Master and slave, Munster thought. The eagle-eyed minister was standing stiffly erect, portrayed full length against a pale-blue background, flanked by the flag and the lion on one side, and his desk with a statute book and a judge’s hammer on the other.
Jung, on the other hand, looked more like a professional criminal. Hunched, wearing grubby corduroy trousers and a coffee-stained shirt, unshaven and with several days’ work collected in black bags under his eyes.
“Well,” said Munster, clearing his throat, “as far as I can see, we’ve finished.”
“Hmm?” said Jung.
“There’s one left. So it must be him.”
“What the hell are you saying?” said Jung, rubbing his eyes with his fists. “Is there any more coffee?”
Munster poured out two mugs.
“Sit down here and check what I’m doing while I run through them one more time.”
Jung left the minister and sat down by the desk.
“Here we have the names of those who don’t have an alibi for the Eva murder,” said Munster, handing over a sheet of paper. “There are quite a lot of them, of course.”
“Does this cover the whole population of the world, or just Europe?” Jung wondered.
“Bunge staff plus a few other acquaintances,” said Munster.
Jung nodded and took a sip of coffee.
“Here are the ones who have lived in Maardam for no more than two years,” said Munster, passing him another sheet of paper.
“And here are those who don’t have a cast-iron alibi for the Mitter murder.”
“The ones who might have been able to call in on him for a while,” said Jung.
“And then gone back in,” said Munster, “and battered him to death.”
“Then run for it,” said Jung.
“Run him through,” said Munster. “Incidentally, I’ve just received a report from deBries. It seems pretty likely-those were his words, ‘pretty likely’-that somebody climbed up or down the drainpipe more than once.”
“How can he have worked that out?”
Munster smiled.
“He and Moss have been out there, climbing. Or rather, Moss did the climbing and deBries made notes. They tried eight different drainpipes, between the ground and the third floor. All of them survived being climbed down with flying colors, but only three of them held for four attempts.”
“How much does Moss weigh?” asked Jung.
“About a hundred and fifty pounds, I should think,” said Munster. “He’s considering leaving the force, according to deBries; but both the patients and the doctors seem to have had a most enjoyable day. . Anyway, look closely at the names and compare the lists. How many can you find on all three?”
Jung examined the sheets of paper for a few moments.
“One,” he said.
“Exactly,” said Munster. “We’ve got him. There’s another thing that indicates him-can you see it?”
“The letter?” said Jung.
“Yes,” said Munster “If it is him, that confirms the letter theory as well. Shall we go?”
Jung looked at his watch.
“Go where?” he wondered.
“Home, of course,” said Munster. “I’ll phone Van Veeteren tomorrow morning.”
“I say, Munster,” said Jung as they were on the way down in the elevator. “What’s behind it all? The motive, I mean?”
“I haven’t a clue,” said Munster.
“Reinhart here,” said Reinhart.
“What the devil. .” said Van Veeteren. “Do you know what time it is?”
“Half past four,” said Reinhart. “Were you asleep?”
“Go to hell!” said Van Veeteren. “What do you want?”
“Did you hear about the woman in Leisner Park?”
“Yes, I heard a bit. What about it? Has she woken up?”
“I think there’s a link.”
“A link?”
“Yes. A connection.”
“With what?”
“With your murderer, of course. I thought I had the pleasure of talking to the astute Detective Chief Inspector Van Veeteren. .?”
“No, this is the trustee of his estate,” said Van Veeteren.
“For Christ’s sake tell me what you want, Inspector, or there’ll be another case for us to solve.”
“I’ve interrogated several people. .”
“I should hope so.”
“Among others, a friend of the deceased, Johanna Goertz.
Apparently this Liz Hennan confided a few things in her.”
“Hennan? Is that the victim?”
“Yes, Liz Hennan. She told Johanna Goertz, last Tuesday, that she’d met a new man. She was going to meet him again on Saturday-last Saturday, that is-and that she felt a bit scared. She told Goertz a bit about him as well, not all that much because she didn’t know much. Not even his name. He called himself John, but she didn’t think that was his real name. Are you with me?”
“Yes,” said Van Veeteren. “Get to the point, Reinhart.”
“Any moment now,” said Reinhart. “Anyway, he’d apparently told Liz Hennan something odd, just in passing, or however you might want to see it. . He’d told her that he came across the guidance counselor with a pupil one day.”
“Eh?”
“Yes. In flagrante. The guidance counselor with a pupil.
What do you think that suggests?”
Van Veeteren sat in silence for a few seconds.
“School,” he said.
“I agree,” said Reinhart. “But I’m a bit on the tired side now. . I think I’ll go to bed and disconnect the telephone.
You can ring me at nine.”
“Hang on a minute,” said Van Veeteren. But it was too late.
He wrote the sixth name down at the very end of the book.
He contemplated the list for a few moments. Three women and three men. There was a sort of balance, no matter what-even if one of the men had only been a child.
He noted down the date as well. Tried to find some kind of harmony there, but that was harder. The specific dates were spread out over years, and months: the only trend was that the gap between them grew shorter. Eight years. . six years. .
six years again. . seven weeks. . ten days. .
He closed the book and put it in the outside pocket of his bag. Checked his watch. A few minutes past five. It was still pitch-dark outside. His suitcases were all packed and lying ready on the bed. No point in waiting any longer. Best to get going right away.
Leave everything behind now, yet again.
Exhaustion was like needles sticking into him, and he resolved not to drive too far. Three or four hundred kilometers, perhaps. Then a motel and a bed.
The most important thing was to get away from here.
Vamoose.
As long as he got some sleep, he would be ready to face up to life again tomorrow morning. From the beginning, this time.
Without all the old stuff. That was in the past now. He understood that it was all over and done with, at
