by Galia Albin
Chapter 6
It was five A.M. when Talia parked her suitcase in the bedroom. The children were sleeping like angels. She yearned to hold them in her arms and shower them with kisses. For now, she caressed their faces gently, so as not to awaken them, and then she went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee.
There were loud knocks on the front door. She ran down the stairs, her heart pounding with premonition. The pounding on the door persisted. She peered through the peephole. A policeman in uniform blocked her view, and behind him crowded four other tall policemen, their guns hanging from their hips like scary, masculine ornaments. She opened the door. “Mrs. Schwarz, this is a police investigation,” said the stoutest of the four, flashing his policeman’s badge. “You’re coming with us now.”
“What do you want form me? I just got back from London on the night flight. I haven’t even had a chance to see my children!” The blood drained from her cheeks, and she tried to slam the door in their faces, but the stout policeman had already put his foot in the door.
“You thought you could outsmart us, lady? This is police work, so don’t try to be cute. As far as we’re concerned, you could come from Acapulco, and we don’t care what you did there.” As he was talking, he opened the door with his foot and slammed it behind him, pushing Talia to the stairs and on into the kitchen.
Her coffee was getting cold on the table. She slumped into a chair and took a sip to invigorate herself. He sized her up knowingly. She was still wearing her black travel suit and high heels, having had no time to take them off. She felt a strong need to take a shower and brush her teeth. Her eyes stung and her skin itched. A great Weariness fell over her, and she seemed to perceive everything through a thick curtain.
“You’ll drink your coffee, and we’ll do our job,” the policeman told her, nodding to his subordinates.
She got up and reached for the phone. “At least let me talk to my lawyer!”
“No, you can’t talk on the phone!” He grabbed the phone from her hand and yanked the wire from the socket. “Sit down on the couch. We have a warrant to conduct a search of the house, Mrs. Schwarz. If you don’t comply, you will be charged with obstruction. Is that what you want? Haven’t the papers written enough about you already?
“You don’t scare me! Give me the phone!” She glared at him.
“Is that so? Well, there’s a search warrant for the premises, and I’ll have you know that there’s a search and then there’s a search. We’ll conduct ours according to your behavior. If you’re a good girl, we’ll do it quickly; if you’re rude, we’ll do it slowly. It doesn’t pay to rub us the wrong way.
Talia sat on the couch stunned. Soon they were all over the house.
The youngest of the four opened the freezer door and poured all its contents on the floor: frozen chicken, hamburger, ice cream in colorful boxes. Jenny must have bought a lot of food in her absence. Apparently disappointed, the policeman poured the sugar and salt from their containers. Within seconds, her apple-pie kitchen had become a disaster area. She closed her eyes and imagined him as a huge cockroach scurrying about her kitchen floor. How horrid it all was! What are they looking for? What do they want from me, Talia kept asking herself in despair. The thud of closing drawers reached her from the bedroom upstairs. She lost her will to object and just sat, petrified.
Suddenly, she heard Udi crying. Dressed in her nightgown, Jenny came down the stairs with the child in her arms. “Talia, what happened?” she cried, her eyes wide open with amazement. Udi stretched his hand toward his mother who quickly took him in her arms.
“Put that kid down!” the burly policeman ordered her. “Maybe you don’t get it lady, but you’re coming with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” she hollered, almost choking with fury. She clutched her son to her bosom, drawing strength and vitality from his little body. Suddenly she remembered, “Where’s your warrant? I want to see this search warrant!”
“A wise guy, are you? You’ll see the search warrant later. Right now, you’re coming with us!” He grabbed the child from her arms. Talia sobbed loudly as he shoved her once more, this time toward the main entrance. “Watch the children!” she called to Jenny, who stood bewildered in the middle of the kitchen, holding Udi in her arms.