He was already annoyed. That was not a good start. Ruger blew his nose and contemplated his ballpoint pen.
“Would you kindly tell us when you first met Eva Ringmar?”
“That would be. . in September, 1990. At the start of term.”
“What was your first impression of her?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Nothing at all? Didn’t you think she was an attractive woman?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“But you can’t really remember?”
“No.”
“When did you start your relationship with her?”
“In April.”
“What year?”
“This year.”
“Can you tell us how it happened?”
“We had both been on the same study course one weekend, and had talked quite a bit. I took her to the movies, and we had a few drinks afterward.”
“And then you started your affair?”
“Yes.”
“You were both. . single?”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask why you started going together?”
“I think that is an idiotic question.”
“All right, I’ll take it back. When did you decide to get married?”
“In June. We moved in together at the beginning of July and got married on the tenth.”
“Shortly before you went to Greece?”
“Yes.”
“A sort of honeymoon, then?”
“If you want to call it that, yes.”
“Why did you get married? I hope you don’t find that question idiotic as well, because I’d like an answer.”
Mitter paused. Momentarily looked away from Ferrati and eyed the jury instead.
“I put the question, and she said yes,” he stated.
“Can you elaborate a little?”
“No.”
There was a faint murmur in the public gallery, but Havel didn’t need to intervene.
“You have both been married before,” the prosecutor affirmed. “You meet and begin a relationship. Three months later you get married. Don’t you think that seems a little. .
hasty?”
“No.”
“You weren’t in a hurry for some specific reason?”
“No.”
“She wasn’t pregnant?”
“Is that a sufficient reason nowadays?”
“Would you please answer my question!”
“No, Eva was not pregnant.”
“Thank you.”
There was a short pause while Ferrati went back to his desk and consulted some notes.
“Mr. Mitter, how would you describe your relationship with, and your marriage to Eva Ringmar?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Were you happy together? Did you regret it?”
“No, I didn’t regret it, and neither did Eva. We had a good relationship.”
“You were happy?”
“Yes.”
“You loved your wife?”
“Yes.”
“And she loved you?”
“Yes.”
“I have some information about an incident on September twenty-second, eleven days before the murder. You were together at the Mephisto restaurant. After the meal you had a fierce argument, and your wife stormed out of the building.
We shall call witnesses later to confirm this. Is that what happened, Mr. Mitter?”
“Yes.”
“What was the quarrel about?”
“I don’t want to go into details.”
“Mr. Mitter, you are accused of murder. I want to know what the quarrel was about.”
“It was nothing of relevance to these proceedings.”
“Don’t you think that’s something for the jury to decide?”
Mitter didn’t answer. Ferrati allowed several seconds to pass before continuing.
“Might I request that it be recorded in the proceedings that the accused declined to answer my question about the reason for the quarrel at the Mephisto restaurant on September twenty-second. You remained in the restaurant after your wife had left, Mr. Mitter. May I ask how long you stayed there?”
“I don’t know. A few hours.”
“We have evidence from a neighbor of yours”-he went to check his notes again-“a Mr. Kurczak, who says that he was woken up by loud noises coming from your flat later that night, at about half past two. Was that about the time you got home, do you think?”
“That’s possible.”
“And what was the row about?”
“I don’t remember. I was a bit drunk.”
“You don’t remember?”
“No.”
“You don’t know what the row was about?”
“No.”
“But you know what the row in the restaurant was about?”
“Yes.”
“But you do admit that you quarreled with your wife when you came home in the middle of the night?”
“Yes.”
“Did you hit her?”
“No.”
“Are you sure, or don’t you remember?”
“I’m sure.”
“Your neighbor heard some noises that could have been made by blows.”
“Really?”
“Did you threaten your wife?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Kurczak maintains that he heard you yell, and I quote: ‘If you don’t tell me about it, I won’t be responsible for what happens!’ What do you have to say to that?”
“It’s a lie.”
“It’s a lie? Why would your neighbor lie?”
“He misheard. I never threatened her.”
“What did you do next?”
Ruger interrupted at this point.
“My Lord, my client has already explained that he doesn’t remember. There are no grounds for the prosecutor forcing him to speculate.”
“Agreed!” Havel thundered. “Would my learned friend please restrict himself to questions that the accused is able to answer?”
“By all means,” said Ferrati with a smile. “But it’s not always easy to know what he remembers and doesn’t remember. Mr. Mitter, are you aware that your wife was afraid?”
“Nonsense.”
“A few days before her death, she confided in a female colleague that she was scared that something was going to happen.”
“I don’t believe that. What could she be scared of?”
“Might I ask you to try and answer that question instead?”
“I’ve no idea. Why don’t you ask. . whoever the hell it could have been?”
“Because she doesn’t know. It was only a brief meeting, but nevertheless, she had the impression that it was you your wife was scared of.”
“Rubbish.”
“I think we can leave it to the jury to decide what is rubbish and what isn’t. Your colleague will present her testimony next week. . Anyway, you have no explanation for why your wife was frightened?”
“None at all.”
“How were things with your former wife, Irene Beck?
Were you in the habit of beating her?”
“What the hell. .”
But Ruger was quicker. He leaped up from his chair.
“My learned friend is making insinuations!”
“Sit down!” Havel roared. “What do you mean, Mr.
Ferrati?”
“Irene Beck has testified that her former husband, the defendant, hit her on at least two occasions.”
“That was when we were separating. She hit me and I hit her back. For Christ’s sake, surely she’s not suggesting that. .”
“Are you admitting or are you not admitting that you beat your former wife?”
Mitter made no reply. Ruger was on his feet again.
“My Lord, why are you allowing the prosecuting attorney to insinuate things that are completely irrelevant to the case?”
Havel’s face was now puce in color.
“I must insist that my learned friend sit down and refrain from interrupting! And that the prosecuting attorney kindly explain where he hopes his questions will lead.”
Ferrati smiled again. It seemed that he always smiled when he looked at the judge.
“I am merely trying to establish the extent of the defendant’s tendency to resort to violence.”
Havel appeared to be thinking.
“Might I request the defendant to answer the question?” he said eventually.
“What question?”
“If you did or did not beat your former wife.”
Mitter waited for several seconds before answering.
“I slapped her twice in thirteen years. Evidently that wasn’t often enough.”