A Cold Mountain
Chapter 6
by Daniel Pears, published on September 4, 2000
August 29 2000, the late evening, Schloss Ritter, Rittersberg, Germany
Two men. They huddled themselves into the porch while they waited for me to open up. Plain clothes of the deliberately recognisable kind. Parked their car in my drive, a Volkswagen diesel, marked 'police' and fitted out with the usual array of mirrors and aerials. As I peered through the fish-eye their hatless faces stared back at me like bloated corpses: the elder man tall and moustached, the younger thin with dark hair. Wait, I told myself. Add a beat. That's being calm is all about. This is your own house, late at evening. Only then did I consent to unchain the door to them. Sixteenth-century, iron bound, and weighs a ton. The night sky restless. A capricious wind snapping at the trees. "Good evening, gentlemen. What can I do for you?" I said.
-"Good evening," the moustached man greeted me. "Inspector Erwin Oberg, homicide investigator with the Munich Kriminalpolizei. This is sergeant Viktor Linge. May we come in, please?"
-"Could I see some identification, please?" I asked. They pulled out their ID's. I studied them. Looked genuine enough to me. "Don't stand there freezing. Come on in."
My entrance lobby was a late addition by my grand-grand father. It seemed to be guarded by a wild dragon-like creature, which artistically created the banister at the top of a great spiral staircase. The walls and ceiling of the entering-room were completely oak-panelled and the furniture was also made of solid oak. Above the panelling, the walls were decorated with a cycle of painting, illustrating the members of the Schattenjäger order. A centrepiece of gilded bronze on the table showed Siegfried fighting the dragon. For a moment, there we stood, all three, going neither up nor down while we looked each other over.
-"This is Schloss Rittersberg, is it not, sir?" said the inspector. "Only we didn't seem to see a sign at all."
-"Yes. What can I do for you?" I was speaking the way I speak to trespassers.
-"Then you would me Mr. Knight, am I correct, sir?" The inspector suggested with a smile. Why I say smile I don't know, for his expression, though technically benign, was devoid of humour or semblance of goodwill.
-"Yes, I'm Knight," I replied, but preserving the note of question in my voice.
-"Mr. Gabriel Knight? Just routine, sir, if you don't mind. Not disturbing you, I trust?"
-"Routine?" I echoed with disbelief. "At this time of evening? Don't tell me my car is out of date."
-"No, sir, it's not about your car licence. We're enquiring about a delicate affair. May we speak to you in private, sir?"
I allowed myself a chastened pause, then a frown midway between amusement and vexation. "Let me show you the way to the writing room, please." The three of us climbed up the stairs and entered a long corridor. Most of the time, visitors to Schloss Rittersberg make a reverent pause at this point while they take in the portraits' gallery and the wagon roof with its armorial bearings. Not the moustached man and his assistant. We entered the second room on the right. Furnished with green and gold fabrics, the writing room was decorated with scenes from the life of the knight Tannhäuser. Together with the high oak panelling and the built-in furniture, they formed an unbroken, warm-toned wall covering under the richly carved wooden ceiling, and hermetically cut off the interior from the outside world. "Like all the murals in the rooms," I remarked, "these are painted on coarse canvas with fringes and braiding to give the impression of tapestries." Sergeant Linge nodded distantly and Inspector Oberg didn't seem to care at all. "Have a seat, gentlemen. Would you like something to drink?" They declined my offer. Once we were all seated, I asked. "So, tell me about it."
-"We're enquiring about a man. We're given to understand that you might be an acquaintance of him."
-"And who might this person be?"
-"That's precisely the problem, Mr. Knight," the inspector said severely. "We don't know who this man is."
-"Pardon me?"
-"You see," the sergeant intervened, "this man was murdered earlier this evening, right in the centre of Munich. Stabbed to death several times. A very dreadful business. Someone took his wallet, passport maybe or any other mean of identification."
-"That's terrible," I murmured. "But what makes you believe I knew the man?"
-"We found one of your business cards in his pocket," Inspector Oberg retrieved a small card and handed it over to me. "Do you recognise it?"
-"Of course," I nodded. "This is indeed one of those I printed last year."
-"Have you any idea why this man had your business card on him?" The inspector's eyes were on me all the time. "Were you supposed to meet someone this evening?"
No. It couldn't be him. That's impossible! "For Heaven's sake," I laughed, "I was meant to see someone by half past six, but it couldn't possibly be that man."
The sergeant glanced at the inspector. The inspector glanced at me, his smile stretched to the limits of its patience. "Well now, sir, if I could just go back to my original question," he said with terminal courtesy. "Are you an acquaintance of that man? Did you know him?"
-"If that's the man I'm thinking about, yes," I replied blandly. "But it's highly improbable!"
-"And who might he be?"
-"Dr. Russel Frey of Cambridge University."
-"Is that so?" The inspector was back with his smile. He delivered in an inside pocket and extracted a black notebook. "Pray go on."
I hesitated. Intentionally. "Dr. Frey contacted me about a week ago. Apparently he knew my uncle, Wolfgang, who had been Schattenjäger for many years until his death two years ago."
-"Forgive my ignorance, Mr. Knight," the inspector raised his right hand. "But what exactly a Schattenjäger is?" I gave a sprightly laugh. We were entering a dark area, and I needed all the self-assurance I could muster. "A Shadow Hunter. In other words, I assist people when they need my help."
-"What kind of assistance?"
-"How shall I put this?" I hesitated. "You may say that I help them to see what is usually unseen to most of the people."
-Well, sir, I think we have distracted ourselves," the inspector remarked dryly. "We're rather good at that I notice. You were saying that you had been contacted by Dr. Frey. What did he want?"
-"I'm afraid I can't help you there," I apologised. "When Dr. Frey contacted me he asked to speak with Wolfgang. When I told him he had died, the Doctor sounded deeply concerned. He was about to put an end to our conversation, when I told him that I was the new Schattenjäger He calmed down and asked if he could see me as soon as possible. We agreed to meet today at half past six at my house. When he didn't show up I simply assumed he had missed his fly or had encountered some delay. I expected him to call me the following day."
-"And he didn't tell you why he wanted to meet you?"
-"No. When I asked him about it he told me he couldn't speak about that over the phone."
-"And you don't know what he looks like, I suppose?" the Inspector said.
-"That's right. I've never met him in person."
-"Which means that Dr. Frey might not be our dead victim after all," Inspector Oberg seemed lost in his thoughts. He turned to the sergeant. "Linge, call the station and ask them if they've got something new. We might have to contact the airport authorities as well to check whether Dr. Frey has already been through the passport control."
The sergeant's right hand tucked inside the breast of his suit. He flicked his radio transmit button and contacted the police station. "Officer Hagen. This is Sergeant Linge. Over."
-"Officer Hagen here. Hello again, sergeant. How can I help you? Over." Came the reply.
-"Have you got any new information about the identity of homicide case H234 914? Over."
-"Yes, sergeant. We know that he checked in at Hotel Montree in Dachauerstrasse under the name of Dr. Russel Frey. We brought his luggage down to the station. You might want to have a look on it when you stop by. Furthermore, we've got a witness who saw him earlier this evening and had a little chat with him. The guy is Rudolf Pechel, the barman at Glück. It's a small pub in Nyphemburgstrasse. Over"
-"Thank you, Hagen. That would be all." Sergeant Linge turned off the radio and glanced at the inspector.
-"Well, at least we know that the victim was indeed Dr. Russel Frey," Inspector Oberg smiled. "Do you mind if I smoke?"
-"Not at all." Oberg lit a cigarette. He paused, but I still didn't interrupt him. Why didn't Dr. Frey check in under another name if he thought he was in danger? I asked myself. Why didn't he come directly to my place instead of checking in at Hotel Montree and risking his life in Munich? Did someone follow him?
-"Have you told to someone else about the arrival of Dr. Frey?" The inspector finally asked. "Perhaps to some of your friends or relatives?"
-"Only to Grace Nakimura." I hoped to satisfy them with this bland answer.
-"Who is she?"
-"My companion."
-"Is she here?" Oberg licked a thumb and turned a page of his black notebook.
-"Where else could she be?"
-"Has she been to Munich today?"
I stood up. "Inspector Oberg. Sergeant Linge. I think I've had rather more than enough of this. One minute you are engaged in the murder enquiry. The next you're practically accusing me or my companion of the murder itself!"
-"Calm down, Mr. Knight," the inspector puffed away. "This wasn't my intention. I simply wanted to know if someone else knew about the arrival of Dr. Frey. That's all." He paused and glanced at the sergeant. "Please, sit down." When I did so he continued. "Would it be too much trouble to ask Miss Nakimura to join us? I would like to ask her some questions. It won't take much long."
-"I think I'm going to call my lawyer, gentlemen."
-"No need for that, Mr. Knight," Sergeant Linge intervened. "Germany is not like the United States. Here, we hardly call lawyers for such matters. The inspector simply wants to make sure Miss Nakimura can't help us in some way. I can assure you it's the usual procedure."
-"Ok, I'll let you talk to her. But if in the slightest degree doubtful, I'm calling my lawyer. Are we agreed?" Both men nodded and I left the room. I walked along the corridor and flung open the door of the bedroom. I was hit by a gust of cold air from the opened veranda door. "Are you out there, honey?" I asked.
-"Yes, Gabe," came the reply.
I passed the door into the veranda. Grace was sitting on a wooden chair. She was covered with a light blanket. A book and an empty cup of coffee were placed on a small white garden table that stood next to her chair.
-"I challenge you to find a more romantic spot in all of Germany than this veranda of Schloss Rittersberg," she said. "Small towers either inviting you to step to the railing or lean on a windowsill and gaze upon this medieval town of Rittersberg, church spires and cobblestones squares laying out at your feet." She turned to me, her velvet brown eyes were wide and sparking with delight. Her smile was effortless. She seemed happy to be here. "I thought I heard someone knocking on the door. Is it true or was I merely dreaming?" I stepped toward her and put my hand on hers. I checked her eyes to see if she was all right. It had been more than six months since her mother's death but that wasn't really a lot of time. She seemed fine to me. I suspected she'd tell me if that changed. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, gently and lovingly. She smelled of flowers. "What was that for?" She asked, smiling.
-"I love you Grace. You know that." She squeezed my hand a little and then gazed at the ancient town once again. "Two police officers are here," I began. "An inspector and a sergeant. It seems that Dr. Frey, the guy I was supposed to meet today, was murdered. He was stabbed to death in Munich."
-"Oh, my God!" Grace exclaimed, still gazing at the town. "Do they know who did this?"
-"No," I cleared my throat. "They want to ask you some questions. They know that I told you about him. You don't have to come if you don't want to. I don't want to bother you with this stuff."
Grace was thoughtful for a moment before she answered. "But I want to," she stood, pushing away the blanket. She pulled back her hair. "Really, Gabe. I don't mind." She laughed. "Don't be so worried. I'll be fine." I loved to hear her laugh. I loved everything about her actually.
We kissed once again and then we left the veranda. When we reached the reading room, the sergeant was examining the portraits and the inspector was about to light another cigarette. "Gentlemen," I began. "May I introduce you to Grace Nakimura. Grace, this is Inspector Oberg and the gentleman over there is Sergeant Linge." Once they all shook hands, I suggested. "Let's have a seat so you can ask all your questions." I turned to Grace. "Do you want something to drink, love?"
-"Orange juice, please. With Ice."
I walked to the mini-bar, which was located near my seventeenth century desk, and pulled out a bottle of orange juice and some ice.
Meanwhile, Inspector Oberg turned another page of his black notebook and glanced at Grace. "I won't take too much of your precious time, Miss Nakimura." He cleared his throat. "Is it right that Mr. Knight told you about the arrival of Dr. Frey?"
-"Yes, inspector," Grace nodded.
-"Do you recall when exactly?"
-"I suppose it was about a week ago, perhaps less. We were having dinner when the telephone rang. I picked it up. It was a man with a distinct British accent. He asked to speak to the Schattenjäger That's about all."
-"You did not speak with him again?"
-"No. When Gabriel came back to the dining room, he told me that someone called Dr. Russel Frey of Cambridge University wanted to meet him on August 29 at half past six. I asked why, but Gabriel," she paused, "Mr. Knight, I mean, said the man wouldn't tell him until they meet in person."
-"And you haven't heard from Dr. Russel until today. Is that right?"
-"I've told you so, yes. Gabriel was a little surprised when the man didn't show up for their rendezvous, but I told him not to worry about. I assumed he had missed his fly. I suppose I was wrong," she giggled uncomfortably.
I locked the door of the mini-bar and handed the glass of orange juice to Grace. "Here you are," I smiled.
-"Thanks, Gabe." She sipped her drink and glanced at the inspector. "Anything else, Inspector Oberg?"
-"Have you been to Munich, today, Miss Nakimura?"
-"Inspector Oberg," I raised my voice.
-"It's all right, Gabe," Grace said. "The inspector is only doing his job." She turned to Oberg. "No, I haven't been to Munich. This morning I went to the convenient store in Rittersberg and bought some food. Then, I had spent some time in the garden and afterwards Gabriel and I had launch at the guesthouse in Rittersberg. You can ask Herr Huber, the owner of the guesthouse. Then I went to sleep and when I woke up, by five, we had dinner. Then I went to our veranda to read and enjoy the evening cool air. At half past seven Gabriel came to tell me that Dr. Frey hadn't show up for their meeting. I told him not to worry and he decided to go to the writing room to finish up the next chapter of his book. He's a writer, you know." She put the empty glass on the table. "That's about it."
-"And what about you, Mr. Knight," the inspector asked. "You haven't been to Munich today?"
-"Grace has just told you that I've been in Rittersberg all day, hasn't she?"
-"There's no need to be oversensitive, Mr. Knight. As Miss Nakimura has pointed out, I'm merely doing my job." He wrote something down in his black notebook. "If I get it right, then, neither you nor your companion know nothing about Dr. Russel Frey. Am I correct?"
-"Well, not exactly," Grace smiled shyly. "You see, right after Gabriel had spoken to Dr. Frey over the phone, I decided to ran a check on him."
-"Pray tell us more, Miss Nakimura," the inspector said, glancing at Sergeant Linge.
-"I simply consulted SIDNEY or if you prefer the Schattenjäger Information Database."
-"Which consists of what exactly, Miss Nakimura?"
-"Let me show you," Grace stood. "I'll be right back." She left the room and after a short while came back, holding her laptop. She put it on the desk and motioned to the police officers to step closer. She turned the computer on and pointed to the screen. "From the main screen, I can access all of the areas of SIDNEY: add data, search, e-mail, analyse and translate. From the search screen I can perform searches of many topics. To search, I simply have to type a keyword or topic in the box and hit enter or the 'Search button.' For example," she wrote something down, "if I type 'Cambridge University', I get general information about the university. I can scroll up and down to see the entire article."
-"Why some of the words are underlined in yellow?" The sergeant asked.
-"Well, from the articles, you often find links to other related articles or Internet sites. In this case, if I click on the word 'Cambridge University' it takes me to the official site of the university." She did so and the search screen changed to the introduction page of Cambridge University Official Site. "This site contains many topics," Grace explained, pointing to the screen, "such as 'Local & Internet Search', 'Searching for people', 'Libraries & computing resources', etc. I first tried to click on 'Searching for people', but you actually have to belong to the university if you want to consult this option. Therefore, I tried something else." She clicked on 'Index of University websites'. "Clicking on this option takes me to the list of the different departments of the university. Each department on the list is in fact a direct link to the site of that department." Grace glanced at the inspector. "I tried them one by one and.", she clicked on 'the department of Archaeology', "and bingo!" She clicked once more on 'Contacting people' and then on 'Academic staff'. "And here we are, gentlemen! Dr. Russel Frey, office: oriental studies, phone: +44 (0) 1223 335, e-mail: rfr@cam.ac.uk. In fact, Dr. Frey is the head of the Hebrew and Aramaic Studies at Cambridge University." She turned to Oberg. "You see, inspector, it's quite easy."
-"Isn't she wonderful, Inspector Oberg?" I remarked proudly.
-"Very impressive, indeed!" The Inspector glanced at the screen and wrote down the phone number and e-mail address of Dr. Frey. "We should have such an advanced searching tool down at the police station as well." He slightly touched Grace's shoulder. "Miss Nakimura, perhaps you could do me another favour. We've found an intriguing paper near the body of Dr. Frey. It seems to be part of a book or a study. It's marked 236 and there's no title whatsoever. Would you mind running a search on it, thus I won't have to lose my time contacting the university of Munich?"
-"No problem, inspector. Show it to me, please." I smiled to myself. Grace was back on the right track. No one can ever distract her from her work when she smells a new and challenging case. Inspector Oberg motioned to the sergeant who immediately retrieved a plastic bag from his pocket and handed it over to Grace. She examined it shortly and then began to type on her laptop. "I am entering one of the paragraphs of the text to the searching tool box." When she finished, she clicked on the 'Search' button. "Let's see." The computer made some short and repetitive noises and then some links appeared on the screen. "You were right, inspector. It seems to be part of a book called 'THE JEWISH WAR', written by Josephus Flavius." She clicked on one of the links and it brought up a long text written in small characters. "In fact, this page," she pointed to the paper, "is the beginning of Chapter I of Book VII entitled 'HOW THE ENTIRE CITY OF JERUSALEM WAS DEMOLISHED, EXCEPTING THREE TOWERS; AND HOW TITUS COMMENDED HIS SOLDIERS IN A SPEECH MADE TO THEM, AND DISTRIBUTED REWARDS TO THEM AND THEN DISMISSED MANY OF THEM.'"
-"I see," the inspector wrote it down in his notebook. "And what can you tell me about the author?"
-"Just a moment," Grace clicked on the name of the author. "Well, Josephus, Flavius (AD 37 or 38-circa 101), Jewish historian, born in Jerusalem of both royal and priestly lineage. His original name was Joseph Ben Matthias. A man both learned and worldly, he was a member of the Pharisees, and also a public figure who, before the Jewish revolt against Rome (66), had made friends at the court of Emperor Nero. The parts played in the revolt by the Zealots, and their opponents the Pharisees, who considered it futile, led to ambiguity in the historical record of the role of Josephus, a Pharisee, in the conflict. His own writings present two conflicting accounts of his mission in the province of Galilee (in what is now Israel). Whichever story may be true, apparently he prepared Galilee for the coming onslaught and in 67 valorously repulsed the advance of Vespasian, the Roman general who was soon to become emperor, defending the fortress of Jotapata for 47 days before surrendering. Josephus would have been sent as a prisoner to Nero had he not had the wit to prophesy that his captor, Vespasian, would himself one day be emperor. This prophecy accorded with Vespasian's ambitions, and the general kept Josephus with him, thus probably saving his life." Grace paused for a while, somewhat lost in thoughts. "While Vespasian's prisoner, Josephus saw the subjugation of Galilee and Judea. Subsequently freed, he adopted Vespasian's family name, Flavius. Accompanying another future emperor, Vespasian's son Titus, he witnessed Titus's siege of Jerusalem in 70. Thereafter, enjoying imperial patronage under Titus and his brother's successor, Domitian, Josephus lived until his death in Rome and devoted himself to his writing." Grace glanced at the screen. "There's something about his books." She took a deep breath and then continued. "His works include The Jewish War (in 7 books), which he wrote to dissuade his people and other nations from courting annihilation by further revolt against an all-powerful Rome; Jewish Antiquities (in 20 books), a history of the Jews from the creation to AD 66 that eloquently demonstrates how his people had flourished under the law of God; an autobiography, Life; and Against Apion, a refutation of charges against the Jews made by the anti-Semitic Greek grammarian Apion (flourished 1st century) and other likeminded writers. The last named is invaluable, because Josephus recapitulates writings on Jewish history that are no longer extant." She turned to Oberg. "There is nothing else, inspector."
-"Well," Inspector Oberg closed his notebook and put it back in his pocket. He took the plastic bag containing the paper and handed it back to Sergeant Linge. "This is all very interesting, but I don't see how this book and the historical stuff are related to the murder that preoccupies us."
-"Why did the murderer take the book or part of it from Dr. Frey?" I asked. "Surely 'The Jewish War' can be found in most of the libraries."
-"Perhaps the copy of the Doctor contained his notes and remarks," Grace suggested.
-"It might be possible," the inspector said. "However, the page we found has no notes on it, that's for sure." He cleared his throat. "Well, Mr. Knight, Miss Nakimura, thank your very much for your cooperation. Can I ask you not to live Rittersberg for a day or two? We might ask you further questions. However, if you have to go, please inform us and give us the address and phone number of the place you will be staying at." He retrieved a small card from his inner pocket. "This is my business card. You can reach me either at my office or at home at any time." He handed it over to me and then motioned to his assistant. "Let's move, Sergeant Linge."
Both men shook our hands. "Let me show you the way out," I suggested.
-"Do not bother, Mr. Knight. We can manage by ourselves. Good night."
As soon as the police officers left, I took the empty glass and went to the kitchen, while Grace turned off her laptop and brought it back to the Schattenjäger Library. In the kitchen, I poured myself some water. When I finished my drink, I washed the empty glass, dried it and put it on the shelf. When I finally reached our bedroom, Grace was already in bed, her bedside lamp turned on. She glanced at me as I dressed off and got into the bed. "What are you thinking about?" I asked her.
-"Nothing in particular."
-"Come on, Gracie. I know that look."
-"What look?"
-"That look!" I laughed. "The look that says 'let's do it."
-"Do what?"
-"Investigate. You want us to investigate why Dr. Frey was murdered."
-"Well, we have a moral obligation to him." Grace put her hands around me. The movement was graceful.
-"What are you talking about?"
-"He called you, Gabe. He wanted you to help him and he was murdered. Does it not sound strange?"
-"Maybe it's merely a coincidence."
-"Maybe it's not."
-"Besides, I'm not sure you're ready to cope with a new investigation just yet."
Grace gently covered my mouth and kissed me. Her lips were soft and moist against mine. She opened her eyes, looked at me, and smiled. I love that natural smile of hers. Grace gently pulled herself away from me. "Do I look exhausted and oversensitive to you, Gabe?"
-"Your heard the inspector. He asked us to stay in Rittersberg for a couple of days."
-"Actually, Inspector Oberg said that he preferred we wouldn't go anywhere. It doesn't sound like an order to me." She laughed. "Besides, you can go first and then I'll join you."
-"Where to?"
-"Why, to Cambridge University, silly."
-"To Cambridge University?"
-"Of course. Some of the Doctor's colleagues might know why he wished to meet you. That can be a good starting point."
-"You think so?"
-"I'm positive."
-"Well.."
-"Yes?"
I lightly brushed her cheek with my fingers. "I think you'll have to convince me a little more."
-Is that so, Mr. Knight," she laughed. "You might regret it. I can be very persuasive when I really want something." She turned off her bedside lamp and kissed me slowly all over my face. Then Grace said something. "Convinced enough, Mr. Knight?"
Last update: October 24, 2007
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