Killing the Second Dog. Marek Hlasko

dog won’t eat any. He’s as spoiled as a movie star. We’ve had to cut down on our food to feed it properly. Robert’s lost two pounds.”

      “The dog’s okay,” the second cop said, signing off.

      “Let’s go then,” the sergeant said. But he kept staring at me. “I don’t want any problems with you two. So be careful. Believe me, one day you and your friend’ll go on a long prison diet.”

      “You’re wrong,” I said. “And besides, Robert isn’t my friend. He’s my manager. That’s a big difference.”

      “Who are you then?”

      “His client,” I answered. “Good night.”

      “Good night.”

      They left. I turned around and went back to our room. Robert was already asleep. Lying in bed I looked again at his white body. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. In a few days I’ll be lying in a hospital bed, I thought, and the doctors will be fighting for my life, like the newspapers say. Will my body be as white and sweaty as his? For some reason, it didn’t matter to me. I threw the sheet off. It made me feel a bit cooler, but not much. I leaned over, touched the stone floor with my hand, and put the sheet on it. Then I lay motionless, beginning to smell the stink of my own sweat. Finally, I dropped off to sleep.

      I woke up some time later. Robert was sitting on the bed, smoking a cigarette.

      “I can’t sleep,” I said.

      “Me neither.”

      “Are you worrying about getting the money?”

      “No. We’ll get it tomorrow. I’m worrying about finding a kid. That’s why I can’t sleep.”

      “What do you want a kid for?” I asked. “Will you want me to feed it my own flesh like a pelican?”

      “We need the kid to show what a kind-hearted man you are,” he said. I could feel his irritation. He was angry that I hadn’t grasped what he had in mind right away. “She’s gonna fall for it, pal. Some jerk’ll start mistreating the kid and you’ll be the one to stop him. Every broad has to fall for a trick like that.”

      “And you’ll be the jerk?”

      “Of course. Why waste money hiring somebody else? Don’t worry, I can play the part. This is very important. It’ll show you in the best light. From that moment it’ll all be a breeze.”