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detail, everything that seemed strange about the hotel. Tell me about the evening before it began. Until I have something concrete to go on I can’t investigate officially. I’m doing this off the books. Officially you don’t exist. So come on, Dunya, give me something, anything.’
    ‘Ilena and I played cards that evening. It was all the same as usual. We’d finished work, the staff hostel was lovely. We even had a little pool there. It mattered to the hotelier that we were happy, he said.’
    ‘What was he like?’
    ‘Nice.’
    ‘Johannes Schönborn?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘He’s in politics these days. The hotel doesn’t belong to him any more. He sold it four years ago.’
    ‘Then why are we driving there now?’
    ‘To help you remember.’
    ‘There’s nothing, however often you ask me. I went to sleep, and when I woke up I was in that cellar. I went to sleep in the hostel and I wasn’t there when I woke up. It was the same for Ilena and Youn.’
    ‘The other two.’
    ‘Yes. Ilena was in the minibus with me.’
    ‘In the minibus taking you out of Moldavia.’
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘Where is she now?’
    ‘She’s dead.’
    ‘Dead?’
    ‘She bled to death.’
    ‘Why? What happened?’
    ‘She had a baby. We were on our own – Youn and I tried to help her, but the blood wouldn’t stop.’
    ‘In the cellar.’
    ‘She died in my arms. Youn was holding the baby.’
    ‘Dunya?’
    ‘Yes?’
    ‘Is that the truth?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Please, you must tell me whether this is really true.’
    ‘How often do I have to say it?’
    ‘You are telling me that your friend had a baby and died in your arms. In a cellar somewhere, a cellar where you were all locked up.’
    ‘Yes, that’s right.’
    ‘I believe you. But you know how it sounds …’
    ‘Why would I make it up? Tell me why.’
    ‘What happened to the baby?’
    ‘They took it away.’
    ‘Where?’
    ‘How would I know?’
    ‘What about Ilena?’
    ‘They shouted and swore, they were beside themselves. They didn’t like having blood all over the place. Or for her to have died just like that. The huntsman gave us something to knock us out, and then it went dark. I don’t know what happened to her.’
    ‘The huntsman?’
    ‘How many more times? I’ve told you and all the other officers before you.’
    ‘I know, I’ve read the records, but I’d like to hear it from you. Just once more, please. This is important, Dunya.’
    ‘He was the one who shot us with the tranquillising darts. He hunted us down, we ran round the cellar and he shot at us. Like animals. He found it fun.’
    ‘What about Youn?’
    ‘I don’t know. He was still in the cellar. He’s probably dead as well. I don’t know.’
    ‘Why didn’t he go with you?’
    ‘He hadn’t come round yet. I shook him, I tried to drag him away with me, but he was too heavy. I couldn’t wait. I had to get out of there, the door was open, don’t you understand? I wanted him to come with me. I really did try everything. They hadn’t locked the door, it was open, and I had to go – had to run for it.’
    ‘What did you see?’
    ‘Nothing.’
    ‘What did you see when you reached the road? Did anyone meet you? Can you remember any building? Did anyone speak to you, did you call for help? What did you do? Please, you must remember.’
    ‘I just ran.’
    ‘Where to?’
    ‘A long way away.’
    ‘There must have been something there. A place name on a sign, a mountain with a particular shape, a shop, a factory, something that you can remember?’
    ‘I told you, I just ran. I wanted to get away. I don’t know what was there or where I was. And then I was in that truck.’
    ‘Had you been trying to stop cars?’
    ‘I don’t know.’
    ‘Where was it, Dunya? Where? We have to find Youn. You must remember something that will tell me where that damn cellar is.’
    ‘I don’t.’
    ‘Were there a lot of people around? Was it somewhere in the countryside?’
    ‘There was only that