Charly made notes, having purchased a reporter’s pad at Bahnhof Zoo. It was the same kind as the one Berthold Weinert used, and he was the only reporter she knew.
‘Anyway,’ the Viennese continued, ‘Roddeck had an eye for ladies with a bit of loose change.’
‘Willy is implying,’ Bertrand interrupted, ‘that Roddeck received the largest tips.’
‘Right,’ Willy continued, ‘because he knew who would pay out.’
‘He made a decent living, then…’
‘Yes, above all since the Countess took him under her wing.’
‘The Countess?’
‘She isn’t really a Countess,’ Bertrand said.
‘No, she’s just rich,’ Willy explained. ‘Name’s de Graaf or something. Used to be a regular here.’
‘She became Achim von Roddeck’s dance partner?’
‘Not only that, if you ask me,’ Willy said, receiving another sideways glance from Bertrand.
‘She was his lover?’
‘It isn’t unheard of for a client to take up with a dancer,’ Bertrand said. ‘If they’re discreet enough, it can work out – at least, for a time.’
‘I see.’ Charly made notes, until she saw Betrand’s shocked expression. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I can be discreet too. This is all background information to build a better picture of Herr Roddeck.’
Background information. She had the expression from Weinert, and had experienced its meaning for herself. The pigeon droppings that had triggered Böhm’s exile to Köpenick.
‘He continued to work here as a dance host,’ Willy went on. ‘Only, he looked after the same client more or less every night. The Countess. They danced together, drank together, ate together, and disappeared together afterwards.’
‘Doesn’t sound very discreet,’ Charly said.
Willy shrugged. ‘Management turned a blind eye. They didn’t want to lose the Countess. She didn’t just dance at the hotel, she was a resident here too.’
‘How long did this go on?’
‘Two or three years.’
‘Then management stopped turning a blind eye?’ she asked. ‘Or why else was Roddeck dismissed?’
‘He wasn’t dismissed,’ Willy said. ‘The Countess dropped him like a hot potato.’
‘She did?’
‘These things happen. After that the lieutenant had a little trouble rejoining the ranks.’
‘Why?’
‘His colleagues first of all. We hardly treated him like the prodigal son, as I’m sure you can imagine. All those years thinking he was better than us. But no, the real reason for his demise was that he no longer had the ladies at his feet.’
‘He couldn’t just… swoop in… wherever he pleased?’
‘He was assigned to other, less lucrative tables. When you start getting rejected there, you know the writing’s on the wall.’
Bertrand hunched his shoulders. It seemed almost like an apology. ‘That’s how it is in our line of work, you just have to deal with it. At some point the years catch up with you.’ He looked so wistful he might have been referring to himself.
‘Is that why the Countess gave him the boot? His age?’
‘Who knows?’ said Willy. ‘Either way, she keeps a different private dancer these days. Der schöne Sigismund.’ Handsome Sigismund.
‘Sigismund? Like in the song?’ she blurted out, before looking around and whispering. ‘Is he here?’
Willy laughed. ‘No, no. After breaking with the lieutenant the Countess packed her bags and left. Sigismund dances at the Belvedere.’
56
On Eigelstein the whores stood outside the corner bars just as they always had, chatting up passing men regardless of age. Rath put off those who looked his way with a friendly smile. Here Cologne still felt like the Cologne of old; away from all the Nazi commotion life went on as before. A lone swastika flag flew at the far end of the street above the medieval city gate. The smell of mash from the nearby brewery hung in the air.
This time he was in luck. The shop was open. Master Watchmaker Eduard Schürmann looked up in surprise when he saw who had entered with the chime of the bell. ‘Inspector!’
‘Ede! Pleased to see you, and what a fine morning it is.’
‘Certainly, Inspector!’ The watchmaker was friendliness personified. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I was hoping you could fix something.’
‘Your lovely wristwatch? It looks brand new.’
‘It’s this business with the wallet. You remember?’
Ede tried his best to look stupid. ‘Of course! Tietz, wasn’t it?’
‘You do remember? Oh good. Then perhaps you can tell me where those fifty marks have got to.’
‘What are you talking about? I don’t know wh…’
Rath seized Schürmann by the collar of his grey overalls. ‘I know you pocketed the money before you dropped the wallet.’
‘My apologies, Inspector, a simple oversight. I thought I had put everything back.’
‘So you admit it.’
‘I don’t like to steal anymore, but sometimes the temptation is too great.’
‘When you’ve got such a lovely shop as well.’
‘It’s an itch. Sometimes you have to scratch.’
‘Perhaps you should have a doctor take a look.’ Rath let go of Ede’s collar and smiled. ‘Give me fifty marks and we’re even.’
‘You think it’s as easy as that?’ Ede smoothed down his overalls and cranked a lever on the prehistoric till. The drawer opened with a loud pling. ‘See for yourself, Inspector. Nothing but shrapnel. I’ve barely any change, so how am I supposed…?’
‘All I know is, I had to reimburse Herr Klefisch from my own wallet!’
Arriving at the police station, Rath had served up a story for Detective Wiefelspütz that not even he quite understood, but the Berlin Police identification coupled with the name Rath, which still held sway in Krebsgasse, had convinced Herr Wiefelspütz to accept his version of events and return the fifty mark note to its rightful owner.
Even so, he saw no reason to pay the sum out of his own pocket. ‘Do you know why I did it?’ he asked the thieving watchmaker.
‘I’m all ears, Inspector.’
‘Because I’m a humanitarian, and I didn’t want to report you. But that doesn’t mean I can’t change my mind, then you can kiss goodbye to all this.’
‘Please, Inspector!’ Ede seemed genuinely afraid. ‘Do you know what the SA do with people like me? They lock us up, whether we’re guilty or not.’
‘Then you appreciate the gravity of the situation. Give me the cash and I’ll say you’re an honest, upstanding watchmaker who hasn’t been on the rob for years.’
‘You’d do that, Inspector?’
‘Provided you give me the money.’ Rath held out his hand and rubbed his thumb against his index finger. ‘Otherwise the SA might hear a different story.’
‘I don’t have it, Inspector. Honest. If people settled their bills on time… but times are hard.’
Rath hadn’t seen Ede grovelling like this before, not even when he’d interrogated him a decade ago.
‘When can you have the money?’
‘A week, maybe two. Please, Inspector. You’ll get your money, just don’t report me!’
‘You’re joking, aren’t you? Two weeks. I’ll be back in Berlin by then.’
‘I’ll bring it to you. I’ll be there soon enough anyway.’
‘When?’
‘In April, for a trade fair.’
‘April? I’m warning you, Ede, there’ll be interest.’
‘Whatever you say, Inspector. Just don’t report me!’
Despite his empty travel fund, Rath relented and pushed his card across the counter.