Lumen by Ben Pastor

Author:Ben Pastor [Pastor, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Historical, United States, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, International Mystery & Crime, Thrillers & Suspense, Military, Travel, Europe, Poland, General, History, World War II, Historical Fiction, European
Amazon: B004EHZPI2
Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press
Published: 2011-04-18T23:00:00+00:00

After liberally partaking of vodka over a satisfactory agreement in the woods, the appeased Russian and German representatives had adjourned with the prospect of more sight-seeing and dinner at Lvov. By mid-afternoon on the 13th, though, Schenck had had enough of the meeting. He waited until he and Bora sat alone in the car, while their Russian driver filled the tank from an aluminium can. Then, “Screw them all,” he spat out. “I’m going back tomorrow, Bora. Stay behind to supervise details, and meet me at the border. From there we travel to Tarnów and there we part ways. I expect you to resume your routine interrogation of Polacks before you return to headquarters.”

But neither Schenck nor Bora could avoid one more dinner with the Russians. Fish served raw, salted, in vinegar, opened the way to grouse swimming in cream, and to thick ham slices lying on beds of caviar and boiled eggs. Watching him eat, from the moment he sat down beside him, the commissar seemed to take perverse pleasure in challenging Bora with complex sentences and verb forms. Bora did well but was troubled, and he didn’t know why. Over a dessert of mazurek he finally understood.

“Tell me,” the commissar was saying, “how could a fluent speaker as yourself make such a patent mistake during our talks? I don’t believe there was a mistake at all, Captain.”

Bora took a discreet belly breath. Sedately, he put down the fork on his plate. From a bowl in front of him, he selected a small cake, whose thin paper wrapping he undid. “You call these ‘chocolate bears’, do you not?” He smiled. “I hope you’re not accusing me of lying.”

“No. Mistakes are more acceptable.”

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