The old woman stood up and approached Marina, taking her hands.
— I waited until they left. Then I went home and couldn’t sleep all night, thinking about what to do. In the morning, I decided: I have to warn you not to go through the main entrance. And I also have to call the police. Yesterday afternoon, I went to the post office, there’s a payphone there, and I called a number I found on the internet at the library. I called anonymously, didn’t give my name.
— And what did you say? — Marina asked, barely audible.
— I said that something illegal was happening at the ‘Medlife’ clinic on the outskirts of the city, related to donor organs. That the head doctor, Oleg Viktorovich Krylov, was trafficking organs. I asked them to investigate him, to conduct a search. The woman on the other end was writing it down, asking for details. I told her everything I heard that night. About the documents, the correspondence, the patients on the third floor.
Vera Ivanovna let go of Marina’s hands and wiped her tears.
— I don’t know if the police believed me. Maybe they thought it was a prank. But I did everything I could. And most importantly — I warned you. You didn’t go through the main entrance today, and that saved your life.
Marina looked at the old woman and didn’t know what to say. It all seemed surreal. Organ trafficking, an attempted murder, the police… Just yesterday, her life was simple and understandable: work, home, father, fatigue. And now it turned out she was in the middle of some criminal story.
— Vera Ivanovna, are you sure you understood everything correctly? Maybe you misheard something?
The old woman shook her head.
— I heard everything clearly, dear. I’m not deaf. They were talking about you, about the documents, about murder. I heard every word.
Marina sank onto the chair. Her hands were shaking, her thoughts were a mess. What should she do now? Go to the police herself? But with what? She had no proof. She had seen those documents only once, two weeks ago, and didn’t remember the details. It would be her word against the head doctor’s. Or maybe just quit and move far away? But where? She had a sick father who couldn’t be moved. And she had no money for a move.
— Marinochka, listen to me, — Vera Ivanovna sat down next to her. — If the police believe my call, they will come to inspect the clinic. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after. You need to hold on until then. Don’t draw attention to yourself, act as usual. And most importantly, don’t be alone with the head doctor or Semyon. They shouldn’t get a second chance.
— And what about you? It’s dangerous for you too. If they find out you overheard them…
— They won’t find out. I was very careful. I think they don’t even remember that I was supposed to clean the office that evening. To them, I’m just an old, invisible cleaning lady.
Marina looked at Vera Ivanovna with new eyes. This fragile old woman with trembling hands turned out to be much stronger and braver than she seemed.
— Thank you, — Marina said, hugging her. — Thank you for saving my life.
— You’re the one who saved me a year ago, — Vera Ivanovna replied, stroking her head. — When you gave me money for medicine. I just returned the favor.
They sat in that empty ward for a few more minutes, holding hands and calming down. Then Vera Ivanovna said she had to go finish her cleaning, and Marina had to go home to her father. Marina left the clinic through the service entrance, avoiding the main parking lot. The entire way home, she kept looking over her shoulder, afraid someone was following her. Every passing car seemed like a threat. On the bus, she sat in the back seats, where she could see all the passengers.
At home, her father immediately noticed her state.
— Sweetie, why are you so scared? What happened?
Marina couldn’t tell him the truth. She couldn’t add to the worries of a sick man. She smiled and said she was just very tired, it had been a tough day.
While she cooked dinner, fed her father, and helped him get to bed, Marina tried to think through the situation. If Vera Ivanovna was right and they were really trafficking organs at the clinic, it was a very serious crime. People involved in such things would stop at nothing to protect themselves. They had already tried to kill her once. Would they try again? And what if the police didn’t come? If they didn’t believe Vera Ivanovna’s call or decided it was a false alarm? Then she and Vera would be left alone with criminals who already knew that Marina had seen the documents.
Late in the evening, when her father was already asleep, Marina sat in the kitchen with a cup of cold tea. Outside was a dark November night, the street was empty. She took out her phone and found the police number. Her fingers hovered over the screen. Should she call? Tell them everything herself? But what would she say? That some cleaning lady overheard something?
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