Page 118 of Backtrack

“An entire season went by before I got another rotation ashore in Seward. According to Roxie, Irina came back while I was gone—three months after she’d disappeared. The poor girl had been terrified of something—everything according to Roxie. She refused to sit near a window, was jumpy at the slightest noise.” Polina leaned sideways, as if confiding a secret to Teariki. “Worse yet, the poor thing was skin and bones, missing teeth, stringy hair. And she had a brand on the nape of her neck.”

“A severed dog’s head,” Cutter said. “And a broom.”

“Exactly,” Polina said.

Lola moved to the edge of her seat.

“Where had she been?”

“Roxie begged her to tell,” Polina said. “She got nothing.”

“Hang on,” Cutter said. “Were you able to see her?”

“I’m sorry. No.” Polina gave a resigned sigh. “She’d gone missing again by the time I returned to Seward. This time apparently for good. I was there as recently as last September. She was still missing then.”

“She didn’t give Roxie any indication that she was going to leave?” Lola asked.

“She left a letter. It was mostly in English, but a small portion was Russian. Roxie asked me to translate it. I’ll never forget the words. She closed her eyes and recited from memory.

Lola glanced at Cutter, then said, “They will kill me. They will kill you. They will kill my family. They will kill your family …”

Polina’s head snapped up. “Wait! You speak Russian?”

“I do not,” Lola said. “But we’re all too familiar with those words.”

“The thing is,” Polina said, “Russian can be a very specific language. I feel sure Irina meant exactly what you said, but she used the first person, as if parroting the one who made the threats to her. The meaning is essentially the same as what you say, but is … what is the word … colloquial.”

“What did she say literally?” Cutter asked.

“Zamochim tebya …is like …we will soak you,but is understood to meanwe will kill you. Regular people would never use this threat as a joke. Likeclean your room orI’m gonna kill you. Bratva—criminals speak this kind of Russian.Zamochim tebya—we will soak you … is like,we willmake you bleed.”

“Wet work,” Lola said.

“Yes!” Polina said. “Wet worklike in your American spy movies. I have to ask. Is this dog’s head brand related to Malosi’s murder or the man hiding on the ship?”

“Completely separate,” Lola said. “I know you’re extremely busy, but would you mind giving us your contact information?”

“Of course.” Polina took a card out of her pocket.

“We’ll need to get Roxie’s last name,” Lola said. “And Irina’s, if you know it.”

“Sorry. I’m a girl who stops in unannounced to drink a beer with her every few months. Ours is not a last-name friendship. I have no idea about Irina.” She stood. “I need to get back to work. The restaurant closes in half an hour, and I should check on my staff.”

Cutter got to his feet and stuffed the knife and cedar in his pocket before extending his hand. “Thank you very much, Polina,” he said. “You’ve been extremely helpful.”

She nodded, then turned to go.

“One last thing,” Cutter said. “You mentioned people at the bar had theories about where Irina went the first time. What about when she disappeared again?”

“The same, I suppose.”

“What about Roxie?” Cutter asked. “What was her suspicion?”

“It’s foolish,” Polina said. “Silly stories you tell around a campfire to scare your friends.”

“Like the Oprichniki?” Lola said.

“Roxie thinks there are boats,” Polina said.