by Graham Brack
‘I’ve written it all out, sir.’
‘Good. Then Navrátil won’t have so much writing to do. But we’ll come anyway. There’s a limited amount we can do in Prague at the moment. We’ll see you in an hour or so.’
Slonský snapped the phone shut.
‘Now why haven’t you done all that?’ he barked at Navrátil.
Peiperová had gone to make coffee.
‘Navrátil, could you try not to look quite so much like a puppy when she talks to you?’
‘Sir?’
‘She’s a good-looking girl who also seems to have a brain, but you’re not selling yourself too well sitting there with a mouth as wide as a waste bin and dribble running down your chin.’
‘I’m not dribbling,’ Navrátil protested, but ran his hand over his chin just in case. ‘Anyway, we’re here on business.’
‘Good of you to remember that, Navrátil. This is no time for lovey-dovey stuff.’
Peiperová pushed the door open and backed into the room bearing a tray.
‘If you weren’t dribbling before…’ muttered Slonský, earning himself a glower from a reddening Navrátil.
‘Is Sergeant Tomáš around?’ asked Slonský.
‘In the other room, sir.’
‘Then I’ll just go and have a word. It’s only polite. You two chat about something, but not the case. I don’t want to miss anything important.’
Before Navrátil could think of anything to say, Slonský had left the room and was stomping along the corridor.
‘Well, that went well,’ Slonský announced as they drove back to Prague.
‘Yes, sir. But couldn’t Officer Peiperová have simply faxed her report to us as she suggested?’
‘You astonish me, Navrátil. One minute you’re complaining we’re not working on the case, so I arrange a nice trip out for you, and you carp about it.’
‘I just thought we might have been able to use the time more productively.’
‘I could. But could you?’
‘Sir?’
Slonský sighed deeply and pushed his hat to the back of his head in exasperation.
‘Don’t tell me you wasted that golden opportunity I set up for you.’
‘Sir?’
‘You don’t think I actually wanted to talk to Tomáš?’
‘Sir?’
‘Will you stop saying Sir in that half-witted tone of voice? I was hoping you would use the opportunity to get to know Officer Peiperová better.’
‘She is nice, sir.’
‘I know, Navrátil. I know exactly how nice you thought she was, and if she’d been sitting on my side of the desk she’d have seen for herself how taken you were with her. You’ll have to learn some more self-control, Navrátil.’
‘Sir!’
‘You’re lucky you didn’t tip the desk over. Never mind that, lad, did you get her phone number?’
‘I already had it, sir. You gave it to me.’
‘That’s the station number, Navrátil. I asked about her phone number.’
‘I may have done, sir. On a completely different matter, do you think you’ll need me on Saturday? I thought I might take a bus out to Kladno and see the countryside a bit.’
‘I hope you’ve arranged a local guide, young man.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Spehar’s report confirmed that the photograph of Soucha had been addressed using the same printer as that of Banda and Gruberová. The surprise in Spehar’s folder was that he had shown some initiative. Realising that the picture had been grabbed from a security camera, he had asked Navrátil where the house was so that he could get copies of the videotapes. Navrátil had forgotten to mention this, largely because he thought Spehar was only asking so that he could complete his paperwork accurately.
The owner had been out, explained Spehar, but there had been a security firm’s plate on the gate, so he had telephoned them and a guard met him at the house. He had been careful not to disclose the reason for asking, but said that one of the house guests wanted to prove he had been there on a particular day. The guard showed him where the recording equipment was, and Spehar had used one of his clever little gadgets to transfer the files to a portable hard disk. The videos were therefore still at the house, but Spehar had copies. He thought Slonský might find the enclosed DVD of great interest.
His curiosity piqued, Slonský went straight to the canteen, with two objects in mind. First, he needed something to eat. Once that was secured, he would look for someone who could work a DVD player.
Chapter 18
Navrátil slept as well as any man could whose dreams featured a police uniform being removed, fortunately not his own. If he felt that his life may be about to change dramatically, that was as nothing compared with the shock awaiting him when he arrived at work.
Slonský was wearing a suit. That is to say, he was wearing a suit that did not look as if he had been sleeping in it for several years. He also sported a new tie. Navrátil knew it was a new tie because Slonský had omitted to remove the price label that dangled behind it.
‘Are you going somewhere, sir?’
‘We both are, Navrátil. It’s time we had a few words with Dr Sammler, I’ve got an appointment with him at ten o’clock. We’re getting a full ten minutes, Navrátil. I hope you’re impressed.’
‘I wish I’d known, sir. I’d have worn something more respectable.’
‘You’re perfectly respectable, lad.’
Navrátil combed his hair carefully and decided that he had better mention the price label to Slonský.
‘Damn. Got any scissors, Navrátil?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Then go and ask Klinger. Klinger will have scissors. Klinger has everything.’
Klinger had scissors. Not only did he have small curved nail scissors, office scissors, first aid scissors and large wallpaper scissors, he also had a small pair of scissors built into his Swiss army knife, and he was prepared to let Navrátil borrow one of his pairs, provided he received a full briefing first in case there was something about Dr Sammler the fraud department ought to know.
Navrátil decided that ‘ought to know’ could not possibly encompass the forthcoming interview, since the relevance of that could only be assessed after it had taken place. He also reminded himself that Klinger had assumed that Banda had been in Sammler’s house, which was the connection that Slonský must be investigating, so he explained that Slonský believed that Sammler may have possessed information about Banda of which he could not have realised the importance. They were going to have a brief word with him this morning to clarify exactly what the relationship between Sammler and Banda was.
‘There! That didn’t hurt, did it? But if Sammler mentions the word “Switzerland” at any point during this morning’s little chat, no doubt you’ll tell me about it when you bring the scissors back later,’ said Klinger, giving what he believed was a cheery smile. Navrátil found it acutely unnerving.
‘What did you tell him?’ asked Slonský.
‘Sir?’
‘I warned you about that yesterday, son. Try to sound intelligent if you can. What did you tell Klinger?’
‘He wanted to know what was going on in the investigation, sir.’
‘Of course he did. And you wanted his scissors, so he finally had a bargaining tool. So what did you tell him? Before you answer, bear in mind that I’ve got the scissors and I could ruin your fun with Peiperová with one little snip.’
‘I told him we were going to talk to Dr Sammler this morning to find out what relationship he had with Dr Banda.’
‘You make it sound like they were a pair of shirt-lifters, Navrátil, but that should keep Klinger happy.’
‘You might choose your words more carefully, Slonský,’ Captain Lukas announced from the open doorway. ‘Has somebody died?’
‘Sir?’
‘The suit, man. For once you look as if you’ve made an effort.’
‘We’re going to see Dr Sammler, sir.’
>
‘Ah. Good. First-class. Be careful, Slonský. Don’t want to upset him.’
‘Unless he’s the killer, sir. Can I upset him then?’
Sammler strode from his desk, hand extended in welcome, and showed them to some fine antique chairs in front of his desk.
‘No computer, sir?’
‘Over there. I’ll let you into a secret. I can’t work at this desk. It’s completely impractical. But it is handsome, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Sammler spoke Czech rapidly and without hesitation, though with a trace of a German accent. He was sloppy about the difference between voiced and unvoiced consonants, particularly “s” and “z”, but he exuded confidence. To Slonský’s surprise, he smiled readily and spoke quite softly.
He was a well-built man, conservatively dressed with a stiff white collar on his striped shirt and starched white cuffs that protruded from his jacket and revealed elegant oval gold cufflinks. If you had never met him before you would know he was a banker.
‘I’m grateful to you for giving us some of your valuable time, Dr Sammler.’
‘Not at all. If I can assist your enquiries it is plainly my duty to do so.’
‘Thank you. I must ask you to regard this conversation as confidential. Do you know Daniel Soucha?’
‘Yes, of course. Although he is currently an opposition politician, those of us in the financial world try to maintain courteous relations with all sides.’
‘May I ask, sir, whether you have lent him your country house?’
‘Yes, I did. I think it was last summer. He needed a break, poor man, and I offered him the house for the weekend. To be perfectly frank, it suited me too. I probably ought not to say this, but the staff get sloppy when I don’t use it for a while. I thought it would sharpen them up before I had guests there.’
Slonský produced the photograph of the swimming pool.
‘Someone has sent us this, sir. Is that your pool?’
Sammler studied the photograph carefully. His mouth twisted in a grimace.
‘Yes, it is. And that is Daniel Soucha. Though I have no idea who the other gentleman may be.’
‘He wasn’t invited by you, sir?’
‘No. Though I ought to say that I placed no restrictions on Mr Soucha inviting any guests he wished. I might have hoped he would have shown better manners than to use my home for this … sordid connection.’
‘Mr Soucha told us that you offered to send a girl to the house for him.’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘Would that be a prostitute, sir?’
‘An escort, certainly. I had in mind someone who would offer a bit more than mere sex. But it wasn’t my business where they finished up. I just wanted to give the man some relaxation.’
‘Very friendly of you, sir. Have you ever done the same for Dr Banda?’
‘I saw he’d landed himself in a spot of bother. No, I’ve never lent him my house. Of course, we know each other well, and in this business if someone influential asks you for a favour, you do what you can.’
‘What kind of favours would those be, sir?’
Sammler hesitated.
‘I hope I can rely on your discretion, Lieutenant. The lifestyle Dr Banda is obliged to lead is an expensive one. Before he joined the government he had a healthy income. Ministers of his level of experience and competence usually take a pay cut when they take office. They need an understanding bank manager.’
‘So Dr Banda is a customer here, sir?’
Sammler smiled.
‘I believe you already know that, Lieutenant. Didn’t your Mr Klinger tell you?’
Slonský smiled back.
‘There’s a difference between gossip and fact, sir. Thank you for your help.’
‘Not at all. It rather looks as if I’ve backed two poor horses, doesn’t it?’
‘Never mind, sir. There’ll be other horses, no doubt.’
‘No doubt,’ agreed Sammler, as he held the door open for them.
‘Well?’ enquired Slonský.
‘Well what, sir?’
‘What did you make of him?’
‘He seemed very German, sir. Not a bundle of fun.’
‘He looked genuinely shocked by the photo. And he happily agreed that he offered the escort, so he obviously wasn’t embarrassed by that.’
‘So if he offered to arrange an escort, he plainly didn’t know about Soucha’s tastes.’
Slonský stopped walking and looked quizzically at Navrátil, who pulled up abruptly.
‘What a quaint way of expressing it, Navrátil. His “tastes”. I like that.’
‘But if he wants to influence Soucha he’d want to give him something he values, and Soucha doesn’t value a girl.’
‘Yes, but Soucha doesn’t want anyone to know about his “tastes”, so he has to act as if he has been influenced, or he looks ungrateful. Even if he doesn’t want the girl, he has to behave as if he does. So Sammler has no way of knowing that his bribe isn’t the right thing to give, because Soucha will tell him it is.’
Navrátil punched the button at the pedestrian crossing.
‘The girl would tell him, wouldn’t she?’
‘Would she? If you gave her five thousand crowns to have dinner with Soucha and spend the night there, and Soucha doesn’t want you to do that, are you going to tell? Of course not, in case Sammler wants his money back. You’ll join in the lie and tell anyone who asks that Soucha is a superstud who kept you up all night. You’ll want people to think you really earned that cash.’
The traffic paused for a moment, and they crossed the road. Navrátil had to wait for a few moments for Slonský to catch up.
‘We should have taken the car, son. I don’t know why I let you talk me out of it.’
‘I didn’t say —’
‘Now, the girl has a good reason to keep it to herself. But on the other hand, if she has discovered Soucha’s secret, she can make a lot of money out of that knowledge.’
‘Blackmail?’
‘I think they call it “knowledge management” these days. But it’s all academic, because there wasn’t any such girl.’
‘So that got us nowhere.’
‘I wouldn’t say that. We know that Banda banks with Sammler.’
‘We already did. Klinger found out and we got a bank statement.’
‘Yes, but how did Sammler know that Klinger had been asking about Banda’s account? Klinger told us he’d called in a favour to get it, and he asked Banda’s office. He didn’t ask the bank.’
‘I’d better check that with Klinger when we get back.’
‘You do that, lad. I’ll be across the street doing some quality control on their beer. Join me when you finish.’
‘Klinger says he didn’t contact the bank.’
‘So who did he ask at Banda’s office?’
‘The Minister’s private secretary. Presumably she told Banda about the so-called underpayment and he rang the bank.’
‘Meaning he rang Sammler personally. And Sammler would wonder why Klinger wanted to know about Banda’s account.’
‘But when Banda was arrested, Sammler would know why we were looking at him.’
Slonský slurped up a mouthful of beer.
‘That’s yours.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Don’t thank me. I told them you’d be paying.’
Chapter 19
There are some sights so startling that the human brain immediately refuses to believe them. Disregarding the evidence that it is receiving, it prefers to conclude that it is gripped by an hallucination. This explains why Slonský did not respond promptly when Klinger spoke to him.
‘I said, I’ve been speaking to Technician Spehar,’ Klinger repeated.
‘What are you doing here?’ Slonský responded. ‘Has the garlic fallen off our doorpost?’
‘Very risible. Now, is there somewhere in this filthy hole that I could sit down?’
Navrátil offered a chair, which K
linger swept with a few strokes of his handkerchief before sitting. There was then a brief pause while the fraud officer carefully refolded the handkerchief and returned it to his pocket.
‘I have received an envelope through the post,’ Klinger began.
‘You too, eh? The Post Office is breaking all records for successful deliveries.’
‘Please concentrate on the matter in hand.’
‘Is this going to take long? Only I’ll send Navrátil for some coffee if it is. I don’t function too well first thing and the truth is, I’ve had a bit of a shock. I’ve never seen you on this floor before. I always assumed you came in through the front door and somehow rematerialised one floor above us.’
‘It’s a measure of the seriousness of the position that I have changed my habits, Slonský,’ Klinger replied. ‘Make the most of it — it may never happen again.’
‘Do you want coffee or not?’
‘If it’s station coffee, then no, thank you. But don’t let me stop you.’
‘Navrátil — just two coffees then. And get one for yourself if you want. Pray continue, Brother Klinger.’
Navrátil was reluctant to leave, since it seemed likely that something earth-shattering was about to be revealed, and hovered just outside the door where he could hear Klinger’s revelations.
‘I have received a letter —’
‘You said that.’
‘A letter that contained some information of a most interesting nature, at least to me. Of course, I sent the envelope to the laboratories for examination, and Technician First Class Spehar has just telephoned to tell me that the envelope in question is identical to two that have been sent to you. He has suggested that we should meet to discuss this turn of events. That is what I am doing now.’
Slonský remained resolutely unexcited.
‘It’s true that I’ve had two envelopes. Didn’t I mention that?’
‘No, you did not.’
‘Then I’ll tell you the whole story. Navrátil, stop hanging around in the corridor and get yourself back in here. The coffee can wait.’
It was Klinger’s turn to be surprised. For Slonský to defer refreshment of any kind was a rare occurrence.