A Walk Among the Dead

by Fanning, Fred

  “Did you see where she went when she left?”

  “She walked over towards that red brick building,” he said, pointing down and across the street.

  “How did she get to this café?”

  “I don’t recall. I remember seeing her sitting down and I went to serve her.”

  “Has anyone else every spoken to you or have you overheard any discussions about the flat fire?”

  “No, most customers are local and they’re busy gossiping about other things.”

  “Well, thank you for the information and the coffee. Here, keep the change.” Maggie walked back out to her car and drove to the location where Silke had been found, then back to the police station. She kept thinking that she was missing something. As she pulled into the police parking lot, she decided that she needed to go speak to Silke after the main clinic staff had gone. At her desk, she called Johann’s hotel room to asked him to join her.

  “There is something here that is missing and I can’t really figure out what it is,” Maggie said. “I thought that you, Silke Mencken, and I should meet later tonight to go over a few ideas I have. She is a journalist and might have a fresh perspective on the information.”

  “That works for me. What time should we meet?”

  “I recommend 10. I will send a car by to pick you up about 9:45.”

  “That sounds good, should I bring anything with me?”

  “Yes, bring as much of the information you can carry.”

  “Got it, I will be ready.”

  Johann got his suitcase out of the wardrobe and placed it on the bed. He went through the information he had accumulated and put it in order inside the suitcase. He was able to fit all the things in the case. He then took a cab back down to the library for the rest of the day to further research the Berlin Society of Theosophy.

  Later that night Johann left his hotel room and took casual strides as if he were taking a walk. A few yards from the hotel an unmarked police car pulled over. Johann got in the police car and it pulled away quietly. The car pulled behind the clinic and an officer met Johann at a back door. The police escorted Johann up the service stairs to Silke Mencken’s room. The officer informed them both that Deputy Inspector Hoffmann would be arriving shortly. Within 10 minutes Maggie entered.

  “Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to have some time between Johann’s arrival and mine,” said Maggie.

  “Why the secrecy?” asked Silke.

  “I just want to be sure no one sees us together. I wanted to meet with the two of you to ask for your help. I have a feeling that Johann may be the next victim if we can’t figure this out before then,” said Maggie. Johann’s pulse quickened and his palms became sweaty as the fear came over him.

  “It’s funny you mention that. I was thinking the same thing on the flight back from the U.S.,” said Johann.

  “The second reason I need your help is that I am not sure they are through with you, Silke. They believe you have something they want and I don’t think they have gotten it from you,” said Maggie.

  “But I can’t think of anything that I could have,” said Silke.

  “Here is a file for each of us. It has the notes I collected on four blackboards in my office. Everything we need to know begins on these pages. Silke, I need your journalistic skills on this. I need you to go over this information and look for connections and trends,” said Maggie.

  “The next thing we need to do is ask you some questions Silke,” said Maggie.

  “I will tell you everything I know.”

  “Okay, but I need to hypnotize you,” said Maggie.

  “Okay, what do I do?” asked Silke.

  “Sit in this chair here and please follow my instructions.” Silke took the seat, her eyes wide with apprehension. “Give me your hand,” Maggie said. She spoke very slowly and deeply as she read a script to Silke. “I want you to stare at your middle finger, and when I let go of your hand, your fingers will begin to separate. Broader separating, dividing, wider and wider, farther and farther apart, separating, separating, wider and wider, farther and farther apart. Now as your fingers continue to divide…I want you to tell me if you think it is your hand or your arm that is starting to pull inward towards your face. Is it the hand or arm that is pulling inward?”

  “It is the arm,” said Silke.

  “Good. Now the arm will continue to pull in closer and closer towards your face as your fingers continue to separate. When you begin to notice your breathing starting to get deeper and you are taking in more oxygen, nod your head “yes” to let me know.”

  Silke nodded her head.

  “When you notice your eyelids starting to blink and becoming heavy nod “yes” to let me know.”

  Silke nodded her head.

  “The more your eyes blink, the heavier they become, and the heavier they become, the more your eyes blink… becoming so heavy, so heavy…they prefer to stay closed…Your arm continues to pull in closer and closer to your face, your breathing is getting deeper and your eyes are feeling heavier with every breath that you take… heavier and heavier as your arm pulls in towards your face.”

  Silke sat in the chair calmly doing as she was told.

  “When your arm comes all the way in to touch your face… the moment you make the skin contact, your eyes will close and you will enter the hypnotic sleep,” said Maggie.

  Just as Silke’s fingers touched her face, Maggie said, “Deep Sleep.”

  “Each and every time I suggest the words Deep Sleep to you for the purpose of hypnosis, you will enter this state of trance quickly, calmly and deeply, and the physical body will relax. Now put your hand down on your leg and count from five to zero to deepen your hypnotic state.

  “Five…four…three…two…one…zero,” said Silke.

  “Sit back in your chair. Uncross your legs. Now begin breathing very deeply, taking five deep breaths, and with every breath you exhale, you will become more deeply relaxed. After the fifth breath, concentrate on the weight of your feet. Your feet are different than your average body weight, they begin to feel heavy, and this profound relaxation, from your toes to your heels to your ankles, will become very prominent. You are now feeling this profound relaxation moving upward into the calves of your legs…feeling the weight of your legs pushing down, heavier, and heavier…and feeling your legs relaxing deeply…deeply relaxing…and this profound relaxation moves into the knees, as you concentrate only on my voice. Pay no attention to any sound outside except for the sound of my voice. For these sounds are everyday sounds of life and cannot distract or disturb you, but will tend to relax you and allow you to go even deeper into this deep, profound relaxation.”

  Johann sat on the edge of a nearby chair while a nurse watched through the glass door.

  “Now feel the relaxation moving upward into your thighs and hips and through the midsection of your body…feel the stomach muscles relaxing…deeply relaxing…and the entire chest area becomes saturated with the relaxation. Breathing becomes very deep, gentle, and rhythmic, and the drowsy, sleepy, daydreaming feeling of relaxation takes over…Letting go...drifting down, deeper and deeper, and your arms, hands, and fingers are relaxing…feeling a numb, pleasant, tingling feeling in your fingers, as this relaxation grows deeper and deeper. Neck muscles are relaxing, and all the little muscles in the scalp are letting go, feeling as if the blood is circulating very close to the skin. This relaxation moves down over your forehead and down over your eyelids and your jaw muscles relax deeply…deeply relaxing…and growing heavier.”

  “And as I count from five down to zero, each count will represent deep relaxation. You will feel the body relaxing even more and letting go…deeper and deeper…and when I reach zero, you will go deep asleep. Now, FIVE…letting go …FOUR …THREE… TWO…ONE…ZERO.”

  Maggie snapped her fingers. “Deep Sleep!” Silke was slumping in the chair with eyes closed and chin resting on her chest.

  “What is the last thing you remember after climbing the stairs to th
e flat at number 51 Leichhardt Strasse?” Maggie asked.

  “Waking up in this bed,” said Silke.

  “Do you remember anything before that?” asked Maggie.

  “I remember walking over to the building from the café,” said Silke.

  “Do you remember anything in between those two events?” asked Maggie.

  “No,” said Silke.

  “Why did you go to the flat?”

  “To investigate a robbery and fire.”

  “Did you find any evidence?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  “Please, remember back to the time you were walking up to the building. Now tell me what you see.”

  “I see the building. I see a name on a buzzer.”

  “What is the name on the bell?”

  “Frau Hogarth.”

  “What did you do next?”

  “I buzzed her.”

  “What happened next?”

  “She buzzed me in.”

  “What do you do next?”

  “I went in and told her I forgot my key. She yelled something back.”

  “What happened next?”

  “Someone is talking to me.”

  “What are they saying?”

  “He is yelling at me.”

  “Who is yelling at you?

  “I don’t know.”

  “What happened next?”

  “He is kicking and hitting me.” Silke was crying.

  “Calm down, Silke, he can’t hurt you here.” Maggie’s voice was gentle. “What happened after that?”

  “A woman is talking to me. I feel like she is picking me up,” said Silke.

  “What is she saying to you?”

  “Günter, she’s yelling something about Günter…That Damn Günter.”

  “What do you remember next?”

  “Sirens, I hear sirens. I’m being picked up again. I hear sirens all around me.”

  “Then what?”

  “I remember waking up in the clinic.”

  “Silke, I want you to count forward from Zero to Five,” said Maggie.

  “Zero…One…Two…Three…Four…Five.”

  “Wide Awake!” said Maggie. Silke sat up straight with her eyes wide open and a puzzled look on her face.

  “Sit still for a few minutes, Silke,” said Maggie.

  “Maggie this has been fascinating,” said Johann.

  “Yes, Johann, and we have a name,” said Maggie.

  “Who is Günter?” asked Silke.

  “I don’t know Silke, but we need to find out. Let’s take tomorrow to look over this material and we can get together again tomorrow night at the same time,” said Maggie.

  It was 1:00 am when they broke up. Maggie dropped Johann off at his hotel and he made his way to his room. He fell asleep in the chair. Maggie parked at the police station. She entered her office tossing her keys on the desk. She slumped in an overstuffed chair and looked off into the distance. “Wonder what dad would do with this mess?

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Maggie woke about 9:00 am to banging noises in the hall. She went out into the lobby and found two men repairing a door. She walked a bit further down the hall to the break room and got herself a large cup of coffee. She went to the locker room and took a hot shower. The shampoo in her hair felt good and she hated to finish.

  When she was dressed and ready, she walked to her car in the parking garage. She drove to the building with the von Manntoell flat to check on the forensic team.

  “Maggie, how are you?” asked Erika Schultz.

  “Fine, Erika, how are you?” asked Maggie.

  “I’m doing well, are you here to check on our progress?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Well, we have completed the metal detector search. We’ve also used a strainer for the sand in the children’s play area. We haven’t found anything yet,” said Erika.

  “Well I appreciate all the hard work,” said Maggie.

  “It would help if you could tell me what we are looking for.”

  “That’s just it. I don’t know,” said Maggie.

  “We’re moving into the stairwell and halls next.”

  “Thanks again, keep up the good work,” said Maggie.

  Maggie walked over to the café and got a large cup of coffee and a pastry.

  “Are you still at it Inspector?”

  “Yes still at it,” said Maggie.

  The waiter brought a large cup of coffee and a crème cheese pastry to the table. Maggie devoured the pastry. German pastries were not as sweet as the ones she had eaten in the U.S. on a vacation to see her grandparents, but they were still her favorites. The waiter arrived with a second pastry just in time.

  “That is good service.”

  “You ate that one as if you were starving,” said the waiter with a wink.

  Maggie looked at the building lost in thought. It was a six story walk up made of red brick. There were a few trees around the building with parking on the street. Suddenly she got an idea and called over the waiter.

  “Do you have a customer named Günter that comes here?”

  “No one regular, but I do remember a couple of guys here a few weeks ago. I think one of them was Günter and I think the other guy was Kurt or something like that. They came here a few times, then stopped.”

  “Would you recognize them again?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Can I send an officer by with some mug shots for you to look at?”

  “Sure, I am here until 4:00 pm each day.”

  Maggie paid, got up and walked back to her car. She drove quickly back to the police station and spoke to Deputy Inspector Brendt.

  “Willy thanks for seeing me.”

  “Glad to help.”

  “I hypnotized Silke Mencken last night and she remembered a woman yelling the name Günter. I then visited the café where Silke was just before she was kidnapped. The waiter there remembered a man named Günter who visited the restaurant

  “Wow, that sounds like a strong connection.”

  “Willy, can you have someone take mug shots of guys named Günter over to the café and see if this waiter can recognize anyone?”

  “Sure, Maggie, I will get someone right on it.”

  Willy called down to the desk and asked to have Sergeant Otto Brunner come and see him. Maggie returned to her office to add the new information she had obtained onto the chalkboards. She was trying to get all the new details ready for tonight’s meeting.

  “Deputy Inspector, I was asked to come up to see you.” Sergeant Brunner was a large man with a pot belly. He dressed impeccably, but his weight made his uniform ill-fitting.

  “Good to see you, Sergeant Brunner.”

  “Thank you. What can I do for you, sir?”

  “Sergeant, I need a uniformed officer to go over to this café and speak to the waiter, Julian. I want the officer to take a mug shot book with photos of perps with the first name Günter and see if Julian recognizes anyone.” Willy handed Otto a 3x5 card with the address of the café.

  “I will get an officer over there this afternoon.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant. I want the results given to Deputy Inspector Hoffmann by 6:00 pm today.”

  “Got it, she will have them by then.”

  Sergeant Brunner walked out of the office and back down the stairs to his room. He called the squad room and Officer Erich Hammer answered the phone.

  “Hammer, come and see me quickly I have a special assignment for you.”

  “Be right there.”

  Brunner gave Hammer the index card with the instructions he received from Deputy Inspector Brendt. Hammer collected the of mug shot books and separated the pictures of perps with a first name Günter. He then took a car directly to the café.

  Hammer introduced himself and asked to speak to Julian. He waited near the door as people came and went. The café was small and did a good business.

  “I was asked to come speak to you about these photos and see if you reco
gnize the man called Günter.”

  “I have a few minutes, let’s sit down over there.” Julian motioned to a small round table in the corner where employees took their breaks.

  “Thank you. Let me lay these books down. Please, take a look at each photo. If you recognize someone, please let me know. I will sit over here while you review them.”

  “Okay.”

  Julian sat in front of the first book and looked at each page carefully. He turned the pages slowly. Not recognizing anyone in the first book, he set it aside and grabbed the second book. About half way through Julian stopped turning pages. He scrunched his nose as he focused on a photo, then called Hammer.

  “Officer, I believe this is the man,” said the waiter.

  “Let me write down the number under the mug shot. I want to thank you for taking the time to help us with this.”

  “I am glad to do it, Officer,” said the waiter.

  Hammer took the books and walked back to the car. In the car he stopped, realizing that the mug shot that the waiter had picked was a colleague of Freda’s.

  This is getting too close for comfort. He must drop the books off and he had to let Deputy Inspector Hoffmann know the results or else they would come looking for him. The only thing he could do is let Freda know too that the waiter had identified Günter. Hopefully, she would understand that he had to tell Maggie.

  Johann von Manntoell met again that night with Silke and Maggie. They went over the determination that two men were involved, one of those men was named Günter and that both men had been to the café near the building the Manntoell flat was in. Silke was shocked at the picture of the man that might be Günter. He was a former East German Police Officer that had built up a criminal record after the wall came down. She couldn’t help but wonder what a former police officer turned criminal was looking for.

  “With the new evidence we have obtained, it appears we are looking for a man known as Günter Eckersley. He is currently a career criminal. He was an East German Police Officer in the 70s and 80s.”

  “His name is not familiar to me,” said Johann.

  “Other than my memory of his name, I have never heard of him,” said Silke.

  “We also know there is a woman involved, but we don’t have a description or a name,” said Maggie.