‘What are you talking about?’
‘You know very well.’
‘Get out of my way!’
‘Order your lads about all you like, but I’m a Prussian CID officer.’ Rath pulled out his badge, just in case there was anyone who didn’t know. ‘Didn’t your girl tell you? She had to con her way to the letters.’
‘Con her way to the letters?’ The youth was stupider than he looked. The SA needed people like him. The problem was they were ten a penny.
‘Using her feminine wiles.’
Fabeck turned red. ‘What are you trying to say?
‘Let’s not worry about that now. Ask her yourself. Maybe it wasn’t the letters she was after. Maybe she just wanted…’
‘Shut your mouth!’ Fabeck barked.
‘All right, all right,’ Rath said. ‘Like I say, these letters, they’re evidence. I hope you haven’t destroyed them, otherwise you’re looking at a pretty serious offence. Return them, and I’ll forget the whole thing.’
The SA man spat at his feet. ‘You’re addressing an SA Rottenführer!’
‘I’m addressing a boy. That brownshirt doesn’t make you a man.’
‘Don’t get fresh with me.’
‘Don’t get fresh with me, Inspector. The police might look kindly upon you here, but in Berlin we know you’re little more than a gang of thugs.’
‘Is that so? Then perhaps we should show you just how thuggish we can be.’
‘You’d attack a Prussian officer?’
‘Why? You going to report us? How many witnesses d’you think will testify in your favour? No one can stand you here.’
‘I wasn’t thinking so much of reporting you,’ Rath drew his Walther, ‘as defending myself. So, who’s first?’ The brownshirts took a step back. ‘If I were you, I’d be setting my sights a little lower. Now, let’s talk about Maria Cofalka.’
‘That Papist tramp?’ one of the SA youths said, catching a hostile glance from his Rottenführer.
‘That’s not how I’d describe her. I’m Catholic too, and, as luck would have it, you boys are my number one suspects.’
‘There’s nothing for you here,’ Fabeck said. ‘You’re not authorised, and no one gives a damn what your Isidore in Berlin says. The Prussian Police has been cured of its Jews.’
‘You’ve a real problem with other religions, huh? You boys ought to be more tolerant, especially as Prussians.’ He held them in check with his Walther. ‘Jews or no, a Prussian Police homicide unit will be questioning you soon enough.’
He left the brownshirts where they were and proceeded to the train station. It was a good feeling, knowing he’d made an enemy of Wengler’s thugs at last, and an even better feeling, knowing his bags were already packed.
82
Charly didn’t know what to think any more. Where was Gereon? What was going on? Why hadn’t the bastard been in touch? It looked like his signature, but she couldn’t seriously believe he’d paid a visit to police custody yesterday to kill a prisoner. As for leaving his name behind… Someone must be playing a nasty trick.
Gennat seemed to think so, too. Even so, he had asked to speak to her once he’d dismissed Böhm and Vosskamp.
Buddha knew about their engagement, and hoped, therefore, that she could shed some light on where Gereon was, and what he was doing. But she couldn’t. Gereon Rath was the same unreliable shitbag he’d always been. He went his own way whenever the mood took him, and the rest of the world could go hang. An engagement ring wasn’t about to change that.
She fetched the ring from her purse, where she’d kept it ever since that memorable day two weeks ago. She wasn’t sure whether to put it back on her finger or hurl it at his feet – if, that is, he ever showed his face again.
Where in the hell was he, goddamn it? She slammed her fist against the table. He had left her his car, his dog, the key to his flat and an engagement ring. Only, there had been no word from him in over a week. Should she be worried? Too late, she already was, but admitting it only made her angrier.
She wondered whether to call the hotel and make a fool of herself. Again.
It was time to go home. She was the only one still here wondering about who’d passed themselves off as Gereon. The guard hadn’t asked for an identification, a simple badge had sufficed. Well, any idiot could get hold of a badge, even if it was a punishable offence, and you could always forge a signature. Though in this case the forgery came close to the original, meaning it must be someone who had access to the genuine article. Perhaps she would suggest to Gennat that they looked into it again tomorrow, instead of badgering her with questions she couldn’t answer.
The telephone rang, and she started. Erika Voss’s direct line when she had gone home hours ago, taking Kirie with her.
Charly hesitated a moment, but picked up. ‘Ritter, Inspector Rath’s office.’
‘Apparatebau Rath, Rath am Apparat.’
She was so taken aback that for an instant she said nothing. Several instants, in fact. She felt tears in her eyes, so relieved was she to hear his voice. The bastard! She held the receiver in her hand and let the tears flow. At least he couldn’t see her.
‘Hello, Charly? Are you still there?’
‘You bastard!’ She couldn’t think of anything else to say.
‘Charly, don’t get worked up. I don’t have much change. I’m calling from a telephone booth at the train station…’
‘Which train station?’
‘There aren’t too many in Treuburg.’
‘You’re still in Treuburg?’
‘Where else?’ He ceased playing the comedian. ‘Charly, I’m sorry,’ she heard him say. ‘I know this is late in coming. But… I was out of the picture for a while there.’
‘A while!’ She couldn’t help it, it just came out. ‘I haven’t heard a single fucking word from you in over a week!’
‘I was unconscious with fever most of the time.’
‘My God, Gereon, what happened?’
‘It’s a long story, much too long for a trunk call. I’ll tell you when I’m home. The main thing is I’m OK.’
‘If you’re coming back make sure they don’t arrest you. There’s been a warrant out for the last three hours.’ She told him what had happened.
‘Someone’s played a dirty trick.’
‘That’s what I think, and perhaps if you’d submitted your report from Treuburg more often, Böhm and Gennat would think so too.’
‘They don’t seriously believe I’d kill one of Wengler’s people?’
‘Up until five minutes ago even I wasn’t sure.’
‘A hell of a lot has happened here. That Indian business was a red herring; he isn’t our man.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I was with him. He saved my life.’
‘Pardon me?’
‘I’ll tell you later. Believe me, it couldn’t have been him. Long hair, straggly beard. He’d have been spotted right away.’
‘That won’t please Böhm.’
‘Perhaps he’ll come round once he hears what I have to say about motive. It is a vendetta, we were right, but it isn’t about the moonshining scandal, it’s about murder. A murder Gustav Wengler committed twelve years ago.’
‘Can you prove it?’
‘Not yet, but I know. He even made sure someone else was convicted.’
‘The man who’s out for revenge.’
‘No. He died trying to escape, but someone’s avenging him. Avenging everyone involved. Don’t let Wengler out of your sight; I’m pretty sure he’s next in line.’
‘We’re watching him.’
‘Good.’
‘So, who’s this mysterious avenger?’