Ursula frowned. “What kinda question is that?”
“Answer and we’ll be done with the questions.”
“Rainer Schulz. He’s the only person I ever saw Karl scared of.”
“Rainer Schulz.”
“Now it’s me-time,” Ursula said, curling her finger under Gage’s chin.
Gage allowed it before hurrying Ursula to finish the remains of her drink.
An hour after arriving, he led her away from O’Reilly’s. They made their way—with him essentially holding Ursula upright—two blocks south to Le Méridien Frankfurt, a rather nice hotel. The night clerk didn’t bat an eye at the scene. He yawned as he issued Gage a two-bed Zimmer for 118 euro, taxes included. The clerk reminded Gage that check-out was at 11 A.M. Gage said he understood.
They eventually made it to their room on the third floor. Ursula suggested several naughty things that Gage deflected. He was far more concerned that her child would be okay until tomorrow.
“Mama’s got him…told her I wouldn’t be home,” Ursula slurred, disrobing.
Gage looked away.
He was fearful she’d take off all her clothes, but a sudden bout of heaving stopped any coming advances. Gage managed to guide Ursula, in jeans and her bra, to the bathroom.
He spent the next 20 minutes with Ursula in the bathroom as she retched into the toilet. By the time she was done, she was on her knees, hugging the toilet. It was a far cry from a sexy rendezvous.
Once she’d evacuated her entire stomach, Gage tucked her into bed, listening as she made one final, drunken plea for an encounter that quickly faded to deep breaths and snoring.
Ursula passed out cold.
Gage slept in his clothes on top of the opposite bed, pondering the snippets of what he’d learned tonight. Though Ursula had definitely given him some valuable information, what she’d told him simply added more pieces to the puzzle.
Before he slept, Gage thought of Katja, and his new belief that Karl was probably killed by a victim of his sexual abuse. But Ursula believed Rainer Schulz was Karl’s greatest threat. And what of the drainage pipe?
A powerful inclination came over Gage, steeling him that Katja didn’t harm her father. He allowed it to linger, to see if it would pass. It didn’t.
Before he finally fell he asleep, he pondered how upset Katja would be to know he’d shared a hotel room with Ursula. Tomorrow, he’d have to handle that delicately. He didn’t plan to lie about it, but he wasn’t completely clear on how he’d admit it, either.
Actually, it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have to admit it anytime soon—if ever.
Because Katja Vogel’s body was lying cold, deep in a ravine—at that very moment.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The following morning was rather strange. While Gage felt sheepish at having shared a room with Ursula, nothing untoward had happened other than the one-sided kissing. Though he’d eventually snoozed, it was fitful, probably due to Ursula’s loud snoring as she slept off her drunkenness. When he’d quietly awakened around 6:30 in the morning, Gage splashed cold water on his face and went out for a coffee. He walked off his stiffness before drinking his coffee and eating a banana while perusing a newspaper someone had left behind. After an hour, he ordered a large double-cup coffee to go, along with another banana and a croissant. Ursula was still asleep when he got back to the room. He wrapped her coffee with a towel in an effort to keep it warm—a trick he’d learned years before. By 10 A.M. he’d had enough. He woke Ursula, hoping she wouldn’t get sick again. To her credit, she was quiet and seemed embarrassed about the night before.
“What do you remember?” Gage asked, handing her the lukewarm coffee.
Ursula sat on the side of the bed, the blanket and sheet wrapped tightly around her body. Her hand was on her forehead as she croaked her words. “I remember telling you about Karl…about the things I used to do for him.”
“I’m not judging you.”
“About which part—being his runner, or his plaything?”
“You know which part.”
“Sure you are. You can’t hear something like that and not judge a person.”
Gage shook his head. “You were in a tough spot.”
Ursula stared at him, her eyes a lacework of red lines. “I remember you asking me a bunch of questions about who he was working with.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I work for the estate, remember?”
“I know that,” she replied, massaging her temples. “Are you trying to recover money that’s owed?”
“Sort of.”
“Is that what you’re doing? Did Claudia bring you in to collect debts?”
“I can’t discuss exactly why, Ursula, but you’re on the right track.”
She shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “I wasn’t lying about any of it, Gage. I truly don’t have any idea who he was working with. Karl was many things, and secretive was among them.”
“I believe you.”
They were quiet for a moment. Ursula set the coffee aside and lay backward, hand over her eyes.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
“You’re not going to fall back asleep, are you? We have to be out of the room by eleven.”
She shook her head. “I’ll drink that coffee and go home.”
“Eat the food, too.”
“Ugh. Maybe later. I’ve got the spins.”
“The what?”
“Just be glad you don’t drink.”
“I used to. Do you have to work today?”
“My day off.”
“Okay…thanks for inviting me to the concert. I really enjoyed it.”
Her voice cracked as she said, “It didn’t go like I’d wanted.”
“It was fine. You just had a little too—”
Ursula began to cry in earnest. She covered her face with her hands. Gage sat next to her on the bed, lifting her up and putting his arm around her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I thought maybe I’d have a chance with you, Gage. Then I had to go and get
