your day partner!

– To be honest, I cannot open it.

– «You don’t have to open it. Just pack it that is all. I feel sorry for her myself. And what kind of friends do you have here?

– These are our students. They came a year earlier. Roman uttered these words with such an idiotic smile.

– Well, if so. Let them not abuse visits. With that, he left.

– Listen, and fate itself favors us. It might really work out. She will have to be a corpse twice.

– I see it is not the first time for her. If she agrees, then I do not mind.

– So she does not have to agree, she is unconscious. At that moment, the phone rang.

– I have decided everything.

– How?

– I will come to pick up Sultana’s body, and I will hush everything up. Do not worry.