Insomvita. Oleksandr Dan

already done that, Your Highness. You have generously paid for the work of my firm as agreed, even though the deal was a bust.”

      “No, Robert. I’d like to thank you personally. It is the right thing to do. Thanks to your perceptiveness, you have replaced the whole security department for me.”

      The sheikh opened his checkbook, which was lying on a table nearby, wrote down a sum, tore out the check and handed to Robert.

      “Please accept this gift from me as a sign of my gratitude.”

      “Your Highness, there is no need,” Robert began, but the sheikh interrupted him.

      “Any work must be properly rewarded. This is just a number on a nice piece of paper, but what I value most are human relationships.” The sheikh looked at Robert as he began to fondle a string of prayer beads and continued. “Robert, can I count on you should I require your legal services again?”

      “Of course. It would be an honor to be useful to you.”

      “Well, my dear friend. You know what they say in the East – a good meeting is a short meeting,” summed up the sheikh, making it clear that the audience was over. “It was very nice getting to know you better. I hope this is not our last meeting.”

      Robert unfolded the check only when he was in the car returning to his hotel. He saw “Five million dollars” written in a neat, calligraphic handwriting. And there was a long signature in Arabic ligature – the first and last name of the sheikh without abbreviations.

      Back at the hotel, Robert relaxed a bit. He poured a glass of whiskey, opened the curtains and fell deep in thought while watching the night city. Not everything was clear in this case and he could not figure out who was behind it all.

      His phone started ringing.

      “Blanche.”

      “Robert, good evening,” said Roland, the firm’s director. His voice was very agitated. “I’ve been informed about everything. Are you alright?”

      “Yes, boss, everything is fine. I’ll be in Prague tomorrow morning.”

      “Well, I am expecting you in the office tomorrow at 11:30 am. We’ll talk then. Now, just rest. Jovan will pick you up at the airport tomorrow.” Roland rang off.

      The flight was early, but Chloe still was not picking up her phone. He glanced at his watch and called once again, but all he got was the answering machine – again.

      The watch showed 1:30 am.

      The flight from London is at 7:15 am, Robert thought. The flight is three hours. Then a couple more hours and I’m home, and then we’ll see. It is a good thing Jovan is picking me up.

      Robert trusted Jovan completely and unconditionally.

      They had been friends since childhood. Both had applied to Charles University and planned on becoming lawyers. But Jovan failed his entrance exams, which did not stop him from applying to the Police Academy of the Czech Republic right away. After graduating magna cum laude, he became the youngest police detective in Prague.

      Jovan served on the police force for nearly 15 years and rose from inspector in the serious crimes department to colonel in the post of senior advisor. However, during the corruption scandal that erupted during the government of Stanislav Gross, who had been an interior minister before becoming prime minister and was a close friend and boss of Jovan, he resigned, having become disappointed in his friend and boss. Four years ago, with Robert’s help, he became the head of the firm’s security.

      Jovan was short, sturdy, bald, and in his early forties, with a carefully trimmed long moustache. He came across as a very nice and pleasant man. Those who didn’t know him would never have guessed that he was the head of security somewhere and had been a high-ranking cop. He once told Robert: “There are two types of policemen: good and bad. Well, I am the vicar of good policemen. In the firm, he was called "our Poirot”, and that was indeed so. In addition to having been a genuine detective, he was the soul of any company, was always witty, threw jokes around and shared interesting facts about the lives of fellow police officers.

      He always got on with those around him, never raised his voice when speaking to subordinates and nobody ever saw him in a foul mood.

      He was very secretive about his personal life, but everybody in the firm knew that Jovan was single, his wife had left him a year into their marriage, unable to handle the burden of being a policeman’s wife, especially the fact that he was rarely home. Only Robert knew that somewhere on the outskirts of the city Jovan was seeing a young woman who had come into his life about two years prior. That was why Robert and Chloe were waiting excitedly for Jovan to introduce her to them. Instead, he would dismiss the relationship with a joke.

      When speaking with colleagues, Jovan was always amiable, but Robert was his only true friend and someone he trusted. Like old friends, they often spent time at Robert’s home or at a pub drinking beer, which Jovan loved. Chloe liked the funny and cheerful man, and the door of their home was always open to him.

      Robert was lying on his hotel bed trying to reach Chloe for the umpteenth time. Her phone was off. When he felt he was falling asleep, Robert put the phone aside and closed his eyes.

      Suddenly he felt dizzy, followed by an incredible force that pinned him to the bed. Robert opened his eyes; he could see everything around him, but he did not have control over the rest of his body. An unknown force kept pressing him to the bed.

      Robert gasped. He tried to flex his muscles or at least scream, but his body remained beyond his control. Suddenly all went black. Robert found himself in complete darkness, with no feeling in his body, no smell, no hearing. It seemed like he was suspended in air, although his brain continued to frantically seek a way out of this chilling captivity. Robert could not understand what was happening to him. He was still conscious. And then he heard a steady sound coming from somewhere inside his subconscious, gradually filling the space around him. In an instant, it seemed to be pulsing even in his veins. It was like the pendulum of the clock, swinging back and forth, but purer, sharper, clearer. He had neither the strength nor the senses to resist the sudden numbness. Robert mentally groped to understand what was happening to him.

      Then he heard a woman’s voice…

      “Sleep peacefully, deeply… You are falling into deep sleep… deeper…even deeper.” Someone’s powerful voice became increasingly loud in Robert’s head.

      Suddenly he realized that the voice was coming from inside his dream, and he could hear it, even though his memory and his being remained on this side of the dream.

      The sensation was wholly new to him and Robert could not believe in the reality of what was happening, so he listened. There were voices all around, but the woman’s voice was distinct. Another voice, male, echoed in his head, but his words were muffled. So, Robert decided to relax fully and try to understand what was really happening to him.

      Eventually, the fog began to lift and the voices became discernible. For a moment, Robert thought he himself was participating in the dialog.

      Then everything became clear to him…

      Chapter 8

      Amanda’s soft voice was coming from the portable voice recorder standing alone on the table in front of Trevor.

      “Sleep peacefully, deeply… You are falling into a deep sleep… deeper…even deeper.”

      After a small pause, Amanda continued: “Trevor, you can speak now. Tell me, how old are you?”

      “Forty… one…” Trevor mumbled.

      “Good… Good…” said Amanda steadily. “What is your name?”

      “Trevor.” His speech was slurred and barely audible.

      “Good, Trevor. Let’s go back two days. Where are you?”

      “Geneva,” Trevor replied quietly. “Hotel… Big room…”

      “What do you see,” asked Amanda.

      “Diamonds… Safe…”