Chapter 1
I was awakened by a phone call. Damnation! They still wouldn’t let me get any sleep, but looking at my watch, I calmed down – it’s one! Six hours of sleep is even more than I expected to get. For that reason, I immediately took an unspeakable liking to the unknown person who woke me up just in time. The editor was calling. His voice was gloomy and hoarse. I had the impression that instead of me, that he was the one who spent the whole night at the printing house. His first words made me slump into my chair and feel my blood run cold. I spasmodically swallowed sticky saliva and wheezed:
“Re-repeat that....”
“I repeat: an hour ago Tomashevych was found dead. He shot himself.”
“Wait a second, I just....”
I rushed into the bathroom, stuck my head under the faucet, shook it, and
