Child Thief by Dan Smith Page A

knew she and Dariya liked to roll the snow.
    But the men had moved beyond that and were now hiking away, seven dark stains on the glorious white. They were heading up the back of the shallow valley towards a line of poplar trees that stood on the crest like a regiment of well trained soldiers.Tall and straight they stood; their branches reaching upwards, their narrow bodies proud. In the summer they would be a soft green against the pale blue sky, and the field would be filled with red winter wheat moving in waves. The gold and green would ripple as the breeze moved through it. And just below the window, around the base of the fence, flowers would spring with colourful life.
    â€˜Where are they going?’ Lara asked.
    â€˜They must have found something,’ Viktor said. ‘A trail maybe.’
    I turned to look at Lara, but she wasn’t watching the figures advancing on the poplars. She was sitting with her back to the window, scrutinising the medal. Or at least that’s what she wanted us to think, because as I watched her, she dared a sideways glance at me and I saw the secret in her eyes.
    She quickly looked away, creasing her brow, inspecting the medal.
    â€˜What is it, Lara?’ I asked her. ‘What’s the matter?’
    She didn’t answer.
    â€˜I want you to tell me,’ I said, going to sit beside her. ‘I know there’s something.’
    Again the sideways glance.
    â€˜Larissa, if there’s something you know, I want you to tell me right now.’ And I sensed something move in to replace my anger at Dimitri and Svetlana and the others. I felt my own urgency before I realised it was there. An unease crept in, like cold fingers slipping around the back of my neck. Seeing those figures moving up the valley, and with the impression that Lara was hiding something, I began to wonder if there was more to this. Something was wrong.
    â€˜Lara.’ I softened my voice.
    She looked at me. She was deciding, struggling with her thoughts.
    â€˜You’re not in any trouble,’ Natalia said. ‘Do you know where Dariya is? Her mama and papa are worried about her. Something might have happened to her.’

    A glistening redness washed over her dark eyes. She tightened her lips, her chin rising a touch.
    I ran a hand over her head. ‘You’re not in trouble, my angel, I promise, but you must tell me—’
    And with the compassionate tone from both mother and father, the tears came as they inevitably would. And to accompany them, the words of confession to a crime that was no crime at all.
    â€˜We sometimes go up to the trees,’ she said. ‘We have a place where we play.’
    And I didn’t need to ask why she hadn’t told us. She wasn’t allowed there, that was all. She had been forbidden to go that far from the village.
    â€˜And you think that’s where she may have gone?’
    Lara nodded.
    â€˜Why do you think that?’ Natalia asked, sitting beside us. ‘Did she say she was going?’
    She shook her head. ‘I saw.’
    â€˜You saw?’
    â€˜I saw her go. After Petro brought me back and you made me come inside, I was sitting here and I saw her run around the house. She ran around and went straight up. I watched her all the way to the trees.’
    â€˜Where those men are now?’ I pointed at the window and the dark smudges on the snow beyond.
    Lara nodded.
    â€˜OK,’ I said. ‘Good girl.’
    â€˜Am I in trouble?’ she asked.
    â€˜We’ll talk about that later.’
    I took Natalia’s elbow and beckoned her through to the front room. ‘Do you think Dariya saw what they did? What her father did?’
    â€˜Perhaps.’
    â€˜Why else would she run away like that?’
    â€˜I don’t know.’
    â€˜Dimitri’s such an idiot. What he did. Trying to do it to makehis child safe, and now he’s damaged her for ever. Imagine if you saw your father do a