Free A Vengeful Longing by R. N. Morris Page B

stand accused of their murder.’
     
    Porfiry seemed surprised by the force of Meyer’s bitterness. ‘I’m afraid so. I presume you maintain that you are not responsible for their deaths?’
     
    ‘Of course! I’m not a monster.’ Meyer stared desperately. ‘Anyhow, I can explain it all. I know what happened.’
     
    Porfiry stopped pacing and pulled back the seat next to Virginsky, as if he intended to take it. He did not, however, and by remaining standing he introduced a strange tension into the interview. ‘I am very interested to hear what you have to say.’ Porfiry continued to stand over the doctor, fixing him with an expectant gaze. At last he let go of the chair and began pacing again. ‘Forgive me. At the moment I find it uncomfortable to sit down for long periods. It is better for me to remain on my feet. It makes me rather restless, I confess. I’m sure as a doctor you will understand. Perhaps you will say the exercise is good for me. By the way, you are aware that your friend, Dr Pervoyedov of the Obukhovsky Hospital, has confirmed that Raisa and Grisha were killed by a poison administered via the chocolates you gave her? It was you who gave her the chocolates, was it not? You bought them from Ballet’s that day, I believe.’
     
    ‘Yes, that’s true. I-I-I don’t deny it,’ Meyer stammered in confusion.
     
    ‘There is no point in denying that which is self-evidently true, my friend.’
     
    Meyer suddenly became excited. ‘But here’s the thing! I remembernow what happened.’ He was almost shouting.
     
    ‘Very well. Tell me what happened. But please, try to calm down.’
     
    ‘There was a man.’
     
    ‘A man?’
     
    ‘At the shop. The confectioner’s.’
     
    ‘Someone who works there?’
     
    ‘No. Another customer. Although, now that I come to think of it, it was outside the shop. I was coming out. I’d just bought the chocolates. He was going in and . . . he walked into me. Quite deliberately! Don’t you see? I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but the thing is, you see, I dropped the chocolates. No! I didn’t drop them! He knocked them out of my hand! It was quite deliberate. I see that now. At the time, well, you cannot believe such things. You do not trust the evidence of your own eyes. “Why would anyone do such a thing?” you think. No, it can’t have been so. He can’t have knocked the chocolates out of my hand. I simply refuse to believe that a stranger would do this. And yet . . . he did it! Afterwards he was so apologetic, and made such a fuss of retrieving the chocolates for me. What if, what if - this is what I’m thinking - what if he swapped them for another box of chocolates? A poisoned box!’
     
    ‘Did anyone else see this encounter?’
     
    ‘Oh yes! There were many people on the pavement. It was on the Nevsky Prospekt. Another fellow even tried to pick up the chocolate box but he - the man, you understand - he screamed at him hysterically to leave them be. I thought that most odd, but at the same time, thought nothing of it.’ Meyer frowned. ‘He was very particular - jealous you might almost say - about picking up the box himself.’
     
    ‘Can you give us the names of any of these witnesses?’
     
    ‘No! Of course not! They were just people on the street. Passers-by. How could I be expected to know their names?’
     
    ‘And this man? Was he known to you?’
     
    ‘That’s what’s strange about this whole affair! I’ve never seen him before in my life.’
     
    ‘Can you describe him?’
     
    ‘He was a man. I don’t know, just some kind of man. I didn’t look very closely at him. I found him rather annoying. I do not like to look closely at people who annoy me. I wanted him gone from my sight. I had no idea, at the time.’
     
    ‘Why would he do this, do you think, this stranger?’
     
    ‘I don’t know! That is to say, I only have one theory.’
     
    ‘And what is your theory?’
     
    ‘Bezmygin.’
     
    Porfiry