Page 42 of Anatomy of a Killer
‘But Steinhausen used to work as a site manager. . .’
‘Which doesn’t automatically make him a tradesman.’
‘Surely we can find that out?’
My mobile rings once more. Again it’s Ludwig and again I’m about to reject the call. But. . . if I do, he might decide to jump into his car and drive over here.
‘Excuse me for a sec,’ I say to Jakob, then answer the phone. ‘Hello, Ludwig.’
‘Anni.’ As so often, it sounds like a sigh, only less resigned and more exhausted. Our row seems to have really affected him.
‘Let’s talk about it another time, Ludwig, okay? It doesn’t suit—’
‘No, listen to me,’ he interrupts assertively. ‘I’ve spent at least half an hour wondering whether ringing you is the right thing to do. But I thought I had to, to prove you have no reason to doubt me. Anni, it’s like this. . .’
Ludwig waffles on and on– I can’t take any more, not a single word.
It’s only when he asks me if I’ve understood that I manage a ‘yes’, a lie. I’ve heard his words, but when it comes to their meaning my mind has abandoned me.
Six minutes, fourteen seconds, I see on the screen when we hang up. That’s how long the call lasted. Jakob is standing beside me, stroking my arm. I didn’t notice him get up from the table.
‘Ann? What’s wrong?’ Now I can feel his hand on my cheek.
I shake my head. Sometimes it only takes a second to change an entire life. That’s how it was with Dad’s arrest and also with Eva in the basement of the building site. But sometimes it takes a moment longer. Six minutes and fourteen seconds, to be precise.
I look at Jakob. ‘Steinhausen isn’t in Spain. But I know where we can find him.’
‘What?’
I nod. What Ludwig just told me is both horrific and a miracle:Anni, it’s like this. There seems to be a new case. In Schergel, in the Bavarian Forest.
Us
Sarah, sweetheart, wake up, wake up. I know you feel a bit woozy, but that’s not bad. It’s the magic working, you see? We’re now going to eat together: you, me and the princess. Yes, that’s right, the princess. Finally, it’s time for you to meet her. But first we need to take you to the loo. You have to do a wee, Sarah, be a good girl and do a wee so we don’t have another accident. That wouldn’t be very nice, would it? I often wet myself when I was your age, you know. I was so scared when my mummy shouted at me that I lost control over my body. I’m not saying she was a bad person, she just had weak nerves and wasn’t able to come to terms with her own anger. But all that’s in the past and unimportant now. Oh, look at your hair! It’s all dishevelled. Let me comb it for you, sweetie, okay? And then we’ll go into the kitchen. Your legs are still too feeble, I’d better carry you, come here. By the way, I’ve made a sausage casserole. Do you like that? I hope so. I want you to be very happy here. This is your place, sit down, Sarah, go on, sit down. Oh no, don’t topple off the chair, sweetheart! Lean back. It might be best if I fed you. Open your mouth like a good girl– yes, that’s right, that’s good. The way you’re looking at her. . . I can understand. She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? What about you, princess? Are you still angry that I slept beside Sarah last night? I just wanted her to feel comfortable, seeing as how everything here is still unfamiliar to her. Surely you understand that? Of course you do. Isn’t this marvellous, the three of us? I could get used to this. The two of you are such lovely girls, such lovely, beautiful, well-behaved girls. . . Now, now, Sarah, careful! Chew slowly and swallow– it’s no wonder you’re sick if you bolt it down. We’ll have to clean you up and then I think you should have another lie-down. I can read both of you a story if you like. What’s your favourite story, Sarah?Sleeping Beauty? That’s perfect.
Ann
Berlin– Schergel, 27 December 2017
‘A seven-year-old girl, Sarah, from Schergel, a village in the Bavarian Forest with just under a thousand inhabitants. Yesterday she and her mum went for a festive lunch with friends who also live in the village. Her mum sent her home early. It wasn’t far, just a few streets in a place where it’s impossible to disappear unnoticed. But when the mother got home in the afternoon to find Sarah not there, that’s exactly what seemed to have happened: Sarah had gone and nobody had seen her. By the evening, friends and neighbours had gathered to search the village and surrounding area. There was no sign of Sarah, but they did find red ribbons in a wood.’
‘Red ribbons, but no body?’ Jakob narrows his eye in puzzlement. ‘Where did the ribbons lead to?’
‘Nowhere, according to my father’s lawyer. They were just put at random in the wood.’
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
‘No, maybe it does,’ I say, then relay the rest of what Ludwig said, about the two possibilities the police in Schergel are considering. ‘Either the abductor still has Sarah in his power– but for some reason he thought it important to let the police know he’s active again and that they’ve arrested the wrong man– or the alternative is that it’s a copycat crime, or just a bad joke in poor taste. If so, the question still remains: where is Sarah? She’s not going to have run away and put out the red ribbons herself.’
‘What are you going to do now?’
‘I think you can guess that, can’t you?’
‘Good,’ Jakob says, nodding decisively. ‘I’m in.’
His jeep is parked in our drive, the boot facing the garage. I moved it myself this lunchtime from around the corner. I didn’t want a neighbour to see Jakob climb out of the boot, let alone risk a scene in the street. My concerns about that were greater than my inherent anxiety about getting behind the wheel of a car, and it was only a few metres down the road. Now Jakob suggests we take turns driving to Schergel and that I go first, giving him the opportunity to do some more research, but also to establish contact with the police and try to find out more details.
‘I haven’t driven since I had a car accident two years ago,’ I say, smiling helplessly.
