Chapter 19
259 Words
19
The inside of the police station looked as drab and depressing as the outside. In the custody suite, the arresting officers told the custody sergeant what the boys had been arrested for, explaining that a concerned local resident had phoned to report the trespass and that the officers were concerned as there had been a number of burglaries in the area recently. He also mentioned that the boys had been unwilling to cooperate and hadn’t provided their names.
The custody sergeant asked them if they spoke English.
‘I do,’ Milan said, ‘but my friend’s is not so good.’
‘We’ll organise an interpreter for him. What language does he speak?’
‘Serbian. But I can translate.’
‘No, sorry. We need to use an official translator. Do you understand the reasons for your arrest?’
‘Yes.’
‘And are you willing to give me your name and address?’
Milan looked at Zoran, who shook his head.
‘No. Sorry.’
‘Your friend understands more than he lets on, doesn’t he?’
‘Sometimes. But he’s not very good at speaking it.’
‘So I see. You’re allowed to make one call to a family member or friend to notify them of your arrest. Do you have someone you’d like to call?’
‘No.’
‘We can notify your solicitor of your arrest, or provide you with access to a duty solicitor. Would you like us to do that?’
Milan nodded.
The custody sergeant indicated that Milan should be put into cell M3.
‘Wait. What about him?’ Milan said, gesturing towards Zoran.
‘We need to process him properly first, with a translator. He’ll be put into his own cell afterwards.’
‘In a different one?’
‘Yes. Separate cells only, I’m afraid.’
Milan looked at Zoran, and knew that the next few hours would either make or break their friendships — and their lives.
- Writer
