The German wagged his finger at Bryce impishly.
“Ah, ah, ah! Surely you know that is a secret! I cannot tell youthat!”
“Oh, come now, good sir,” Bryce said, wagging his own finger athim. “You’re not being fair! We’re just two visiting foreigners who will beleaving Bamberg this very afternoon. Who would we ever tell? Your secret issafe with us.”
The beer vendor glanced back and forth, then leaned toward Bryceand London and whispered.
“It is the hops.”
“Hops?” Bryce asked.
“Taste it again.”
Bryce did so, and a light seemed to come on in his eyes.
“Of course!” he said. “Hefeweizen is normally made withfew if any hops. You’ve blended more hops with the fermented wheat. And maybesome extra barley as well. It produces more carbonation, and also a uniquebitter-mellow sort of flavor.”
“You are a man of discerning taste. I am glad it meets yourapproval. My name, by the way, is Helmut Preiss. My family has owned the SchutzkellerBrauen for four generations.”
Bryce shook hands with him and introduced himself and London andSir Reggie.
Bryce took another sip of the beer.
“There’s something else unique about this beer,” he said. “I can’tquite put my finger on it.”
“Surely you don’t expect me to tell you my whole recipe,” Preisssaid with a smile.
“Fair enough,” Bryce said to him. “In any case, I imagine yourbrewery has won first prize many years at the Hoffmann Fest.”
“I am proud to say that is true,” Herr Preiss said. “And I havehopes of winning the gold medal again this year.”
“I’m sure you will,” Bryce said. “But tell me—does anybody knowwhat unfortunate brewer is going to be this year’s dunked Katers Murr?”
Herr Preiss laughed gleefully.
“Not me, I am relieved to say! The lots have been drawn, and thatdubious honor has gone to another brewer. We can only hope he is very thirsty!”
As other customers crowded around his stall, Herr Preiss added, “ButI must get back to business. Eat and drink hearty.”
Back at their table, Bryce gave Sir Reggie another dog treat, andLondon and Bryce sipped more of the beer. They began to eat their Fischbrötchens,a type of sandwich that was common at food stands. Though hardly a gourmetfood, it was still delicious—a slab of grilled mackerel on a bun with a tart,tangy mayonnaise-based sauce flavored with pickles, onions, and horseradish.
And maybe a little curry, London thought.
The sandwich and the beer went perfectly together.
As London looked at the man sitting across the table from her, athought crossed her mind
Maybe that’s not all that’s perfect together.
*
After they finished eating, London and Bryce took a tour of thebeer vendors, sampling just a small cup of beer at each stall. The lagersranged from light, crystal-clear pilsners to darker, heavier bock beers withtheir toasty, ever-so-slight hint of sweetness. There were also various typesof Weißbier—“white beer” made from wheat—although none of the brands were nearly asdelicious as the Hefeweizen they’d first tasted.
Although the samples were seldom more than a good mouthful,London kept reminding herself not to overdo it. She was already feeling alittle lightheaded and would have to pay attention to the passengers latertonight when the Nachtmusik set sail again.
London and Bryce saw more familiar faces as they made theircircuit. The captain, who appeared to be drinking something non-alcoholic,seemed nevertheless to be quite jovial, seated as he was with four pretty, dirndl-cladyoung women. The staff and crew seemed to be maintaining a fair degree ofsobriety, which could not be said for a good many of the passengers.
London reminded herself that Bryce was the ship’s medic as wellas its chef.
“You might have to deal with a lot of headaches pretty soon,”London said.
“Don’t worry,” Bryce laughed. “The infirmary is well-stocked withaspirin. And I imagine my own recipe for treating hangovers is going to bequite popular.”
Bryce then cocked his ear.
“Listen,” he said. “Isn’t that sound familiar?”
London listened over the rumble of the crowd.
“Oh, my!” she said. “I do think I recognize that voice.”
She and Bryce and Reggie made their way toward the music. Sureenough, they found Letitia Hartzer singing along with a lederhozen-cladaccordionist. The song was “Lili Marlene,” a German love song that becamepopular all over the world during World War II, sung in those days with equalenthusiasm by Allied and Axis troops alike.
Gus and Honey Jarrett were also here, clad in theirfaux-traditional costumes and dancing to the music. A crowded circle of localpeople were watching and listening and singing along with delight.
When “Lili Marlene” came to an end, the audience offered mugs offree beer to Letitia and the Jarretts to ply them to sing and dance some more.The three tourists downed their beers a bit more quickly than they probablyshould have.
“Oh, dear,” London said. “They’re not going to be sober for long.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late to worry about that,” Bryce laughed.
Letitia and the accordionist launched into another song, thistime in English—“We’ll Meet Again,” another World War II favorite made famousby the British singer Vera Lynn. Some people in the audience knew those lyricsin English, and they sang along while Gus and Honey started dancing again.
As they walked on, London kept an eye out for Emil. But she soonfigured that her moody colleague had skipped the festival altogether. She didn’tsee any sign of Amy anywhere either. The truth was, London didn’t miss eitherof him.
She and Bryce and Reggie eventually came to a tiny puppettheater, where a marionette performance was in progress in front of an audienceof entranced and delighted children.
London explained to Bryce, “This is a performance of Kasperltheater,a genre of puppet theater in the German-speaking world. See thatcharacter with the big grin and the blue hat and the long nose? That’s Kasper,and he’s always the hero in Kasperltheater.”
A number of stock Kasperltheater characters paradedthrough the story—Kasper’s wife Gretel, a policeman, a robber, a grandmother,and other colorful personages.
In this particular story, an evil witch has turned Kasper’sfriend Seppel into a chicken. With the help of a good wizard, Kasper putsthings right again and is rewarded by the king for his resourcefulness andbravery, while the witch winds up getting eaten by a crocodile. After thishappy, triumphant ending, London and Bryce continued on their way.
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