Artiom wasn’t supposed to be in that motor boat at all, but they wouldn’t be looking for him for a while, at least not immediately. Because, from the icebox on Sekirka, the inmate Goriainov returned to the camp with a transfer into the musicians’ brigade and the commander of that brigade had received a phony health statement that proved that Artiom Goriainov wasn’t physically able to join the musicians yet and was redirected temporarily to the infirmary. As for Doctor Ali, he was sure that the inmate who had slept for a day and a half on one of his couches knew where he had to go and he had no business whatsoever with him, because he never officially admitted him but only put him up for a night as a favor — or rather, because Galia asked him to — and now the only person responsible for thi
