Читать книгу Chernobyl - Ilinda Markova - Страница 14

AT MELITA’S CAFÉ EVERYBODY was talking about the disappearance of Nicos. The town had woken to a day without their favourite chicken and mushrooms pies and many flocked to the café in the hope to learn something about this devastating episode in their otherwise uneventful life.

With the arrival of officer Boyd sporting dark circles under his eyes and in an urgent need of triple espresso they all surrounded him but there was nothing he could say besides asking them to remain calm and to think of any possible piece of evidence in regard of this mysterious disappearance. Conspiracy theories quickly emerged one of which pointed to a hijacking so Nicos could make his pies somewhere else.

At the far corner of the café a strikingly beautiful young woman was sitting by herself over a cappuccino. Oblivious of the agitated people she was checking her phone and looked what she really was: a random tourist strayed from the nearby big town with flourishing tourism thanks to an ancient Roman amphitheatre used for musical performances.

The young woman was dressed in ripped jeans and shapeless shirt but her wild hair the colour of sun and honey, and her skin smooth like the first cream the women beat from cows’ milk were so eye-catching that at certain moment most of the people stopped pretending they weren’t openly gawking at her.

Officer Boyd also gave her an all over but only because he was supposed to know everything happening in his little town. Besides the disappearance of Nicos there was another problem emerging: more and more of the locals were in favour of a petition for the Home of the Chernobyl children to be transferred to another place so that tourists no longer avoided their clean little town and of course the lake.

Mayor Damien was behind it. He would say: Well, tourists come to the lake and what they see, they see an old dilapidated building like a chicken coup perching there and the poor souls running around making everyone feel guilty, although we are miles away from the bloody Chernobyl, even in another country although the Soviets ruled us with tyranny like theirs. We are sympathetic and we took them, but we also have to look after ourselves with all the unemployment and young people leaving for good.

Some old women were even swearing by their ritual onion readings indicating that because of those outcast children the town was doomed to calamity. The disappearance of Nicos a fact as sad as it was provided support to their foreseeing or at least that was what they said.

Officer Boyd’s thumb rule was not to take sides when the citizens had a friendly or bitter dispute. His job was to protect them. Now with Nicos’ disappearance he had a real challenge.

When the door opened and a tall dark-haired woman with a fierce expression on her face stormed in he knew it was time to leave if he didn’t want to be pressed and questioned by the local infamous journalist Nadya. But as expected Nadya quickly intercepted him: “Isn’t your coffee bitter today Officer Boyd?”

The confrontation was registered by the blonde tourist who stopped fussing with her phone and openly looked at Boyd and Nadya. Her big blue eyes were so mesmerizing that some people in the cafe said it was pity that the most beautiful woman in town Elena was not present so they could compare the looks of both women and come with a verdict.

Melita quick on making extra bucks suggested a betting but given Nicos’ demise few had the heart to go for a bet.

The flamboyant journalist looked around and didn’t like what she saw. “You people, you are not ready to demonstrate people’s power” She sneered. “Spineless creatures like your Mayor Damien who you happily elected to MISlead you!”

She finished her anger address facing the backs of the people in the crowd who preferred to order another coffee or an early beer.