Between two mountains

Borges Juan Gabriel

After eight years, in 1666 Jahan Shah died. They buried him near Mumtaz Mahal with whom he had lived for seventeen years…

***

The telephone in his office rang. The chief of the Criminal Investigation Department was speaking from another end of the receiver:

–Hi, Buddha, where are you?’– said the imperious voice of the chief.

–I am not Buddha.

–But who are you?

–“I am a mountain between two worlds.”

–Maybe again you dream over India? Where on earth have you been?

He was upset with rough treatment of the chief, but suddenly he remembered that soon he was going to retire. There was no use of arguing in vain.

–My chief, I am in my office. You dialed the phone number of my office.

–Hurry! Come over here! Don’t argue with me!

The office of the chief was in the distance of five or six steps’ from his room.

The young investigator of the procurator’s office and another employee – Safarov, were in the office besides the chief himself. He moved forward and stood just next to Safarov. The tone of the voice of the chief became louder:

–Together with the mister investigator you will head to search the house of the woman named Khadija. Help the investigator. But keep an eye on Khadija so she doesn’t do any tricks. She is one of a kind swindler.

He had heard much about Khadija. She was one of the most famous crooks of the city. Each time while he thought about Khadija he was struck dumb. If he, the captain for years, wanted to borrow a hundred manat, everyone around would find excuses not to lend him any. Maybe that was why during his life he never borrowed money and because of not having money he never lent money to anybody. However, people trusted that swindler woman and lent her hundred thousands of monies. Someone lent her money to buy a house, the others for a better job, and others lent to start business. But only after some time they understood that Khadija deceived them.

Khadija’s hands were never handcuffed. At any case, she was a woman. Her one-storey house was in the far yard of the crossing of the streets of Ingilab and Khan Shushinski. The investigator of the procurator office was twenty two or twenty three years old young man. He put his leather suitcase on the table in the kitchen, and took some paper and a pen. The policeman responsible for this part of the city had called two neighbors to be witnesses.

After the investigator explained the witnesses their rights and duties he offered Khadija to surrender money and golden adornment which could be important for investigation. The search of the house commenced after Khadija said that none of the things the investigator named were there.

The young investigator was busy with drawing up a report, so the investigation was carried out by Ibrahimzade and Safarov. Safarov started investigation together with the witnesses in the sitting room. Masud went to the bed room.

After long searches in the bed room he looked behind the wardrobe. As if his sixth sense was telling him that there was something just behind that wardrobe. He pulled the wardrobe that was at a five or six fingers’ distance from a wall. He squeezed behind the wardrobe and again pushed it forward. Suddenly he noticed a wide four cornered hole on the wall. There was a white pillow. He took the pillow and saw there bank-notes.

The moment he had taken the pillow filled with dollars intending to inform the investigator about it, Khadija entered the room. Seeing the white pillow in Masud’s hands she turned white in face as the color of the pillow:

– When you entered the room I felt that only you would find money. There are five hundred thousand dollars inside of the pillow in your hand. Try to get the money out of the house. Don’t let the investigator to include the money in his report. It is all that I have. If you give even only a hundred thousand of that money to me I shall keep it in secret until my death. See, there is a window; it looks to the back of the house. If you throw the pillow full of money through this window it will fall and get stuck between the house and fence, nobody will know it. Then you may return in the evening and take it. Here you are, these are the keys of the house and gate. Till the end of your life you won’t see as much money as this. You will never be able to earn so much.

Masud looked sourly at Khadija:

–But all this money is the money of the people you had deceived. How can I use it?

–Be clever. The chances like this are rare. –Khadija smoothed her hair finically.

Masud called Safarov in order to put an end to this talk. As soon as Safarov entered the room he saw the money in Masud’s hand and looked at Khadija.

Khadija:– Your friend is stupid. This is the money that I had told you about while you were taking me to isolated cell. See, what he did. I wonder why haven’t you told him anything. – She looked at Safarov reproachingly.

–

Well, would I need him? I told this to chief and he was supposed to let us both of us to carry out the investigation.

Then Safarov muttered something which only he could hear in sotto voice:

–

How could we know ahead, we considered him a dork. We didn’t think that he would find the money so quickly.

Khadija stared furiously at Safarov. Safarov looked hesitantly at Masud. But he could feel what Safarov wanted to say and that was why he waved his head.

Safarov:

–The chief won’t let you get off the hook.

Masud was silent.

–

Why wouldn’t you agree? Hurry, we don’t have much time. The investigator may enter the room at any moment. The witnesses are also in the next room. Hurry up and come to a conclusion.

Masud moved towards the door. Safarov approached the window and said angrily: – Khadija, he is crazy, there is no use.

Khadija tilted forward her large breasts to Masud and said: – Well, take all the money yourself, don’t give me anything. But I feel sorry for the money. Don’t submit the money.

He moved fowards making Khadija to back up and headed towards the kitchen where the investigator was writing a report. But from behind he could clearly hear Khadija and Safarov to say simultaneously:

– Stupid…

***

Masud was happy. Jokes apart, but he succeeded to return their honestly earned monies to a number of honest people.

When captain Ibrahimzade was in high spirits he used to tell some hemistiches of Pobindrant Togor in Russian language. However him being in high spirits was a rare case.