You are alone, too, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"You understand perhaps."
"Perhaps. Did your brother have a weapon in his room, a funny weapon? Something with a studded ball at its end, a weapon which can be swung?"
"A good-day?" Esther asked. "You mean that medieval weapon? I know what it is. It is often described in Dutch literature and in history. I took history at university, Dutch history, murder and manslaughter through the ages. Nothing changes."
"Yes, a good-day."
"No, there was no weapon in Abe's room. He used to carry a gun, a Luger I think it was, but he threw it into the canal years ago. He said it no longer fitted his philosophy."
Esther fumbled in her handbag. "Here, I found this, his passport and a notebook."
He looked through the passport and saw visas for Czechoslovakia, Rumania and Poland. There were also entry and exit stamps from Tunisia and Morocco. The notebook contained names and telephone numbers.
"A hundred names," he said. "Too many to investigate. Any close friends? Boyfriends? Girlfriends?"
"Girls," Esther said. "Just girls. Lots and lots and lots. Two a day sometimes, more even. It disgusted me to see them trooping in and out. Last Sunday he had three, just after he had come back from Morocco. They couldn't wait. He had one before each meal. The first came before breakfast. She is a tourist guide and starts early but she had to have her sex first."
De Gier wanted to whistle but rubbed his chin instead. "And he accommodated them all?"
The pretty ones."
"Were all his contacts as casual as that?'"
"No. He would go and see Corin. She works at the university with me. I don't think he just slept with her although perhaps he did. Corin never discussed him much. Her name is in the notebook, I'll mark it. Corin Kops. You can find her address in the telephone directory." "Anyone else?"
"Yes, a student, a very young girl. Studies medicine. I think he was fascinated by her or perhaps she just annoyed him. Wouldn't give in so easily. I'll mark her name as well. Tilda van Andringa de Kempenaar."
"Beautiful name."
"Yes, she is nobility, perhaps that's why she won't give in. Blue blood."
"Copulation doesn't mean an introduction,'' de Gier said, and grinned. His sanity had returned, or rather, it was beginning to return. He still felt shaken. He closed his eyes and tried to think.
"You aren't falling asleep, are you?" Esther asked. "You must be very tired. Shall I give you a blanket?
You can sleep on the couch if you like. I'll wake you up at any time you say."
"No, no, I have to go home to feed my cat. Thanks anyway. Business, that's what I wanted to ask. Do you have his business records here? I'd like to look through them. I am no expert at bookkeeping but I'd like to have some idea about the size of his transactions.''
"Louis takes care of his books, he's got them upstairs. He is in now. Ill ask him if you like."
De Gier had been hearing an irregular buzzing sound for the last ten minutes and a noise which seemed like scraping. It came from the floor above and he looked at the ceiling.
"Is he making that noise upstairs?"
She giggled. "No, maybe the killer has returned and is whirring his deadly ball. Why don't you go up and have a look?"
He didn't feel like leaving the comfortable chair but he got up obediently.
"Yes," Louis said, and looked up at de Gier who had opened the door. He was sitting on the floor and picked up a toy mouse, winding its clockwork. De Gier's mouth was half open. He hadn't expected what he saw. The floor was full of small tin animals-mice, birds, turtles, frogs, even moles and giant beetles. Most of them were moving. The mice stood up every two seconds and then fell down again, busily going on with their zigzag tours on the bare boards of the floor. The frogs jumped, the turtles ambled, the birds hopped and waved their tails, the beetles zoomed. Every now and then one of them would stop, and Louis would pick it up and wind the key. Some of them had pushed themselves against the wall and were burring aimlessly. A bird had been stopped by a small carpet and was jumping feebly, trying to pass the obstacle. A beetle had fallen on its side and its motor was whirring at full speed.
"Samples," Louis said loudly. "Abe bought a few thousand of them and I took these from the warehouse. Most of them work. Crazy, isn't it?"
"Yes," de Gier said. "How long have you been playing with them?"
"Only started just now. It's amusing isn't it? I had them when I was a child but never more than one at a time. Businessmen can amuse themselves on a large scale as you see. No child will ever have a collection like this."
De Gier had squatted down and saved the animals who had got stuck at the wall, by pointing them at the center of the room. "Hey," Louis said. "I didn't invite you to join me, did I?"
"No," de Gier said, and wound up a frog.
"Never mind. You can play if you like. Have the police made any progress in the case yet?"
"No. The police are baffled."
"It's human fate to be baffled," Louis said, and began to sweep up the toys, wrapping each animal in tissue paper, and replacing it in a carton.
"I hear you kept Abe Rogge's books. Can I see them?"
Louis pointed at the desk. "It's all there, you can take them with you if you like. I have kept the books up to date, the accounting is simple. Most purchases are covered by invoices and they are all paid. Our sales were mostly for cash and they are entered in a cash book. And there's some wages-administration; only Abe and myself are on the payroll."
"Your warehouse is full of goods, I hear."
"Yes."
"All paid for."
"Yes."
"How much do you have in stock?"
"In money?"
"Yes."
"A hundred and twenty thousand guilders and something."
"That's a lot," de Gier said, "and all paid for. Was Abe financing his own deals?"
Louis laughed. "The bank wouldn't give us a penny, they don't back hawkers. Abe borrowed from friends. Mostly from Bezuur, his oldest and best friend."
"So he has friends," de Gier said and nodded. "Very good."
Louis looked up from his packing. "The police would suspect friends, wouldn't they? Friends are close and friendship can change into hatred. Two sides of the same coin."
"Yes, yes. Who is Bezuur?"
"A rich man, a very rich man. He and Abe went to school together, to school and to the university. They both dropped out. They studied French. They also traveled together, mostly in France, of course, and in French North Africa. They also traded together but Bezuur's father died and left him a big business, earthmoving equipment. He's a millionaire."
"And he lent Abe money?"
"Yes, at bank interest. Eleven percent we are paying now. The firm owes him sixty thousand, to be repaid in three months' time when we have moved the stocks in the warehouse, maybe earlier. Abe was planning a long holiday and I was supposed to go with him."
"North Africa again?"
"No, we planned to sail a boat to the Caribbean."
"And what happens now?"
"I'll sell the stocks. I phoned Bezuur about an hour ago to tell him about Abe's death. He said I can go on with the business if Esther lets me, for she will inherit it. And I can repay the loan as planned."
"Did you speak to Esther?"
"Not yet."
"And what will you do when you have moved the stocks?"
"No idea. Find a partner maybe and go on as before. I like this business, especially the irregularity of it."
"And if Esther won't let you go on?"
Louis shrugged and smiled. "I don't care. Bezuur will sell the stocks and get his money back and the rest will go to Esther. I'll just leave. Nobody depends on me."
"Detached, are you?" de Gier said, offering a cigarette.
Thanks. Yes. I am detached, lb hell with it. But I am sorry Abe died, I enjoyed being with him. He taught me a lot. If he hadn't taught me I would be very upset now but you find me playing happily with clockwork animals. And I am not pretending. Any more questions?"