Please make sure that all your hand luggage is on the shelf above your seat. We ask you to check that your seat belt is fastened and tightened up to fit. We ask you not to leave your seats during the entire flight unless you need to and remain fastened during the entire flight. In a few minutes we will offer you some refreshments. We wish you a pleasant flight.’
Having listened to the announcement of the airliner staff, Elena took another look at her fellow passenger:
‘My name is Elena Vega,’ she held out her hand to the neighbor, inviting him to get acquainted. ‘Bosch Yunken,’ he said, not hiding his disappointment with being distracted from playing on the communicator.
‘Oh, I'm sorry, I'm distracting you.’
‘Well, yes. But now it doesn’t matter already.’
‘Coming back home, Bosch?’
‘What makes you think so?’
‘The translator,’ Elena pointed to the headphones in her ears. ‘They don't translate, they only broadcast your voice.’
‘Ah. Well, yes, home.’
‘And I'm going on holidays.’
‘Yeah, congrats. And what are you going to do on the east coast?’
‘Your country, Bosch, has such a rich history. I don't think I'll be bored.’
‘Ah, got it. That is, are you a specialist in museums or something?’
‘You could say that. My main goal is Baltimore.’
‘Well, and what have you forgotten in the middle of nowhere?’
‘The life of the great poet and writer Edgar Poe suddenly ended in Baltimore.’
‘Who is this? Doesn’t ring a bell.’
‘He lived a long time ago, Bosch. No wonder you haven't heard of him.’
‘Ah. Well, okay.’
‘I'm a big fan of Poe. I am planning to visit his grave, the places he used frequented. I would like to see for myself where it all happened.’
‘What happened?’
‘You know, there are some inconsistencies in the versions of why he actually died. And not all of them flatter him as a person. So I'm planning—rather, I hope to clarify something about what end his hard lot brought him to.’
‘Was he a member of some kind of group or something? Some kind of a gangster?’
‘Not at all. He lived in the nineteenth century. His literary career and personal life were quite ambiguous. Things were difficult for him…'
‘Yes. Well, good luck to you, Elena.’
‘Thank you, Bosch! What were you doing in Madrid?’ Bosch looked at Elena with a kind of detachment. ‘I'm sorry, Bosch. I won't distract you anymore.’