“No, nothing like that.”
The band members began to assemble on the stage, much to the delight of the packed venue. The drummer popped the kick drum a few times as the lead singer said hello to several friends—in rocker style, of course, with a swigged beer and a crazy tongue.
“Listen, Ursula is a hot mess but she’s my friend. Go easy on her, okay?”
“Sure.”
“And if you ever need something, just call,” Dü said, giving Gage a business card. “Enjoy the show. I’m friends with the band and help them with their look. You’ll like them.”
Ursula pushed her way to Gage and grabbed his hand. She led him to the stage as the blond-maned lead singer shouted a greeting to the audience. Gage turned, looking behind him at the crowd, watching as a sea of revelers lifted their drinks in answer to the singer’s call. In the last ten minutes, the Nachtleben had swollen to a full house. Gage could feel the warmth from all the bodies.
Snakebite launched into a blistering 3-song opening. Gage let himself get into it, enjoying their hard rock music that indeed hearkened his teen years. Even though the venue was intimate, Snakebite played as if they were at the Commerzbank-Arena. Two large floor fans blew their long hair upward as the band members joyfully interacted with the pulsing crowd. All four of the band members smiled and laughed throughout the entire show. Seeing how much fun they were having made the music even more enjoyable.
The show lasted two hours, ending with a raucous encore of a song called Road to Nowhere that everyone but Gage seemed to know by heart. By the time the encore was over, his ears rang with a mild case of tinnitus—but that was okay—a small price to pay for a night of great music.
* * *
After midnight, while Gage’s hearing recovered, the members of the good-natured band each grabbed a beer and mingled in the crowd with their remaining fans. Ursula’s friends remained, thankfully, delaying the libidinous denouement Gage knew was coming.
It finally occurred at 1:40 A.M. Almost everyone had departed the club, and the overhead lights were turned on, casting harsh light on the patrons and venue. Gage and Ursula departed alone, neither saying much.
“Can I walk you to your car?” he asked.
“I’m a little too drunk to drive.”
“We can get you an Uber or I can drive you home.”
“Or, we can get a room at any of these hotels,” Ursula said, twirling with her hands out and nearly falling.
When Gage stabilized her, she grasped his neck again and kissed him. This time, her left hand roamed and rubbed.
He pulled away.
“We can’t do this, Ursula.”
“Why not?”
“We just can’t.”
“Oh…let me guess. You’re screwing one of the rich Vogel girls and you’re afraid they’ll get mad that you’re banging the help.”
“That’s not it, Ursula. I feel like you’re…”
“What? Desperate?”
“No. It seems to me you’re in a tough spot in life, and getting involved with me isn’t going to help.”
“I’m not wanting to get involved. I just want to share a night with you. Is that so bad?” She came at him again. This time, he stopped her.
“Don’t, please.”
Ursula eyed him for a moment before she turned and began to walk away. She began to cry. He walked to her and gently stopped her by touching her shoulder.
“Let me help you get home.”
“No.”
“You can’t drive.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Well, I do. And…”
“And what?” she asked, stopping and digging in her purse.
“I have a question.”
Ursula lit a cigarette, the lighter revealing tears on her cheeks. “Well, ask it?”
“Ursula, I don’t mean to pry, but this is important.”
“What?” she snapped.
Just say it.
“It’s the same question I asked you before.”
She looked away.
“I hate to badger you, but were you ever involved with Karl Vogel?”
The only reaction Gage noticed was a tensing of Ursula’s jaw muscles. She allowed the question to linger for a moment before she responded.
“Why do you insist on knowing?”
There’s your answer, Gage. If she hadn’t been, she’d have quickly denied it. This is the second time.
“I’m trying to unwind some things from his last few years. Estate things. I’m attempting to figure out where his mind was.”
“By digging into my private life?”
“I’m not doing this to get into your life. I’m trying to get into his.”
She sucked on her cigarette, eyeing Gage harshly. Her tears had turned to anger.
“Yeah, I was involved with him.” She shrugged. “I guess knowing this about me must gross you out, that I lowered myself to giving hand-jobs to an old man who basically saved my ass.”
“No, Ursula, it doesn’t.”
She began to cry again.
“Please don’t be upset,” Gage pleaded.
“Well, his bitch of a wife sure didn’t love him. Or his two twat daughters,” Ursula spat. “I was desperate, Gage. And, yes, I did it for money, but I learned a lot about Karl…things that other people will never know. He was broken and lonely. And he had a twisted side that arose from his own childhood. But deep down there was a…a decency about him.”
Gage had to press here, despite her tears. Given her drunkenness, and her willingness to talk, he knew he might learn something critical. He put his arm around Ursula as she dragged on her cigarette.
“How about a coffee?”
“How about another drink?”
“Only if you don’t drive.”
She looked up at him. “Deal.”
* * *
With his arm around Ursula the entire time, they’d made their way west through Konstablerwache, through the glitzy shopping district of the broad thoroughfare known as the Zeil. Glitzy during the day, that is. Tonight, there were no bars open—and the shopping establishments were all dark. The only activity was a street
