Fatal Lies (3 page)

‘Ball, you say?'

‘Yes,' said Rheinhardt, adding emphatically, ‘The
Detectives
' Ball.'

The old soldier mumbled something to himself and then, pulling himself up, said: ‘Humbly report – this way, please.'

He guided them to a door beneath the cloisters and they entered a long, shadowy corridor. At its end, in a pool of blue light cast by suspended paraffin lamps, stood two men in academic gowns.

‘Headmaster,' the old man called out. ‘They're here, sir. The gentlemen from the security office. Inspector Rheinhardt and his assistant.'

‘Thank you, Albert,' said one of the men. ‘Dismissed.'

The old soldier stamped his feet, saluted and shuffled away. Catching Rheinhardt's eye, the headmaster whispered. ‘A good fellow – saw action in '48. The Budapest siege.'

The headmaster was a man in his late fifties, with grey, almost white hair. A snowy thatch had been raked over his head to conceal a thinning crown. Although his cheeks were ruddy and plump, he possessed an alert, severe face, with high, arched eyebrows. A small triangle of hair curled outwards from his chin. He executed a perfunctory bow. ‘Professor Julius Eichmann, school superintendent.' He gestured towards his companion. ‘And my deputy, Doctor Bernhard Becker.'

The deputy headmaster inclined his head.

‘Thank you for coming, Inspector,' Eichmann continued. ‘And from a social engagement, it seems.' He scrutinised the policeman from head to toe, his expression souring slightly at the sight of Rheinhardt's muddy shoes and splashed trousers.

‘An accident,' said Rheinhardt.

The headmaster nodded sharply and said: ‘Well, Inspector, this is a most unusual circumstance. We are entirely in your hands. How do you wish to proceed?'

‘I would like to see the . . .' He hesitated before choosing to say ‘boy' instead of
body
.

‘Very well, we will take you to the infirmary.'

Rheinhardt frowned.

‘What? He's been moved?'

‘Yes,' said the headmaster.

‘Why?'

‘Why?' repeated the headmaster. ‘Why?' His voice suddenly
changed, climbing in pitch and volume. ‘What was I supposed to do? Leave him in the laboratory?' His rhetorical sarcasm revealed years of experience in the classroom. He glanced at his deputy and something passed between them. When the headmaster resumed, his voice was more steady. ‘I feared the worst, but was reluctant to pronounce the boy dead. I am not a medical man, Inspector. I thought it best to get him to the infirmary and send for Nurse Funke; however, as I suspected, she could do nothing for him.'

Rheinhardt automatically reached for his notebook, but then, suddenly remembering that he was wearing his tails, allowed his hand to drop. The headmaster's expression declared – quite clearly – that he believed Rheinhardt was an idiot. The Inspector took a deep breath and continued his questioning.

‘And after sending for Nurse Funke?'

‘I telephoned Doctor Kessler and the police. Some constables arrived within the hour. They are still here – one is standing outside the infirmary, the other is in the laboratory. I have no idea where Kessler is!'

‘Kessler is the school doctor?'

‘Yes.'

‘Where did he set off from, do you know?'

‘His apartment in the sixteenth district.'

‘The main road above Aufkirchen is impassable – a fallen tree, apparently. He may have been delayed, as we were.'

The headmaster tutted, almost as if Rheinhardt was a schoolboy presenting a weak excuse for not having completed his homework.

‘The infirmary is upstairs, Inspector,' said the headmaster. He then walked off at a brisk pace, calling back, ‘This way . . .'

Rheinhardt and Haussmann followed the headmaster and his deputy down an adjoining corridor. They began ascending a narrow staircase. When Rheinhardt caught up with the headmaster, Eichmann proceeded to give an account of the evening's events.

‘The deputy headmaster and I were in my office. We had barely begun our meeting when Professor Gärtner appeared at the door. He was evidently distressed. He had seen a light on in the laboratory and had entered, expecting to find the deputy headmaster.'

‘Science is my discipline,' Becker interjected.

‘Gärtner,' the headmaster continued, ‘had found the boy, Zelenka, slumped over a workbench.'

‘At what time?'

‘It must have been . . .' The headmaster glanced at his deputy for confirmation. ‘Just before seven?'

Becker agreed.

‘What was Zelenka doing in the laboratory?' asked Rheinhardt.

‘An assignment,' said Becker.

‘Which, presumably,
you
had set him?'

‘Yes,' Becker replied. ‘A simple inquiry into the effects of vinegar on certain compounds.'

Rheinhardt studied Becker more carefully. He was Eichmann's junior by a decade or so. His hair was relatively long, but receding, which had the effect of increasing the salience of his high, domed forehead. This feature, taken together with his perceptive eyes and gold-rimmed spectacles, conveyed a strong impression of superior intellectual endowment. His moustache was stiff and straight, projecting outwards beyond his jawline, and his thick beard was unusually styled, the tip having been clipped to achieve a forked extremity.

‘Why was he doing this assignment on his own? Was he being punished?'

‘No,' said Becker. ‘Not at all. Zelenka was one of our keener students. He was always requesting additional work.'

‘The deputy headmaster and I . . .' Eichmann resumed his story with renewed firmness of purpose, and his raised voice suggested he
was a little piqued that Rheinhardt's attention had shifted to his junior. ‘The deputy headmaster and I hurried down to the laboratory accompanied by Professor Gärtner. We tried to rouse the boy . . . but our ministrations had no effect. I returned to my office and made the telephone calls I referred to earlier, to the police and Herr Doctor Kessler. The deputy headmaster went to get Nurse Funke – she lives in one of the lodges.'

‘The lodges?'

‘Accommodation for the staff: built in our grounds and mostly occupied by masters. Nurse Funke has rooms in the building nearest the school.'

‘And what did Professor Gärtner do?'

‘He organised the transfer of Zelenka from the laboratory to the infirmary with the help of Albert and two prefects.'

The mention of prefects made Rheinhardt ask: ‘Where
are
the boys? I haven't seen one of them.'

‘Asleep, of course,' said the headmaster. ‘In the dormitories. They have to get up early for drill.'

‘And Professor Gärtner? Where is he?'

‘I believe he is resting in the common room. I suggested he retire there with a brandy. He was very upset.'

As they ascended the staircase, Rheinhardt noticed that the walls were very bare: blank expanses of grubby whitewash, no regimental photographs, trophies or flags, in fact nothing to please the eye. He also noticed the smell. A musty, institutional smell – redolent of boiled vegetables, poor ventilation, and latrines. It was a smell that permeated virtually all official buildings in Austria, and had attracted its own special appellation: the ‘treasury' smell. It was one that had followed Rheinhardt throughout his life. Sometimes, even on a cold, clear day, he could smell that distinctive cloying odour in his nostrils.

They arrived at the top floor and the infirmary. A constable was standing outside.

‘Security office?' asked the constable.

‘Yes, yes,' said the Inspector, now becoming rather irritated by the effect of his clothes. ‘Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt – and my assistant, Haussmann. You will kindly open the door, please.'

The constable, detecting both tetchiness and authority in Rheinhardt's voice, clicked his heels and meekly did as he was told.

Rheinhardt entered a stark, featureless room, painted over in the same monotonous whitewash. The ceiling was low, and four beds occupied most of the space. A tin sink was fixed to the wall, into which a dripping tap was reproducing the rataplan of a snare drum. On one of the beds was the body of the boy, Zelenka. A sheet had been thrown over him.

Sitting at a small desk, next to the door, was a middle-aged woman in a nurse's uniform. She stood up as the men entered. The headmaster thanked her for waiting, and introduced Rheinhardt and his assistant. She then went to the nearest bed and gently pulled at the cover. It slipped away, revealing the face of a young boy.

‘Thomas Zelenka,' said the nurse.

‘How old was he?'

‘Fifteen.'

‘I see.'

As far as Rheinhardt could make out, the boy was of medium build. He had a handsome, stoic face: a square chin and full, sensuous lips. His light brown hair – which originally must have been closely cropped – had grown out a little, producing a covering of dense bristles.

‘What happened?' Rheinhardt asked, puzzled.

‘I don't know,' said the nurse, shaking her head. ‘He was already dead when I arrived. I tried to resuscitate him – but there was little point in trying.'

‘And the cause of death?'

‘I am afraid you will have to ask Doctor Kessler when he arrives. I have no idea.'

Rheinhardt leaned forward and examined Zelenka's head. As he did so, he registered a light dappling of juvenile freckles on the boy's cheeks.

‘No bleeding? No signs of the boy having been struck?'

‘No,' said the nurse, sounding a sudden note of surprise.

Rheinhardt looked into her eyes. They were grey and watery.

‘Did you know the boy?' he asked.

‘Yes,' Nurse Funke replied. ‘I knew Thomas Zelenka very well.' She blinked a tear from her eye. ‘He was always catching colds . . . I used to give him a balsam inhalation to help him breathe.'

‘Did he suffer from any serious ailments?'

‘No – not to my knowledge. Although you had better ask Doctor Kessler.'

Rheinhardt turned to face the headmaster.

‘I would be most grateful if you would allow my assistant to call for a mortuary van. There will have to be an autopsy, and it is my preference that this be conducted at the Physiological Institute.' He then turned to Haussmann. ‘See if you can speak to Professor Mathias. I'd like him to perform an autopsy as soon as possible.'

‘Tonight, sir?'

‘Yes. Why not? Professor Mathias is a famous insomniac and always happy to assist. And while you're at it, see if you can get a photographer . . . but tell him to get a driver who is familiar with the woods around Aufkirchen, otherwise they'll never get here!'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘You will then meet me in the laboratory, equipped with pencils, paper, a notebook, and . . .' He broke off to address Eichmann. ‘Is art taught in this school, headmaster?'

‘Yes,' Eichmann replied. ‘We have a drawing and calligraphy master – Herr Lang.'

‘Good,' said Rheinhardt, before continuing to address Haussmann: ‘Some clean paintbrushes – preferably unused – and about twenty stiff isinglass envelopes. I am sure that the deputy headmaster will help you to find these items. You, headmaster, will kindly escort me to the laboratory.'

For the first time, the headmaster and his deputy were looking at Rheinhardt with something approaching respect.

‘Well?' said Rheinhardt, his voice rising in a fair imitation of the headmaster's earlier reproach. ‘What am I supposed to do – find it myself?'

LIEBERMANN HAD HAILED
a cab for Else Rheinhardt and was about to do the same for Amelia when she surprised him by saying:

‘No, Doctor Liebermann. I would very much like to walk home. I am still excited and will not sleep. A walk will do me good.'

‘Very well,' said Liebermann. ‘You will, of course, permit me to escort you?'

Amelia offered the young doctor her arm, and they set off in the direction of Alsergrund. At first, their conversation was given over entirely to the subject of
Fasching
. Amelia showed a keen interest in the historical origins of the ball season; however, in due course, Liebermann inquired how her studies at the university were progressing and she began to speak of more serious matters: microscopy, anatomy, diseases of the blood. She had also chosen to attend a course of philosophy lectures and had become very interested in the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche.

‘Are you familiar with his works, Doctor Liebermann?'

‘No, I'm afraid not.'

‘A pity. As a devotee of Professor Freud, you would appreciate his thoughts on the importance of unconscious mental processes. I have been somewhat preoccupied of late by his notion of
eternal recurrence
.'

‘Oh? And what is
that
, exactly?'

‘The idea that we are destined to repeat our lives again and again – in perpetuity.'

Liebermann was taken aback by Amelia's comment. She possessed a very logical mind, and he could not understand why such a whimsical notion had captured her attention.

‘As in reincarnation?' said Liebermann disdainfully. ‘The transmigration of souls?'

Amelia shook her head.

‘No, Herr Doctor – not at all. Nietzsche's proposal is rather different, and should not be confused with Pythagorean or Hindu doctrines.'

She had turned her face towards him. Beneath the brim of her feathered hat, Amelia's expression was typically intense. A silver ribbon had loosened and was dangling past her ear.

‘If my understanding of Nietzsche is correct,' continued Amelia, ‘then he is suggesting something much more plausible . . . something which – unlike comparable religious ideas – does not contradict science. Perhaps this is why I have been so preoccupied. I have had to re-evaluate a notion that I had previously rejected. Nietzsche seems to have provided a perfectly rational explanation for a supposedly metaphysical phenomenon.'