Baganz - Encounters

ENCOUNTERS

AndreBaganz

Copyright 2016Hutberg Verlag

SmashwordsEdition

Contents

Duty was quieton this stormy fall day. I did two rounds on the motorbike throughthe villages and spent the rest of the day doing desk work. Around5 PM I decided to pack up shop. I was about to inform the dutyofficer at headquarters when I heard a car door slam and voicesoutside. I walked over to the window. There was a car in the smallparking lot in front of the house. Otto Bruellke and a tall, broadshouldered man stood beside it. He hasnt left yet. Over there ishis motorbike! I heard Otto say. Thereupon his companion openedthe left back door and dragged a young man out of the car. The twoof them looked like David and Goliath. After the giant motioned tothe passenger door, it opened and a boy got out. A minute later,they all enterned my office.

Now you can tell your story to thecommunity policeman. Im curious what he thinks about it! thegiant said, shoving his prisoner.

What youre doing here is deprivation ofliberty, the young man complained feebly.

The giant madea threatening gesture, saying in a booming voice: Im gonna hityou if you dont!

Ho, ho! Take it easy! I butted in.Nobodys gonna get hit in here!

Dont worry, Bernd. Well clear this up,Otto said to the giant, trying to de-escalate thesituation.

Its knock off time, my ass! Isighed. Trying to comprehend the situation, I considered thepersons individually. Otto was a volunteer helper to the Germanpeoples police. After I assumed the position of a communitypoliceman in this village near Potsdam only a few weeks earlier, hehelped me getting to know my new precinct. I was grateful for that.But it didnt take me long to find out that the volunteer work wasOttos raison dtre, and soon his overzealousness began to get onmy nerves. He was in his late fifties, not married, and worked inthe agricultural cooperative like most of the villagers. Almost allof his time off work, he dedicated to maintaining law and order,often overstating the case. Without knowing what this was about, Iwas already sure it was another case of intense diligence on Ottospart.

I knew thegiant by sight. The young man and the boy, who was maybe 10, I hadnever seen before.

Otto, whostammered at irregular intervals, turned toward me: Ive arrestedsomeone who was ga-ga-going to indecently assault this boy here,comrade Lieutenant!

Thats a serious accusation. Nevertheless, I was still convinced that Otto was making amountain out of molehill. Tell me what happened.

Thats my neighbor Bernd Richter and hisson Holger, Otto said, pointing at the giant and the boy who heldhands with his dad now. This young man here, he pointed at hisprisoner, tried to drag Holger into a b-b-bush. The boy managed tobreak loose and ran away. When Bernd came over to my place and toldme the story, I took action immediately. We got into the car andstarted looking for the perpetrator. First without success, butlater we saw him on the road to Kleinmachnow. Seeing us, hedisappeared into the b-b-bushes and tried to run away. But wecaught him. The boy identified him immediately.

I shot theyoung man a glance. He seemed intimidated.

I was just cruising. Thats not againstthe law, is it? he said in a high pitched voice, staring at thefloor. When he spoke before, I had already noticed that he had afeminine voicean impression that was confirmednow.

Cruising my ass! Bernd Richter said,clenching his fists.

He had this on him. Otto handed me abackpack.

I took ithesitantly. According to official instructions, I was only allowedto investigate minor offenses without conferring with the dutyofficer. Well, dragging a child into a bush was certainly no minoroffense,but on the other hand, there was Ottos overzealousness.After brief consideration I decided to handle the matter properlydespite my doubts and to contact the duty officer. I told theRichters and the young man to wait outside in the waiting area.Otto stayed with me while I contacted headquarters.

The dutyofficers tone changed when I told him that deputy Bruellke, whowas well known in the area, had arrested the man. He no longerseemed to classify the case as serious and put it into my hands. Hetold me to talk to the boy and use my best judgement.

After thecall, I went outside to the waiting area and asked Bernd Richter ifit would be OK if I talked to his son in private. He was fine withit so I took the boy into the office.

Holger was anormal looking kid with shoulder-length blonde hair. I smiled athim, pointing to a chair by the conference table. He smiled backshyly and sat down.

How old are you, Holger? I asked after Isat down beside him.

Seven.

Oops! I had misjudged his age. Theboy definitely took after his father. And thats your dadoutside?

Holger nodded.Hes much stronger than the other man.

I smiled tomyself. Tell me what happened.

We were at the soccer field and Holgerstarted.

Who is we? I interrupted.

My friends Peter, Micha and Frank. Weplayed soccer, and then the man came and took pictures of us andasked if he could join in.

And? I asked. Did you guys allow himto?

Holger nodded.But it was windy and the ball was all over the place. After awhile I didnt feel like playing anymore and wanted to go home. Butthe others wanted to stay and go on playing. The man said he hadbusiness to do in the village and came along with me. Holgerstopped speaking as if his story was over.

I gave him anencouraging nod. What happened next?

When we were passing the grove, he said hewanted to show me something. And then he wanted me to play cowboysand Indians. He got a knife and a lasso out of his backpack. Andthenthen I got scared and ran away and told my dad. The boy saidthe last sentence as if he had done somethingwrong.

You did the right thing, I said, givinghim a pat on the back. Thanks Holger! Well done. Now you can gooutside again to your dad.

The boy got upand left the office. I glanced over at Otto, who was sitting at theother end of the conference table. It looked as if I had jumped thegun this time. Maybe there was some substance in the allegation. Ifthe boys story was true, the matter was anything but a trifle. Ireached for the backpack and opened it. Already had a look atit?

Otto shook hishead.

I emptied thecontents onto the conference table: a dark-green parka, a prettyexpensive camera, a notebook, a sheath knife and a rolled-uprope.

Holger said he was wearing a greenp-p-parka, Otto said. When we spotted him he wasnt wearing one.Probably thought he wouldnt be recognized.

Get him in here! Isaid.

Otto went tothe door. I got up, crossed the office and sat down at my desk. Isized the young man up when he came in. He actually looked like aboy. He was of medium height and slim; had short dark-blonde hair.He was wearing a sweater and Wisent jeans. The way he walked struckme as peculiar. He kind of tiptoed into the room as if he wanted tomake his presence unknown. I pointed at the chair in front of mydesk. Sit!

Otto seatedhimself at the conference table.

Your ID! I demanded, holding out myhand.

The young mangot the document out of his pants pocket and handed it over to me.It was an ID of the National Peoples Army. His short haircut hadmade me guess something like that. I browsed through the booklet.His first name was Mario. He was a career officer based inNeubrandenburg. He was born in Berlin in 1961. So he was 22 yearsold. I put the ID on the table and eyed him up. He shirked from mylook. Whats your business in our village when youre based inNeubrandenburg, Mario? I asked.

At the moment, Im on home leave with mymother in Berlin, he said. I wanted to breathe some country air.So I took the trolley without having a directdestination.

Tell me about the big knife in yourbackpack?

He shruggedhis shoulders. I always have it on me. Sometimes one has to open acan or something like that.