Urme pe oglinda apei
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Someone was coming in a hurry. It was Cornea. His eyes remembered a child who saw a ghost.
– Chief, chief!
– What is it, Cornea, why are so scared? I hope we did not take the ground, did we?
Cristian asked the question, joking, as he refused to believe what he had seen on the other man’s face: it was an expression of great fear, his eyes were gloomy, meanwhile his face muscles were contracted, his veins were over swollen and he had that pant, like a whistling…
– Greeeat trouble!
– Come on, say it, do not boil me over, Cristian said, getting close to him and shaking his shoulders, as if he wanted to wake Cornea up, from a nightmare.
– The Captain. I think… he…
– What happened? Cornea, do not play with me! How’s that? Where is him?
– He is in his cabin, I found him on the floor and… he does not breathe anymore…
Even before Cornea finished he had to say, Cristian vanished. „He did not suffer from any disease. What a hell had happened? Maybe in that very moment when I had that obsessive image of the underground shelter…” Cristian was climbing two stairs, in the same time. He bumped in to someone.
It was Senior who was looking frightened, all around. He was awaken by Cornea’s hasty steps, on the stairs, which did not show anything good.
– What’s the matter, Cris?
Cristian did not have time to answer him, and he rushed to the door of the Master’s cabin door. He stopped confused, on the threshold, and he saw there the second chief engineer, Ochescu and Rizea, restless.
− No, do not move him, for the moment. Let the Chief officer come and we call some more men. We have do write declarations and the official report; it is going to be some trouble, chief engineer said.
– Was there a heart attack or a stroke? Ochescu was asking himself.
– I’m here, chief, Cristian said, passing the threshold; he bent over Captain’s body and he tried to see if he still had pulse. Then, Cristian unbuttoned his shirt and began to make a heart massage.
– Someone to bring a little mirror, Cristian asked.
Shortly, he received the mirror. He pushed a few times, strongly, Drăgan’s chest, opened man’s mouth, took a deep breath, stuck his lips against man’s lips and then he breathed strongly. Cristian repeated the manoeuvre a few times. He put a handkerchief on Drăgan’s mouth. Then, he put the mirror by Drăgan’s mouth and he tried to see if the man breathed. Cristian put down the mirror and resumed the manoeuvres. He was looking excitedly for the sign of pulse. However, Drăgan’s body was cold, and it was that cold that makes you understood that is nothing to be done. Cristian Răuță began to analyze carefully man’s hands, lips and eyes.
– He has bluish nails and lips. There can be signs of infarct or stroke.
– Did he have any heart problems? Did he have any other problems? Rizea asked.
– I do not know anything about that.
– Is it really possible, that someone did that? Rizea asked.
– Who did that, Marconi? Do you really believe there is anyone on this ship able to kill?
– I don’t think that, chief, or better said, not necessarily that, but our duty is to verify any possibility. There is no militia or justice here… I want to say we cannot hand over the problem to the new „authority”.
-I think, Senior intervened, coming in, behind Cristian, that it’s better to eliminate causes and find answers for some questions. Who could do this, or better said, who can be eliminated from the suspects circle and who is still there? Why did he do it? And how did he do it?
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