Therapy (12 page)

Anna smiled serenely, and Viktor left the room.

As soon as he picked up the phone he realized that he had left something in the sitting room that would give him away. If Anna found it, she would know what he had done.

The coin by the fender
.

He held the receiver to his ear and wondered how to regain her trust. As it happened, he didn't have long to worry about it. Just when he thought the situation couldn't possibly get any worse, he heard five words that eclipsed everything that had gone before.

21

‘The blood was definitely female.’

‘Female . . . What age?’

‘I can't say,’ replied Kai, his voice echoing strangely.

‘Why not?’

‘Because I'm not a geneticist.’

Viktor squeezed the back of his neck, but no amount of massaging could get rid of his headache.

‘Where are you now?’ he asked the PI.

‘Westend Hospital. I know a guy who works in one of the labs. I had to sneak out into the corridor to call you because I'm not supposed to use my phone. They reckon it interferes with the equipment.’

‘Standard hospital policy. You'd better be quick.’

‘Here's the deal. This mate of mine is a biochemist. I talked him into running some tests in his lunch break. I gave him a phial of blood from your bathroom – although I probably could have given him a vat.’

‘Just tell me the results.’

‘Like I said, it came from a woman, older than nine and younger than fifty – but probably a whole lot younger than fifty.’

‘Josy was twelve when she went missing.’

‘It wasn't her blood.’

‘How do you know?’

‘It was fresh – a couple of days old; three at the outside. Josy has been missing for over four years.’

‘I'm aware of that, thank you,’ snapped Viktor, opening the kitchen door slightly and peering through the crack. The door to the sitting-room was closed, but he couldn't afford to take risks. He lowered his voice.

‘Listen, if it's not Josy's blood, where does Anna fit into this? She described my daughter, she described the cabin in Sacrow, and she described our villa. She's not making it up. She was there, Kai. She knew all about Schwanenwerder. She even saw the reporters camped on the drive.’

‘Anna? Is that her real name?’

‘Yes.’

‘Surname?’

Viktor took a deep breath, swallowed accidentally, and ended up coughing instead.

‘Her name is . . .’ He coughed again, holding the receiver at arm's length.

‘Blasted flu. I'm sorry, Kai. Listen, I think I'd better tell you who she is. Her name is Anna Glass, she writes children's books, and she's pretty successful, especially in Japan. Her father worked for the American Forces Network and died from a botched appendicectomy when she was a kid. She grew up in Steglitz and was admitted to the Park four years ago. It's a private psychiatric clinic in Dahlem.’

The PI repeated the information and jotted down some notes. ‘Fine, I'll check it out.’

‘There's something else I'd like you to do for me.’

Viktor heard a long sigh on the other end of the line.

‘What?’

‘Have you still got the keys to the villa?’

‘A digital card, right?’

‘You swipe it to get through the gates.’

‘Yep.’

‘OK, I want you to go to my study and open the safe. You'll need to type in the code – Josy's date of birth backwards; year, month, then day. Inside you'll find a stack of CDs. You can't miss them.’

‘And then what?’

‘When Josy disappeared, the police asked me to save the footage from the security cameras.’

‘Sure, they were hoping to spot the kidnapper in the crowd. They monitored the front of the house for a month.’

‘I want you to find the disks for the first week and go through them.’

‘Viktor, the footage has been examined tons of times. The police drew a blank.’

‘They were looking for a man.’

‘And you want me to look for a woman?’

‘I want you to look for Anna: a small, slim blonde. Focus on the pack of reporters at the end of the drive. You've got her surname and other details. You should be able to find a photo on the web.’

There was a pause and when Kai finally responded, the line had improved. Viktor deduced that he was back in the lab.

1 ‘Fine,’ the PI said reluctantly. ‘If it makes you happy, I'll do it. But don't get your hopes up. Anna's stories, fascinating as they may be, are full of holes. True, there was a break-in in Sacrow, and true, there were reporters outside your house; but think of the time frame. It's four years out!’

‘I know you think she's lying, but how else do you account for the blood? A little girl was murdered in my bathroom! If it wasn't Josy, who the hell was it?’

‘Firstly, we don't know the age of the female in question, and secondly, no one was killed.’

‘You said—’

‘Listen to me, Viktor: no one was killed. In fact, the female was very definitely alive.’

‘Alive?’ he said, practically screaming into the phone. He was so exhausted and agitated that he had given up caring whether Anna was listening or not. ‘She wouldn't have bled all over the bathroom if she were alive!’

‘Viktor, you need to pay attention. There was mucus in the blood.’

‘What difference does that—’ He broke off and answered his own question. ‘So she was . . .’

‘Yes, and it's time you calmed down. The lab results were unambiguous. It was menstrual blood.’

22

Room 1245, Berlin-Wedding Psychosomatic Clinic

It was dark outside. The clinic's automatic lighting had hummed into action and Dr Roth looked more anaemic than ever in the cold glare of the overhead lights. Viktor Larenz noticed for the first time that the consultant psychiatrist was balding at the temples. His stylishly cropped hair usually kept the telltale triangles well hidden, but for the past hour he had been raking his fingers nervously through his hair and ruining the effects of his grooming.

‘You seem anxious, Dr Roth.’

‘Not anxious, just curious about what happened next.’

Viktor requested a glass of water. His wrists were still strapped to the bed, so Roth had to hold the glass while he drank through a straw.

‘There are a few things I'd like to ask,’ said the psychiatrist as Viktor sipped thirstily.

‘Go ahead.’

‘Why didn't you make more of an effort to find Sindbad? If it was my dog, I'd be hunting high and low.’

‘You're absolutely right. To be honest, I was surprised
by my own apathy. Looking back, I'd say I was emotionally and physically exhausted from searching for Josy. You know how veteran soldiers barely flinch when they hear a grenade? It was like I'd decided to stay in my trench and weather the next bombardment. Do you see what I mean?’

‘Yes, but why didn't you tell your wife? Surely you must have thought to call her when the dog disappeared?’

‘I did! I tried calling her almost every day, but I couldn't get through. I can't say I was looking forward to telling her about Anna. We'd already argued about the interview – unnecessarily, as it happens, because I was too distracted to work on it anyway. But if she'd known I was treating a patient . . .’ He stopped and sighed. ‘She would have taken the first plane home. In the end I didn't get the chance to speak to her because the receptionist wouldn't put me through. I had to content myself with leaving messages.’

‘And she never called back?’

‘She called once.’

‘Were you able to clear things up?’

Rather than answering, Viktor signalled for more water. Dr Roth lifted the straw to his mouth.

‘How long have I . . .’ Viktor broke off, took a long sip and started again, ‘Are we doing all right for time?’

‘We've probably got another twenty minutes. Your lawyers have arrived. They're in Professor Malzius's office.’

My lawyers
.

Viktor's last encounter with the legal profession dated back to 1997. The lawyer, a gawky fellow who specialized in traffic infringements, had successfully salvaged his licence; but only a real professional could help Viktor now. This time it wasn't about a ding in someone's car.

His future was at stake.

‘The lawyers, are they any good?’

‘Top-notch, I'm told. The best that money can buy.’

‘I suppose they'll want to know what happened to Anna?’

‘They'll be asking a lot of questions. How else are they supposed to construct a defence? You're being tried for murder, remember.’

There. He had finally said it:
murder
.

Neither of them had mentioned it explicitly, but the facts of the matter were plain: Viktor Larenz was heading for jail unless the conclusion of his story could convince the judge to throw out the case.

‘I know what I'm being accused of, but I won't have the strength to go over the story again. Besides, I'm hoping to be out of here in twenty minutes.’

‘No chance,’ said Roth, putting down the glass of water. He ran a hand through his hair. ‘Can we get on with the story? You were describing how Kai informed you about the blood. Did Anna have anything interesting to tell you when you got off the phone?’

‘No.’

Dr Roth looked at him quizzically.

‘She slipped out while I was talking to Kai. She left a
note on my desk, “Didn't want to interrupt. You're obviously busy. Will call round tomorrow.” My nerves were in tatters, but with Anna gone, I had to resign myself to another night without knowing what happened.’

Without knowing what became of Charlotte. And Josy
.

‘So you went to bed?’

‘Not exactly. That evening I had another unexpected visitor.’

23

Ten minutes after finishing his conversation with Kai, he heard a knock at the door. For a second he allowed himself to hope that Anna had returned. The disappointment was all the greater when it turned out to be none other than a grim-faced Halberstaedt on his second visit in the wind and rain. Once again he declined Viktor's invitation to come inside and handed him a package.

‘What is it?’

‘A pistol.’

Viktor recoiled as if Halberstaedt had confessed to harbouring some kind of infectious disease.

‘What on earth would I want with a pistol?’

‘It's so you can defend yourself.’

‘From what?’

‘From her.’ Halberstaedt jabbed a thumb in the direction of the beach. ‘I saw her leave.’

Viktor could scarcely believe his ears. He fished a tissue out of his pocket and dabbed at his nose without actually blowing it. ‘Listen Patrick, I've always respected your opinions, but I can't allow you to harass my patients. As her therapist, it's my duty to protect her.’

‘And as the mayor, it's my duty to protect you.’

‘Thank you, Patrick, I appreciate your concern, but I've no intention of keeping it.’ He tried to return the gun, but Halberstaedt kept his hands in the pockets of his threadbare cords. ‘Besides,’ said Viktor, ‘you can't go round making serious allegations without any proof.’

‘Who says I haven't?’

‘Haven't what?’

‘Got proof,’ replied Halberstaedt grimly. ‘Keep the weapon; you might need it. I've been watching that woman and asking around.’

‘Oh really?’ There was a metallic taste in Viktor's mouth. He thought of Kai Strathmann; there were at least two people on Anna's trail.

‘She gave Burg a hell of a shock, you know.’

‘The ferryman? I didn't think Michael Burg was the type to be frightened by a woman.’

‘She's got unfinished business with you, that's what she said.’

‘Unfinished business?’

‘She said something about letting some blood.’

‘That's preposterous!’

A bathroom full of blood
.

Halberstaedt shrugged. ‘I'm only telling you what Burg told me. Look, it's fine if you don't believe me, but do me a favour and keep the gun. I'm worried about that carving knife.’

Viktor didn't know what to say. He suddenly remembered a completely separate but equally urgent problem.

Halberstaedt turned to leave, but Viktor tapped him
on the back. ‘I was meaning to ask you something. Have you seen my dog?’

‘Is Sindbad dead?’

Viktor was stunned by his brutal directness. It was like surviving an earthquake, only to be hit by the aftershock. And he couldn't help feeling that the biggest blow was yet to come.

‘Dead? What makes you think . . . I mean, no, or at least, I hope not. He's gone missing. I left a message on your answerphone.’

‘Uh-huh,’ muttered Halberstaedt, inclining his head. ‘I told you there was something funny about that woman.’

Viktor wondered whether to point out that Anna had nothing to do with Sindbad's disappearance, but he decided not to bother.

‘I'll let you know if I see him,’ promised Halberstaedt. He didn't seem particularly concerned.

‘Thank you.’

‘Look after yourself, Dr Larenz. That woman is dangerous.’

The mayor left without another word.

Viktor gazed after him for a while, then realized that it was freezing outside. He felt like a small boy who had stayed in the pool until his hands went blue. He closed the door hastily before the wind filled the house with cold wet air.

Halfway along the hall, he stopped and considered. Maybe he should throw the pistol in the outside bin? He felt nervous around weapons and the very idea of having
a gun in the house was somehow alarming. In the end he resolved to take it back to Halberstaedt in the morning. For the time being, he placed the unopened package in the bottom drawer of the mahogany bureau by the door.

Viktor spent the next few minutes staring into the dying embers of the hearth and trying to make sense of the day's events.

Sindbad had vanished.

A woman or maybe a girl had broken into his cabin in Sacrow and left menstrual blood in the bathroom.

And the mayor of Parkum had knocked on his door and handed him a gun.

Viktor took off his shoes and lay down on the couch. Fumbling in his pocket, he took out his last remaining Valium tablet, decided not to save it for later as intended, and waited for the sedative to kick in. As much as anything, he needed something to ease the effects of his flu. Closing his eyes, he focused on eradicating the pain that was holding his head in a vice. It worked for a short while and for the first time in ages he was able to breathe through one side of his nose. The heavy aroma of Anna's perfume was still potent in the air, thirty minutes after she had got up from the couch.