‘He wants another ten thousand before he’ll tell us the name.’
‘What? What the. .?’
‘That’s what I thought as well,’ said Munster. ‘At first. But there’s a sort of black logic behind it. If he’s been given ten thousand to keep quiet about it, wouldn’t it be immoral to talk about it for nothing? Unethical, as he put it.’
‘But if we pay him another ten thousand. .?’
‘Then the situation is quite different. Have you gathered how things stand?’
Moreno thought for a moment.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I suppose I have. What a prat.’
‘Amen to that,’ said Munster. ‘What do you think I should do now? Go in to Hiller and ask for ten thousand in cash?’
Moreno didn’t reply.
‘How’s the weather where you are on the coast?’ Mun-ster asked.
‘Changeable. It’s sunny again today. Do you have a plan?’
‘Not yet,’ said Munster. ‘But I suppose I’d better make one. I just thought I ought to inform you first.’
‘Thank you,’ said Moreno.
A few moments of silence ensued.
‘It can’t be. . You don’t think he was bluffing,’ she asked, ‘that damned hack of a journalist?’
‘Of course,’ said Munster. ‘I’m sure he is.’
‘There’s nothing worse than false accusations.’
‘Nothing,’ said Munster. ‘Apart from genuine ones. I’ll be in touch.’
‘Do,’ said Moreno.
A black dog was on a lead attached to a kennel, barking at her as she made her way to the office. Deep, muffled, echoing barks as if they were coming from out of a well — an almost surrealistic contrast with the well- tended grounds and the pale yellow buildings, Moreno thought.
But quite a good image for her own black thoughts. Could it be Cerberus? A reminder of the abyss, and the path we shall all tread sooner or later? She wondered why they didn’t get rid of the dog, or at least let it run around loose: it could hardly be an especially encouraging companion to the poor battered and lost souls who lived here, in any case.
She found her way to reception, and introduced herself to a red-haired woman in a white coat behind a glass counter. She explained why she was there.
‘Arnold Maager, er. . yes. .’ said the woman, smiling nervously. ‘I think you’d better have a word with fru Walker.’
‘Fru Walker?’
‘She’s in charge of the clinic. Just a moment.’
She pressed four buttons on the internal telephone.
‘Why do I need to talk to the boss? I just want to pay a visit to herr Maager.’
The red-haired woman blushed.
‘Just a moment.’
She took three steps away from the counter and turned her back on Moreno. She spoke softly into the receiver, then returned to Moreno blushing slightly less obviously.
‘Fru Walker will be pleased to see you straight away. The third door on the right over there.’
She pointed in the direction of a short corridor.
‘Thank you,’ said Moreno, and set off as directed.
Fru Walker was a dark-haired little woman in her sixties. She was sitting at a gigantic desk. Moreno thought she looked out of place. A bit like a pigeon on the long side of a football pitch. She stood up, walked round half the pitch and shook hands when Moreno had closed the door behind her. There seemed to be something wrong with one of her legs — she walked with the aid of a brown walking stick. Perhaps this slight handicap was why she had gone to the trouble of getting up to greet Moreno. To make a point.
She was noticeably worried. She seemed to have made an excessive effort to be welcoming, obviously so, and Moreno wondered why. She had telephoned in advance and informed them of her visit, but she had only spoken to an answering machine. She had mentioned that she was a detective inspector, but it seemed unlikely that this fact would have put the wind up the care-home staff as much as this woman seemed to be signalling.
But the explanation soon emerged.
‘Please take a seat,’ said fru Walker. ‘I think we have a little problem.’
‘Really?’ said Moreno without sitting down. ‘I just want to meet Arnold Maager for a short conversation. What’s the problem?’
‘He’s not here,’ said fru Walker.
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Arnold Maager isn’t here in the care home. He’s gone away.’
Gone away? Moreno thought. Arnold Maager? Is she out of her mind?
‘What do you mean?’ she asked. ‘Where has he gone?’
‘We don’t know. He’s been missing since last Saturday afternoon. I’m really sorry that you’ve come here for nothing, but as you didn’t give us a number we couldn’t ring you back.’
‘How exactly did he go missing?’ Moreno asked.
Fru Walker moved back to sit down at her desk.
‘We don’t know exactly when, or how. But it was during the afternoon in any case. He usually goes for a walk round the grounds in the afternoon, but he didn’t turn up for dinner. On Saturday, as I said.’
‘And he said nothing about where he was going?’
‘No.’
‘Has herr Maager gone missing like this before?’
‘No,’ said fru Walker wearily. ‘Some patients do go away sometimes — they usually go home. But Maager has never left this place during all the years he’s been here.’
‘Sixteen years?’ said Moreno.
‘More or less, yes,’ said fru Walker. ‘We’re very upset, and we had a meeting this morning to discuss what we ought to do next.’
‘Have you reported him as missing?’
‘Yes, of course,’ said fru Walker.
‘When?’
The head of the care home contemplated her clasped hands.
‘Two hours ago.’
Brilliant, thought Moreno, gritting her teeth so as not to say anything over-hastily. Absolutely brilliant! A depressive mentally ill patient goes missing for two whole days, and then they arrange a meeting and decide to contact the authorities. Perhaps it’s time to take a look at routine procedures, as those in authority generally say in circumstances like these.
‘Another police officer was here last week and spoke to Maager. Do you know about that?’
Fru Walker nodded.
‘Yes, I know. Last Wednesday. And he’d been visited by his daughter a few days prior to that. Might there be some connection, do you think? He doesn’t usually have so many visitors.’
Moreno ignored the speculation.
‘You say that Maager went missing on Saturday afternoon, is that right?’
‘Yes. He had lunch as usual at about half past twelve — so it must have been some time after that.’
‘Have you spoken to all the staff?’
‘Yes, and the patients as well. Nobody saw him after two o’clock.’
‘Did anybody see him leave?’
‘No.’
Moreno thought for a moment.
