The Rocket Man Read Online Free PDF Page A

poets.’
    â€˜Is he?’ asked Gavrilov, studying her face. ‘What else do we have in common, I wonder?’
    He lit another cigarette, and then, very casually, he put his free hand right next to hers where it rested on the table. She was not sure if this was deliberate. She let his fingers rest next to her own, instead of taking her hand away; it was like the first act of infidelity. Unthinkingly she looked around, to see if she knew anyone; and then she them. Two figures, a man and a woman, stepping out of the brightness of the street and standing by the entrance. She watched them take off their expensive camel-hair coats, hanging them on the coat-stand just inside the door.
    Katie looked away at once. She knew who they were; she didn’t want them to see her. She turned to Dmitry and saw him watching her, curious. ‘Somebody you know?’
    She pulled a face and saw the woman, striking in a bright red dress, sit at a table not far away, half hidden by a marble column; her husband sat with his back to them. Katie was relieved; they hadn’t seen her. She glanced at them once more, just to make sure, and saw the woman do the same; their eyes met; they couldn’t now avoid one another. Katie gave a tentative wave, hoping they might leave it at that, but the woman got up, and came across to them, exuding wealth and confidence.
    She was a woman of indeterminate race, with thick, black hair wound elegantly into a pleat, honey-coloured skin, and the face of a model, her features fine and taut as a racehorse. When she smiled she was quite bewitching. She held out her hand to Katie; it was covered in gold jewellery. ‘How amazing to find you here. But of course, you live in Vienna, don’t you.’ Her voice was soft and smooth, with an American accent. She turned around. ‘Wolfie, shall we join them? You don’t mind if we join you, do you?’
    Katie moved round to make room for them. She introduced everyone; Liliana and Wolf Richter; Dmitry Gavrilov.’ Richter sat down heavily. He was in his late forties, perhaps 50, a little overweight. He had a soft look about him, as if he was used to a life of luxury; except that his face was rather hard. He said hello politely, but he didn’t look pleased to see either of them; Katie was dismayed. There were few people she felt more uncomfortable with than Wolf Richter and Liliana.
    She shot a glance at Dmitry to try to indicate her feelings, to apologise for inflicting this on him, hoping he would realise that they were not her friends, but failed to catch his eye. Richter himself seemed bored. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the table, looked at his watch. They ordered coffee; Richter’s mobile phone went. He was arguing, loudly in German, about a delivery that was late; it was clearly an important deal, he mentioned large sums of money. Dmitry suppressed a little smile.
    Liliana was looking at Richter with admiration. ‘Poor Wolf, he can never get away from the phone,’ she said. When Richter had finished the conversation Liliana reached over and took Katie’s hand. ‘Oh, I do love your ring… did Bob buy it for you? We’re only here for a few days, but you must join us for dinner… is Bob here? Look, I bought this dress, let me just show you…’ She chattered on, unaware that Katie’s faint smile was really a plea for her to stop. In spite of Liliana’s babble she could hear that Richter had finally started talking to Dmitry, the conversation had become technical, and Richter’s heavy face seemed almost animated. He describing arcs in the air with his hand, making gestures as if to show how things fitted together, drew diagrams on the serviettes. Dmitry’s expression was unreadable as he drew on his cigarette. Despairing suddenly of the impossibility of the situation, she got to her feet.
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘It’s lovely to see you like this, but