The Weimar Triangle (27 page)

The day after they received their copies of Teddy Adorno’s heart-warming revelations, Jay, Hans, Nicola and Gisela met for a pre-dinner beer at the Roland Bar on the Kaiserstrasse.

“May I congratulate you on your choice of grandparents, Gisela,” Jay said, raising his glass to her. “Obviously, they were marvellous people.”

“Thank you. I accept the compliment. I wish I had known them.”

Jay turned to Hans.

“I came to Frankfurt on a business trip. And what did I find, thanks to you? The makings of a bestseller!”

“And a hit movie,” Nicola added.

“I shall contact my lawyer first thing in the morning,” Gisela said. “I will ask him to negotiate my share of the box office right away.”

“Don’t look so surprised, Hans,” Nicola said, laughing. “You said yourself Gisela likes money.”

“True,” Hans responded. “I think we’ll appoint Jay our money manager. How long are you staying in Frankfurt?”

“I will drag out the negotiations with the Littmann Bank as long as possible. After that, who knows?”

“Ask your bosses to make you their man in Frankfurt,” Hans demanded.

“Good idea,” Gisela said “We need Canadians.”

“And one more thing
—
it’s most important.” Hoping for the greatest possible theatrical effect, Nicola rose from her seat and raised her glass. “I think we should drink to the
Hausfreund
Erwin Herzberg. We must never forget that you can’t have a triangle without a
Hausfreund.”

Finis