The Waiting Game

The elevator door hissed open and Maunov walked into the laboratory.

“I see you are watching the Harris household again,” he said.

Melnikova didn’t look up from the computer screen. “They are in the kitchen and she is making the evening meal,” she said.

“You watch them like some popular melodrama show. They are no longer the targets, Liebchen. There is no need to study them further. I’ll have the cameras shut down.”

“No!” she shouted, turning to look at Maunov. “Oh!” she cried looking back at the screen. “She has dropped a wine glass. It’s shattered to bits on the floor. Now she is crying. Great huge sobs. Now he is taking her in his arms. He holds her so tenderly. Such a big man.

“Now he is stroking her hair. She is calming down ...” Her voice trailed off.

“You think about him a lot, don’t you?” Maunov asked, sitting beside her.

Melnikova started to shake her head, but Maunov raised his hand.