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Authors: Michael Genelin
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to know why.”
“The colonel wanted me to find you,” he finally blurted out.
“So?”
“I called. Your cell phone was off . . . I think.”
Jana hesitated, then pulled her cell phone out of her bag, checking its setting. “It’s on, ready to receive calls.”
“I thought you might have a . . . new . . . number,” he stammered. “So I was looking for it.”
“Let’s see if it has been changed.” She picked up her desk phone and dialed her cell number. Almost immediately the cell phone rang. Jana put it to one ear, the desk phone to the other. “Have you heard that Seges is a liar?” she asked, speaking into the desk phone. “Yes, I heard. There is no question about it.” She replied, “Thank you for your information.” She hung up both phones.
“Did you hear that?” she asked Seges. “My goodness! Both said you were a liar.”
“No, Commander,” he got out.
“All you had to do was call Communications to find if I had been assigned a new number.” She put her cell phone away. “If I catch you going through my papers again, I will make sure you never forget it.” She tried to relax, finally noticing the dampness of the clothes clinging to her body. Even her galoshes had not kept water from seeping into her socks. And she was now tired.
“What did you learn at the scene of the crime?” Seges asked, trying to make small talk, hoping she would forget his transgression. She had been investigating a death while he had been ransacking her desk.
“A suicide. Not for us. I left it for the patrol officers to report and the coroner to make his own finding.”
“Good,” said Seges. “That means our caseload stays the same.”
“Too much work, Seges?”
“We all work hard, Commander.”
“I have a little more work for the hard-working man that you are,” she said, keeping a straight face. “Relieve Jarov at the building entrance. You have a two-hour shift. Dress warmly.”
“Me?” He looked aghast.
“You,” she agreed. “Now!”
Seges scrambled out of the office.
Jana smiled to herself, shaking her head at Seges’s idiocy. If he had not been so incompetent, he might have been dangerous. She checked her appearance in the small wall mirror, then walked to the colonel’s office.
The door was ajar, inviting visitors, so she tapped on the metal frame before entering.
Trokan was going through a stack of papers. He looked up briefly, then wagged a finger at her to close the door, following with another waggle that invited her to sit. He took a last look at his papers, then moved them to the corner of his desk. He was wearing a Chinese police officer’s cap, whose bill jutted out aggressively. It was part of his collection of police headwear from all parts of the world. Most of the caps sat on shelves around the office.
“Why are you wearing that cap?” she asked. “Thinking of transferring to China?”
“It cuts down the fluorescent light glare, so I don’t go blind.”
“Do you like Chinese food?”
“Who doesn’t like Chinese food?” He took the cap off and laid it on his desk. “Where were you?”
“With someone.”
“With ‘someone,’ as in sex?” He gave her a fake leer topped with an eyebrow twitch. “No, you don’t look satisfied enough. You were with your friend, the member of parliament. What’s her name?”
Jana studied Trokan. He knew about her meeting with Sofia. How? The meeting was not a secret, but the arrangement had been last-minute. If he’d been aware that she was going to meet with Sofia, and wanted more information, he would simply have asked, knowing she would answer him truthfully. No, he hadn’t been notified about the meeting before she’d gone to the café. Trokan was her superior, but also a friend and a longtime supporter. Someone had to have been concerned enough about the two of them having tea together to tell Trokan.
“Don’t bother telling me the name of your friend. I know it. She’s the one who’s the current
“The colonel wanted me to find you,” he finally blurted out.
“So?”
“I called. Your cell phone was off . . . I think.”
Jana hesitated, then pulled her cell phone out of her bag, checking its setting. “It’s on, ready to receive calls.”
“I thought you might have a . . . new . . . number,” he stammered. “So I was looking for it.”
“Let’s see if it has been changed.” She picked up her desk phone and dialed her cell number. Almost immediately the cell phone rang. Jana put it to one ear, the desk phone to the other. “Have you heard that Seges is a liar?” she asked, speaking into the desk phone. “Yes, I heard. There is no question about it.” She replied, “Thank you for your information.” She hung up both phones.
“Did you hear that?” she asked Seges. “My goodness! Both said you were a liar.”
“No, Commander,” he got out.
“All you had to do was call Communications to find if I had been assigned a new number.” She put her cell phone away. “If I catch you going through my papers again, I will make sure you never forget it.” She tried to relax, finally noticing the dampness of the clothes clinging to her body. Even her galoshes had not kept water from seeping into her socks. And she was now tired.
“What did you learn at the scene of the crime?” Seges asked, trying to make small talk, hoping she would forget his transgression. She had been investigating a death while he had been ransacking her desk.
“A suicide. Not for us. I left it for the patrol officers to report and the coroner to make his own finding.”
“Good,” said Seges. “That means our caseload stays the same.”
“Too much work, Seges?”
“We all work hard, Commander.”
“I have a little more work for the hard-working man that you are,” she said, keeping a straight face. “Relieve Jarov at the building entrance. You have a two-hour shift. Dress warmly.”
“Me?” He looked aghast.
“You,” she agreed. “Now!”
Seges scrambled out of the office.
Jana smiled to herself, shaking her head at Seges’s idiocy. If he had not been so incompetent, he might have been dangerous. She checked her appearance in the small wall mirror, then walked to the colonel’s office.
The door was ajar, inviting visitors, so she tapped on the metal frame before entering.
Trokan was going through a stack of papers. He looked up briefly, then wagged a finger at her to close the door, following with another waggle that invited her to sit. He took a last look at his papers, then moved them to the corner of his desk. He was wearing a Chinese police officer’s cap, whose bill jutted out aggressively. It was part of his collection of police headwear from all parts of the world. Most of the caps sat on shelves around the office.
“Why are you wearing that cap?” she asked. “Thinking of transferring to China?”
“It cuts down the fluorescent light glare, so I don’t go blind.”
“Do you like Chinese food?”
“Who doesn’t like Chinese food?” He took the cap off and laid it on his desk. “Where were you?”
“With someone.”
“With ‘someone,’ as in sex?” He gave her a fake leer topped with an eyebrow twitch. “No, you don’t look satisfied enough. You were with your friend, the member of parliament. What’s her name?”
Jana studied Trokan. He knew about her meeting with Sofia. How? The meeting was not a secret, but the arrangement had been last-minute. If he’d been aware that she was going to meet with Sofia, and wanted more information, he would simply have asked, knowing she would answer him truthfully. No, he hadn’t been notified about the meeting before she’d gone to the café. Trokan was her superior, but also a friend and a longtime supporter. Someone had to have been concerned enough about the two of them having tea together to tell Trokan.
“Don’t bother telling me the name of your friend. I know it. She’s the one who’s the current
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