Love Songs From a Shallow Grave Read Online Free PDF Page B

receive unscheduled visits,” said the security head. “Even with an appointment it could be two or three days. I tell you what, I’ll go and see him and bring his response. That good enough for you?”
    In fact, Siri understood a lot of things. He understood, for example, that the PM had given up his ticket to the movie that afternoon because he was on an unannounced visit to the USSR. He’d left for Moscow the previous day. It helped to have a man on the inside even if it was only Civilai.
    “Then I think you should go and talk to him,” Siri agreed. “I’ll wait here.”
    Phoumi was incensed.
    “I hadn’t realised how much more complicated you’d make things for us. I wanted a medical opinion, not a standoff,” he said. “Couldn’t you just take my word for it that your leader will ask us to take care of this? Do we really need to disturb him?”
    “I think so,” Siri smiled.
    Phoumi and the tall, lanky Major Dung hesitated, then walked off with great reluctance to their fictional meeting with the absent prime minister. Siri was left alone with the sentry. The soldier looked uncomfortable. Siri decided to take advantage of the fact nobody had introduced him and act like someone of importance. He walked to the edge of the carport where the rain fell in strings from the corrugated roof. He washed his hands under them.
    “Been a long day, I imagine,” he said.
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Were you on the detail that discovered the body?”
    “I was, sir.”
    The boy hadn’t looked once into Siri’s frog-green eyes.
    “Must have been a shock. Did you know her?”
    “She’s new. Didn’t speak a lot of Vietnamese. Friendly enough though.”
    “And nice looking.”
    “Not bad, sir. Not really my type.”
    “I gather your patrol was just strolling past and somebody smelt something odd. Is that right?”
    “Not exactly, Comrade. There was no patrol scheduled. The major sent us out specially.”
    “Major Dung?”
    “Yes, sir. I gathered there’d been a report of something odd over in this sector. He sent half a dozen of us down to take a look.”
    “That’s a lot of men – I mean, just for taking a look.”
    “Probably thought there was a security breach.”
    “I imagine.”
    “And we got down here and we could all smell it; sickly, sweet smell.”
    “Who went in first?”
    “None of us. We knew the stink only too well. One of the men went back to get the major. The rest of us hung around outside. When he arrived, he went to the door and took a look inside. I was standing behind him. I saw the girl. Shocking, it was.”
    “When was this?”
    “I don’t know. About half an hour ago…an hour?”
    “And Major Dung went straight over to the cinema to find security chief Phoumi?”
    “So it seems. He sent the other men back to the barracks and left me here to watch the crime scene.”
    “Good. Very good. And, apart from the major, nobody else went into the box?”
    “No, sir.”
    “Any idea who reported the ‘something odd’?”
    “You’d have to ask the major that.”
    “I’ll do just that. I imagine he’ll be back very soon. I just have to go and see someone for a minute. Tell him I’ll be right back.”
    “I will, sir.”
    “By the way, was this overhead light on when you got here?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Siri walked out into the drizzle and headed across Sixth Street. He had a cinematic urge to take out an umbrella and dance in the puddles but not the stomach for it. He also had a very strong feeling that he’d just been lied to.
    ∗
    They’ve transferred the manacle to my left hand and put a restraint around my ankles: two parallel metal bars with chains as heavy as doom that keep my feet forty centimetres apart. They came a few hours earlier, the boy guards, and nailed plywood across all the windows. Since then the fluorescents have been burning continuously and I have no idea of time. I’m covered in flea and mosquito bites and it’s taking all my will power not to scratch myself