She poured herself a shot of vodka—for courage and to overcome her exhaustion. Through her little window, the red stars of the Kremlin glowed. Judge Satinov: How did you procure this cyanide? Tell the Tribunal! Katinka imagined Sashenka standing at the end of the Tshaped table, pale, thin, battered but still beautiful. But what must she have thought as she was tried for her life and found Hercules Satinov on the Tribunal right there in front of her? She must have struggled to show no emotion, not even a flicker of recognition—everyone would be watching for her reaction and his. But imagine her surprise, her shock—and her overriding concern: are the children safe? Or does Satinov’s presence mean that the children… Accused ZeitlinPalitsyn: I will, Comrade Judge. Vanya procured it from the the NKVD Laboratory. Judge Satinov: How did you know which records to poison? Accused ZeitlinPalitsyn: I knew Comrade Stalin enjoys Georgian folk music, the songs from the movies Volga, Volga and Jolly Fellows, and the arias of Glinka and Tchaikovsky.
