“Mirko was easy,” she said while inspecting the cut on her chest. “My father cut off his arm. I happened to run into him in a tavern my last night in town. As for Gamic, Mirko told me he ran a butcher store here. All I had to do was check each one until I found him. I knew I would recognize him the minute I saw him, and I did.”
“A butcher shop. How ironic,” Goran mused. “Here he was in my own city the whole time.”
The sound of sirens wailed through the broken window before coming to a halt in front of the building. Blue strobes lit up the window.
“Listen,” Goran said as he headed for the door, “it’s going to get hectic here for a while.” He turned to her. “Don’t worry. I’ll cover for you. Just be sure you find me when this is over. There’s something I have to tell you.”
“I’ll be here,” she said as she looked around at the mess. “Probably in another room, but I’ll be here.”
He smiled and walked away holding his badge above his head as boots pounded up the stairway.
Chapter 5
A forensics team wearing latex gloves pored over the crime scene while Chief of Police Obrad Djuricic stood above Alina. She sat in a chair while a medic attended her wounds. The chief was a fat man with heavy jowls, his eyes glazed from drinking—or so Alina presumed. He indicated the body lying on the bed.
“So you don’t know this man, is that what you’re telling me?”
Alina nodded. “First time I saw him was in the butcher shop where I bought a steak. He asked me where I was staying and, like a fool, I told him. How was I supposed to know he planned to rape me?”
“Rape you? That doesn’t sound like him. Edib has been a model citizen in this town for nine years. I’ve never heard of him crossing the line with anyone anywhere. Something isn’t adding up right. Did you say or do anything else that might have provoked him?”
She shook her head. “No, I just ordered a steak and walked out. That’s it. I came back here and was cooking it when he broke through my door and attacked me.”
Chief Djuricic turned to Goran. “Captain, can your men corroborate this?”
Goran flipped the pages in his notebook and nodded. “My men had her under surveillance all day. They say she went into the butcher shop at about 4:00 and came out with a package in five minutes.” He looked at his boss. “That’s not enough time to confront anyone, sir.”
“And just why did you have her under surveillance?”
Goran stopped. He looked at Alina, who stared back at him.
“I, uh, I thought she looked suspicious. I received word that a woman matching her description was seen leaving a crime in Valjevo. I was just being prudent, sir.”
The chief turned to look at Alina. She averted her gaze.
“Well, then. Seems like we have this thing sewed up—everything, that is except a motive. Captain, I want you to dig into this man’s life. Tear it apart. See what turns up and tell me what you find.” He turned back to Alina. “As for you, Miss, I want you to stay in town a while. I may have a few more questions before you leave.”
“Stay in town? I don’t think I can afford that. My money is running low and I have to get back home.”
“Don’t worry. The department will put you up.” The chief then turned to Goran. “Captain, may I have a word with you in private?” Goran agreed and the two men walked through the remains of the door.
“I’ve never seen him this way,” the medic said once they had left.
“Excuse me?” Alina said. She looked at the young man who had finished patching gauze over her chest wound.
He placed a stethoscope in his ears. “The Chief. I’ve never seen him this involved in a crime like this before. He normally just leaves it to the captain to bring him the report. Captain Bratislav does all the investigations.”
“How long have you been here?” Alina asked as the man put a pressure cuff on her arm.
“All my life.”
“And the chief’s never been to a crime scene, not even once.”
“Not that I can remember. Normally, he just stays in his office.”
Alina turned her head to regard the empty doorway.
“Blood pressure’s fine,” the medic said.
“Huh?”
“I said your blood pressure is fine. If someone just tried to kill me, my pressure would be through the roof. How can you be so calm after all this?”
Alina turned to look at the door again. “I’ve had worse things happen,” she muttered.
The medic stared at her a moment, then packed up his things and left.
Goran edged past him at the door as he came into the room.
Alina whispered, “Something’s up. The medic told me things about the chief.”
Goran’s eyebrows rose. “Is that so? What kind of things?”
Once Alina had relayed what the medic had said, Goran nodded, a grim look on his face. “Yes, yes that’s true. But we’ve got bigger problems.”
“What’s that?”
“He wants me to lock you up for the night.”
Alina shot to her feet. “He what? He...he can’t do that!”
“He suspects something else is going on and he doesn’t want any chances of you skipping town—especially with you matching that description in Valjevo. He wants to keep you until your identity can be verified. He’s calling the chief in Valjevo right now to have the woman who saw you brought down.”
Alina frowned. “Why did you tell him about Valjevo?”
“I had to. How else was I to explain the actions of me and my men all day?”
“This is bad, isn’t it?” she asked.
Goran nodded and took out his handcuffs.
“Handcuffs?” She stepped back. “I have to go in chains?”
“Just regulations. I have to follow protocol. We’ve got to keep up with appearances on this. We’re riding a fine line as it is.” When she still hesitated, he added, “Look, it’s for your own good. If Gamic has any friends in town, they may look for retribution. The station house is the safest place for you to be.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Goran did not say a word, nor did he look her in the eye. He simply put the cuffs on and led her from the room.
~~~
The jail had all the necessities—a metal toilet, a smelly bed, and four gray walls—but nothing else. Alina paced the seven by eight cell like a caged animal. She glared at the guard who brought her food, but said nothing.
Two days passed, two days with no word from Goran. Two days without being allowed outside her cell. She was practically in isolation.
On the third day, Goran came.
“It’s time,” he said. The expression on his face was not good. His brow wrinkled. His frown emphasized the look in his eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“The witness is here. We’re putting you in a line up.”
They walked in silence. Alina was beginning to wonder if she could trust Goran. He was playing everything by the book. Was his story about his family true, or was it something to draw the truth out of her? He now knew she had killed Mirko Halilovic. This line up may be just to confirm that. She turned her head to look at him, but he continued to look straight ahead.
Alina entered a brightly lit lineup room with five other women. All were given numbered signs and told to place them around their neck. She looked at the mirrored glass. A guard stood to one side.
In a few minutes, it was over. A voice on the speaker told them to leave.
“Not you, number three.”
Alina tensed. That was her number. She stopped while the room emptied.
“Turn around,” the voice said.
Alina did as she was told.
“Turn to the side.”
After a long pause, the voice said, “That is all, number three.” The guard motioned her out the door.
Goran, Chief Djuricic, two guards, and an army general met her on her way out. Alina looked at the general. He was tall w
ith prematurely gray hair. His thin face pocked marked with acne scars. Had she seen him before? She examined him closely while Goran put the cuffs back on her.
“The witness positively identified you,” the chief said. Goran’s head came up fast as he shot a look at his boss. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Mirko Halilovic.”
Her attention came back to Djuricic. “What? But you have no proof. Yes, I was there, but you have no proof I did anything.”
“Yes, we do,” the chief said. “We have a sworn affidavit from the captain here that you killed him.”
Alina shot a withering look at Goran who was staring at the chief. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it. Djuricic motioned one of the guards to take her back to the holding cell.
“You will be held here until arrangements can be made to extradite you back to Valjevo,” Chief Djuricic said.
Alina stared at the floor as the guard put shackles around her ankles. He then led her back to her cell. Once there, he removed the cuffs and shackles and shoved her into the room. She stumbled forward, cringing at the sound of the iron door clanging shut. What had just happened?
Chapter 6
After locking Alina in her cell, Goran went to the chief’s office. He rapped on the door.
“Come!”
Goran entered a room filled with papers cluttered about the desk and shelves full of books scattered askew. The chief himself slouched in his chair. In front of the desk, the general sat smoking a foul-smelling cigarette reverse style—just like the Russians used to do. Goran disliked him immediately.
“What is it, Captain?” the chief asked.
“Sir, I was just wondering about the woman. The witness failed to identify her. In addition, I made no such affidavit of her killing anyone, and yet you ordered her jailed. I don’t understand.”
“You don’t have to understand, Captain. You just have to follow orders.”
“But the courts, sir. There is no evidence.”
The general answered. “She will never make it to court, Captain.”
Goran’s brow furrowed. “Sir?”
“She has been deemed an Enemy of the State and she will be treated as such.”
“Enemy of the State? Sir, we are talking about a murder charge here, not a crime against Serbia.”
“That is enough, Captain!” the chief yelled, quickly losing his patience. “General Oric has given me my orders and I am giving you yours—and you will follow them explicitly. Do you understand?”
Goran straightened. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Since you are the one responsible for her capture, I am appointing you to escort her back to Valjevo. I want to keep this to as few people and as quiet as possible.”
Goran’s brow furrowed even deeper. He looked at the chief. “Valjevo? Sir, when I arrive the authorities there will know—”
“She’s not going to reach Valjevo, you idiot!” General Oric snapped. “She is going to be shot while trying to escape.”
The chief paused and stared straight into Goran’s eyes. “Do you understand now?”
Goran returned the stare. Finally he nodded. “Yes, I understand completely.” He paused for a moment before adding, “What should I do with the body, sir?”
“Dump it in the woods, but far enough out of town where she won’t be found. Let the wolves eat her. You tell no one where you are going. Tell no one what you are doing. When you are finished, you will report back to me.”
“When would you like me to do this, sir?”
“As soon as possible. Tonight. Just be back by morning. General Oric will be staying at the Vila Mitic waiting for you. Room 327. We will meet you at 0800.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?” Goran still stood at attention.
The chief nodded. “Bring me photographs to prove she is dead. Now, get out of here. You have your orders.”
“Sir!” The captain saluted, then turned to leave.
“Oh, and Captain?”
Goran looked at the chief who said, “Tell no one of this. If word gets out, you will be held accountable and will suffer the same fate as she. You got that?”
“Crystal clear, sir.”
“And change clothes into civilian attire. I don’t want any of this coming back on me or General Oric.”
“Sir!” Goran saluted again and left, closing the door behind him.
After changing clothes, he headed to Alina’s cell. The door opened on moaning hinges.
“That will be all, Private,” Goran said to the man standing guard by her cell. “You are relieved. I’ll take it from here.”
“Yes, sir,” the soldier replied. He saluted and left, leaving the captain alone with Alina. He stepped inside where he was met with a hard slap on the face.
“How could you?” Alina demanded. “After that sob story of you and your father, I thought I could trust you. Now I know it was all a lie just to trap me.”
She tried slapping him again, but this time he caught her wrist.
“You can trust me,” he said. “I didn’t lie to you. They did kill my father. I didn’t tell the chief anything. The woman didn’t identify you. I don’t know why the chief said what he did, but I have a good idea.”
Alina stepped back, her arms crossed. She was still fuming, but something in Goran’s tone and the look on his face made her believe he was telling the truth.
“So,” she said, “what are we supposed to do now?”
“We go outside of town and I kill you.”
“What?” she stepped back to the wall, her eyes wide. “But...but I thought you said—”
“I said that’s what I’m supposed to do. I didn’t say I would do it. When General Oric told me to kill you, I—”
“Wait! Did you say Oric?”
Goran nodded.
“Oric, as in Ivo Oric?”
“I don’t know his first name. Why? Do you know him?”
Alina nodded and said quietly, “He’s one of the savages that raped me.”
“How do you know?”
“I thought I recognized him outside the interrogation room, but now that I know his name. I’m certain of it. Mirko told me.” She stopped talking and bowed her head, thinking.
“What is it?” Goran asked.
“I know what’s going on, why they want me dead.” Her head came up. “Don’t you see? Chief Djuricic must be protecting some of those men. That’s why he showed up when Gamic was killed. The medic said he normally doesn’t come out on such matters, but he did on this one. And now Oric shows up and orders me killed.”
“I see your point, and I think you’re right. So what do we do?”
“We kill Oric, for starters.”
Goran shook his head. “No way. I can’t kill a general. I don’t care who he is. I’d be shot.”
“Then I’ll kill him.”
“How? I’m supposed to be driving you out to the woods right now. Explain to me how you get away so that I don’t get shot. Seems all your ideas wind up with me dead.”
Alina thought a minute. “What hotel is he staying at?”
“The Vila Mitic.”
“What room?
“Three twenty-seven. Why?”
“Can you get me to my hotel room? If I can get my weapons, I’ll run up and kill him and be back down before anyone notices.”
“You can do that? You can get in and out without being seen?”
Alina nodded with certainty. “I trained all my life for this sort of thing. All I need is the building’s layout. Can you get that for me?”
“Yes,” he said, “but it means I’ll have to leave my country. The chief will know you did it and he’ll know I helped you.” He looked at his watch. “But if we hurry, we can be across the border to Bosnia before they send out the alarm.”
“I’m not going back to Bosnia.”
He squinted at her. “You’re not? But I thought—”
“It’s a long story. Besides, I know where Josuf Itsakovic is. He was th
e captain of the squad. He’s the one who shot my father. He’s in Istanbul. Two more are in Iraq.”
“So we’re heading south?”
“We?” she asked, giving him a slight smile.
“Yes. You’ve got a partner now. I don’t know what I’m going to do the rest of my life, but I want that man dead more than anything. He shot my father. Didn’t even bat an eye, just shot him.”
Alina headed for the door. “Okay, then. Let’s get going. We don’t have time to waste talking about it.”
He touched her arm with an apologetic look. “Uh, I’m sorry, but I have to put the shackles back on—for appearance sake.”
She nodded. While he knelt to put them on, she said, “By the way, you said you had something to tell me.”
He looked up at her. “Excuse me?”
“You had something to tell me at the hotel. What was it?”
Goran finished with the shackles and then straightened. He fumbled with the handcuffs and reached for her hand. He looked into her eyes and suddenly brought her to him and kissed her on the lips.
Alina pulled away with a small gasp. “What...what are you doing? You can’t do that. You’re a Serb. I’m a Bosnian.”
“That doesn’t matter, now does it? Yes, I know. You’re supposed to hate me and I’m to hate you, but that doesn’t stop me from loving you.”
“Love me? But you hardly know me.”
“I don’t have to. I can feel it.” He placed her hand on his heart. “In here. I knew I loved you the moment I saw you. That’s why I came to see you that night at the hotel. I could have sent one of my men to question you, but when I saw you driving around town, I just knew I had to meet you.” He touched her cheek. Alina did not resist. “And you feel something, too. I can see it in your eyes.”
He tugged her hand ever so gently. Alina took a step toward him. That was when he bent forward and kissed her. It was a short, hesitant kiss, as if he did not know what to expect.
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