believer.
—Have you ever been to an orphanage?
—No.
—The girls would’ve had a better chance of surviving if you’d left them on their own.
—The State is looking after them now.
To Leo’s surprise the prisoner reached up and, with his wrists still bound, felt his brow. The junior officer sprang forward, raising the wooden baton, ready to crack a blow across the prisoner’s knees. Leo waved him away and the officer reluctantly stepped back.
—You have a fever. You should be at home. You men have a home? Where you sleep and eat and do all the things normal men do?
Leo wondered at this man. He was still a doctor, even now. He was still irreverent, even now. He was brave, rude and Leo couldn’t help but like him.
Leo pulled back, wiping his clammy forehead with the sleeve of his jacket.
—You can save yourself unnecessary suffering by talking to me. There’s not a person we’ve questioned who didn’t wish they’d admitted everything straightaway. What will you gain by silence?
—I will gain nothing.
—Then will you tell me the truth?
—Yes.
—Who are you working for?
—Anna Vladislovovna. Her cat is going blind. Dora Andreyeva. Her dog refuses to eat. Arkadi Maslow. His dog has broken its front leg. Matthias Rakosi. He has a collection of rare birds.
—If you’re innocent, why did you run?
—I ran because you were following me. There was no other reason.
—That doesn’t make sense.
—I agree but it’s true all the same. Once you’re followed you’re always arrested. Once you’re arrested you’re always guilty. No innocent people are ever brought here.
—Which officials from the American Embassy are you working with and what information have you been passing them?
At last Anatoly understood. Several weeks ago a junior clerk working for the American Embassy had brought his dog in for examination. The dog was suffering from an infected cut. It needed a course of antibiotics but since the antibiotics were unavailable he’d cleaned the animal carefully, sterilized the injury and kept it in under observation. Not long after that he’d spotted a man loitering outside his home. He hadn’t slept that night, unable to figure out what he’d done wrong. The next morning he’d been followed into work and followed home again. This continued for three days. After the fourth sleepless night he’d decided to run. Now, finally, here were the details of his crime. He’d treated a foreigner’s dog.
—I have no doubt that I will eventually say whatever it is you want me to say but right now I will say this: I–Anatoly Tarasovich Brodsky–am a vet. Soon your records will say that I was a spy. You will have my signature and my confession. You will force me to give you names. There will be more arrests, more signatures and more confessions. But whatever I eventually tell you will be a lie because I am a vet.
—You’re not the first guilty man to claim that he’s innocent.
—Do you really believe I’m a spy?
—From this conversation alone I have enough to convict you for subversion. You’ve already made it quite clear that you hate this country.
—I don’t hate this country. You hate this country. You hate the people of this country. Why else would you arrest so many of them?
Leo grew impatient.
—Are you aware of what will happen to you if you don’t talk to me?
—Even children are aware of what goes on in here.
—But you still refuse to confess?
—I will not make this easy for you. If you want me to say I’m a spy you will have to torture me.
—I’d hoped this could be avoided.
—You think you can remain honourable down here? Go get your knives. Get your tool kit. When your hands are covered in my blood then let’s hear you sound reasonable.
—All I need is a list of names.
—There’s nothing more stubborn than a fact. That is why you hate them so much. They offend you. That is why I can upset you simply by saying that I–Anatoly Tarasovich
—Have you ever been to an orphanage?
—No.
—The girls would’ve had a better chance of surviving if you’d left them on their own.
—The State is looking after them now.
To Leo’s surprise the prisoner reached up and, with his wrists still bound, felt his brow. The junior officer sprang forward, raising the wooden baton, ready to crack a blow across the prisoner’s knees. Leo waved him away and the officer reluctantly stepped back.
—You have a fever. You should be at home. You men have a home? Where you sleep and eat and do all the things normal men do?
Leo wondered at this man. He was still a doctor, even now. He was still irreverent, even now. He was brave, rude and Leo couldn’t help but like him.
Leo pulled back, wiping his clammy forehead with the sleeve of his jacket.
—You can save yourself unnecessary suffering by talking to me. There’s not a person we’ve questioned who didn’t wish they’d admitted everything straightaway. What will you gain by silence?
—I will gain nothing.
—Then will you tell me the truth?
—Yes.
—Who are you working for?
—Anna Vladislovovna. Her cat is going blind. Dora Andreyeva. Her dog refuses to eat. Arkadi Maslow. His dog has broken its front leg. Matthias Rakosi. He has a collection of rare birds.
—If you’re innocent, why did you run?
—I ran because you were following me. There was no other reason.
—That doesn’t make sense.
—I agree but it’s true all the same. Once you’re followed you’re always arrested. Once you’re arrested you’re always guilty. No innocent people are ever brought here.
—Which officials from the American Embassy are you working with and what information have you been passing them?
At last Anatoly understood. Several weeks ago a junior clerk working for the American Embassy had brought his dog in for examination. The dog was suffering from an infected cut. It needed a course of antibiotics but since the antibiotics were unavailable he’d cleaned the animal carefully, sterilized the injury and kept it in under observation. Not long after that he’d spotted a man loitering outside his home. He hadn’t slept that night, unable to figure out what he’d done wrong. The next morning he’d been followed into work and followed home again. This continued for three days. After the fourth sleepless night he’d decided to run. Now, finally, here were the details of his crime. He’d treated a foreigner’s dog.
—I have no doubt that I will eventually say whatever it is you want me to say but right now I will say this: I–Anatoly Tarasovich Brodsky–am a vet. Soon your records will say that I was a spy. You will have my signature and my confession. You will force me to give you names. There will be more arrests, more signatures and more confessions. But whatever I eventually tell you will be a lie because I am a vet.
—You’re not the first guilty man to claim that he’s innocent.
—Do you really believe I’m a spy?
—From this conversation alone I have enough to convict you for subversion. You’ve already made it quite clear that you hate this country.
—I don’t hate this country. You hate this country. You hate the people of this country. Why else would you arrest so many of them?
Leo grew impatient.
—Are you aware of what will happen to you if you don’t talk to me?
—Even children are aware of what goes on in here.
—But you still refuse to confess?
—I will not make this easy for you. If you want me to say I’m a spy you will have to torture me.
—I’d hoped this could be avoided.
—You think you can remain honourable down here? Go get your knives. Get your tool kit. When your hands are covered in my blood then let’s hear you sound reasonable.
—All I need is a list of names.
—There’s nothing more stubborn than a fact. That is why you hate them so much. They offend you. That is why I can upset you simply by saying that I–Anatoly Tarasovich
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