Page 220 - LEIBY

220 Leiby – Border Smuggler

Chapter 29

Leiby returned to the farm with the investigators. The soldiers
greeted them there, worn out after their extensive efforts to
thoroughly search the farm for any clues that may lead them
to the murderers. They had placed any potential evidence in a
small iron box.
The sun’s last rays painted the trees’ leaves a flaming gold color.
The soldiers and investigators prepared to leave the farm,
offering Leiby to come with them. Leiby decided to take them
up on their offer; he was sure to be safer in the city than he
was out here, alone and vulnerable to attack. In any event, he
reflected, no refugee groups would arrive here in the near future
– the place had been labeled as far too dangerous to serve as a
refugee transit point.
The journey back to Varoslav passed in silence. Once they
reached the city, their first stop was the local tavern. It was
bitterly cold outside and the steaming drinks warmed them,
inside and out. Leiby gazed at the soldiers who swigged cup
after cup. Under the influence of the vodka, they lost their
inhibition and let their tongues loose, and he knew that this
was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss. Now that they
were all inebriated, and precautionary measures were no longer