Фолькер Кучер - The Fatherland Files

‘Don’t you have someone who knows their way around the business, and can help you out?’

‘Herbert looked after everything himself. No one could have known that he…’

She let the papers drop, breaking into a sob so suddenly that Rath gave a start. He remembered the lily-white cotton handkerchief in his jacket. Edith Lamkau dabbed gratefully at her wet eyes.

‘Frau Lamkau,’ Rath said, when she had composed herself again. ‘In the meantime, our suspicions that your husband died an unnatural death have been confirmed.’

‘Oh God! Did someone kill him?’ Rath nodded awkwardly. ‘Who?’

‘That’s what we’re trying to find out, Frau Lamkau. It’s the reason I’m here.’ He pointed outside, to where Nero had barked again. ‘You’re well guarded here. Was your husband afraid? Did he have enemies?’

She shook her head. ‘Herbert was only concerned with our safety. There have been a number of break-ins here recently.’

‘In your husband’s overalls we found an envelope containing a thousand marks. Can you explain where it came from?’ She shook her head. ‘Did your clients settle their accounts in cash?’

‘Some maybe. I don’t know.’

‘Then there must be an invoice for this amount somewhere. Do you know which clients your husband visited yesterday? Is there a journey log? A list of suppliers?’ Edith Lamkau didn’t seem to know anything about her husband’s affairs. Perhaps they weren’t all above board. ‘How about I send a few men over tomorrow to look after your papers?’ Rath said.

She smiled gratefully. ‘You’d do that?’

‘But you have to promise to forget about all this. Just make sure you lock the door when you leave.’

‘Of course. Gladly!’ Edith Lamkau looked as if a burden had been lifted from her soul.

Dear Gereon,

Back in Berlin, yet here we are still writing to one another… you’re harder to pin down than the police commissioner!

My darling, I’d have liked to see you again before our paths inevitably cross tomorrow at the Castle. I assume that for the time being our old agreement still holds. No one should realise just how collegial our relationship is. It’d mean a lot to me, you know… It’s my first day tomorrow, and there are already more than enough people who think there’s no room for women on the police force. Let’s not give them any further ammunition by being over-familiar on duty. You know how quickly the Castle’s rumour mill can be set in motion.

Aside from that I think it’s important we meet as soon as possible. I still owe you a response, after all.

Forgive me for abandoning Kirie, but she seemed rather well acquainted with your friendly porter, and I didn’t want to kidnap her, even if I’m certain she’d have come willingly. The thing is I just had to get out of your flat. I hope you understand, and that you’re not angry with me. I’m not made to spend hours waiting for a man – that’s something you’ll have to get used to.

In the meantime, I’ve settled nicely back into Berlin life. You wouldn’t believe how many people have visited already. Old Krause from the grocery store round the corner snapped at me as though I’d never been away – ‘you touch it, you buy it’. Nice that Berlin’s so pleased to have me back.

Rath folded the letter and placed it back in its envelope, took it out and read it again. A quarter past seven. One more cigarette and it would be time to head over to the conference room. He sat in the Buick by the railway arches, watching his colleagues streaming into the Castle from all sides. He lit an Overstolz and opened the side window.

He swallowed another aspirin from the bottle, washing it down with a slug from his silver hip flask. It felt as if the cognac did more for his headache than the pill. Lack of sleep coupled with too much alcohol was a deadly combination, but last night the bottle had been his only consolation.

From the moment the night porter pushed the envelope across the counter, he knew it was from her, tearing it open in the lift going up. Reaching his apartment, he fetched a bottle of cognac and, still in his coat, slumped into an armchair and began to read, not knowing how to feel.

He didn’t know how many times he had read the letter since, only that he still didn’t understand. She wasn’t made to spend hours waiting for him? Was that a ‘no’ to his proposal? Berlin was pleased to have her back, was she referring to another man, or just old Krause? All right, she hadn’t forgotten him, but did she really have to emphasise how many people had already been to visit…

Even now, with a slightly clearer head, he couldn’t decipher the letter’s meaning, but her words seemed more positive, friendlier somehow. The best thing, however, better than any single word, was that the letter smelled of Charly. He could still smell her this morning in among the odour of paper and rubber lining, and realised it was the thing he had missed most last year. Sniffing the note a final time, he returned it to its envelope.

Kirie, who was crouched on the passenger seat itching to be released, issued two short barks. ‘You’re right, old girl, time to go.’

They made a detour via Alexanderplatz, so that she had a chance to pee before entering the station. The enormous building loomed as sombre as a medieval castle, hence the name given to it by employees: the Castle. Once upon a time, the red brick of police headquarters had held sway over Alexanderplatz, but the various new additions had since relegated it to second place. The police commissioner, who had previously enjoyed a clear view from his private office on the first floor, now had to content himself with the windows of Alexanderhaus, in which the Aschinger restaurant had also found its new home.

Rath’s office on the first floor was still locked. He ought to have remembered that his secretary, Erika Voss, didn’t arrive until eight. He had no choice but to bring Kirie into the conference room. It was already busy, with the meeting due to start in a few minutes. He pushed through the crowd, as far as possible towards the back. A few colleagues were amazed to see him with Kirie on her lead, but what else could he do? He could hardly tie her up outside.

‘Are they introducing the new police dogs as well?’ an officer asked. The bystanders laughed, and Rath forced a grin. To his astonishment, he brought the nervous-seeming Kirie to heel with a sharp ‘sit’, as the cadets started filing in: the latest batch of candidates for inspector. Lange was third, followed at the end of the line by Charly and another female officer, with Bernhard Weiss taking up the rear. Even though he had known she’d be here, his heart started beating faster. Despite wearing an unremarkable mouse-grey ensemble, she still contrived to look stunning, and Rath felt as if all eyes were on her. For a moment he actually thought the male officers were whistling, although nothing of the kind occurred. Seeing them gawp like that, he felt the old rage returning and gritted his teeth until it passed.

The cadets took their seats, out of sight in the front row, as Dr Weiss climbed on stage and the whispering subsided to a murmur. The deputy commissioner waited until the final coughs had abated.

‘Before we turn to happier affairs, allow me to say a few words on the current situation,’ he began. Owing to his thick spectacle lenses, it always felt as if Bernhard Weiss were looking you straight in the eye. ‘It is no coincidence that, in the two weeks since the SA and SS have been allowed to display their uniforms and march again, the situation has become spectacularly worse. This weekend alone political confrontations in Wedding and Moabit resulted in five casualties and a death, and that is merely in Berlin.’