of a more profound miscalculation. The red of the gondolas suddenly reminded Liebermann of blood-caked muslin – the horror of Karl Uberhorst's ruined face and exposed cortex. His adversary was not only clever but capable of inhuman brutality.
'Herr Doctor – forgive me.' Liebermann flinched. 'There was an accident on the Schweden-brucke and I was delayed.'
He turned slowly and was obliged to shake the new arrival's hand.
85
AN ATTENDANT CLOSED the gondola door and the two men stood on opposite sides of its cabin-like interior.
'I must say, Herr Doctor,' said Bruckmuller in his resonant bass, 'although I appreciate that the information in your possession is sensitive, was this
'I could think of no better place in which to have a wholly private conversation,' said Liebermann.
'Indeed,' said Bruckmuller. 'But I would have been perfectly happy to entertain you at my club. The rooms are excellent and the staff exemplary – the model of discretion.' The steel cords vibrated and the girders groaned as the wheel turned and the gondola lifted. 'On the telephone, you said that this new information concerns me directly.' Bruckmuller removed his bowler hat and placed it on a seat.
'It does,' said Liebermann. 'There have been a number of developments in the Lowenstein investigation.'
'Really? It was my understanding that the police have their man. Isn't that so?'
The gondola lurched as the wheel came to an abrupt halt and both men stumbled to retain their balance. Liebermann looked out of the window and saw that a soberly dressed man was being helped into the next gondola.
'Is there a problem?' asked Bruckmuller.
'No, I don't think so,' said Liebermann.
Bruckmuller repeated his original question: 'Well, Herr Doctor – isn't it so? Isn't it true that the police have their man? It said so in the
'That is certainly Inspector von Bulow's opinion.'
'And mine, indeed. God in heaven! You were there – at Madame de Rougemont's. You saw how Holderlin reacted.'
The gondola lifted again. This time the movement was more smooth.
Liebermann did not respond and Bruckmuller shifted uncomfortably. The big man's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
'Tell me, Herr Doctor – are you acting in an official capacity this evening?'
'Yes, I am.'
'Then why are you not accompanied?'
'As I said, the information in my possession is extremely sensitive.'
Bruckmuller was obviously dissatisfied with Liebermann's answer. But, after a moment's tense hesitation, he decided not to quibble. He nodded and produced a disingenuous flat smile.
'In which case, Herr Doctor, I would be most grateful if we could proceed.'
'Of course.'
Liebermann walked to the opposite window. His breath steamed the glass and he wiped it clear with his hand.
'I must begin by sharing with you some of the facts concerning Fraulein Lowenstein's history . . .' Through the criss-cross lattice of metalwork Liebermann watched the water chute produce two walls of high spray.
'It would seem,' continued Liebermann, 'that Fraulein Lowenstein was not, as members of your spiritualist circle asserted, a talented medium. Rather, she was an unsuccessful actress who in partnership with her lover sought to exploit the gullible for financial gain.'
'That is absurd, Herr Doctor! Holderlin is a man of means.'
'Holderlin was not her lover, Herr Bruckmuller.'
'But of course he was.'
'No, Herr Bruckmuller, her lover was Otto Braun – not an artist, as he would have you believe, but a stage magician. He very probably did his apprenticeship down there.' Liebermann glanced down at the Volksprater. 'The relationship between Charlotte Lowenstein and Braun had become strained and unhappy. Braun was becoming increasingly dissolute – you may have noticed some changes in his appearance yourself – and was amassing substantial debts. As a result, Fraulein Lowenstein realised that she could no longer depend on Braun to sustain her livelihood. An unreliable accomplice would inevitably jeopardise their little enterprise. Being a perceptive woman, she also recognised that her principal asset, her beauty, could not last for ever. In the fullness of time, Charlotte Lowenstein began to devise a plan that would provide her with long-term security. It involved the use of blackmail.'
Liebermann turned to catch Bruckmuller's expression. His veneer of bluff affability suddenly hardened and flaked away like dry scales. A ridge of muscle tightened beneath his jaw.
'She was a very attractive woman – wasn't she?' said Liebermann.
The wheel stopped to admit more passengers. The gondola rocked in the buffeting wind.
'Yes, she was.'
'I only saw photographs of her, and not very good ones at that. Even so, it was obvious that she was a woman of quite exceptional beauty. In the flesh she must have been . . . irresistible.' The Riesenrad creaked and groaned like the ropes and timbers of an ancient galleon. A string of electric lights suddenly flashed into brightness outside one of the restaurants on Austelungstrasse. 'Did you find her attractive, Herr Bruckmuller?'
The big man turned away and appeared to be admiring the view. He seemed to have vanquished his emotions again and was now quite composed.
'It would be a strange man who did not appreciate Fraulein Lowenstein's beauty. Yes, of course I found her attractive.'
'Attractive? Or, in truth, would it be more accurate to say irresistible?'
Bruckmuller laughed.
'Herr Doctor, are you really insinuating—'
The wheel began to move.
'She seduced you, Herr Bruckmuller.'
'That is an utterly ridiculous accusation.'
'And you would have been happy to retain her as your mistress indefinitely—'
'Herr Doctor!' Bruckmuller interrupted. 'You are testing my patience.'
'But unfortunately she became pregnant, at which point the nature of your relationship changed. She began to ask you for money – substantial sums, I imagine – which you obligingly provided. She was, after all, in quite a strong position. If she chose to announce that she was carrying your child, the ensuing scandal would have ruined your chances of marrying into the von Rath fortune – to say nothing of your political ambitions. And even if you did manage to survive the initial scandal, the likelihood of your marriage and reputation surviving the appearance of an illegitimate child – or children, in this case – would have been vanishingly small.'
Bruckmuller shook his head: 'Aren't you forgetting something rather important, Herr Doctor?'
'Holderlin?'
'Indeed.'
'Fraulein Lowenstein was not entirely sure that she would be able to succeed with her plan. You might, for example, have become resigned to your fate. Disgrace does not kill a man. There is nothing stopping an entrepreneurial spirit from transferring his assets to another capital, where he might start an entirely new life. And where would that have left Fraulein Lowenstein? No, she was determined to have financial security for the rest of her days at whatever cost. I dare say that the few months in which she enjoyed the benefits of your . . . patronage, merely strengthened her resolve. Poor Holderlin was simply an insurance policy. A safety net that would catch her if, ultimately, you failed to comply with her demands.'
As they gained height, the landscape of the city was being slowly revealed. A few early gas lamps had been
