But if the police had found them in his office during a search, everything would have been complicated. They would have confiscated them as “evidence” in the fabricated case against him, and Ivaylo, with his connections, would have made sure they “disappeared.” He had to get them out of the building now. There was no time. He couldn’t risk carrying them himself—he knew he might be being followed.
And then he saw Anna's bag. It was a desperate, impulsive move. The safest place, he thought, was where no one would look for them. With her. She would take the train home, like every day, and in the evening he would pick them up. The plan was insane, he realized it now, but in the panic of the moment it seemed the only possible one. He hadn't imagined that Ivaylo would act so quickly and send someone after her while still on the train.
The door to his office opened and his younger sister, Maria, came in. A third-year law student, she often came to help him with paperwork in the afternoons. Her face was pale and worried.
– Brother, what's going on? There's a lot of police down in front of the building. They're not letting anyone in or out. They said there's an investigation going on. Is that true?
Peter slumped in his chair.
“It’s true. It’s a trap, Maria. A trap set by Ivaylo.”
“But for what? You didn’t do anything wrong! Right?” There was a hint of doubt in her voice that stung him more than any indictment.
“Of course I’m not!” he replied, too abruptly. “But he is. And I have the evidence. Or rather… I had it.”
– What do you mean? Where are they?
Peter looked down. He was ashamed to admit it.
“I gave them to Ana. Without telling her. This morning, I put them in her bag.”
Maria looked at him in horror.
– You are crazy! You have completely lost your mind! You have involved her in your business wars! Where is she now? Is she okay?
“I don’t know!” Peter shouted, banging the table again. “I’m trying to get in touch with her, but I can’t. He sent someone after her, I’m sure. She got off the train early. She sensed something was wrong. My clever girl—”
Maria's face turned even paler.
"Oh, my God. We have to call the police!"
– Which police? – Petar laughed bitterly. – The same ones who are currently turning over my office on Ivaylo's orders? They're not looking for us to help us, Maria. They're looking for these documents. If they find them on her, they'll accuse her of complicity.
Maria, the future lawyer, immediately understood the logic in his words. They were at an impasse. Caught in a web of corruption, where the guardians of the law worked for the criminals.
“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath, trying to control her panic. “What’s in these documents? How serious is it?”
