that I couldn’t quite place. Russian or Polish or something along those lines. He was a slight man, with angular features and deep-set dark eyes. His smile, if you could call it that, was tentative and edgy.
“I have not been looking where I am going,” he apologized, backing his way toward the exit.
“Jack Teller,” I said, offering my hand.
“Pleased to met you,” he replied tentatively, eager to move on.
I held his hand for a moment, which seemed to make him more than a little anxious. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Popov,” he said. “Roman Popov…”
“I can’t quite place your accent.” I was still clasping his hand.
“Belgrade.” He pulled out of my grip. “Please again accept my apologies…I wish you a pleasant evening.”
“Sure, a pleasant evening,” I said. “And by the way…Roman, wasn’t it?”
“Yes?”
“I put my winnings into my pocket, so you might as well give me back my wallet. It’s empty, but I’d like to have it back all the same.”
Popov put on a blank face. “Your wallet?”
“That’s right. The one you lifted when you bumped into me.”
“I’m afraid you are mistaken,” he said. “You have misplaced your wallet.”
“That’s possible, of course,” I conceded. “I could be mistaken. But I don’t think I am.”
“That is unfortunate, but—”
“How are we gonna find out?”
“Please, you must excuse me now.” He tried to slip away, but I blocked his path to the door.
“I know what we can do. I’ve got this friend. His name is Captain Catela—you probably know him. We just had dinner together. Why don’t I call him over and he can help us figure out what happened. I’m sure he’d be happy to.”
Popov was silent for a long moment, then he shrugged, smiled sheepishly, and produced the wallet. “I’m having a bad night,” he explained.
“It might’ve just got a lot worse,” I pointed out.
“So you won’t inform Catela?”
“No.”
“You are a gentleman.”
“Just tired,” I said, heading for the door. Popov caught up with me.
“May I walk with you?”
“Suit yourself,” I said, and he followed me out into the soft night air. The sky was inky black and teeming with stars that melded on the horizon with the lights of Casçais, the little fishing village that sat on a bluff a bit further up the shoreline.
“May I tell you the truth?” Popov said out of nowhere. Somehow I didn’t think the truth was what I was about to hear, but I said sure, go ahead.
“It was not my intention to steal your money.”
“You were just gonna borrow it, right?”
“In a way, yes, that is true.”
“You’ll have to excuse me, Roman, but where I come from that’s called bullshit.”
“Yes, I quite understand. I would be somewhat of the same belief if it was I in your position. But I tell the truth nonetheless. Let me explain.”
“I’m all ears,” I said wearily.
“It was my intention to follow you out of the casino and return to you your billfold, acting as if it had fallen from your pocket.”
“Well, thanks for explaining that. I feel a whole lot better now.”
“I understand your doubt, of course. But, you see, my purpose was not to steal from you. It was to meet you.”
“You a Lili Sterne fan, too?”
“Of course, who could not be? But this was not my reason. I have wanted to speak with you, not Miss Sterne.”
“Maybe you’d better cut to the chase.”
“Excuse me?”
“What d’you want, Roman?” I was getting tired of this.
“I want nothing. Only to help you.”
“What makes you think I need help?”
“Everyone needs some help of one kind or another.”
“And what kind do you think I need?”
“You’d like to find this Eva Lange, would you not?” I stopped walking and faced him.
“How do you know about Eva Lange?” He smiled cagily and waited. He had my attention now and he was gonna milk it.
“This is Lisbon,” he said, somewhat cryptically.
“Do you know where I
“I have not been looking where I am going,” he apologized, backing his way toward the exit.
“Jack Teller,” I said, offering my hand.
“Pleased to met you,” he replied tentatively, eager to move on.
I held his hand for a moment, which seemed to make him more than a little anxious. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Popov,” he said. “Roman Popov…”
“I can’t quite place your accent.” I was still clasping his hand.
“Belgrade.” He pulled out of my grip. “Please again accept my apologies…I wish you a pleasant evening.”
“Sure, a pleasant evening,” I said. “And by the way…Roman, wasn’t it?”
“Yes?”
“I put my winnings into my pocket, so you might as well give me back my wallet. It’s empty, but I’d like to have it back all the same.”
Popov put on a blank face. “Your wallet?”
“That’s right. The one you lifted when you bumped into me.”
“I’m afraid you are mistaken,” he said. “You have misplaced your wallet.”
“That’s possible, of course,” I conceded. “I could be mistaken. But I don’t think I am.”
“That is unfortunate, but—”
“How are we gonna find out?”
“Please, you must excuse me now.” He tried to slip away, but I blocked his path to the door.
“I know what we can do. I’ve got this friend. His name is Captain Catela—you probably know him. We just had dinner together. Why don’t I call him over and he can help us figure out what happened. I’m sure he’d be happy to.”
Popov was silent for a long moment, then he shrugged, smiled sheepishly, and produced the wallet. “I’m having a bad night,” he explained.
“It might’ve just got a lot worse,” I pointed out.
“So you won’t inform Catela?”
“No.”
“You are a gentleman.”
“Just tired,” I said, heading for the door. Popov caught up with me.
“May I walk with you?”
“Suit yourself,” I said, and he followed me out into the soft night air. The sky was inky black and teeming with stars that melded on the horizon with the lights of Casçais, the little fishing village that sat on a bluff a bit further up the shoreline.
“May I tell you the truth?” Popov said out of nowhere. Somehow I didn’t think the truth was what I was about to hear, but I said sure, go ahead.
“It was not my intention to steal your money.”
“You were just gonna borrow it, right?”
“In a way, yes, that is true.”
“You’ll have to excuse me, Roman, but where I come from that’s called bullshit.”
“Yes, I quite understand. I would be somewhat of the same belief if it was I in your position. But I tell the truth nonetheless. Let me explain.”
“I’m all ears,” I said wearily.
“It was my intention to follow you out of the casino and return to you your billfold, acting as if it had fallen from your pocket.”
“Well, thanks for explaining that. I feel a whole lot better now.”
“I understand your doubt, of course. But, you see, my purpose was not to steal from you. It was to meet you.”
“You a Lili Sterne fan, too?”
“Of course, who could not be? But this was not my reason. I have wanted to speak with you, not Miss Sterne.”
“Maybe you’d better cut to the chase.”
“Excuse me?”
“What d’you want, Roman?” I was getting tired of this.
“I want nothing. Only to help you.”
“What makes you think I need help?”
“Everyone needs some help of one kind or another.”
“And what kind do you think I need?”
“You’d like to find this Eva Lange, would you not?” I stopped walking and faced him.
“How do you know about Eva Lange?” He smiled cagily and waited. He had my attention now and he was gonna milk it.
“This is Lisbon,” he said, somewhat cryptically.
“Do you know where I
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