“Stas leaned towards the windshield and brought the watch to his eyes. Half past six. The secretary must leave now. He leaned back in his seat and looked at the wooden door. One of the windows has already gone out. A minute later the door opened and a tall woman in a wide-brimmed hat came out onto the porch. Looking around, she went down the steps and quickly walked along the sidewalk, carefully avoiding the puddles.”