On Monday morning, we set out. I went first to find suitable observation points.

Evelyn went second; she was supposed to park at the gas station on the busiest exit road from the city so that she could quickly change her position later.

Finally, Agnieszka was supposed to arrive in time to get to the municipal office shortly after opening.

Both women eventually agreed to my plan, with a slight modification: They didn't consider it wise, and unfortunately not smart either, for me to inquire about the Volk, Medved, or Ris families.

Evelyn also wasn't an ideal candidate because she was listed as a member of the pack, and despite the change in appearance, they could still recognize her.

Surprisingly, Agnieszka herself suggested putting herself in the riskiest position, and after a several-hour-long stormy discussion, occasionally escalating into an argument, she and Evelyn convinced me.

* * *

I arrived at the square, paid for parking until lunch, bought breakfast, and settled in the car. No one paid attention to me; there was lively activity around, and I got lost among the multitude of cars circulating around the one-way square.

A city police car parked near a bench where three boys sat. An officer was discussing something with them; they got up and headed away, probably to school.

I once again realized how all the houses were renovated and well-maintained, colorful flowers grew in concrete pots placed around the perimeter of the pedestrian zone. Judging by the still-moist stains, someone had watered them recently. It was a city where life was good, and its residents were aware of it, appreciating it and taking pride in it.

However, someone here recently tried to kill me, and on top of that earlier, five families mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

I finished the second roll with a hot dog and drank the coffee from the cup. There was probably as much meat in the hot dog as one would get gold for a euro. At least I wasn't hungry anymore. I placed the newspaper on the steering wheel, just in case someone might be interested in me.

Our plan was simple. Agnieszka was supposed to start asking questions and give officials a contact under the pretense of staying at the Radhošť Hotel right on the square.

I estimated that something would start happening in the evening, but I suspected it might be the following day. However, I didn't want to overlook anything, so I condemned myself to hours of waiting.

A flock of birds rose from a tree, which had a sympathetically large grassy area around it in the granite pavement. They flew towards the nearby church tower towering above the roofs of houses.

Agnieszka's Volkswagen appeared in the rearview mirror. She gave way to people at the pedestrian crossing and then cautiously entered the square. She knew exactly where the municipal office was located; we spent a lot of time studying the map, but she still circled the square twice. I would have done the same. Eventually, she parked in front of the yellow office building, got out, bought a parking ticket, and neatly placed it on the dashboard. We didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves.

She wore the usual black jeans, leather boots, a sporty extended jacket with a hood and numerous pockets. Reflective trims on the zippers broke the navy blue jacket into geometric shapes. If we were to move discreetly in nature, we would need to tape them.

Her hair was hidden under a pink knitted cap with braids hanging down to her shoulders. Everyone notices striking hats, and few can then describe the rest. Then she disappeared into the arcade facade; I caught a glimpse of the glint of opening doors. Out of habit, I checked the time. Nine hours, thirty-six minutes.

I realized that I was gripping the steering wheel tightly and was ready to jump out of the car at any moment. It's harder to send someone else into the fire than to go yourself. Especially if it's a woman. Nothing will happen now, I reassured myself. It took us a while to react to the command. And until the command came - that was an even greater delay.

I focused mainly on the entrance to the office, so it took me a while to notice that some guy was lurking around Agnieszka's car. He couldn't have been older than twenty. Wearing a worn-out denim jacket with longer, limp hair, he looked as if he were contemplating stealing the car but didn't feel too motivated.

Suddenly, his hesitation disappeared, he grabbed the handle, and was inside; starting the car took a moment. A police patrol car circled around, and the guy waited for a while before driving off.

An unpleasant complication. I hoped Agnieszka didn't leave her weapons in the car. In the rearview mirror, I saw the Volkswagen leaving the square, the police car circled for another round and stopped a bit away from me in front of the office. A passenger got out, the driver stayed inside and didn't turn off the engine. I checked the time. Nine fifty-two. A very peculiar coincidence. At the same time, I began to have an uneasy feeling that it wasn't a coincidence.

I picked up the phone designated for private communication and dialed Agnieszka's number to tell her to get out. We can try again, differently.

She didn't answer.

I called Evelyn and described the situation.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'll wait, and I'll let you know when the situation changes," I replied and hung up.

The situation changed shortly after. Agnieszka came out of the office accompanied by a policeman. Both looked serious; he was trying to appear friendly, but only someone without any empathy would believe him. The phone rang, and without looking, I answered the call. Hissing, crackling, occasional words. I understood that Agnieszka had called me with her mobile phone from her pocket.

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"Yes, we secured the car; it seems it hasn't been used for any criminal activity so far," I managed to decode the sentence.

"Identify the car... something is missing."

"Don't go anywhere with them," I said aloud, even though she couldn't hear me.

If she does go with them, we're in serious trouble, a serious kind of trouble.

The policeman opened the rear door of the car, let Agnieszka get in, and sat down next to her.

Damn it.

I dialed Evelyn and explained the situation to her.

"Speak where you're going, I'll try to catch up with you as fast as I can."

"Alright," I confirmed, although I had no idea what our next move would be.

We hadn't planned for something like this. The police were in cahoots with the car thief, and they used the theft as a bait to lure her out of the city. Why the hell?

I waited until the police Škoda reached the bend and then set off after them. I couldn't lose them at any cost, even if they figured out that I was tailing them. But it would be better if they didn't.

We quickly left the city, passed through several smaller residential areas, and headed towards Nový Jičín via a highway.

"They're not going to the Beskids; according to me, they'll turn towards Lichnov. There's less traffic there, and they'll notice you," Evelyn commented on my phone messages.

"Hmm," I replied, trying to maintain a distance neither too close nor too far.

I didn't remember the details of the route very well.

The police Škoda suddenly made a sharp left turn; I flipped the turn signal with minimal delay. The village sign confirmed Evelyn's estimate.

"And then they'll take the road towards the hill over the alco-road, and there, they'll turn right into the forest. Locals take walks there on weekends, but now you'll have as much privacy as you need."

"Alco-road?" I didn't understand what she was talking about.

"At the little church, turn right after the bridge; locals use it when they drive home from the pub under the influence of alcohol."

Right, habits are hard to beat. Now I know what to expect.

"How long until you get there?"

"I'm taking the long way, going through Kopřivnice from the other side. Twelve, fifteen minutes, depending on traffic. Let me know if anything changes."

"Understood," I confirmed.

Evelyn was right.

We turned right around the church and headed uphill, between fields towards the forest. Now, we were the only two cars in sight. Either they genuinely didn't notice me, or they didn't care that I was following them. Just below the hill's summit, they turned right again, this time off the asphalt onto a gravel road. The junction Evelyn mentioned. I didn't have much time to think. I drove on and, at the first opportunity, turned right too. Over a shallow ditch onto a wet, marshy meadow. The wheels immediately started to skid; with momentum, I slid far enough for the car not to be visible at first glance. I had no idea how to get back, but that wasn't important at the moment.

I got out, slung the bag with equipment and the sharp object over my shoulder, and at a brisk pace headed to where I thought the police car might be. I left a brief message in Evelyn's voicemail, as she was out of signal, describing what had happened.

The forest was damp; under the straight spruces, a dense carpet of ferns was thriving. I crossed several paths used by heavy logging equipment and then stumbled upon them. First, I heard them, then I saw the red Volkswagen, and finally, them. They stood on the forest road; Agnieszka's car was parked off it, and without assistance, it couldn't be driven out.

I switched from a brisk walk to a crawl. I approached them from above; all the policemen—two who brought her and two more waiting by the discovered car—were looking in the opposite direction, which made my approach easier.

"On the record, you claimed to be related to the Volk family, and according to the documents, your name is Alice Baskova," I heard one of the policemen say.

The tone sharpened, so I could understand it well.

"And how do you know what I said on the record?" Annna retorted. "I thought we were here because of my car," I saw her pointing at the car.

A robust young policeman, somewhere halfway between a bodybuilder and a chubby guy, approached her. She looked childishly tiny next to him.

"We ask questions, and you answer! So quickly spill what you really are! And why were you causing trouble at the office!"

His two companions looked at each other; according to their insignias, they were patrol leaders, with higher ranks - ensign and sub-ensign. The fourth, obviously a newcomer in the group, pretended as if he wasn't really there.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" she protested calmly.

Should she pretend to be outraged or scared? Calm didn't fit the situation, revealing that she was truly someone else. However, these guys were indeed policemen; I couldn't just kill them. My phone vibrated in my pocket. Evelyn. Unfortunately, I couldn't take the call right now.

"We'll deal with you, kitten," smirked one, hitting her across the face with the back of his hand.

Agnieszka must have seen that blow coming, just like I did, but she didn't resist. On the contrary, she fell back into the soft mud at the edge of the road.

Him I perhaps could kill.

"Karl! Forget about it!" one of the patrol leaders lost his temper.

The one with longer blonde hair under the cap.

"Shut up!" Karl silenced him and bent down to Agnieszka.

Though he had a belly, he knew how to move, and he lifted her onto her feet rather than just standing her up.

"We're supposed to detain her," reminded the patrol leader, whose hair I couldn't see under the cap.

Probably cut short.

"If we extract something from her before passing her on, it might help us. We'll keep polishing the streets like shit cleaners otherwise," he dismissed the advice from his partner.

"So, who are you, kitten? Spill it, or it will hurt!" He grabbed her from behind by the hair and twisted her head. He enjoyed it.

She allowed this, but resisted to some extent, which infuriated him. To an ordinary person, a woman, he could have done some serious harm.

"Karl, stop it. Let's wait until they come for her, and we're done. You know how it goes," the blonde guy tried to calm his partner.

Mistakenly, he only fueled his partner's rage. Karl pulled Agnieszka's hair even more and twisted her neck backward. I guessed that in the next moment, she would kick him in the chin. I knew she was capable of that.

Again, I reminded myself of the country and situation we were in. They were policemen, perhaps corrupt ones, but we couldn't kill them.

I got rid of both revolvers. Knives might pass a potential search. Why couldn't we kill policemen?

"Hello!" I shouted after standing up.

"Can I help you, ladies and gentlemen?" I bellowed and rushed down like a torrent.