\u201cWe\u2019re gonna learn a lot, or nothing,\u201d muttered Rusim as he pushed through the door. Inside, The Thing Man was a neatly set out array of unrelated items. On the one side was musical gear, with instruments hanging on the wall. On the far wall was furniture and whiteware. In between were cups and spoons. Appliances. Gizmos. Tools. Jewellery. The whole place smelt like dead gardenia. Zdravko wandered up and started talking to a big, long haired guy at the counter who appeared wary. A lot of people had a nose for a cop a mile off. Another salesman was talking to some customer down the back. Rusim stayed in the gizmo section.
\nThe next time he looked up, the guy at the counter seemed relaxed. Rusim found his way to the counter. The guy was talking to Zdravko about cars. Specifically, steering fluid pumps. The longhair had evidently modelled himself, including moustache and thin beard in the middle of his chin, on D\u2019Artagnan. Pretty good for a yokel.
\n\u201cI bet you don\u2019t have one single stolen item in here,\u201d ventured Rusim.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t run the place. You\u2019d better ask the owner,\u201d said the longhair, his huge hands resting on a piece of glass under which was a whole heap of stolen gear. His voice, like his hair and his hands, was big.
\n\u201cAnd where is this fabled owner right now?\u201d
\n\u201cI haven\u2019t seen her in a while.\u201d
\nRusim and Zdravko exchanged a look and pulled out their Makarovs.
\n\u201cListen, we\u2019re running out of time here and we really need to speak to your boss. I forget her name,\u201d said Rusim in an even tone, with one eye on the two guys down the back.
\n\u201cYou guys not big on homework, are you?\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you\u2019re not too big on who\u2019s holding the bazookas. Like they say, vain people are hard to miss.\u201d
\n\u201cLook. What d\u2019you guys want?\u201d
\n\u201cGood. That\u2019s better. Now where were we?\u201d
\n\u201cWe were talking about steering fluid pumps,\u201d said Zdravko. Zdravko and Rusim lowered their weapons.
\n\u201cHer name\u2019s Vila,\u201d said the longhair.
\n\u201cShe sounds like a nice person.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t remember where she lives.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy should we care where she lives?\u201d said Rusim. \u201cWe’ve already eaten\u201d
\n\u201cSounds like you guys are really in the shit.\u201d
\n\u201cYou got any rakia in this place?\u201d
\nThe longhair looked over to the other salesman and motioned with his head. \u201cCome upstairs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWe\u2019re gonna learn a lot, or nothing,\u201d muttered Rusim as he pushed through the door. Inside, The Thing Man was a neatly set out array of unrelated items. On the one side was musical gear, with instruments hanging on the … Continue reading