Sergeant Melnyk looked over at the lineup of irritated impatient passengers who were waiting for the Moscow express. The nonstop train was running late for the third time that week. The only saving grace was that the train station had recently gotten airconditoning. Upgrading the building's climate control system had made a world of difference. Prior to the installation of the cooling units, the temperature could be almost unbearable - even with all of the windows open and the fans going. But now Sergeant Melnyk could sit at the border security desk and enjoy the cool breeze coming from the overhead vent located right above his seat.
As he leaned back in his chair and let out a contented sigh, the sergeant was surprised to see two of his officers coming toward his desk with a young woman in tow. He greeted them all in Vulmonian. His officers responded politely in their mother tongue. However, the young lady said nothing. As he looked at her expectantly, she finally muttered in English, "Hello."
"American?" the sergeant guessed.
"Ye... er ... NO!" the girl said quickly. "I'm from Canada!"
"Oh, sorry. I hope I didn't offend you," he sarcastically apologized. "I'm Sergeant Melnyk. I'm the head of border security here at the train station. And what is your name?"
"Tiffany, Sir. Tiffany Tiddles," she replied.
"Corporal Volkov," he said to the slightly older of his two officers. "Private Javanovic," he addressed the younger soldier. "What seems to be the problem?"
"I don't know that we necessarily have a problem," said Corporal Volkov. "But there are a few details about Miss Tiddles story that are a little unusual. Private Jovanovic and I decided that it would be best to conduct a thorough search of Miss Tiddles before we allow her to catch her train."
"Oh?" said Sergeant Melnyk as he leaned forward with interest. "And what exactly are these 'unusual details?'"
"Well, first of all, Miss Tiddles is traveling without any luggage," said Corporal Jovanovic. "She said that the airline lost her bags on the way over here."
"That's a shame." Despite his words, the sergeant did not sound particularly sympathetic. "And what airline was that?"
"American Airlines," Olivia replied.
"Well, that's no surprise," said Sergeant Melnyk. "I don't think a lack of luggage warrants a security search."
"She doesn't even have a purse," the corporal explained. "She claims that she was mugged. The only thing she has on her is this envelope."
Sergeant Melnyk held out his hand and Corporal Volkov handed over the large paper sleeve, containing Olivia's travel documents and money. "If you were mugged and had your handbag stolen, I'm assuming that you filed a police report." The sergeant opened it and peeked inside. He reached in and began placing the contents of envelope onto his desk. "If I were to call Nulmara City Police Department, would they tell me that a Canadian girl named Tiffany Tiddles reported her purse stolen?"
All three officers stared at Olivia, awaiting her answer.
"Well ... um ... you see ... uh ... my friend told me not to bother. He said that there was no point. Um ... he said that the odds of the police catching the thief were so slim, reporting it would just be a waste of time." Despite standing directly under the air vent, Olivia was sweating profusely. She wiped some perspiration away from her upper lip.
Sergeant Melnyk looked puzzled. "And who was this 'friend' who told you not to report the crime?"
"Um ... uh ... Dr. Brovachik. He ... uh ... just gave me some money instead to help me get home." Olivia pointed at the smaller green envelope, which the sergeant had already removed and put on his desk.
Sergeant Melnyk opened it and flipped through the American and Russian bills. "How much did the doctor give you?"
"I'm not sure," Olivia replied honestly. "He handed it to me just as I was entering the train station. I didn't have time to count it."
Sergeant Melnyk picked up the white envelope with 'Ivanov' written across it. He looked inside at all of the Vulmonian ruettes. "And what is this?"
"I was told that Major Ivanov would be working here today. I owe him some money and I wanted to pay him back before I left for Moscow."
"Ah yes," said Sergeant Melnyk. "Unfortunately Major Ivanov was rear ended while he was on his way over. But he should be here soon. The Moscow express is so behind schedule, you might get a chance to see the major before you catch your train." Then Sergeant Melnyk looked over at his two officers. "Is that it?" he asked, sounding unimpressed. "You think that justifies doing a security search?"
Olivia exhaled the anxious breath that she had been holding in. Corporal Volkov and Private Jovanovic may have been behaving unreasonably. But at least Sergeant Melnyk was willing to listen to logic.
"You don't think it's a little odd that this 'Dr. Brovachik' just gave her an envelope full of cash for no reason? You don't think it's strange that she didn't report her stolen purse to the police?" Corporal Volkov gave his commanding officer a challenging look.
Sergeant Melnyk simply replied with a disinterested shrug. Olivia could not help but inwardly smile. It seemed that the sergeant did not find his subordinate soldier's argument convincing.
"Well, what did she do to convince Major Ivanov to give her a bunch of money?" Private Jovanovic pointed out. "Did you ever think about that?"
"Major Ivanov did not give Miss Tiddles any money. He let her borrow some money and now she's paying it back," Sergeant Melnyk countered. "And besides, Major Ivanov will be here any minute. If you're so curious about their arrangement, you can ask him when he arrives."
Olivia was gloating on the inside. Finally, an older Vulmonian man was not looking for an excuse to humiliate her or take advantage of her.
