Dark Dreams

by Michael Genelin

  Jana checked the telephone numbers she had retrieved from the younger Guzak’s body. One was for a Vienna location. Guzak had come from Kiev, but both cities had been major destinations for Solti. Jana dialed the number. The operator came on the line and announced that it was the United Nations in Vienna. Jana hung up without replying.

  The significance of this new information required her to phone Bohumil directly. He was out for the day but would be checking in within the next few hours. She left a message for him to call her. She almost asked for Marta, but decided against it because she wanted to discuss the significance of the Vienna telephone number directly with the captain. That a thug like Guzak was ready to phone the United Nations was shocking; it indicated that someone in the Euro-complex the UN had in Vienna was involved in the ring.

  Jana went over the other names that had emerged in her investigation. The next one on her list was Midi, the man who had been the main conspirator in the Hungarian-based ring. Midi was the Slovak and “the bankroll.” Jana called Seges, telling him to check for Midi in the telephone directories, in the property registry, and with the police registration lists in all the stations in Slovakia; and not to forget the lists of cell phone subscribers. There was a barely audible groan on the other end of the phone. Seges mumbled about trying to get off early because of the overtime he had put in lately.

  Jana knew how to overcome that hurdle. She told him it was for Captain Bohumil, which brightened him up, which in turn reassured Jana that Seges would do the work in a thorough way. He still wanted to get into Bohumil’s unit.

  Jana decided that it was time to deal with two other issues. First and foremost, she had to speak to Peter and get their relationship resolved. She had to know why he had taken on an investigation that had her as one of the possible targets at the same time he was romantically involved with her. She also had to speak to Sofia. The meeting that Jana had stumbled on between Sofia and Kamin still rankled. She had pushed it to the back of her mind, overwhelmed by the pressure of her investigation. But she had to find out the real reason for the meeting. Then there was the diamond necklace. Why had it been placed in her apartment? To give Bohumil’s unit proof that Jana had been involved in corruption? Possibly. But maybe not. Maybe there was another reason.

  Jana had to delay contacting Peter. All the telephone calls that ran through the police anti-corruption investigation division were periodically voice-monitored. The same system also automatically recorded all incoming and outgoing numbers. Peter was on the staff of the attorney general, but, because he was assigned to the special investigation division, she thought his calls might be monitored as well. Jana was upset and angry with him, but didn’t want her call to create further difficulties for him.

  So discussing Kamin with Sofia came next. Their connection was bizarre, and it had to be wounding for Sofia. The man was repulsive. Sofia would find him disgusting and would do anything to avoid close contact with him. She certainly would not wish to be alone with the man in her office. Whatever had forced Sofia into that meeting had to be brought out and aired.

  Jana called Sofia. She was not in her home office, nor at her home phone number. Her cell phone was not answering. Jana tried the parliament building. The call was forwarded to Sila Covic’s receptionist. The receptionist indicated that Sofia was not expected in parliament today: she was flying to Vienna and was probably already at the airport.

  Jana was dismayed. Vienna again. And now with reference to Sofia.

  Jana went to the parking area and located Trokan’s car, opened the door on the passenger side, and reached below the seat, fingering the upholstery under the cushion. She suffered a momentary scare when she could not locate the diamond; then she peered under the seat and saw a piece of the necklace chain peeping out. She extracted it, relieved that it was still there.

  She held it up. The gem glittered as brightly as ever. It was so beautiful and seductive, shimmering magically in the light. Jana almost hated to put it away. She forced herself to rewrap it and placed it back inside her bra.

  Chapter 33

  Jana went home that evening planning on loafing, clearing her mind by doing absolutely nothing. The neighbor across the street, bulky in a heavy jacket worn against the cold, stared hard at Jana as she stood before her door. There was nothing new to the woman’s dislike of Jana, but the look seemed even more hostile than usual. Jana nodded at her. The woman turned away, so Jana walked into her house. A nervous-looking Sofia was sitting on the couch, waiting for Jana, her bag packed for Vienna next to her on the floor.

  Jana paused, nodding to Sofia, not very surprised to see her there. In the past, Sofia used to come over at all hours of the day and night. She knew that she was always welcome and the door was never locked. Jana took off her coat, hung it up, then walked over to her overstuffed chair next to the couch.

  “I understand you are going to Austria?” Jana asked.

  “For a few days.” Sofia’s voice had a tentative quality. “Inter-government stuff.”

  “No private business?”

  Sofia seemed to think, then tried to make a joke. “Maybe some Viennese pastries.” She forced a smile. “How have you been, Jana?”

  “I’m tired.” Jana relaxed and sat back in her chair. “You’re lucky you caught me here. I’m generally not home until much later.”

  Sofia nodded.

  “More problems?” Jana finally asked Sofia.

  Sofia stiffened. Jana could generally read her friend’s face. She was thinking about what to say. Whatever Sofia had come here to speak about, she still cared that it might be received with rejection or anger.

  “Better to tell me now rather than later, Sofia. Things have a way of building up when you wait.”

  Sofia got the needed courage to speak. “I did something I felt I needed to do, but I am not proud of the way I did it.”

  There was another uneasy silence. Jana went over their last meeting. They had been very, very uncomfortable. Finding Kamin in the same office with Sofia, talking together as if nothing had happened years before, had felt wrong then; it felt wrong now.

  “The meeting with Kamin?”

  “In part.”

  “Only in part?”

  “Yes.” She sighed, then forced herself to go forward. “I was afraid of the Party. I was afraid of him. I was afraid of making waves, of not complying with the rules of the political game that every politician has to play if they want to succeed. There was a fear of making enemies, fear that I might be rejected by the public. So, I met with him.”

  “What could be so important?”

  “He wanted me to vote on a bill in parliament granting him, and others in the old administration, immunity from criminal prosecution for their past official acts. They’d bent the rules, and the laws. Now they claim all kinds of reasons they should be given immunity: the need to maintain public confidence, to stabilize the economy, to calm multi-national companies that may fear prosecution because of their possible illegal interaction with the prior government. A number of legislators are afraid for their own skins, so almost everyone is getting behind the bill. They want my support as well.”

  Jana immediately understood why. “Your support would give them legitimacy, true?”

  Sofia mocked herself with an ugly sound from deep in her throat. It was filled with self-loathing.

  “If the woman who fought corruption supports the legislation, it must be good, right?” Jana asked.

  “That would be their reasoning, I suppose.”

  “So, why not simply say ‘no’?”

  “Because of something else.” There was a look of despair on Sofia’s face. “I was overconfident, and a little stupid. No,” she corrected herself. “I was very stupid.”

  Jana had seen Sofia’s expression on many other faces. It was always there when a victim felt he had stepped over some line and might himself be embarrassed or incriminated.

  “Is he holding something over your head? The affair with Boryda?”
>
  “In part,” she reluctantly agreed.

  Sofia went silent again, struggling to articulate the problem. It was the same internal battle she had gone through at the Café Gremium.

  “You can’t go on like this forever, Sofia. Time to spit it out. It’s the only way I can help you.”

  “I don’t know if you’ll help me after you find out what I did.”

  “Try me.”

  Sofia reached into her handbag and pulled out an envelope, handed it to Jana, then closed her eyes as if she did not want to see Jana’s reaction. Jana removed the folded page of a newspaper, opened it, and scanned an article that had been circled in marking pen. The story was about some charity social function. The photograph that accompanied it caught Jana’s eye. At first glance it was innocuous enough. Sofia was merely standing next to the hostess of the party.

  Jana took a closer look at the photograph. Her friend was dressed in a gown made of velvet. Very pretty, but the dress was unimportant compared to something else in the photo. It was what was around her neck: a diamond necklace. Jana recognized the necklace. She looked at Sofia. Her friend still sat with her eyes closed.

  Jana pulled the necklace out, comparing it with the photo. No doubt, they were one and the same. She checked the date on the page. It was the week before Jana had found the diamond in her home, hanging from a ceiling beam.

  “Sofia!”

  Sofia’s eyes snapped open.

  “Why did you leave me the diamond without any explanation?”

  Sofia tried to find the answer.

  “Dread and panic. Terror. The article was mailed to me. I didn’t know what to do. It was meant to scare me. I tried to tell you at the restaurant. Impossible. I was too afraid. My throat closed up. The words could not get past the constriction. So, I gave up trying to tell you. Except, as soon as I left the coffee shop, I knew I was lost if I didn’t. I needed help. I came over here to wait for you. And I panicked again. I wanted to throw up, to beat myself, to die. I had to get rid of the necklace, to get it out of my life. So, I hung it where you found it, and fled.”

  “What was I supposed to do with the necklace, Sofia?”

  “You’re a police officer, Jana, as well as my friend. I thought you might find out where it came from. You would have to investigate. What else could you do?”

  Jana sat in silence, trying to understand Sofia’s logic.

  “You put me in jeopardy, Sofia.”

  Sofia sat back on the couch, closing her eyes again, her voice very low. “I was not thinking clearly. I didn’t mean to do that.”

  Jana watched the gem sway as she held it suspended from its chain. A huge stone, exquisite, radiating a cold fire.

  “You could not have afforded a gem like this, Sofia. Did you get it from your deputy prime minister?” Jana answered her own question. “No. He could not have afforded it either, not on his salary.”

  Sofia moved her head as if in pain. “I thought it was from him. I hoped it was, when it was delivered to me by a messenger. There was no card. I was so excited, thinking he still loved me. I called him, even though I was not supposed to. He could not get me off the phone quickly enough, but. . . .” Her voice took on a wry note. “He managed to assure me that he had not sent me the diamond before he hung up.” She opened her eyes, her face taking on a grim look. “No words of love. He was just dealing with a pest. Bang! End of call!

  “He was at the party the night I wore the necklace. I wore it, still believing he had sent it to me. That he really wanted me to acknowledge his gift. But he avoided me all evening.”

  “When was it sent to you, Sofia?”

  “Just after the news media found out about the affair Boryda and I were having.”

  “Did you ever get any glimmering of an idea of who had sent you this precious bauble?”

  “Not even the whisper of a suggestion.” Sofia’s voice took on an added sense of anxiety. “When Kamin called for the appointment with me, to ask me to vote for the bill, I thought it was him. He phoned the day after I received the newspaper article. It’s his way of operating.”

  “Did Kamin mention the diamond to you? The article that was sent?”

  “Not a word.”

  “Why him, then?”

  “Who else? He corrupts people. I thought he was trying to bribe me. That’s the reason I originally came to you. Everyone would think I had sold out on some bill or other in order to get that kind of jewel. They’d believe I was taking graft.”

  Sofia sat on the edge of the couch, beginning to rock back and forth, trying to contain her internal tension. “I’m being assaulted on all sides, Jana. I am being driven crazy. Everything is disintegrating. My life is collapsing.” She looked at Jana directly for the first time. “Jana, help me like you have always helped me. You’re the detective. Find out why this came to me. Please, please, please help me!”

  Jana mulled over her friend’s distress.

  “You’re telling me the truth, Sofia? You have no idea who sent you the diamond? Or why it was sent to you? No inkling at all?”

  “I swear, Jana. There’s no one else who would have a reason to give me this.” Her voice went up another notch. “I have no idea at all. And that’s why it frightens me so much.” Her eyes moved to the diamond, fixing on it for a moment, then moved back up to Jana’s face. “I never expected this, never.”

  Jana looked at her friend. Sofia looked back, her eyes pleading for help.

  Sofia had acted badly, putting Jana in jeopardy.

  She had not considered Jana’s needs.

  No matter.

  Sofia was her childhood companion.

  Sofia was her friend.

  They were bound together.

  They both started when there was a loud knock at the door. It was Mrs. Milanova, the woman from across the street, her arms folded over her chest, panting out chilly breaths in frosty puffs, looking both angry and self-righteous.

  “Why aren’t you there? You can’t just ignore things so you can come home early.”

  Jana had no idea what the woman was talking about. The woman fumed on. Jana let her run her course.

  “You think you can rest while all these murders are taking place in Bratislava. That’s not what you’re paid to do. You should be out there catching whoever did them.”

  Jana wondered what had brought on this outburst.

  “We’re trying, Mrs. Milanova.”

  The woman’s voice went up a notch.

  “You call this trying, having a chat with a friend while people are being killed? Two this past week; two more today? You are not doing your job.”

  Two today? What was the woman talking about? “You’ve heard about two murders today? On the TV?”

  A flush of triumph rose like a tide over the woman’s face.

  “I knew it! You people don’t know what you’re doing. How can you claim to be protecting people? Are you even sure your shoes are on? Look at the TV, great detective that you are.” She scurried away, now shouting so other neighbors would hear her. “The police force is corrupt. They beat up a woman’s husband, they put him in the hospital, but they can’t find criminals.” She got to her front door, turning to shout a last imprecation at Jana. “You should be put in prison. All you do is hurt the innocent!” She went inside, slamming the door behind her.

  Jana ignored Sofia, switching on her television, at the same time using her cell phone to call her office. The TV popped on just as the phone was answered by one of her detectives.

  “Matinova here. Has there been another murder?”

  She saw it unfolding on TV. There was a crime scene just two blocks from parliament. Two people had been killed, both women. They had already been identified. One was Sila Covic, the Red Devil. The other was officer Marta Hrdlicka.

  Jana began yelling at the detective for not immediately informing her. When Jana finally ran down, she was even more surprised at the reason she had not been called. Trokan had given her men explicit instructions that sh
e not be informed. He had taken personal charge of the investigation.

  They had not wanted her at the scene.

  Chapter 34

  Jana was confused. Why had Trokan stepped in? What could have caused these two women to be murdered? Why Marta Hrdlicka? She considered every piece of evidence, every report, every small bit of data she had on the case. She tried to put these new deaths together with the others to make a cohesive whole. The solution did not appear. She had to know more.

  Two hours later, a call finally came from Trokan. Jana drove directly to police headquarters, reporting as requested to Captain Bohumil’s office. The two men were waiting for her. And Peter. Recording equipment had already been set up, which meant she was a suspect in the new murders.

  There was a grim feeling in the room. All homicides create a harsh atmosphere, but the investigators go forward in a businesslike way, their jobs leavened with office gossip, dirty jokes, shop talk, and a gallows humor that diffuses the dismal events. It was different now in Bohumil’s office. There was an overlay of gloom and depression as if they had been personally injured by the recent events. Even Trokan, who was normally able to weather the worst circumstances with a modicum of good spirits, looked bleak. Jana knew the cause: one of their own was dead. And, from the way Jana had been initially shunted aside, they thought the deaths were attributable to the ongoing investigation that she had already been questioned about.

  “Marta Hrdlicka, the officer who was acting as the liaison between you and Captain Bohumil, was killed.”

  “I saw the report on television,” Jana acknowledged.

  She sat down in the only unoccupied chair, trying to come to terms with the grisly events. Marta had helped Jana; Jana had tried to help her. Now she was gone, and Jana was mourning her with a grief that was already turning to fury.

  “How was she killed?”

  Trokan answered. “They were both shot. The Covic woman was shot through the head. A contact wound. Marta was shot twice in the body, with a final shot to the head at close range.”