Page 91 - LEIBY

Chapter 10 91

“Which partisan doesn’t know him?”

“But you work for him!”

“I don’t work for anyone,” Leiby was stubborn as a mule. The
investigator moved aside, and a bright, blinding light shone
from behind his back straight into Leiby’s eyes. It was real
torture, and Leiby tried to shift his eyes, but the investigator
just moved the torch to blind him again.

“Don’t try to fool us!” he thundered. “You’re a young border
smuggler, and your employers are taking advantage of you.
Grow up! We’re looking for them, not for you!”

“I’m not a border smuggler, I’m a partisan,” Leiby insisted.
“While you sat here in your comfortable office and shuffled
papers, I led groups of partisans behind enemy lines. I derailed
forty-five trains by myself, do you know that? And what did
you do, huh? You just looked after your own skin, you just made
sure that nothing would happen to you, so that after the war
you could interrogate innocent people and consider yourself a
hero!” Leiby snorted in contempt.

A ringing slap landed on Leiby’s cheek and blood ran down his
face. The investigator lifted his hand again, and Leiby ducked,
his head pounding like a sledgehammer.

“I’m a minor, it’s illegal to hit me.”

The disconcerted interrogator sheepishly handed Leiby a
handkerchief and cleaned off the bloodstains on his desk.

“We can deal with juveniles too, there’s a special prison camp
in Siberia where young criminals like you can receive an
education.”

The investigation meandered wearily on. The sides were
decidedly unbalanced – there was Leiby, who was not given
any letup, opposite an unending line of fresh, bright-eyed
interrogators, determined to milk him of any information that
they could. Again and again, they stressed that if he would
spill the beans and tell them everything he knew, he would
be released immediately. He was just a small cog in a massive