Zdravko made his way through the third floor calmness of Sofia Central Police station and opened the door to Lieutenant Gomenko\u2019s office. The clock above Gomenko said 10.48am. Rusim was standing by the wall to the left, next to a pinned-up picture of the Lieutenant himself on holiday somewhere in the islands with a cocktail in hand. Zdravko walked straight for Rusim.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re not really late,\u201d said Gomenko in his Russian kind of way. Zdravko ignored that.
\n\u201cVladimir told me you\u2019ve been on leave,\u201d said Rusim after they\u2019d given up hugging. \u201cSome place down in Africa. I heard you gave up drinking.\u201d
\nZdravko shrugged. \u201cNon-stop from Mozambique. I\u2019m shattered. Good to see you,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cMaybe we should get to it,\u201d suggested Rusim. Rusim was usually right. Or used to be. Maybe now he was just some alcoholic quarter-gypsy with hardly any hair except for a greying beard who lived with his wife and stepkids in Lower Malina. Now he was probably making gravestones in his spare time, or whatever it was people did in Lower Malina. Zdravko looked at Gomenko. Vladimir Gomenko looked back, a couple of folders in his hand. Zdravko took the files and handed one across to Rusim, taking the chance to squeak another good look at his old friend.
\n\u201cI thought it would be a good idea to put you two together. Organise a small reunion,\u201d said Gomenko. \u201cAnd here we are.\u201d He looked at his sleeve. \u201cSo gentlemen. Middle aged man escapes from Pazardjik prison. Two years into three for theft. Robert Gjoeb. Hungarian national resident in Bulgaria. Walks straight through the pine trees. Disappears like a brilliant idea in America.\u201d Gomenko placed both his hands on the desk and half stood up. \u201cCome with me,\u201d he said. Then he stood up properly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Zdravko made his way through the third floor calmness of Sofia Central Police station and opened the door to Lieutenant Gomenko\u2019s office. The clock above Gomenko said 10.48am. Rusim was standing by the wall to the left, next to a … Continue reading