Free Live from Moscow by Eric Almeida

interview."
    As the Peugeot shot onto Avenue Suffren with a squealing of tires, she
leaned into the turn and inadvertently splayed open her silk blouse.
    Conley looked away. His encounter at breakfast gave him something else to
think about. He kept his mind on the English woman all the way down the Seine.
    Around the Place de la Concorde, with its distinctive Egyptian obelisk at
the center, Claire twisted and maneuvered between different lanes in the
rotary, her attention occupied. " Zut !" she exclaimed, jamming
the brakes.
    Both of them lurched forward against their seat restraints as they came to a
stop. A car shot across their front end, missing Claire's Peugeot by inches. "Imbécile
stupide! "  she shouted, gesturing at the other driver with the
back of her hand. She leaned back from the steering wheel, eyes half closed,
and took a deep breath. At once honking horns erupted behind her; she released
the clutch and started forward again. "Pardon my language, Steve,"
she said, her voice jangled. "You okay?" She reached across and
placed a hand on his knee.
    There was a tremble in her fingers. He assured her he was fine.
    Anyone but Claire, he reminded himself .
     
     
    The worst part about that last day," Claire said, describing Dushanbe,
"was that I missed Peter's phone call. It was before he left the hotel. I
was at work, wrapped up in a meeting. He left the message on my
voicemail."
    They were sitting outdoors in a café in Montmartre, just down a quiet
side street from
Sacré
Coeur.
Sunlight was warm but both of them wore overcoats and scarves because of the
seasonal chill. There was only one other outdoor patron, an elderly man reading
a book and smoking. Conley ran his fingers through the hair on one temple, with
traces of self-absorption. He looked up behind his sunglasses. Even in English,
this interview was proceeding at slower pace than Claire would have liked.
    "What did the message say?" he asked.
    "That he had a dinner engagement with Salimjon Shakuri, the Prime
Minister. His message was brief. He said he'd call later with details."
    "And he never called later?"
    "No, and I was worried sick," she said.  "I hardly slept
that night…and I stayed home from work the next morning." She heard
her voice crack. "The next call I received was around lunchtime, from the
U.S. Embassy…"
    She choked on the words. Tears formed and she drew a hand up to cover her
face. She had vowed to avoid such small outbursts today, but couldn't help
herself.
    "I'm sorry, Claire."
    "No…please go on."
    Conley took a sip of his café-au-lait and waited a moment before
continuing. "Let's get back to that last message, before Peter had dinner
with Prime Minister Shakuri. Did Peter say anything else?"
    Claire hesitated. This was somewhat personal.
    "Well, yes..."
    "If you'd prefer not to say…"
    "No. I guess I don't mind. Peter said, 'I'm doing all this for you,
Claire. For us.' "
    "He meant his assignment, or the dinner?"
    "Both, I think."
    Conley looked puzzled. "The dinner? Why would that be connected to
you?"
    "He often told me I was the main reason he worked so hard. And this
dinner was a conclusion to a long project. Peter described it as important to
his ultimate success."
    A heavy pause ensued as Conley studied his notes. The old man sitting nearby
closed his book and signaled inside for the check. To Claire Montmartre seemed
as always: a hilltop oasis amidst surrounding urban bustle. It also felt a
world apart from the brutality and unknowns of Tajikistan.
    So did Argenteuil. Even that now seemed tame by comparison. She’d
fretted when Peter had ventured there as part of his early research. It was
Conley's destination that evening---a repeat of Peter's foray. She started to
worry about it.
    But the locale was French, she decided. And Conley was experienced. He would
manage.
    The check arrived; the old man placed money on the table and slowly rose
from his chair. Claire wondered if the man was a widower. If so, he appeared