“There are many brothels in Spittelberg, Lieutenant. Why Madam Borek's?”
“I was rather fond of one of the girls. She was new there…”
“What was her name? This new girl?”
“Lucca? Something like that.”
“Ludka?”
“Yes, that's it, Ludka. Very pretty…” Hefner smiled again. “And very compliant-if you follow my meaning.”
He lifted his chin a fraction higher in order to clear his stiff high collar. The material was decorated with two gold embroidered stars.
“Madam Borek's establishment did not possess a government trade license,” said Rheinhardt.
“Why should that be of any concern to me?”
“The establishment was illegal.”
Hefner shrugged. “I did not break the law.”
“State-registered prostitutes receive a medical examination twice a week. What precautionary measures do you think Madam Borek took?”
Hefner's lip curled again. “There are always risks, Inspector, wherever one goes in pursuit of pleasure. I am sure that a man of your”-Hefner looked Rheinhardt up and down-”experience appreciates that fact.”
It was an insolent remark, which Rheinhardt did not wish to acknowledge with a response. Instead, he jotted down a few lines in his notebook. When he looked up again, a supercilious smirk was still hovering around Hefner's lips.
“Did Madam Borek have any enemies?”
“How should I know?”
“Did you ever hear of anyone being violent with the women at Madam Borek's?”
“No.”
“Did you ever see anyone there who behaved oddly? Anyone you suspected of being mentally unbalanced?”
Hefner laughed. “Inspector, when I visited Madam Borek's establishment, the behavior of the other patrons was the least of my concerns. Besides, I hardly ever saw them.”
“Did you see Lieutenant Lipos?ak at Madam Borek's?”
“No.”
“What about Renz and Witold?”
“I saw Renz there once… a few weeks ago.”
“Do you know who Captain Alderhorst is?”
“I've never heard of him.”
“Private Friedel?”
“Who?”
“Friedel.”
“I've never heard of him, either.”
Rheinhardt looked toward the window. The day was overcast and the clouds radiated a putrid gray-green light.
“Lieutenant Hefner,” said Rheinhardt, “Ludka-the Galician girl you claim to have been fond of-Madam Borek, and two other women, Frauleins Draczynski and Glomb, were subjected to the most appalling violence.”
“I know.”
“Yet you do not seem”-Rheinhardt searched for a diplomatic phrase-”moved by their fate.”
“Inspector,” said Hefner, “I am an officer of the eighteenth. What do you want me to do? Weep like my grandmother? Bang my fist on the table and rail against heaven?” Hefner crossed his legs slowly and his spurs rattled. “I am a representative of His Majesty's army. A cavalryman. I wear this uniform with pride. We have a reputation to consider. I will not disgrace the regiment with some unseemly display of emotional incontinence. If you want to see that, go and interview an Italian corporal!”
15
LIEBERMANN LOOKED UP AND into the dome. Sixteen cherubs danced above eight circular windows, and the whole edifice was supported on gilded archways.
He adored the Natural History Museum. It was a place in which one could marvel at the diversity of life and contemplate the extraordinary power of science to unlock the secrets of the universe. Charles Darwin had dispensed with a Creator and replaced Him with a simple principle: natural selection. In his masterpiece The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or, The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life, the great biologist had succeeded in describing the evolutionary process in a single, simple sentence: “Multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.” It was at the same time terrifying and beautiful, and it explained everything: eyes, ears, birds, and desire-nothing was beyond the reach of Darwin's awesome theory.
“Where are we going now?” asked Clara.
“To see our relatives.”
“Did you invite them?”
“No-they're already here.”
“What!” Clara was quite obviously miffed.
The couple entered an immense hall filled with glass display cases, all of which were occupied by stuffed animals. Liebermann gestured toward one in which a troop of gorillas-a male, a female, and two young-languished beneath a scrawny tree.
Clara poked a finger into Liebermann's ribs and cried, “Max!”
“Well,” said Liebermann, “strictly speaking we are related.”
“You may be…”
“Indeed, I am perfectly happy to concede that the Liebermann bloodline carries with it certain characteristics that are decidedly pongid. Look at that male-he looks a little like my father, don't you think?”
Clara stepped closer to the glass, and immediately her expression brightened with an astonished smile. It was true. The gorilla did look a little like Max's father. There was something about the creature's heavy brow and rigid jaw that reminded her-albeit only vaguely- of Mendel Liebermann's disapproving mien.
“Max…,” Clara said, raising a hand to her mouth, at once both shocked and amused. “You shouldn't be so disrespectful… but”-she began to giggle-”it is an uncanny resemblance.”
“There you are, then. Indisputable proof of Mr. Darwin's hypothesis.”
Clara's expression changed. Her lips pressed together and she began to pout.
“What is it?” asked Liebermann, stepping forward and letting her lean back into his chest. There were no other visitors present- but Liebermann nevertheless kept a judicious eye on the doorway. A public display of intimacy would not be countenanced in a royal museum.
“Do you really believe it, Max? That we have-what is the word… evolved, yes? That we have evolved from apes?”
“Well,” Liebermann replied, “I certainly don't believe that Adam and Eve begat the human race after being banished from the Garden of Eden.”
Clara looked up. Her red lips were too inviting to resist, and Liebermann stole a quick, dry kiss.
“But apes…,” she said softly.
Liebermann kissed her again, on the cheek this time. Clara did not respond, and her expression became increasingly fixed in an attitude of seriousness. She seemed inordinately discomfited by the idea.
“Maxim…,” she began hesitantly.
“Yes?”
“If we evolved from apes… could we not-one day-become apes again?”
“There are a number of scientists and doctors who fear such a thing. They have suggested that civilized societies must be vigilant for signs of what they call degeneration. These include unrefined physical features and
