Фолькер Кучер - Goldstein

‘I understand.’

‘No,’ Tornow said, so gruffly that Rath was taken aback. ‘You don’t. The story isn’t over yet.’ His voice was less sharp now. ‘Life went on after the trial, but things were never the same. We had lost faith in the state and its judiciary. And then… Luise came home one day and said that she’d seen one of the men on her way to school. No one believed her, either in town or in school because, by now, she was just some half-blind busybody. We were the only ones who took her seriously, but our insistence at school and with the police got us nowhere. Then…’ He had to swallow before continuing. ‘…then one afternoon just before the summer holiday – I still remember how hot it was – she didn’t come home. We looked for her everywhere, but eventually it was a walker who found her lying beaten half to death in the Hollandwiese, clothes ripped to shreds and blood all over her body. She hasn’t spoken a word since that day, but we know who’s responsible. The two men who ruined my sister’s life.’

‘How is she now?’

‘She hasn’t said a word for seven years, and no longer leaves the house. How do you think she is? She’s a walking corpse.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Rath said. ‘It’s a dreadful story.’

‘She’s the reason I became a police officer. My sister, Luise Tornow.’

Rath couldn’t help feeling guilty. He was one of those who didn’t shy away from working with criminals, with Marlow and his Ringverein. Only today he had given a colleague what for, more or less at Marlow’s behest. Had he ever thought about whether something like that could be squared with his original motivation for becoming a police officer? Yes, he had; he had thought about it a hell of a lot, only so far he hadn’t found any answers. He pushed the uncomfortable thought aside. ‘What happened to the two men?’

‘They died in a shoot-out before they could be sentenced. Some gangland dispute but, who knows, perhaps the courts would have acquitted them again. Maybe it was better that way. Maybe death was their punishment.’

There was more than a little satisfaction in his voice. In Tornow’s eyes, the men who had ruined his sister’s life had got their just reward. He was probably right, Rath thought.

They were silent. Rath hadn’t been expecting such a grim tale; it occupied his thoughts for a time. Tornow managed to find a smile again.

‘That was yesterday,’ he said. ‘What matters is the here and now.’ He raised his bottle.

Rath did likewise. ‘The here and now! Now that you’re with CID, you can make sure people like that get put away.’

‘Let’s hope so.’

‘How do you find the work in Homicide?’

‘If you forget about how boring it can be sometimes…’

Rath grinned, remembering what he had had Tornow and Gräf doing these past few days.

‘…then I think it’s the most worthwhile thing a police officer can do.’

‘I couldn’t agree more.’ Rath didn’t know if it was the beer making him so garrulous, but here was a chance to sound Tornow out. ‘What would you think,’ he began, ‘if I were to put in a word with Gennat so that you can join A Division? Assuming, of course, you pass your examination.’

Tornow looked at him in surprise. ‘Assuming I pass,’ he said, ‘I’d like that very much.’

Rath placed his bottle on the table and glanced at his watch. ‘Time for me to go.’

‘I’d have thrown you out in five minutes anyway,’ Tornow laughed. ‘One beer’s quite enough. Seriously, I need to take an S-Bahn in ten minutes.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘The West End.’

‘That’ll take you a while on public transport, won’t it?’

‘I suppose so.’

‘My car’s outside. If you like I can take you part of the way. I need to pick up two passengers at Bahnhof Zoo: a dog and a woman.’

‘Bahnhof Zoo would be great. It’s only six or seven stops from there with the U-Bahn.’

Rath asked Tornow for a glass of water to mask the smell of beer, followed his host’s lead by washing his face and hands and combed his hair, and soon they were driving along Potsdamer Strasse.

As agreed Charly and Kirie sat on the terrace of the Berlin cafe on Hardenbergstrasse.

‘Is it OK if I let you out here?’ Rath asked.

‘I can manage the rest on foot,’ Tornow said. ‘No need to accompany me to the platform.’

Rath grinned and switched on the indicator to park.

Charly hadn’t seen him, but Kirie recognised the car. The dog could pick out the Buick from hundreds of engine noises. She started barking and, as he cut the engine, Charly spotted him too.

Perhaps he should introduce her to Tornow, he thought. After all, Tornow didn’t know her from before. Until now they had kept their relationship a secret from everyone in the Castle. Not even Gräf knew about it, although he was one of Rath’s few friends in Berlin. The problem was that he idolised Charly, and had done since the pair worked together.

By now it was too late to weigh up the pros and cons. Kirie dragged Charly towards the car, just as Tornow was opening the passenger door. Rath hurriedly got out, and went round to the other side to receive Kirie’s rapturous greeting. Charly smiled at him, she liked how he was with the dog. Tornow looked on.

‘Hello, you two,’ Rath said. ‘Now, that’s what I call a greeting. I’ve brought a colleague along. Allow me to introduce Sebastian Tornow. I’ve told you about him before.’ Tornow stretched out his hand and smiled his winsome smile. ‘And this,’ Rath continued, ‘is Charlotte Ritter, prospective lawyer.’

He broke off when he saw Charly’s frozen smile. It was as if it had appeared by accident in place of an altogether different expression, which Charly, somehow, was unable to find.

‘A pleasure,’ Tornow said, stopping short now himself. Charly didn’t say anything more. ‘I must push on,’ said Tornow, letting go of her hand.

With a tip of his hat, he took his leave, but not before looking back discreetly. Rath couldn’t blame him.

‘What’s the matter with you?’ he asked.

She looked at him, apparently bewildered. ‘Who was that?’

‘I told you that already. My new colleague, perhaps even a new friend. A nice guy, anyway. Sebastian Tornow.’

‘I think I’ve seen him before.’

‘He’s only been at the Castle for a week.’

‘Not at the station.’ She gazed through him, the only person on earth who could look at him like that. ‘Gereon,’ she said. ‘There’s something I have to confess.’

They had hoped to take a drive out to the countryside while daylight still permitted, but contented themselves with a walk over Cornelius Bridge to the nearby Tiergarten. The dog needed exercise, and Rath wanted to hear Charly’s story. He could scarcely believe what she had to say. As they strolled northwards, she explained how she had spent the past week. Since Monday she had been working undercover for Gennat as part of an unofficial operation. She had been detailed to track down Alex and perform surveillance on a cop suspected of murder. This same cop had now been murdered himself. Rath knew Böhm was handling the case from Thursday’s briefing.

‘And you witnessed this murder?’ he asked.

‘Not directly. I followed him, and… it’s best I just show you. We’re almost there.’

Soon afterwards, they reached a church, behind which began one of the better residential areas in the city: nice houses, all with small front gardens, clean and well kept. In the Hansaviertel there was no sign of crumbling stucco on the house fronts.

Charly pointed towards an advertising pillar. ‘That’s where I hid. Coming down Lessingstrasse I naturally kept my distance. When I turned the corner, he was standing by a streetlamp, completely motionless.’ She gestured towards a gas lamp six or seven metres away. ‘I didn’t know what was happening, and just tried to make sure he didn’t see me.’ She swallowed. ‘It wasn’t until I went over to him, that I saw the knife in his chest. Or rather, a trench dagger from the war.’