going to be my second carver, Herr Hoffner. Quite a story for the papers. Killing your own wife. Now, what kind of mind does that?” Braun began to pull out his pistol.
Without warning, six of Pimm’s men emerged from the shadows, their guns drawn. Two had appeared from just outside the opening and now had their pistols pressed up against each of the soldiers’ necks. The rifles were quickly handed over. Braun had turned at the sudden movement, and when he looked back, the barrel of Hoffner’s pistol was staring him in the face. Hoffner reached over and took Braun’s gun. He then nodded him over to a pair of chairs that Pimm was placing at the center of the cavern. Braun showed remarkable restraint as he made his way over.
“So tell me,” said Braun as Zenlo tied off his hands behind him. “How
“Don’t worry,” said Hoffner. “He still thinks he was helping you.”
“Which means he’ll know you were the one to pull the trigger when I end up dead, won’t he?”
Hoffner holstered his gun and said, “Now, why would I want to do that?”
Pimm nodded over to the men by the soldiers. “Get the two of them out of here. Keep them busy for a few hours. Shoot them if you have to.”
Hoffner waited until the
Braun said, “If you’re not going to kill us, Herr
Hoffner nodded as if in agreement. “I said
Pimm perked up at being included. “Oh yes,” he said with a nod. “Very.”
Manstein snorted dismissively.
“It
Manstein refused to look at Hoffner. “Just because you don’t understand a thing doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.” His voice had a refined quality: schools, breeding, a sense of entitlement. Manstein did nothing to hide his contempt. “It was a precautionary measure.” He now looked up. “Evidently it was a precaution worth taking.”
Hoffner said, “So you did all of this just to cover up killing Luxemburg?”
Manstein looked genuinely perplexed by the question. “Is that what you think, Herr Policeman?”
It wasn’t, but Hoffner needed to engage the man. Braun saw what Hoffner was after and tried to stop it. “Herr
“Shut up, Braun.” Manstein continued to stare up at Hoffner.
Braun held his own. “You’d be wise to let me take care of this.”
“I’m tied to a chair in an excavation pit. I think you’ve done all you can.”
Braun insisted: “He hasn’t an inkling of what’s going on here.”
“He has
Evidently the marriage between the Thulians and the Polpo had been one of convenience. Hoffner knew he needed to take full advantage of that. “Did you enjoy the work, Herr
For the first time, uncertainty flashed through Manstein’s eyes. “Excuse me?”
Hoffner gave Braun no time to interrupt: “It’s a shame you didn’t study your patient more closely. I imagine you were a bit too clever there, as well.” Hoffner watched as the uncertainty grew. “For the longest time, I couldn’t understand why Wouters’s knife work was so smooth while the second carver’s was so jagged and angled. I assumed it was someone like Tamshik, or even Braun here, but then the accuracy of the lines on the back was too good-too close to the original-not to be someone who actually had some skill with a knife. But to make it look too good, that would have been a problem, wouldn’t it? So you had to alter your hand. After all, Wouters was mad, and didn’t madness imply a kind of frenzy with the cutting? You must have watched him, seen him slice up the backs of those women, so you’d know how to re-create the pattern. But you didn’t watch him closely enough, did you? This was an art for him. Battered and bloody hands hadn’t stopped him as a boy from creating the most delicate lace patterns. His work was pristine.” Hoffner paused. “Unlike yours.”
Manstein stared coldly ahead.
“The Tiergarten whore,” said Hoffner. “You got impatient. The Polpo wanted you to wait, but that was unacceptable. Wouters wasn’t killing fast enough, and he was staying in the wrong part of town. You needed him in the Westend so you could get the kind of hysteria you wanted. Such a perfect spot, the U-Bahn station at the zoo. The threat of east coming west. Tell me, Herr
Braun had heard enough: “Don’t let him do this.”
Manstein ignored Braun: “More efficient that way, wouldn’t you say, Herr
With sudden venom, Hoffner cracked the back of his hand across Manstein’s face. Manstein showed almost no reaction, while Braun flinched. Manstein’s lip began to bleed and he licked at it with his tongue. “Does that make you feel better, Herr
Hoffner was doing all he could to maintain his self-control: how easy it would be to beat this man to death, he thought. “Why Luxemburg?” he said.
Manstein spat a wad of blood. “You seem to be doing so well on your own. Why don’t you tell me?”
Braun tried again. “This is exactly what he wants. How is it that you’re incapable of seeing that?”
Manstein spat again. “Never the larger picture with you, Braun, is it?” Manstein wiped his chin on his shoulder and then looked up at Hoffner. “Go on, Detective. See if you can figure this out before Herr Braun here manages it.”
It was clear that Manstein wanted to be pressed: that Hoffner had yet to figure out why was no reason to disappoint him. “She was a means to an end,” he said.
Manstein offered another snort of contempt. “If we’re going to state the obvious, I’d prefer the bullet.”
Hoffner was inclined to grant the request, but that wasn’t why he was here; instead, he tried to imagine where Jogiches might have taken things now. “All right,” he said. “Berlin on edge. . Rosa’s body discovered. . not much of a stretch to stir up fear of a Red reprisal for her killing. The Reds ready to strike. .” Hoffner was building momentum. “Enter the
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