Mortal Mischief

'Keep me informed, Rheinhardt.'

The interview was over.

11

WHILE OSKAR RHEINHARDT turned the pages of his songbook, Liebermann amused himself by improvising a simple chord sequence on the Bosendorfer. On repeating the sequence, he realised that he had unconsciously chosen the basic harmonies of Mendelssohn's bridal march. Looking up at Rheinhardt – the happiest of husbands – he experienced a curious sense of camaraderie. Soon, he too would be joining the fraternity of married men. Liebermann was impatient to share the news of his engagement with Rheinhardt, but recognised that it would be somewhat improper to inform his friend before he had told his own family.

'Oskar? It's your wedding anniversary soon – isn't it?'

'Yes,' said Rheinhardt. 'Next month.'

'The nineteenth?'

'That's right.'

'Have you bought Else a present yet?''

'I've been having clandestine meetings with Maria, her dressmaker.'

'Ah,' said Liebermann, letting his hands fall on an ominous-sounding chord at the lower end of the keyboard.

'It's a complicated business, dressmaking,' said Rheinhardt. 'More complicated than you'd imagine.'

'I dare say that's true.'

'Maria has been recommending all sorts – you know, materials, patterns . . . said that she could imitate a design she saw in Bertha Furst's boutique – the fashionable one on Stumpergasse . . . Hope I've done the right thing.'

'Oh, I'm sure you have. What colour did you choose?'

Liebermann began playing a chromatic scale, in thirds, but stopped when he realised that his friend hadn't answered. Raising his head, he saw that Rheinhardt appeared a little uncomfortable. His immaculately groomed moustache was shifting from side to side as his expression changed to reflect increasing degrees of mental exertion.

'What is it, Oskar?' asked Liebermann.

'You know,' replied Rheinhardt. 'I'm not sure what we decided on in the end. There was so much talk – and so many colours. Was it a shade of green? You know, I can't remember.'

Liebermann shrugged.

'Don't try so hard – it'll come to mind soon enough.'

Seeing that his friend had taken little heed of his advice, Liebermann tapped the tower of song books by the music stand and asked: 'Well, what shall we finish with?'

'Nothing else in here . . .' Rheinhardt put the volume he was holding down. 'How about some Schubert?'

'Excellent.'

'Das Wandern?'

Liebermann ran a finger down the scores' spines and pulled Die Schone Mullerin from the pile. He opened the volume at the first page and, when Rheinhardt was ready, launched into the repetitive figure of the accompaniment. The Bosendorfer was sounding particularly full-bodied, and Liebermann pounded the keys with relish.

Unexpectedly, Rheinhardt held up his hand.

'No, Max.'

Liebermann stopped playing and looked inquisitively at his friend.

'I was wondering,' continued Rheinhardt. 'Could we try it a little slower?'

'Of course.'

Liebermann began again, this time, playing the accompaniment to suggest a gentle amble rather than a brisk march. After a few bars, Rheinhardt opened his mouth and filled the room with his sweet, lyrical baritone.

'Das Wandern ist des Mullers Lust, Das Wandern!'

The walking song – evoking a rural idyll of open roads, babbling brooks, and mill wheels turning.

'Das Wandern! Das Wandern!'

Rheinhardt lingered on every word, savouring the shape of each phrase, and Liebermann responded, labouring the accompaniment. The musical effect suggested effort. A tired walker, sapped of strength, struggling towards his destination. The performance was strangely elegiac. After the last bar, both men were silent, lulled into states of meditative reflection.

'Enchanting,' said Liebermann. 'Not the standard interpretation, of course, but enchanting nevertheless.'

He closed the music book.

'Ah,' said Rheinhardt, as though he had been suddenly startled.

'What?'

'The colour of Else's dress. It was blue! A blue evening dress.'

'There you are,' said Liebermann. 'I told you it would come.'

Liebermann placed Die Schone Mullerin on top of the book pile, folded the music stand and closed the piano lid. He couldn't resist stroking the shiny surface of the instrument as he stood up.

The music room was large and decorated in a modern style. The chairs were matt black and upholstered with a fabric of Spartan design – red lines on a buff background. The rug, too, had little detail – nothing more than a border of small blue and red squares. Rheinhardt did not share his friend's modern taste. In fact, it mystified him. Rheinhardt felt much more comfortable when Liebermann opened the double doors, revealing the panelled smoking room beyond: leather armchairs, a roaring fire and a table on which the servant had placed a decanter of brandy, crystal glasses and two freshly cut fat cigars.

Rheinhardt lowered himself into the right-hand chair, the one he always chose, and surrendered his awareness to the flames of the fire. He could hear Liebermann pouring the brandy but did not look up until his friend offered him a cigar. When they were both settled, Liebermann was the first to speak.

'Well, Oskar, you are about to tell me of a murder investigation. And if I'm not mistaken, you'll be wanting my help.'

Rheinhardt laughed: 'Is it that obvious?'

'Yes,' said Liebermann. 'The body was discovered on Thursday afternoon and you had to break down a door to enter the apartment. The victim was a young woman in her twenties – and quite attractive. She had lost a considerable amount of blood, which had gushed from a fatal wound, staining her . . . let me think: was it a blue dress?' Liebermann took a sip of brandy and smiled at his friend: 'This is good, try some.'

Rheinhardt responded to Liebermann's invitation and nodded with approval before saying, 'So, how did I give myself away this time?'

'Earlier this evening' began Liebermann, 'we were discussing Schubert and you unintentionally confused the Death and the Maiden string quartet with The Trout quintet! Now I know for a fact that you are very familiar with the Schubert repertoire. So I considered that the mistake, this slip of the tongue, was significant. Being, as you are, a detective inspector, the kind of death that naturally preoccupies you most, is murder. The term 'maiden' implies youth and beauty . . . Putting all this together, I inferred the influence of an unconscious memory. An unconscious memory of a murdered young woman.'

Rheinhardt shook his head in disbelief.

'All right. But what about the blood – the blood on the blue dress? How did you work that out?'

'When we were performing the Hugo Wolf song – Auf dem See – you stumbled over the word 'blood' on both renditions. I took this to be confirmation of my earlier speculation. When I asked you just now what you intended to buy your wife on your wedding anniversary, you said a dress. But you couldn't, at first, remember the colour of the material that her dressmaker had recommended; however, some time later, you were able to say that it was blue. I took this to mean that the idea of a blue dress was being repressed.'

Liebermann flicked his cigar, letting a cylinder of ash fall into the tray.

'And the date of the investigation? How did you know it was Thursday?'

'We bumped into each other outside The Imperial – remember?'