Part 2 (2/2)

A FEW DAYS later, Diane had a carefree luncheon with a few women friends, and as they left the restaurant, they pa.s.sed a gypsy fortune-telling parlour.

On an impulse Diane said, 'Let's have our fortunes told.'

'I can't, Diane. I have to get back to work.'

'So do I.'

'I have to pick up Johnny.'

'Why don't you go, tell us what she said.'

'All right. I will.'

Five minutes later, Diane found herself sitting alone with a sunken-faced crone with a mouth full of gold teeth and a dirty shawl over her head.

This is nonsense, Diane thought. Why am I doing this? But she knew why she was doing it. She wanted to ask if she and Richard had a future together. It's just for the fun of it, she told herself.

Diane watched as the old woman picked up a tarot deck and began to shuffle the cards, never looking up.

'I would like to know if-'

'Shhh.' The woman turned up a card. It was the picture of the Fool, colourfully dressed and carrying a satchel. The woman studied it a moment. 'There are many secrets for you to learn.' She turned up another tarot card. 'This is the Moon. You have desires you are uncertain about.'

Diane hesitated and nodded.

'Does this involve a man?'

'Yes.'

The old woman turned up the next card. 'This is the Lovers card.'

Diane smiled. 'Is that a good omen?'

'We will see. The next three cards will tell us.' She turned over another card. 'The Hanged Man.' She frowned, paused, and turned up the next card. 'The Devil,' she muttered.

'Is that bad?' Diane asked lightly.

The gypsy fortune-teller did not answer.

Diane watched as the old woman turned up the next card. She shook her head. Her voice was eerily hollow. 'The Death card.'

Diane got to her feet. 'I don't believe in any of this,' she said angrily.

The old woman looked up, and when she spoke, her voice was macabre. 'It does not matter what you believe. Death is all around you.

CHAPTER 3.Berlin, Germany The Polizeikommandant, Otto Schiffer, two uniformed police officers, and the superintendent of the apartment building, Herr Karl Goetz, were staring at the naked, shrivelled body lying at the bottom of the overflowing bathtub. A faint bruise circled her neck.

The Polizeikommandant held a finger under the dripping tap. Cold.' He sniffed at the empty liquor bottle on the side of the tub and turned to the building superintendent. 'Her name?'

'Sonja Verbrugge. Her husband is Franz Verbrugge. He is some kind of scientist.'

'She lived in this apartment with her husband?'

'Seven years. They were wonderful tenants. Always paid their rent on time. Never any trouble. Everyone loved . . .' He realized what he was about to say and stopped. 'Did Frau Verbrugge have a job?'

'Yes, at the Cyberlin internet cafe, where people pay to use the computers for-'

'What led you to discover the body?'

'It was because of the cold water tap in the bathtub. I tried to fix it several times, but it would never turn completely off.'

'So?'

'So this morning the tenant in the apartment below complained about water dripping through his ceiling. I came up here, knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, I opened it with my pa.s.skey. I came into the bathroom and found . . .' His voice choked.

A detective came into the bathroom. 'No liquor bottles in the cabinets, just wine.'

The Kommandant nodded. 'Right.' He pointed to the liquor bottle on the side of the tub. 'Have that tested for fingerprints.'

'Yes, sir.'

The Kommandant turned to Karl Goetz. 'Do you know where Herr Verbrugge is?'

'No. I always see him in the morning, when he leaves for work, but-' He made a helpless gesture.

'You did not see him this morning?'

'No.'

'Do you know if Herr Verbrugge was planning to take a trip somewhere?'

'No, sir. I do not.'

The Kommandant turned to the detective. 'Talk to the other tenants. Find out if Frau Verbrugge seemed depressed lately, or if she and her husband quarrelled, and if she was a heavy drinker. Get all the information you can.' He looked at Karl Goetz. 'We will check on her husband. If you think of anything that might be helpful-'

Karl Goetz said tentatively, 'I do not know whether this is helpful, but one of the tenants told me that an ambulance was parked in front of the building last night, and he asked if anyone was sick. By the time I went outside to see what was happening, the ambulance was gone. Does that help?'

The Kommandant said, 'It will be looked into.'

'What-what about her-her body?' Karl Goetz asked nervously.

'The medical examiner is on his way. Empty the tub and throw a towel over her.'

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