Panthera Spelaea

I waited with a different guard in the prisoner waiting room until he got word the Judge was ready to rule. I was cautiously optimistic that Marina had done enough from a legal sense, but I didn’t trust the system at all. Fyodor was right about one thing; the scales of justice in Russia are weighted in favor of the State. I had to hope my parents, the embassy, and the foreign press could push down on my side a little.

This guard spoke English and filled me in on some of the things that I had missed. Moscow had lived in fear for days after the killer lion’s rampage and photograph; military vehicles with heavy machine guns remained in the vicinity of the only sighting. Despite active searches and a highly nervous populace, the lion had vanished shortly after heading north across Novotushinski Proyezd. Rumors of Russian Mafia bosses, famous actors, or secret military programs owning the huge lion ran rampant. For days after the attack, the streets were nearly empty due to fear of the rampaging beast. “What do you think happened to it?”

I rolled my eyes. “There are thousands of big cats in captivity, and not all get treated well. I would bet the owner loaded it up and got the hell out of town. It’s the only answer that makes sense.”

“You’re probably right,” he told me. “Your lawyer did well in there. I’ve never seen a prosecutor slapped down like that in open court, especially that one. She’s an ice queen.”

“Desperate times,” I replied. “I imagine the pressure to solve these crimes is coming right from the top.” I steered the conversation away from the crimes, asking about the best places to sightsee and take a date in Moscow.

“You’re confident in release if you’re asking that,” he said.

“You saw my girlfriend, so you know I have to dream,” I replied. He gave me a few ideas; a boat cruise along the river, beaches, and a few nightclubs. He was telling me about one of the parks when another guard came in to retrieve me.

I went back into the courtroom and looked at Marina. “Anything?”

“No, but I’d love to have been a fly on the wall when Prosecutor Rozanova got back to her office. I bet she tore the Police Chief a new one.”

It didn’t help me, but shit always ran downhill. Kaprisov’s arrogance screwed them, and it was a question of whether the Judge would let it slide. We rose to our feet as the Judge entered the courtroom, and I put my headphones on. “Be seated,” he said, and he didn’t look happy. “Few times in my career has a case come before me where State violated the legal rights of the defendant so repeatedly and brazenly. From the arrest to this hearing, almost nothing has complied with standard criminal procedure. These repeated violations are not excused because of the seriousness of the accusation or the fluid nature of the investigation. They are fundamental to our legal system, and I expect the Moscow Police to investigate and hold those responsible to account.”

So far, so good. “I have reviewed the State’s evidence and do not find sufficient cause to support a warrant of arrest, much less the charges filed against him. The charges against John Jacob Cantwell are dismissed. I further order that Mr. Cantwell’s passport remain in the custody of the Court, pending notification of the completion of the investigations. Mr. Cantwell, you will remain in Russia for the time being, but you are free to go with the apologies of the Court. I will see the Prosecutor in chambers.” The judge banged his gavel and rose out of his chair. The entire courtroom stood with him, waiting until he left to erupt.

I was smiling as I thanked Marina for her work. One of the guards unlocked my shackles, and I turned to embrace my three-woman support network. “Thank you,” I told them as we hugged and cried.

The friendly court officer got my attention. “If you’ll follow me, Mr. Cantwell, there is some paperwork to complete for your release.”

Mom handed me a bag of clothes, and I went back out of the courtroom to the waiting area. Marina arrived shortly after with the court clerk, and she translated the paperwork for me before we both signed. With that, I left via a different door and took an elevator to the main lobby. My three ladies were waiting, along with dozens of reporters. “If you make a statement, don’t blame the cops. There’s no point in making them hate you more,” Marina whispered to me.

Dressed in slacks, a dress shirt, and black loafers, I felt a lot better about myself now than when I arrived. I embraced my Mom, then took Svetlana’s hand as I walked towards the waiting microphones. “This has been a nightmare for me,” I started. “I would like to thank my family, my friends, and my lawyer for their support in this time. I hope the police find the lion responsible for those brutal deaths and bring the owner to justice. Thank you.”

Marina led the way out through the crowded lobby and the divided crowd. Some were happy that I’d gone free, while others were angry the judge let me go. “What is next,” I asked as we exited the building.

“You’re going to stay out of sight and out of trouble until things calm down,” Marina said. “Call me tomorrow.”

“I’m taking you back to my hotel for now,” Mom said. “I fly out tomorrow morning at six-thirty, so I need to be at the airport by five.”

I looked at the girls. “We have to go back to the apartment first. The neighborhood is restless, John. It’s probably best you don’t return. We’ll bring your things.”

“Bring them where?”

An older man got out of a car parked in a lot near us, and Svetlana smiled. “Come meet my Dad,” she said. He was in his fifties, and his face broke out in a smile as his daughter ran into his arms. “He’s free!”

“I see that, Lana,” he said as he looked me over. “Sergei Sevastyano,” he said as he stuck out his hand.

“John Cantwell, and my mother, Carolyn.” His handshake was firm, his eyes searching mine. Sergei was a man who didn’t work at a desk all the time and was highly protective of his daughter.

Mom liked Svetlana and was eager to learn more about her. “Can you join us for dinner tonight, Mr. Sevastyano?”

“Please, call me Sergei. I’m afraid I can’t. I’m following the moving truck home, and it is a long drive.”

I raised my eyebrow and looked at the girls. Anna answered first. “We’ve been evicted. The apartment manager is afraid of the protesters and the police, and since we both got fired from the hospital, we couldn’t afford to pay rent anyway. We’ve got most of our stuff loaded into a truck now. We need to finish, check out of the apartment, and drive the truck out of town.”

“You’re going home?”

Svetlana nodded. “I’m bringing Anna with me. Dad has a friend at the hospital in Rybinsk, and they always have openings for nurses.”

I hated they were out of jobs because of me. “You’re letting Viktor chase you out of Moscow?” I was sure he was behind their firings.

“We’re all right with it,” Anna replied. “The real question is for you. Where will you go?”

That was the easiest question of all. “Wherever Svetlana needs me to be,” I said before I leaned down and kissed her. Mom was looking at me with that ‘I better get my mother of the groom dress ready’ look, knowing Svetlana had me hooked, landed, and cleaned already. God only knows what they talked about while I was in jail. This plan didn’t work for me. I needed to see my Mom tonight and drop her at the airport, but I didn’t want to spend the night without Svetlana. “I have a better idea. You all went through hell to get me out of there, and we should celebrate. I’ll go back to the hotel with Mom and get extra rooms. Sergei, you take the girls back to their apartment and finish moving out. Bring the truck to the hotel. We can eat a big meal, have a drink or two, get some sleep, then leave before rush hour traffic. It will give our families a chance to know each other before my Mom flies out.”

Mom was eagerly nodding, and Svetlana’s dad just had to look at her to see what she wanted. “Let me call Nadezna and make sure it is all right,” he said.

“No, I’ll call Mom,” Svetlana said. Mom couldn’t say no to her either. “Mom expects us for brunch,” she said as she hung up.

“Fine. We better get going.” I kissed Svetlana goodbye and got a hug from Anna before they got into Sergei’s car. I followed Mom to where her driver was waiting. The rear windows were dark tinted, and the press couldn’t see us ducked down in the back as we left the parking garage. The driver dropped us off at the familiar Doubletree- Moscow Marina lobby. The assistant manager recognized me. “Mr. Cantwell! Welcome back to the Doubletree,” he said as he glanced around.

“Thank you, Igor. I need three more rooms for tonight, two singles and a double.” He verified the rooms, all on the same floor but not together. I had my wallet back, so I put them on my credit card. I kept the king suite for myself, holding the other two for the girls and Sergei. We didn’t have any baggage, so Mom and I found couches in a quiet corner of the Lobby Lounge. “I need food badly,” I told Mom as I waved the waitress over. I ordered a bottle of wine, some shrimp cocktail, and beef and mushroom pierogis. I’d polished off the dumplings and had just ordered another plate.

“I’ve never seen you so hungry,” she said.

“Prison food isn’t exactly filling,” I said. I didn’t tell her that my appetite had roughly doubled in the time before my arrest. All I knew was that my body craved food, and I knew I had to keep the lion well fed. I gave Mom a summary of what happened to me after my arrest, leaving out the beating. She listened and hugged me, and that was the end of that part. Mom wanted to talk to me about Svetlana and what my plans were for her. “I love her, and I think she loves me too,” I told her. “We haven’t known each other that long, but I trust her with my life.”

“I see how she looks at you, John. You two are a good match. When are you getting engaged?”

I rolled my eyes. “Mom, I just got out of prison, and half the country thinks I’m a serial killer. My legal bills are mounting. I can’t leave Russia, I don’t know much of the language, and I can’t get anyone in my field to return my phone calls. If not for the money you and Dad provide, I’d be in bad shape. It’s not the right time.”

Mom didn’t buy it. “That girl sacrificed her dreams and her job to stand by you. Her best friend is just as loyal to you. Don’t screw this up, John.”

“I don’t plan to.” I finished the second plate, feeling much better. A few minutes later, the girls arrived with Sergei. We moved to La Veranda and got a table away from the windows and other late diners. Dinner went great, and we were all full of good food and laughing like old friends as we headed up to our rooms.

Mom had arranged for a hotel shuttle to take her to the airport. I’d say goodbye to her at four-thirty in the morning in the lobby. Sergei wanted to be on the road by five-thirty to avoid traffic, so we agreed to meet for breakfast at five. He watched the girls head off to their room. “I like you, John. Don’t make me kill you,” he said before he headed to his room at the other end of the hall. I said goodnight to Mom, then headed to my room for a shower.

The girls had packed an overnight bag for me that didn’t include sleepwear. I put on one of the hotel bathrobes instead. I was tired, so I turned on the television to an English news channel while I turned down the bed. I was surprised to hear a knock on my door. Checking the peephole, I saw Anna and Svetlana, and they had a bag with them. “What are you doing,” I said as I opened the door for them.

“We didn’t like our room, so we canceled it,” Svetlana said.

“We’d rather stay with you,” Anna said as she set the bag down. Svetlana started untying my robe, her arousal evident. “I’ll just take a shower,” Anna said. “A long shower.”

As soon as the door closed, my girlfriend was pulling her clothes off. I shrugged off the robe, pulling her hard body into mine. She pushed me back onto the bed, straddling me and taking me deep inside her as she dropped down. “FUCK yes,” she said as she started moving up and down. “I’ve missed this so.”

“All I could think of was you,” I told her as we made love. We were both too wound up to make it last, and I was filling her up as soon as she had her first orgasm of the night. I stayed inside as she laid on my chest, my hand stroking her back lightly. “I love you, Svetlana.”

“I love you too,” she replied. When I popped out, she rolled off and ran for the bathroom. I could hear the girls talking as the shower ran. A few minutes later, both of them came back out.

My eyes popped out, and John Junior came up to take a look. Svetlana looked like a goddess, her long legs bare, showing lace panties and a sheer bustier that highlighted her stunning figure. Anna was wearing a red babydoll set, her curves filling it out nicely. “Svetlana?” My brain wasn’t functioning enough for a conversation due to sudden blood loss.

“Do you like what I bought for you? I picked these up at GUM when we shopped together." My jaw was slack, and I might have been drooling by now. The girls took a step closer. “It’s all right, John. We both want this.”

I looked between the two as they approached the bed, my mind blown by what was about to happen. The pair exuded sex appeal, and I was powerless to resist.

Deep inside my chest, a warm feeling along with a satisfying rumble worked its way out of my body.

My lion loved the idea.