Read Online Entanglement by Zygmunt Miloszewski - Free Book Online

and see him as soon as possible. After today’s interviews it was clear the therapist and his entire bizarre therapy could provide the key to the whole case. Rudzki apologized and said he’d been lying in bed with a high temperature all day. He realized that sounded like an idiotic excuse, but he really couldn’t come. However, he’d be glad to see Szacki at his place.

    Szacki thought about it. On the one hand, he’d prefer to meet on his own ground, but on the other he was eager to talk to the therapist. So he agreed. He wrote down an address in Ochota and promised to be there in an hour.
    He hung up, and cursed. Hadn’t he promised Weronika he’d be home at five and would stay in with the little one so she could go to the match? Of course he could try explaining, and she might even understand, but… Well, quite - but. He called Rudzki again and postponed the meeting until next day at nine a.m. The therapist was pleased and said he’d do all he could to be back on his feet and of sound mind by then. Szacki thought it odd that he’d used that expression. After all, flu is not the same as schizophrenia.

V
    Helka was triumphant. She’d beaten her father three times at ludo (once when she finished he still had all his pieces in base). Now it all looked as if she’d win at lotto too. She was two pairs ahead, and there were only ten more cards lying on the floor to be picked up. Five pairs. And it was her move. If she didn’t make a mistake, the evening would belong to her. She turned over a card - a pine tree covered in snow. With a confident gesture she turned over the next one - a pine tree covered in snow. She didn’t say anything, just glanced at him radiantly. She put the cards on her pile and scrupulously counted the difference.
    “I’ve got three more than you,” she declared.
    “It’s not over yet,” remarked Szacki. “Go on.”
    The little girl quickly turned over a card - a robin. She frowned. She reached for the card lying nearest to her and hesitated. She glanced enquiringly at her father. Szacki knew the robin was there, but he just shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t going to help today. Helka changed her mind and turned over a different card - a badger.

    “Oh no!” she groaned.
    “Oh yes,” replied Szacki, gathering up both robins. Three more pairs to get, and only two behind. He knew what the remaining cards were. He stuck his tongue out at his daughter and turned over the same badger as she had just done.
    Helka hid her face in her hands.
    “I don’t want to look,” she announced.
    Szacki pretended to be wondering.
    “Now, where was that second badger? Did we ever find him?”
    Helka nodded, looking at him through her fingers. Szacki suspended a hand over the badger card. His daughter squeezed her eyelids shut. He laughed to himself, reached out and turned over a card with - some raspberries.
    “Oh no!” he groaned.
    “Oh yes,” cried Helka, quickly picking up the remaining three pairs, and threw her arms around his neck.
    “So who’s the Queen of the Lotto?”
    “I’m the King of the Lotto,” he cheekily claimed.
    “No you’re not!”
    “Yes I am! Losing today was the exception.”
    The door banged shut. Weronika was home.
    “Mummy, do you know how many times I beat Daddy at ludo?”
    “No, I don’t.”
    “Three times. And once at lotto.”
    “Wonderful, maybe you should play football for Legia Warsaw.”
    Szacki put the lotto away in its box, got up from the floor and went into the hall. His wife tossed her tricolour scarf on a hook. She was dressed for the match - thin polo neck, anorak, jeans, ankle-high sneakers. Contact lenses instead of glasses. The stadium on Łazienkowska Street wasn’t a good place to show off your charms.

    “Don’t say they were beaten.”
    “They drew, but it was as good as being beaten. Włodarczyk missed three golden opportunities - even I’d have scored. They played the last twenty minutes with only ten men because that cretin