Lynda Plante - Entwined

"Just be honest with me, trust me. You must trust me, because if you don't, then there is no point in my being here."

He took her hand in his and gave her a small bow. "I apologize. I am grateful to you. I don't really know how I would have coped without you."

His hesitancy was touching, he seemed so vulnerable. "I know what you're thinking, Helen. But my mother gives me a small allowance; everything is tied up in trust funds for my children. When Vebekka came into her money, it was a relief, it meant I could care for her and continue to live as I always had. My decision to have her institutionalized is in no way connected to her fortune — it's gone. In fact, I will be dependent on my sons for the upkeep of the chateau, the apartments."

"And your life, Louis? What about your life?"

"I still have my allowance, and I can sell the polo stable. It will break my heart, but if it comes to that, then so be it... I think it is time we went to bed, if you will excuse me..."

He slipped his arm around her shoulder. "Good night, Helen." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

She walked toward her bedroom, not even turning as she said: "Good night, Louis."

She was certain that one could be very easily drawn into a life of luxury, of Rolls-Royces, of fabulous restaurants, flowers and expensive gifts. Louis was a very handsome man, his light, almost careless kiss made her all the more aware of how much she was attracted to him, and how easy it would be to take their relationship one step further. Helen knew he had mistresses, but she also knew that such a life was not for her. Suddenly she faced her own loneliness. She had always justified being alone, thinking to herself it was her choice; she even considered herself a very private person.

"You are so private, Helen, that no one even knows you exist!"

She said the words out loud, to her own reflection in the bathroom mirror. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and returned to her bedroom — everything was neat and tidy, the bed cover was turned down in anticipation. She lay for a long while staring up at the ceiling. It was time she returned to Paris. She had given enough of her time, and with very little thanks. But then she remembered Vebekka. It had been at her instigation that Vebekka had come to Berlin. Helen was too deeply involved to extricate herself. But from now on she would distance herself from Louis.

Helen left the hotel very early the next morning. She did not wake Louis, but left a note saying she would meet him at Dr. Franks's and to be sure he took the newspapers to the clinic.

Helen looked along the taxi stand and saw the chatty driver who had taken them to Charlottenburg. He was dozing in his Mercedes. She tapped the window, and got in beside him.

"Same address?"

"Yes, the same! Frau Klapps, I want to get there before she leaves for work."

"No problem, there's no traffic at this hour."

Inspector Heinz was at his desk by seven-thirty and began to plow through the vast amount of paperwork. He worked on until eight-thirty, then opened the morning paper. There was a large article on the front page with a picture, MAMA MAGDA DEAD. He read the piece, turned to the next page, and then flicked back. Now there was a coincidence: He had seen Ruda Kellerman entering Mama's club on the same night Mama Magda had died. He scribbled a note on his ever-ready pad and continued to read, checking on the time because he wanted to be at the records bureau when it opened at nine.

Rieckert came in with a black eye and a Band-Aid on his cheek. Torsen looked at him, and asked what kind of trouble he had run into. Reickert sat down. "Acting on your orders, sir, we tried to disband the hookers working off from the trailers. We warned them and told them to move their trailers. Out of nowhere, four big bastards jumped out, armed with iron bars, and they bloody beat us up. Kruger is in the hospital.,

"Did you make any arrests?"

"You must be joking. We hardly made it into the local station's courtyard. We radioed them to open the gates for us. The bastards chased us, were on our tail for miles, their car was a hell of a lot faster than ours: a big four-door Mercedes! When we got there they banged and hammered on the gates. Have you heard about the damage they did?"

"This is madness, are you telling me the pimps chased... chased the patrol car?"

"Yeah!.. overtook us twice, it was a near miss, one got me through the window — I had to have a stitch, cut my head open!"

"Could you recognize them?"

Rieckert sat bolt upright. "I'm not going back there, they'd bloody kill me. They're huge, muscle guys!"

Torsen's attention returned to his desk. He looked down at the paper. "There will be war out there. Mama Magda's died, last night. Most of those trailers are hers, so God knows what's going to happen!"

Rieckert leafed through the newspaper. "She must have been worth millions, I'm surprised nobody bumped her off before."

"It was a heart attack, she was over eighty... and the size of an elephant."

Reickert made himself more comfortable on the seat. "They open tonight, will you be using your ticket?"

"Excuse me?"

"The circus, they gave us free tickets, remember? They open the big show tonight."

"I'd forgotten... yes, yes, I think I will use my two."

Reickert left for the kitchen and Torsen called the nursing home and asked to speak to Nurse Freda.

"I have tickets for the circus... tonight, I'm sorry it's short notice, but I was wondering... if you aren't on duty, if you would care to..."

Freda giggled that she would love it. She acted so pleased that Torsen blushed with embarrassment. They arranged to meet at seven.

Torsen issued his orders for the day, and said if he was needed he could be found at the records bureau. He left, taking one of the few patrol cars in good condition.

Tommy Kellerman was buried by a rabbi from the Oranienburger Tor area. His body was taken to a run-down quarter where Eastern Jews lived. No one attended his burial. The plain black coffin was taken from the morgue before sundown, as Ruda Kellerman had requested. The costs were forwarded to the station, and Torsen planned to pass them on to Ruda Kellerman, care of the circus.

Vebekka had slept soundly, and had even eaten some breakfast. She found herself in a small, white-walled room, with an old iron bed frame painted white. The chest of drawers was also white, but a bowl of flowers provided some color. At the center of the door there was a keyhole, but no handle on the inside. A white tiled bathroom was off the room, but it had no door and no mirror. There was no telephone.

Dr. Franks drew up the only chair in the room.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. Do I have to stay in this room?"

"Only for a little while, then we'll go into my study. You remember you were there yesterday?"

She nodded. Franks told her that her husband had called and he would be in after breakfast. If she felt like it she could have a bath and get dressed. If she needed help, all she had to do was ring the bell by her bed, and Maja would be with her in no time.

She put her head back and said: "They should never have brought me here, it's very closed in, I feel it..."

Franks cocked his head, and held her hand. "Feel what?"

"I don't know, a presence. I've felt it before, but not this close."

Franks threaded his fingers through her long perfect slim hands. "Maybe we will find out what this presence is, make it vanish."

She gave him a sad smile. "They've sent me away this time, haven't they? Ah well... I suppose it had to come."

"You are not away, Vebekka, you are here, in my clinic, until we sort things out. You do want me to help you, don't you?"

Tears welled in her eyes. "I don't think anyone can help, I hoped He came closer to her. "I want more than hope, my dear. I want what you want, I want you to get well, I want you to help yourself, and for you to help me help you... okay?"