Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. The Russian Girl (Part 15) By Katzmarek This story is entirely a work of fiction. It is for entertainment purposes only and does not reflect the author's views or attitudes. It contains scenes of sexual activities with a minor and the author does not condone this. This work may not be reproduced for profit without the author's express permission. If you feel you would be offended by the content, or underage, please proceed no further. . The Katz The last week has been Lina, Lina, Lina. I've been dealing with Lawyers, Accountants and Agents trying to figure out what's been happening Stateside. She's still missing, somewhere, we think, on the Frankfurt streets but really she could be anywhere. It started when I got a call from my father to say that he had been served with an order to hand over all her financial records and bank accounts to someone called Grayburg Associates. They claim that they have a contract with her to manage her finances. It turns out that Grayburg is run solely by the partner of her current Manager. Some weasel called John Slater now claims he has a management contract with her. It all sounds rather suspect, to say the least, so I get my Lawyer to check it out. The Federal Police ring me at work, "Herr Bashoff? This is Inspector Kammhuber of the Bundespolizei Karlsruhe. Do you know a Lina Poznan aka Speridova?" "Yes. What's she done"? "We are trying to figure that out Herr Bashoff. She is in hospital here. She was found in the company of an Anneliese Schweren-Kamal, I believe she was her room mate at the Giessen Voluntary Rehabilitation Center in Frankfurt." "That would be right," I say. "Why is she in hospital, is she alright"? "Not exactly, Herr Bashoff. I'm sorry... we believe that the pair of them have been... raped. Has she next of kin in Germany"? It takes me a little while to digest the news. I answer the Inspectors questions automatically. They can give few details except to say their clothes had blood on them which was not theirs. They were sedated and blood tests had shown a cocktail of drugs in their systems. I close up for the day, make a brief call home, then drive the 100kms or so down to Karlsruhe. The pair are in a room to themselves, a woman cop sits quietly reading a magazine. A Turkish man sat next to a dark girl in the other bed, his eyes moist and red. "Herr Bashoff, is it"? The cop asks. "Yes," "This is Herr Kamal, Anneliese's father," She says indicating the Turkish man. "Mustafa," he says, shaking my hand warmly. His face a mirror of shock and sadness. "Why my little girl..." he says, choking back tears, "to suffer...". He can't contain himself any longer, his body heaves and shakes, and he begins sobbing into his hands. "I'm sorry..." he tries to say, "I'm sorry Ana..." By now my eyes are moist also. I put my arm around the big man and he cries into my shoulder like a baby. Later he is more together. I sit next to Lina, lying unconscious, her face swollen and pale. A drip up her nose keeps her body supplied with fluids. "Is she your daughter," Mustafa asks. I don't know how to answer. I finally say, "My sister, adopted, she has no parents. My parents and I are her only family." "Ah!," Mustafa says, "she is very beautiful. Is she German"? "Russian, from the north, Karelia." Somehow it helps to talk to Mustafa. Two men, thrown together in a common tragedy. "My daughter lives with me. Her mother and I don't get along anymore. She is German. Ana... found it hard to accept her leaving. She missed her mother. She got into very bad company. They gave her drugs and did things... This country is hard to raise kids in, Herr Bashoff. There are too many temptations for them. Do you know..." he leans forward. "She had not let a man touch her... before this..." "I'm sorry Mustafa..." I try to say. "In Turkey, in my religion, they say that it is worse than death for a girl. To be dishonored. In Turkey, in my village, there would not be a trial for these men. The family would settle it and there would be no-one left to try, believe this." He leans closer to me, his voice drops. "I tell you, it would not be pleasant for them." Just then an Officer enters the room and introduces himself as Inspector Kammhuber. "Herr Bashoff, Herr Kamal. I think we may have some news. Two men were brought into Casualty this morning with gunshot wounds. We have a match with the blood on Fraulein Poznan's clothes. We are beginning to get a picture I think." "Are they alive"? Mustafa asks. "Yes. One has a chest wound, not too serious, missed most of the vital bits. The other has... been shot in the buttocks." "Which one of your men shot them, I want to shake his hand." Mustafa asks. "It was not one of our men, Herr Kamal. We believe Fraulein Poznan did." "Lina"? I exclaim, "shot him in the ass"? "Right up the date. A good shot. Has she had any firearms training"? Kammhuber asks me. "None that I know of." "Tell her that when she gets better we have a job for her in Tactik. We can always use a good marksman." "Let me see these vermin. I want to look into their faces," Mustafa stands up. "Settle down, Herr Kamal, they are not going anywhere." "Who are they"? He asks. "Reiner Stube, 14, known as `Raede' has a chest wound, right side, through the pectoral. Wolfgang Stralsund, 23, known as `Ram' shot in the ass." "Children!" Mustafa spat. The Inspector's mobile peeps and he quickly puts it to his ear. "Ja, ja. Gut. Sheissen... zwei gewehr gehaben? ... ja gut... Danke... ja...ja." He turns back to us. "We have the gun, Herren. A Luger 08 long, a very heavy weapon for your sister Herr Bashoff. We have also recovered a Skorpion machine pistol from an address where we believe these events took place. It was well your sister didn't get her hands on that Herr Bashoff. It had a full magazine. The Inspector explains that they are from a group call the Stahlbund, a bunch of neo-nazis. "They all have a string of convictions for violence, theft, drugs and arson. They are a pain in the ass." Kammhuber raises his eyebrows at the unintentional pun. "They're just a bunch of thugs really. I don't really believe they have any sort of philosophy at all. Unfortunately we have a few of them in Germany. This Anschluss with the East has brought a lot of problems. Prostitution, drug trafficking, gangs." "You don't think that in a country of 80 odd million there would be a few bad eggs"? I ask. "Oh sure, Herr Bashoff, and we tend to deal only with those people." I organize my affairs and decide to stay at the hospital. Sophia is not too pleased. Lina drifts in and out of consciousness over the next day, still under sedation. The other girl is the first to awake. I am allowed to remain in the room as the policewoman gently asks some questions. A victim support person is also present. "My name is Hilde, Anneliese, do you feel like telling me what happened to you"? The cop asks. "Where's Lina"? She asks. "She's right here, Ana, in the next bed, she is safe. What happened after you left the Center"? "Walked..." she says haltingly. "A long way... a yellow car stopped... I didn't want to get into it... but Lina..." "Ok, can you describe the car"? "Yellow... loud... music... very loud... punk music..." "Ok, said the Officer, I'm going to show you a few pictures of cars. Can you tell me if you recognize it." The Officer shows her the pictures and eventually she picks an old yellow Opel, chopped, channeled, with flared guards and over-wide wheels. "Is that the one," "Yes". "Good." "How many were in the car, Ana"? Ana counts to herself. "Three, yes, I think three. Two in the front, `Ram' driving, and Raede sat with us in the back... he liked Lina. Lina sat in the middle, Raede had his arm around her. I didn't like his head... he had a tattoo right here," she touches her forehead. "What was the Tattoo, Ana"? "Nazi..." She describes it in the air. "Swastika"? The cop says. "Yes, Swastika." She agrees. "They called me ` the Turk' and Lina `the Pole'. I was scared but Lina said it was all right and they would give us a place to sleep. She told me that they were not as scary as they looked and that she'd known worse people in Russia. I think she liked `Raede'." Just then a Doctor looks in and beckons me for a word. I reluctantly leave the unfolding tale and go with him to an office. "Herr Bashoff, I have Lina's test results." "What have you found, Herr Doctor"? "Mmm, moderate concentrations of Methamphetamine, Alcohol, Marijuana and, Herr Bashoff"? "Yes"? I ask anxiously. "Syphilis." "What? They gave her VD"? "No, not them. I'm sorry, but she has had it for some time, at least a year. We will need to have her sexual history, Herr Bashoff. Also, you will need to sign these papers authorizing us to treat her." "Yes, yes, of course." "And Herr Bashoff, there's more." "Oh no! What is it"? "Lina is three weeks pregnant. It is possible she doesn't know. Have you any idea who the father is"? "Not a clue... not a clue," I answer sadly. I am still reeling from the news when I slip quietly back into the room. The Officer was saying, "You are doing very well, very well. Ana, can you tell us anything about the house"? "There were flags and things on the walls, Nazi ones. Graffiti everywhere, `Kriege an dem Turk', I remember that one," she shudders at the recollection. "Many rooms, empty bottles all around, broken furniture, horrible place. Downstairs the windows had metal over them, it was very dark. Smelt of alcohol and urine." "Where did you sleep"? "Upstairs, with Lina, the mattress stank." "Did they give you drugs"? The Officer asks. "Kristal." "And"? " We drank Vodka and Orange. We got very high. I'm sorry Papa... Mustafa's looks at the floor, he's softly crying. "Herr Kamal, would you prefer to wait outside? I can get an Officer to take you..." "No!" Mustafa says firmly, "I want to know, everything." "As you wish. Ana, anything else"? "We smoked a joint, later on. We had some Pizza, `Raede' bought some, he was their `gofer'. They called him `Kadet'. "What was `Ram', what did they call him"? "Bannfuhrer, and the other guy, `Panzer', he was `Shturmmann'. There were others, `Doppel' I remember, he was another `Shturmmann'. I can't remember them all. They would come and go. But always there was `Raede', Ram' and `Panzer'. They lived there I think." "Good Ana, very good. It is important you tell us everything you remember, ok? But don't worry if you can't remember some things. It' normal, you've had a rough time." "That night, you went to bed, upstairs"? The woman asks. "Yes, I don't remember getting up there, just flashes of memory, certain things." "Tell us what you remember, in your own time, you're doing exceptionally well, you are a brave woman." "I feel Lina's arms around me. She is warm, it's nice to feel her there." "You were lying, how"? Asks the Officer. "Lina's behind me, so." Replies Ana indicating. "Like, spoon fashion"? "Yes, like that. Bed is bouncing, there is someone else." "Who"? "Raede, not sure. Him and Lina were... at it." "Making love"? "Yes." "What were they doing, how were they... positioned"? "He was lying on his back, so. And Lina was between his legs. She had his `thing' in her mouth." "Penis? She was sucking him"? "Yes, Lina said he's just a boy and she spat out his `stuff'. I remember her saying that she hated men coming in her mouth. I don't remember anything until later." "What happened later"? "He was on top of her, bouncing very fast, the bed was shaking, that's what woke me." "How was Lina? What was she doing"? "She told him to slow down, he was going too fast. He didn't listen and kept going until he finished. Afterwards Lina cuddled up to me and said `hopeless' and giggled. She was very high." "A while later, I think, or it could be morning, I don't remember. The door burst open and the rest came in making lots of noise and clapping. They asked Raede how was she and he was lucky to get such a bitch. Lina was asleep and didn't hear what they said about her. They called her a Polish slut and bitch and that they would all have her and they would invite the whole `Bann'. They said she'd get what she's good for, things like that. Then they tried to pick her up but she's out cold. One says that they can wait and another says, `what about the Turk', but, I hear `Ram's' voice say she is out cold too and they will have a party later on." "Lina didn't hear all this, but I did. I pretended to be asleep, but I heard them. I wish she had been awake..." "What happened in the morning, you ate, who was there"? Asks the cop. "Just `Raede' the rest had gone. We didn't get up till the afternoon. I had a headache and `Raede' gave me some Panadol. We had some Salami and bread, `Raede' got it from the supermarket." "Lina was sick. She threw up her lunch, she looked terrible. I told Lina that we should leave, but she was too sick. I tried to get her up when `Raede' was busy but it was useless. I couldn't carry her. She was talking in Russian and I couldn't understand her." "Ana, listen carefully. You are a brave girl and we are all very proud of you. But we need to know this, so listen carefully." "Yes"? "Why didn't you escape yourself and go to the Police"? "I, I... didn't want to leave Lina... `Raede' was good to us. He said that he would look after us. He poured Lina a bath. Helped me to put her in... he left us alone." Ana was crying. "They would put me away... in hospital." "Who would, what hospital"? "Papa. He said he would send me to..." "For your own good Ana. Now look what happened to you..." Mustafa interrupts. "Ok, ok.' Says the cop, "So you were afraid for your friend and what might happen to you if you went to the Police. And you say that `Raede' was being good to you and you trusted him to look after you. Is that it"? "Yes." "But something bad happened." "Yes." "And `Raede' didn't protect you"? "I think he tried, but Lina...." "Lina what"? "Nothing." "You have to help us Ana. Would you prefer to continue later. Do you want to talk to Frau Geller, or rest"? "Thirsty, I need something to drink." "Ok, I'll get the nurse. I'll leave you with Frau Geller for a while." I leave the room with the Policewoman, I need a coffee and a sandwich. "It is important that we don't push her too hard, Herr Bashoff. She is in pretty good shape considering, but we must be careful not to put her on the defensive." "I see." "How are you coping, Herr Bashoff"? "Call me Eric. It's a shock," I answer. "Eric. Have you been in Germany long"? "Two years, I'm married to a German." "Ah. Germany is not like this. We have our bad elements, just like any country. This hospital is good, the girls will be well cared for." "I know about bad elements, I come from Los Angeles." "Yes, we still have a way to go before we reach the level of crime in America." Kammhuber meets us in the Cafeteria. "How's it going Hilde"? he asks, "Bearing up Herr Bashoff"? I nod. "She's doing pretty well," Hilde says, "better than expected, we are about halfway through." "Good." "Stube's bleating like a baby. The other one is a twisted son of a bitch. If you ask me, it is a pity fraulein Poznan did not aim a bit higher up. I won't repeat that of course." "I would have," I tell the Inspector. "Is he worth ten years of your life"? "No. Will Lina be charged"? I ask. "I doubt it, legitimate self-defense. Stube appears to have got in the way of their escape and copped one for his troubles. I don't think anyone will grieve over him." "There is no doubt they were drugged, terrorized and abused and Stube was a participant. He held them there for two days even though they wanted to leave. They had no reason to believe that he would help them, especially after Poznan blew out his boss's ass. He won't be shitting for a while." "How did she get the gun," I ask. "Apparently it was kept in an unlocked drawer. There was a machine gun in the closet too. Careless of them to leave them around but they are not the brightest lot." Kammhuber leans closer. "I think that in their twisted hateful minds it never entered their heads that Poznan would have the presence of mind to find a gun and shoot her way out. Girls are not suppose to do those things, see"? A nurse arrives. "Herren, Fraulein Poznan has come around." "Good, can you take Fraulein Kamal into the sunshine for a while. It would be good to talk to Fraulein Poznan on her own." "Certainly Herr Inspector, I will see to it. Fraulein Poznan is very fragile..." "We will be careful, Nurse. Hilde, back to work"? "Jawohl Herr Inspector." We sit each side of Lina. She is blinking around her as I introduce everyone. "Eric? You came for me"? She asks in a dreamy voice. "Hilde will ask you some questions, Lina. Tell her everything you know. You are not in trouble." "What do they want to know? What is this all about?" She sounds frightened. "I didn't do anything." "We just want to ask you some questions about your friend Ana. It will not take long," Says the Police Officer. "Ana? Is she all right, she didn't die"? "No, she is alive and well. She is out in the sunshine." "I must see her." "Later, Lina. Please tell us what happened to her"? "They... they... hurt her. I heard them... in the next room... she was screaming..." "Who are they"? "Ram, and the others, Panzer. I couldn't move... couldn't get up... too sick..." "Ram, Panzer and others had Ana next door"? "Yes... she was screaming... I couldn't bear it..." "What do you think they were doing to her Lina"? Lina bursts out crying I hold her hand stroke her face. "She doesn't do that... she hasn't been with anybody... she doesn't know... Raede, he doesn't help her... he is such a boy..." "Ok, let's take it back, one step at a time. You were at the Rehab Center. Why did you leave"? "Ana wanted to leave. She's not strong, like Anya... she doesn't know... I went with her to take care of her." "Anya? Who's Anya"? "Oh, someone I used to know, long time ago." "Ok, so you left with Ana. Then what did you do." "Walked... too tired, no money... so we hitch hike." "Who picked you up". "Lots, businessman type. He wanted to touch my leg. I wouldn't let him. Too old." "The yellow car, Lina, remember"? "A brick, like a Lada. Eric has nice cars. I always like Eric's cars. No top... I can feel the wind..." "Who was in the yellow car, Lina." "Ram, Panzer and Raede. Raede was nice to me. He was good looking, but too young...too stupid.... I don't think he meant any harm... he is so easily led... I shouldn't have..." "Shouldn't have what"? "Nothing." "Ok, so where did they take you"? "To a town, a house. They said they had a room where we could stay." "Drugs"? "They... said they didn't have C. they said Kristal was much better... I got so high... it went on and on. Not like C." "Anything else"? "They drank vodka, I hate vodka. They said it was Polish vodka so I should love it. They thought I was Polish, idiots!" "Is that all"? "Some grass, later on, after Pizza." "Then what"? "Went to sleep, very tired..." "Where"? "Upstairs, with Ana, she was wasted. Raede and I carried her up. She was all floppy, her head rolled about. I was worried about her so I lay next to her to make sure she was safe." "Did Raede stay"? "No, he left." "Did he come back, later"? "No, I slept." "Ana says that Raede and you had sex"? The Officer continued. "That night." "Maybe, I don't remember." "Do you remember the others coming in, afterwards." "No." "When you woke up, then who was there"? "Raede, the others had gone. I was sick, I threw up." "When did the others come back"? "That night, they were drunk. They sat around drinking. I was tired and sick, I took Ana up to bed and lay next to her." "And what happened"? "I woke up, she was not there. Raede was trying to take my clothes off. I couldn't move. I pretended to be asleep so he would go away. He left and I heard him go next door. Asshole!" "They had Ana, next door"? "I heard them... her. I think they all had her...one after another... she was yelling, no, no, no... all the time. I couldn't move... too sick... Poor Ana..." Lina is crying. The Officer suggests they have a break for Lina to rest. I stay with her, holding her hand and listening to her sobbing. She eventually falls back off to sleep. Frau Geller urges me to get something to eat and assures me she will let me know should Lina awake. Kammhuber and Hilde are sitting in the Cafeteria when I arrive. "She is sleeping"? Hilde asks. "Yes." She nods. Kammhuber is in his shirtsleeves, his bald forehead is beaded with sweat, and he looks drawn. "Our friends are in surgery Herr Bashoff. Tell me, Fraulein Poznan is adopted, yes"? "Kind of." I explain to the Inspector, briefly, how she came into my life. "Ah, so how well do you know about her life prior to coming to America"? "A little, why"? "Let me tell you how she shot these guys. Her friend is face down on the bed, `Ram' is trying to rape her in the backside. Lina can't stand it anymore so she gets the gun from the drawer downstairs, runs up the stairs to the door. Takes stance, releases the safety, two hands, pulls the trigger, boom! `Ram's' down, spins, takes stance, two hands, `Raede' has followed her, boom! He's down." Kammhuber continues, "A Luger weighs about 4 kilos, it is a heavy weapon, very old design. Someone with no experience with firearms, if they could release the safety, would try to fire it one handed, like the movies, Wyatt Earpe, yes"? "Not only does your Lina know how to take off the safety catch but she uses two hands, brings the weapon up to eye level, sights along the barrel, shoots `Ram' in the ass, spins and shoots `Raede' in the chest before either could react." " Our amateur would shoot one handed, the gun jumps from the recoil and the bullet goes into the ceiling, it throws her off balance, she needs to fire again but `Raede' has her and grabs her arm. Your Lina is a shooter, Herr Bashoff," He leans closer, "a TRAINED shooter." "I... I have no idea..." I try to speak. "Never mind," says the Officer, "It is as well because I don't think Fraulein Kamal could have taken much more. Animals!"