Read Online Dark Dreams by Michael Genelin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael Genelin
Ads: Link
illicit sex interest of the nation.” He twitched his eyebrows again. “Okay, so I’m making bad jokes.”
“How did you know I was with her?”
“I’m a colonel in the Criminal Police, remember? I have informants everywhere. They tell me everything.” He thought about that for a moment. “Okay, so I don’t get told everything.” His scratched his head, studying her. “You look upset, too upset for it to be about me knowing you were meeting the M.P.”
“I walked in on my adjutant, Seges, going through my desk.”
“Naturally. He’s spying on you.”
Jana shifted, uneasy in her seat. “Why would he do that?”
“Our anti-corruption crew opened an investigation of your politician friend. They had a watcher across the street when you two sipped your tea together. They called me to warn me about your conduct.”
“Conduct of mine?”
“That you were meeting with her, naturally.”
“Wonderful. Now I’m a co-suspect.”
“I think not. Just a friendly warning to me. So I told Seges to find you. When he couldn’t, I told him to call you. I did it knowing he would use the opportunity to try to find anything that was suspicious in your office.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew he would find nothing, and he’d tell them that, which is what I wanted. It’ll make them feel better and less aggressive toward you.”
“How long has he been working for them?”
“He wants to get out of here just as much as you want him out. Except the shitface wants to land in a cushy job. He picked the anti-corruption unit, and they called me when he got in touch with them, and. . . .” He waved his hands in the air to show it had progressed from there. “It was okay with me. I know their spy. They know I know. That way all of us are covered.”
“This is getting to be too devious a business.”
“It always was.” He looked her over. “You look like a drowned rat.”
“I feel like one.”
Trokan checked his watch. “It’s late enough for the men not to feel too put-upon if you go home a little early. Go home, take a bath, and change into something warm, but nicer than a police uniform.”
Jana got up and went to the door.
Trokan called after her. “What did you do with ‘Seges the Spy’ after you found him searching your desk?”
“He’s doing relief guard duty outside the building in the snow.”
“Good.” Trokan smiled. “At least it’ll stop him from going through your desk drawers.” Trokan tapped his forehead. “I just remembered the other reason I wanted you. The Guzak brothers have left Ukraine. They’re supposed to be either en route back to Bratislava, or already here.”
“More trouble.”
“A bad pair. We’ll look for them at the borders. Except they know how to get in and out under the radar. The older one is psychotic, a genuine madman. You remember the case with Giles?”
“I remember the case. I was going to see Giles anyway. I’ll warn him,” Jana said.
The colonel nodded, returning to the papers he had been studying as Jana walked out the door. Trokan hummed tonelessly. After a moment he stopped going through the papers, picked up the Chinese police officer’s cap, buffed the bill with his sleeve, then put it back on his head.
A satisfied look on his face, he bent over his papers again.
Chapter 9
J ana returned to her small house in the Rusovce District after buying a few cherries from a street vendor nearby. She waved at a neighbor, Mrs. Miklanova, who ducked her head, pretending that she had not seen Jana.
Jana had stopped Mrs. Miklanova’s husband from beating her up some years back. The husband had to spend a few days in the hospital, which she had never forgiven Jana for. Jana opened her door, wondering if the woman had ever considered what would have happened to her if she hadn’t stopped him. Mrs. Miklanova had already been bleeding from a broken nose and a scalp wound when Jana intervened. And, to Jana’s knowledge, he had never beaten his wife
“How did you know I was with her?”
“I’m a colonel in the Criminal Police, remember? I have informants everywhere. They tell me everything.” He thought about that for a moment. “Okay, so I don’t get told everything.” His scratched his head, studying her. “You look upset, too upset for it to be about me knowing you were meeting the M.P.”
“I walked in on my adjutant, Seges, going through my desk.”
“Naturally. He’s spying on you.”
Jana shifted, uneasy in her seat. “Why would he do that?”
“Our anti-corruption crew opened an investigation of your politician friend. They had a watcher across the street when you two sipped your tea together. They called me to warn me about your conduct.”
“Conduct of mine?”
“That you were meeting with her, naturally.”
“Wonderful. Now I’m a co-suspect.”
“I think not. Just a friendly warning to me. So I told Seges to find you. When he couldn’t, I told him to call you. I did it knowing he would use the opportunity to try to find anything that was suspicious in your office.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew he would find nothing, and he’d tell them that, which is what I wanted. It’ll make them feel better and less aggressive toward you.”
“How long has he been working for them?”
“He wants to get out of here just as much as you want him out. Except the shitface wants to land in a cushy job. He picked the anti-corruption unit, and they called me when he got in touch with them, and. . . .” He waved his hands in the air to show it had progressed from there. “It was okay with me. I know their spy. They know I know. That way all of us are covered.”
“This is getting to be too devious a business.”
“It always was.” He looked her over. “You look like a drowned rat.”
“I feel like one.”
Trokan checked his watch. “It’s late enough for the men not to feel too put-upon if you go home a little early. Go home, take a bath, and change into something warm, but nicer than a police uniform.”
Jana got up and went to the door.
Trokan called after her. “What did you do with ‘Seges the Spy’ after you found him searching your desk?”
“He’s doing relief guard duty outside the building in the snow.”
“Good.” Trokan smiled. “At least it’ll stop him from going through your desk drawers.” Trokan tapped his forehead. “I just remembered the other reason I wanted you. The Guzak brothers have left Ukraine. They’re supposed to be either en route back to Bratislava, or already here.”
“More trouble.”
“A bad pair. We’ll look for them at the borders. Except they know how to get in and out under the radar. The older one is psychotic, a genuine madman. You remember the case with Giles?”
“I remember the case. I was going to see Giles anyway. I’ll warn him,” Jana said.
The colonel nodded, returning to the papers he had been studying as Jana walked out the door. Trokan hummed tonelessly. After a moment he stopped going through the papers, picked up the Chinese police officer’s cap, buffed the bill with his sleeve, then put it back on his head.
A satisfied look on his face, he bent over his papers again.
Chapter 9
J ana returned to her small house in the Rusovce District after buying a few cherries from a street vendor nearby. She waved at a neighbor, Mrs. Miklanova, who ducked her head, pretending that she had not seen Jana.
Jana had stopped Mrs. Miklanova’s husband from beating her up some years back. The husband had to spend a few days in the hospital, which she had never forgiven Jana for. Jana opened her door, wondering if the woman had ever considered what would have happened to her if she hadn’t stopped him. Mrs. Miklanova had already been bleeding from a broken nose and a scalp wound when Jana intervened. And, to Jana’s knowledge, he had never beaten his wife
Similar Books
