* * * * *
He accompanied her. Vera barely kept her legs as they left the police station, and seeing her car in the parking lot, Jeff wondered how she had managed to drive here. Once seated in the passenger seat, she fell asleep.
When he parked next to her building, Jeff looked long at her strange thin lips, curving like small purple snakes on her enervated and emotionless face, white as a sheet. He did not want to awaken her, but he had to do it.
When he touched her, Vera nervously shuddered all over and gazed at him in bewilderment. Then she shook her head, recalling the immediate past.
«Thank you, Jeff, for your care,» mumbled Vera, trying to smile. «Good night.»
Sobered up at bit, Vera dared not touched his hand as she wished, so just nodded and got out of the car. He watched her.
He observed as she took out her keys and fussed with the lock in difficulty. Finally it clicked open, but to his surprise she did not enter, just sat straight down on the porch. Hugging her legs, she cried again, burying her face in her knees.
Jeff hurriedly got out of the car. With all of his fondness for her, he helped his beloved up, and they entered the building together.
This was a typical apartment, and once inside, Jeff turned lights on, then moved with Vera to the bedroom. Just outside the room the weeping woman started weakly pushing him away.
«No, Jeff,» she murmured between sobs. «We shouldn’t… You shouldn’t… No…»
He did not realize at once what she meant.
«She misunderstood!» Jeff thought, horrified.
«Vera,» he said seriously, looking at her eyes brimming over with tears. «You’re wrong about me. I only wanted to help you get into bed. You need sleep.»
«Sorry.» Vera gently freed herself from his arms and staggered into the living room. There she sat on the couch, propping up her head with her hands.
Jeff went to the bedroom to get a pillow. He found one, then for a few seconds looked around the room, involuntarily thinking about Oleg.
«She didn’t want to adulterate this sacred family bed,» Jeff whispered sarcastically. «How noble. Damn you!» he screamed, pounding the blanket. He felt just as if giant and unmerciful millstones were grinding his heart. «Damn you to Hell! That bandit sacked all she had, he simply robbed her! And this angel is still faithful to him.»
Clutching his head, he sat down and was still, overtaken with depression.
«Why did I get so mad?» Jeff thought, compelling himself to regain control. «I have no right… I’m nobody… No, it is my duty to protect people from such rascals