177 292
Life Begins on Friday
177
Costache then ordered that
Nicu should be sent straight
to his office as soon as he
returned from
Universul
,
with further instructions
that the lad should not
be left to come of his own
free will but detained as a
matter of urgency. He went
back to the window: a fresh
layer of snow had fallen and
the city looked unwontedly
jolly that Saturday morning.
But it was obvious that
the coachman had cursed
him, because the sergeant
now entered bringing the
unbelievable news that the
stranger’s chest had not
been recovered, despite
half of those on duty being
responsible for finding it.
After warder Păunescu took
Fane back to the cell, the
sergeant in the room with
the safe had dozed off, but
the door was locked and the
box, likewise locked, was
within. Quite simply, nobody
had seen anything; nobody
knew anything. They were
all questioned. The sergeant
was given a good hiding,
Păunescu
was
likewise
beaten black and blue, but
there was something shy
going on, and nothing could
be discovered. Now Fane
was being questioned.
Throughout this description,
Costache’s face remained
inscrutable,
and
the
sergeant quickly left the
office,
making
himself
scarce.
At around one o’clock they
brought in Nicu, at a trot,
flanked by two soldiers. The
lad was swivelling his eyes
every which way, but when
he saw that there was no
escape, he looked Costache
straight in the eye, with a
kind of scrutinizing mistrust.
He held his thin lips clenched