by Frank Tallis
'Excuse me,' said Mendel, rising precipitately and setting off towards the cloakroom. But the old man had been too slow. Liebermann had already observed a tear in his eye.
Liebermann watched his father disappear into the bustling Ringstrasse crowd. A gust of wind reminded him that – unlike Mendel – he was not carrying an umbrella. Fortunately, a cab was waiting just outside The Imperial. There was another rumble of thunder – the growl of a discontented minor god. It made the cab horse toss its head, jangle its bridle, and stroke the cobbles with a nervous hoof.
'Easy now,' called out the driver – his voice barely audible above the rattling of the carriages. Across the road a loose café awning snapped like a sail.
Liebermann looked up at the livid millstone sky. Ragged tatters of cloud blew above the pediment of The Imperial like the petticoats of a ravished angel. The air smelled strange – an odd, metallic smell.
Liebermann raised his hand to catch the cab driver's attention but was distracted by a familiar voice.
'Max!'
Turning, he caught sight of a sturdy man approaching. His coat was undone and flapping around his body as he walked into the wind – a precautionary hand kept his hat from flying off his head. Liebermann immediately recognised his good friend Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt, and smiled broadly.
'Oskar!'
The two men shook hands.
'Max, you will think this a dreadful impertinence, I know,' said Rheinhardt, pausing to recover his breath. 'But would you mind awfully if I took your cab?'
The Inspector possessed a face that suggested weariness. The skin under his eyes sagged into discoloured catenated pouches. Yet he had grown a miraculously trim moustache, the turned-up extremities of which tapered to form two sharp points.
'An incident?' asked Liebermann.
'Indeed,' said Rheinhardt, puffing. 'A matter of some urgency, in fact.'
'Then please be my guest.'
'Thank you, my friend. I am much indebted.'
Rheinhardt opened the door of the cab and as he climbed up, called out to the driver: 'The market square – Leopoldstadt.' The driver responded by touching his forelock with a gloved finger. Before closing the cab door, Rheinhardt addressed Liebermann again: 'Oh, and by the way, the Hugo Wolf songs are coming along nicely.'
'Until Saturday, then?'
'Until Saturday.'
With that, Rheinhardt pulled the door shut and the cab edged out into the noisy traffic.
A sheet of white lightning transformed the Ringstrasse into a glaring monochrome vision. Moments later a great ripping sound opened the heavens, and the first heavy drops of rain detonated on the paving stones.
Liebermann looked around for another cab – knowing already that the attempt would be futile. He sighed, good-naturedly cursed Rheinhardt, and stomped towards the nearest tram stop.
2
RHEINHARDT PRESSED HIS shoulder against the locked door and pushed. It didn't budge.
A blast of wind rattled the windows and unholy-sounding voices wailed in the chimney flues. A shutter was banging – again and again – like an impatient revenant demanding entry, and all around was the inescapable sound of rain: a relentless artillery. Teeming, drenching, torrential. Drumming on the roof, splashing from the gutters and gurgling out of drains. The deluge had finally come.
Rheinhardt sighed, turned, and looked directly at the young woman sitting in the dingy hallway. She was slight, wore an apron over a plain dress, and was very nervous. Her fingers fidgeted on her lap, a mannerism that reminded him of his daughter Mitzi. The young woman stood up as Rheinhardt approached.
'Please,' said Rheinhardt, 'stay seated if you wish.'
She shook her head. 'Thank you very much, sir, but I think I'd rather stand.' Her voice shook a little.
'I'd like to ask you a few questions, if I may?'
She mouthed the words 'Yes, Sir' – but no sound escaped.
Having determined the girl's name – Rosa Sucher – Rheinhardt asked: 'What time did you arrive today?'
'My usual time, sir. Nine o' clock.'
'And is Fräulein Löwenstein usually up by then?'
'Usually, but not always. As you can see – the bedroom door is open.' Rheinhardt responded politely by looking across the hallway. The corner of a drab counterpane was just visible. 'The bed had not been slept in, so I—' She broke off, her face suddenly flushing with embarrassment.
'Naturally you assumed that your mistress had not spent the night at home.'
'Yes. That's right, sir.'
'And what did you do then?'
'Well, sir, I got on with my duties . . . but I found that I couldn't get into the sitting room. The door had been locked – and I didn't know what to do. So I carried on cleaning, thinking my mistress would eventually return . . . but she didn't. And today is Thursday. My mistress always sends me to the shops on Thursdays, to get things. Things for her guests. Pastries, flowers—'
'Guests?'
'Yes, sir. Fräulein Löwenstein is a famous medium.' The young woman said this with some pride. 'She has a meeting here, every Thursday at eight.'
Rheinhardt felt obliged to look impressed.
'Famous, you say?'
'Yes. Very famous. She was once consulted by a Russian prince who travelled all the way from St Petersburg.'
The downpour intensified and the unfastened shutter banged with even greater violence. Rosa Sucher looked towards the sitting-room door.
'Please, do go on,' said Rheinhardt.
'I waited until the afternoon – and still my mistress hadn't come home. I began to worry . . . finally I went to Café Zilbergeld.'
'On Haidgasse?'
'Yes. I know Herr Zilbergeld, I worked for him last summer. I told him that my mistress had not returned, and he asked me if this had ever happened before? I told him that it hadn't, and he said that I should call the police. So I ran around the corner, to the police station on Grosse Sperlgasse.'
The young woman pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and blew her nose. She was clearly about to start crying.
'Thank you, Rosa,' said Rheinhardt. 'You have been very helpful.'
The young woman curtsied and sat down, steadying herself by touching a small rosewood table.
Rheinhardt walked up the hallway, peering into the various rooms. The apartment was not very large: a bedroom, a drawing room, a bathroom and a kitchen – which also housed the closet. The maid watched him: a large man in a dark blue coat, apparently deep in thought. He paused, and twisted the right horn of his moustache into an even sharper point. Returning to the locked door, he crouched and looked through the keyhole.
He could see nothing. It had obviously been locked from the inside, suggesting that the room was still occupied. The occupant, however, had not moved, nor spoken a word since Rosa Sucher's arrival in the morning.
Rheinhardt could hear his assistant, Haussmann, and the constable from the Grosse Sperlgasse police station running up the stairs. Within seconds they appeared at the end of the hallway.
'Well?' Rheinhardt asked, slowly straightening up. He was a stout man, and pressed the palms of his hands down on his thighs to gain extra lift.
The two men marched towards him, leaving a trail of wet footprints in their wake.
'All the shutters are bolted,' said Haussman, 'except for one. It's difficult to see the window in the rain . . . but I think it's closed. The sitting room is completely inaccessible from outside.'
'Even with a ladder?'
'Well, a very long ladder would do it, sir.'
The two young men came to an abrupt halt in front of Rheinhardt. Even though they were thoroughly soaked, their expressions suggested a kind of canine enthusiasm – the controlled agitation of a retriever as a stick is about to be thrown. Beyond them, the pathetic figure of Rosa Sucher sat biting her nails.
'Constable,' said Rheinhardt, 'would you escort Fräulein Sucher downstairs?'
'Downstairs, sir?'
'Yes, to the foyer. I'
ll follow shortly.'
'Very good, sir,' said the constable, turning swiftly on his heels.
Rheinhardt clapped a restraining hand on the officer's shoulder before he could spring forward. 'Gently now,' said Rheinhardt close to his ear. 'The young woman is upset.'
Rheinhardt released his grip, allowing the constable to approach Rosa Sucher. He did so with the exaggerated slowness of an undertaker. Rheinhardt rolled his eyes at the ceiling, and turned to face Haussmann.
'I don't think we should waste any more time. It's a strong old door but we should be able to do it.' Haussmann removed his sopping cap and twisted it in his hands. Rainwater dripped to the floor, creating a small puddle between his feet. When he had finished wringing the cap he placed it back on his head.
'You'll catch a cold,' said Rheinhardt. Haussmann looked at his superior, unsure how to react. 'Why don't you take it off?'
Haussmann obediently removed his cap and stuffed it into his coat pocket.
They positioned themselves on the opposite side of the hallway.
'Ready?' asked Rheinhardt.
'Yes, sir.'
Running towards the door, they threw their shoulders against it. There was a dull thud, and the sound of air being forced from their lungs. Haussmann stepped back, grimaced, and rubbed his shoulder.
'That hurt.'
'You'll live,' said Rheinhardt. At the end of the hallway, the constable was holding the front door open for Rosa Sucher. For a brief moment she looked back before hurrying out, ducking beneath the policeman's arm.
'Now, let's try again,' said Rheinhardt.
They returned to their former positions and repeated the procedure. This time, however, when their shoulders made contact, the frame split and the door burst open with a loud crack. The two men struggled to keep their balance as they fell forward into the room beyond.
It took a few seconds for Rheinhardt's eyes to adjust. The curtains were drawn and the light was poor. Even so, the unpleasant smell was enough to confirm his worst fears.
'God in heaven . . .' The timbre of Haussmann's voice suggested a combination of reverence and horror.
The room was large, with a high bas-relief ceiling of garlands and floating cherubs; however, Rheinhardt's attention was drawn to a massive circular table, around which ten sturdy chairs were evenly spaced. In the middle of the table stood a gaudy silver candelabra. The candles had burned down, and long wax icicles hung from excessively elaborate arms.
Gradually more shapes began to emerge from the gloom, one of which was a chaise longue located on the other side of the room. The couch was not empty but was occupied by a shadowy form that swiftly resolved itself into a reclining female figure.
'Haussman,' said Rheinhardt. 'The curtains, please.'
His assistant did not respond but stood very still, staring.
Rheinhardt raised his voice: 'Haussman?'
'Sir?'
'The curtains, please,' he repeated.
'Yes, sir.'
Haussman walked around the table, keeping his gaze fixed on the body. He pulled one of the curtains aside, which filled the room with a weak light. As he reached for the second curtain Rheinhardt called out: 'No, that's enough.' It seemed improper, or disrespectful, to expose the body further.
Rheinhardt advanced, stepping carefully across the threadbare Persian rug, and stopped next to the chaise longue.
The woman was in her late twenties and very pretty. Long blonde tresses fell in ringlets to her slim shoulders. Her dress was of blue silk – its neckline tested the limits of decency – and a double string of pearls rested on an ample alabaster bosom. She might have looked asleep had it not been for the dark stain that had spread from her décolletage and the coagulated blood that had crusted around the jagged hole over her ruined heart.
There was something odd – almost affected – about her posture, like that of an artist's model. One arm lay by her side, while the other was placed neatly behind her head.
'Sir?'
Haussman was pointing at something.
On the table was a sheet of writing paper. Rheinhardt walked over and examined the note. It was written in a florid hand:
God forgive me for what I have done. There is such a thing as forbidden knowledge. He will take me to hell – and there is no hope of redemption.
It appeared that the writer had been jolted, just as the final word was finished. A line of ink traced an arc that left the page just above the bottom right-hand corner. On closer inspection, Rheinhardt also noted that the writer had made a mistake in the final sentence. A word that she'd obviously decided against had been crossed out – before the me in He will take me to hell.
'Suicide,' said Haussmann.
Rheinhardt said nothing in response. Haussmann shrugged and walked around the table to the chaise longue. 'She's very beautiful.'
'Indeed,' said Rheinhardt. 'Strikingly so.'
'Fräulein Löwenstein?'
'Very probably. I suppose we should get Rosa Sucher back up here to identify the body. Though she was so upset – perhaps that's not such a good idea.'
'It might save us some legwork, sir.'
'True. But being a good policeman isn't only about making expedient decisions, Haussman.' His assistant looked slightly hurt, forcing Rheinhardt to amend his reprimand with a conciliatory smile. 'Besides,' Rheinhardt added, 'Fräulein Löwenstein was expecting some guests tonight – perhaps there will be a gentleman among the company who may be willing to assist us.'
Although the room had at first appeared rather grand, closer inspection soon revealed that this was an illusion. The paintwork was chipped, the floorboards scuffed, and a brown stain under one of the windows suggested damp. At one end of the room was an austere marble fireplace, above which an ornate Venetian-style mirror had been hung. Rheinhardt suspected that it was a copy. Recesses on either side of the fireplace contained shelves on which an array of items had been placed: a cheap porcelain figure of a shepherdess, an empty bowl, two vases, and a ceramic hand (displaying the chief lines of the palm). The other end of the room was occupied by a large embroidered screen. The total effect of the room was somewhat depressing, moth-eaten and shabby.
'We're going to need a floor plan for the file – can you do that, Haussmann?'
'Yes, sir.'
'And an inventory of items?'
'Yes, sir.'
Rheinhardt continued to scan the room.
The rain lashed against the windows, running in streams down the casement. Outside, the shutter continued to bang against the wall. Rheinhardt unlocked the offending window, opened it, and peered out. A blast of cold air scoured his face and the curtains billowed inwards. The road had become a river in spate – a rushing, tumbling flood. Peering over the ledge, the Inspector looked downwards. It was a sheer drop.
Rheinhardt fixed the loose shutter and closed the window. He wiped the rain from his face with a handkerchief and examined his reflection, making some minor adjustments to his moustache. His satisfied exhalation fogged the glass.
'Sir?'
The young man's voice was slightly edgy – uncertain. The room trembled as the celestial cannonade continued.
'Yes?'
'You'd better take a look at this.'
Behind the screen was a large lacquered box, decorated with Japanese figures. Rheinhardt tried to lift the lid but discovered that it was locked.
'Shall we force it open?'
'That won't be necessary. You can ask Rosa Sucher where her mistress kept the key.'
'Shall I do that now, sir?'
'No. Not yet, Haussmann. Let's just think a little, eh?'
Haussmann nodded, and assumed what he hoped the Inspector would recognise as a contemplative expression.
Rheinhardt's attention was drawn again to the body. Slowly, he advanced towards the sofa and knelt to inspect the wound. As he did so, he accidentally brushed against the woman's delicate but unyielding fingers. Her frozen touch made him shudder. He instinctively wanted to apol
ogise but managed to stop himself. Rheinhardt used the damp handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose. Close up, the smell of stale urine and the beginnings of decomposition became deeply unpleasant. There was a double flash of lightning, and the crystals of dried blood around the wound glowed like garnets.
'Impossible.' He whispered the word almost unconsciously.
'I'm sorry, sir?'
The thunder roared like a captive giant.
Rheinhardt stood up and looked around the room, unnerved by the evidence of his own senses.
'Sir?' Haussmann sounded anxious.
Rheinhardt walked over to the door and checked that the key was still in the lock. It was – a large black key. He wheeled around. Haussman was staring at him, his head tilted to one side.
'What do you think happened here?' asked Rheinhardt.
Haussman swallowed: 'The Fräulein has committed suicide, sir.'
'Very well. Reconstruct events – tell me how she did it.'
Haussmann looked confused.
'She shot herself, sir.'
'Clearly – but from the beginning.'
'The Fräulein must have come into this room last night – well, that's what I would assume, given the way she's dressed. She locked the door and then sat at this table, where she began to compose a suicide note. She was evidently in a distressed state of mind, and gave up on the task after completing only a few lines.'
'And what do you make of those lines?'
Haussmann took a step towards the table and looked down at the note before continuing: 'They're a confession of some kind. She felt that she had done something wrong and should therefore make reparation by taking her own life.'
'Go on.'
'Then, perhaps after further deliberation – who can say? – the Fräulein sat on the chaise longue, lay back, and shot herself in the heart.'
'I see,' said Rheinhardt. And waited.
Haussmann pursed his lips and walked over to the couch. He looked at the Fräulein's wound, and then followed the line of her arm and hand. Kneeling on the floor, he looked under the couch and then said: 'Sir . . .'