Bamboo and blood

4

I spent the rest of the day in my room, trying to warm up. When I called the mission to find out whether we were on schedule for the afternoon session, they told me the "instructions" hadn't arrived yet and everything was postponed until tomorrow. I could almost hear M. Beret's listeners scratching notes on a pad: "Instructions late." The delayed arrival of nonexistent diplomatic traffic suited me. About three o'clock the maid knocked at the door, but I told her to go away. I kept the curtains shut, though it didn't much matter, there wasn't any sun anyway. Shortly before dusk the snow stopped. It drizzled for a few minutes, but then the clouds decided to call it a day and drifted off toward France. When night fell, I put on my shoes and went down the stairs to the tiny lobby. The girl behind the desk looked up. "Are you sick?"

"No. I need another bar of soap. The little one you gave me has dissolved."

"You were in your room all afternoon. Maybe you feel sick."

"No, I feel fine."

"Because if you are sick, we might have to get a doctor. I hope you don't have one of those Asian flu bugs."

"Thank you for your concern."

"Because if you do have one of those Asian bugs, we'll have to clean everything in your room, and for that we'll have to pay the maid extra. She's Romanian, and she knows the law. It could be quite a bother." I left before she could spin out the rest of the complaint.

This time my brother was waiting for me in the darkness. "There's a bench down the way, where the street bends. We can sit and talk, probably for about five minutes before the Swiss show up. That will be long enough if you don't interrupt me."

"Good, let's get it over with. Maybe we won't have to see each other again."

It was a quiet street, but then again, they were all quiet. The bench sat by itself in a small park, about thirty meters from the nearest house. The paving stones were uneven in places, but mostly the place was tidy and well kept; but then, so was almost everything in Geneva.

The night mist was just settling through the trees when I heard a car stop; the engine wheezed before it died. My brother appeared and sat down, frowning. "We don't have five minutes after all. We have two minutes. Check your watch."

"I'm listening."

"You have been sent here by people who no longer enjoy the confidence of the Center. Your mission is terminated."

"I'm still listening."

"Don't think you can ignore me on this. The talks will be broken off by the end of this week. You should return home before that. Am I clear?"

"As always."

A car door creaked. It was hard to tell how far away it was.

"My advice is that you leave immediately. Take a train tomorrow to Berlin. The embassy there will have further instructions for your return. If the Swiss ask any questions, tell them one of your relatives died."

"Of what?"

He paused and then stood up. "Don't forget what I said. You're not bamboo. You'll bleed."

"If I don't starve first, you mean."

"No, first you'll bleed. Someone is out here in this city to make sure of that. I don't know who, exactly. I can only guess why." As footsteps came up the hill, my brother crossed the street and disappeared.