Фолькер Кучер - The Silent Death

Don’t let him take you in, Rath told himself. ‘There’s been a murder,’ he said. Oppenberg’s smile turned icy.

‘Vivian? Has she…?’

Vivian. Oppenberg’s pretty companion in Venuskeller.

‘I’m looking for your production manager,’ Rath said, as friendly as a head waiter who hasn’t received a tip. ‘Felix Krempin.’

‘Who is it that’s been murdered?’

‘Don’t you read the papers? Betty Winter.’

‘Wasn’t that an accident? I thought you were here about Vivian.’

‘Why would I be?’

The producer threw a sidelong glance at the guard and took Rath to one side. ‘Let’s go somewhere we can talk in private. It’ll be quieter backstage, in make-up.’

Oppenberg led him into a dark, windowless room with film posters hanging on the wall; a giant mirror framed by light bulbs stretched across its entire long side.

‘I’m afraid I can’t offer you anything to drink,’ Oppenberg said. ‘I’d have preferred to meet you in my office, but at the moment I’m hardly out of the studio. We have to change the whole schedule, and they can’t manage without me. If you don’t take care of things yourself, nothing gets done. Hold on though,’ he said, ‘I do have a little something.’

He took a flat silver case from his jacket pocket. For a moment, Rath was afraid he might offer him cocaine, but when he snapped the lid open he revealed only neatly arranged, virgin white cigarettes.

‘Thank you,’ Rath said. ‘It’s been two months…’

‘New Year’s resolution? You don’t mind if I do?’

Rath shook his head.

‘So tell me,’ Oppenberg continued, lighting a cigarette, ‘if it isn’t about the missing person I reported to your colleagues the day before yesterday, why are you here?’

‘Missing person?’

‘Vivian’s gone. Didn’t I say? We started filming on Monday and she’s been missing ever since. That’s why things are so chaotic around here.’

The young woman whose tentacles Rath had only just escaped in Venuskeller. It was no surprise she’d walked out on a man like Oppenberg. ‘I’m afraid I have to disappoint you there,’ he said, ‘but I’m here about a Felix Krempin. He does work for you, doesn’t he?’

Oppenberg betrayed neither curiosity nor surprise, let alone any sense of having been caught out.

‘It’s my turn to disappoint you,’ Oppenberg said. ‘Yes, Krempin was my production manager, but he resigned three, maybe four months ago. No idea what he’s been doing since. I haven’t had any professional dealings with him.’

‘Does that go for La Belle Film too?’

‘Bellmann? I don’t have much to do with the man.’

Rath decided to go all out. ‘Allow me to speak candidly, Herr Oppenberg. You smuggled Felix Krempin into your rival’s studio under a false name, and there he triggered the accident which cost Betty Winter her life.’

‘Is that what Bellmann told you? I wouldn’t believe everything he says; the man has too much imagination.’

‘Don’t play the innocent with me. Your Krempin is a saboteur.’

‘He isn’t my Krempin, Herr Rath. Felix Krempin is a free agent who changed his employer. Now, if you’ll allow me to speak candidly…’

Oppenberg was out of his shell and building up a head of steam. ‘You shouldn’t be carrying on like this given my previous generosity. Your superiors won’t be pleased to hear that you snort cocaine, even if you were off duty at the time.’ He stubbed out a cigarette that wasn’t even half-smoked.

‘Cocaine I got from you.’

‘I can live with my vices,’ Oppenberg said, ‘and perhaps you can live with yours. But the commissioner really doesn’t approve of that sort of thing.’

‘You mean to blackmail me?’

‘I just want to be friends again, and I’ll co-operate so long as you promise not to use any information I provide against me.’

‘That’s a promise I can’t make. Our friendship stops at murder.’

‘This isn’t about murder.’ Oppenberg lit another cigarette and took a long drag. ‘OK, Felix Krempin was working for me at Bellmann’s, but it was never about sabotage or murder. Nothing of the kind!’

‘I’m listening.’

‘Our industry is going through seismic change. To survive, we need to shoot talkies, and that’s an expensive business. Very few production companies are as well off as Ufa. Most are small, creative enterprises lurching from one production to the next.’

‘Like yours.’

‘Making a talkie is infinitely more complicated and expensive than shooting a conventional film, and now we come to the point. I don’t think much of Bellmann but I have to say he churns them out as cheap as anyone. I sent Felix to have a look round, uncover a few production secrets and exploit them for Montana. That’s all.’ Oppenberg took another drag. ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have provoked him. I accused him of not being careful enough with money.’

‘So, it is about espionage.’

‘It isn’t exactly kosher, but then, my dear Rath, nor does it stretch the limits of our friendship.’

‘Why are you helping me? Your employee is a fugitive murder suspect…’

‘Precisely! I’m looking for him myself. I don’t know what happened at Bellmann’s but I can tell you one thing: Felix Krempin is no murderer. Nor was he instructed to sabotage the shoot, let alone injure or kill anyone.’

‘Why should I believe you?’

‘Why should I lie? Especially when I know I have nothing to fear from you, my friend.’

‘I’m not your friend.’

‘Business associate, then.’

‘This isn’t business, this is blackmail.’

‘If you think it’s so important, we can always do business for real. Come and work for me. I pay well.’

‘I won’t be falsifying any results for your sake.’

‘I’m talking about a completely normal assignment, one that would have most private detectives licking their fingers.’

‘I’m not sure I understand…’

‘Vivian. Help me find her.’

‘That’s a case for my colleagues at Missing Persons.’

‘They’ve barely lifted a finger.’

‘They’ll have their reasons. Are you sure Vivian hasn’t simply left you?’

‘Do you want to work for me?’

‘If I’m to work for you, then I need to be able to ask questions. How can you be sure she hasn’t simply upped sticks?’

‘Because she isn’t stupid. The new film is tailor-made for her. Vom Blitz getroffen , her first feature-length sound film, will be her breakthrough. Your colleagues didn’t get it, but I thought you would show more understanding.’

Rath could understand his colleagues. An old crank refused to accept that a youthful beauty had simply upped sticks and left. But why shouldn’t he do Oppenberg a favour and snoop around a little? Perhaps he could use him to get to Krempin. ‘So, you’ve been filming since Monday?’

‘Correct. Tuesday would’ve been her first day on set, and she didn’t appear.’

‘Didn’t you go look for her yourself?’

‘Of course.’

‘And?’

‘We’ve looked everywhere, checked out all her relatives and acquaintances, all the bars and restaurants she frequents. Nothing. No one’s seen her since she went into the mountains.’

‘She went away?’

‘After the last shoot. She loves skiing.’

‘Perhaps she’s broken a leg and is holed up in a hospital somewhere.’

‘If that was the case we’d have heard long ago. She’s hardly unknown.’

‘Where did she go?’

‘No idea.’ Oppenberg shrugged his shoulders. ‘Vivian doesn’t like people controlling her.’

‘How do you go about filming without your lead actress?’