In Matto's Realm: A Sergeant Studer Mystery (30 page)

"I'll come back to that," said Studer, unmoved.
"You must let me tell my story as well as I can, Herr
Doktor. It's not a simple case, not like the kind we get outside, among normal people. There I have so-called
circumstantial evidence, which I can interpret in one
way or another. Here every piece of circumstantial
evidence comes with a whole skein of psychological
complications - if you'll allow the expression -
attached ...

"Right then. You want a story with a beginning and
an end. Let me tell you the story of yesterday evening.
It lasted forty-five minutes, no longer.

"Try and picture the sitting room in little Gilgen's
house. There's a lamp hanging down from the ceiling
with a green silk shade fringed with glass beads. In the
middle there's a table, a solid table. A few pictures on
the walls - and postcards. You know the kind of postcard: a young lad with beautifully combed hair and a
coloured handkerchief in his breast pocket is kissing a
rosy-cheeked lassie. And a little verse, in silver writing,
underneath: `When lips are sealed with a kiss,/ The
music whispers this:/ I'll love you for ever, my . . . '
There were postcards like that fixed to the walls with
drawing pins. Dreyer was stretched out on the floor.
And Herbert Caplaun was sitting between me and
Jutzeler.

"I asked Jutzeler why he'd come here. Initially he
refused to answer, just shrugged his shoulders. Finally
he said he'd come to look for Pieterlen. He was convinced Pieterlen had hidden in the clinic at first, but
then it must have got too dangerous. So he'd asked
himself where Pieterlen could have gone to hide, and
he'd thought of Gilgen's house. He'd come in; the
room had been dark, then suddenly the light went on
and Herbert Caplaun was standing in front of him,
threatening him with a gun ...

"`Why were you going to shoot Jutzeler?' I asked
Herbert.

"`Because he's been spying on me ... Because he
was going to tell on me to my father ... Because he
told on me to Dr Laduner!'

"`But, Herr Caplaun,' Jutzeler said, `I haven't done
anything of the kind. Who told you that?'

"At that Herbert flew into a rage. He yelled at
Jutzeler, `You told the doctor I was in the heating
plant. How else could he have appeared at the door to
spy on me immediately after I'd pushed the Director
down. But I was quicker, I gave him the slip, he
couldn't catch me ... But I still couldn't get away
from him, from Dr Laduner. I went to his apartment
the next morning. He gave me a frosty reception, he
was so cold. He kept saying, "I don't want to hear
anything, Caplaun. Anything you have to say to me,
you have to say during analysis. I can't see you outside
analysis." That's what he told me that morning. And
in the afternoon I was on the couch and he didn't ask
me anything and I couldn't speak, all I could do was
cry. I only did it to show him my gratitude, but I
couldn't tell him that, he wouldn't have believed me
... Things are always different when you're lying
there and the other person is invisible and just
smokes and doesn't say anything, doesn't say anything
at all ... I cried, but I couldn't speak ... I kept thinking of the briefcase and the list of deaths and the
report on Gilgen's thefts ... I'd hidden the briefcase
well, in the furnace ... But I didn't tell the doctor
where I'd hidden it. I didn't say anything about the
Director, either. I knew you'd found the body already
and Dr Laduner knew everything ... But the doctor
didn't say anything, and I lay on the couch and cried
... You don't know what it's like, Sergeant, analysis.
I'd rather have pneumonia three times over. It's
supposed to be for my own good, it's supposed to make me a different person ... But to have to tell
everything! You can't tell everything - especially not a
murder. He was my father confessor, was Dr Laduner.
If I'd told him I'd pushed the Director down the ladder, what could he have done? Have me arrested? He
couldn't do that ... No more than a Catholic priest
can get someone arrested who's just admitted to a
murder during confession. . . '

"There you are, Herr Doktor, that's what Caplaun
told us, the two of us beside him, Jutzeler and me. And
Dreyer was still on the floor, still unconscious."

Studer fell silent, exhausted. He had worked himself
up into a fever as he spoke, but he did not dare to raise
his eyes.

"And you believed all that, Sergeant Studer?"

Studer looked up, giving the doctor a look of disbelief. Dr Laduner had no intention of lowering his
gaze. His eyes were sad.

At last Studer said angrily, "Herr Doktor, you
wouldn't be trying to teach an old detective when a
confession's true and when it's false, would you?"

"Sure-ly not," said Laduner calmly. "Carry on with
your story, I'll make the necessary deductions."

Studer scratched the back of his neck, unsure of
himself. Again he felt uncomfortable. He was like an
eel, was this Dr Laduner, always slipping out of your
grasp. What else did he know? Was there something to
this analysis after all? Had he really been taken in by a
false confession? But Herbert Caplaun's story had
sounded so genuine.

Better just get on with it, for God's sake, the next bit
was difficult enough to tell anyway.

"But you wanted to be covered, Herr Doktor," said
Studer reproachfully, "and I hadn't forgotten that
you'd offered me bread and salt, that you showed me Leibundgut in order to explain Caplaun's case, that
you took me in like a friend - and Frau Doktor
Laduner, too, she's been very kind, she's even sung
songs for me ... So I thought the best thing would be
for Caplaun to write down his confession and the two
of us, Jutzeler and me, that is, to sign it. I took great
care to see your name wasn't mentioned. I'd have to
arrest Caplaun, of course, but first of all I wanted to
bring him here and discuss with you how to proceed.
Lord in heaven, Doctor," said Studer with a heartfelt
sigh, "believe me, I wasn't trying to do your job for you.
I'm a simple man, Herr Doktor, I wanted to do what I
could to save you trouble-"

"Studer, Studer," Dr Laduner broke in reproachfully. "Those are all excuses. You protest too much!
You went on to do something you have difficulty justifying. Just tell me what it was, as calmly, as objectively
as you can, then we'll see what's to be done."

Studer gave another sigh ... One more little effort
and everything would be over ... Then he could leave
Matto's realm.

"Ernst," Frau Laduner suddenly said, "don't
torment our sergeant like that."

"Merci, Fran Doktor," said Studer in relief. Then he
went on.

"While all this was going on, Dreyer had been lying
motionless on the floor, his eyes still closed. But I
could clearly see his eyelids twitching. He'd come to a
long time ago. I left him there; however, I still had a
couple of questions I wanted to ask. I was supposed to
be seeking out the truth, Herr Doktor, the truth for us.
So I asked Caplaun, `And the wallet? Why did you hide
the wallet behind Dr Laduner's books?' At that
Caplaun blushed. Eventually he mumbled that he'd
expected that you, Herr Doktor, would thank him for what he'd done for you. He'd heard about the investigation that the Director had set in motion concerning
the deaths in D1 and he thought you were in terrible
danger. That was the reason why he'd pushed the
Director down the ladder. But you didn't show the
least gratitude ... And that made him furious, so he'd
decided to get his own back on you. If there was an
investigation, he thought, and the wallet was found in
your apartment, suspicion would fall on you and then
he, Herbert, would be able to come forward and confess, so that the whole world would see how noble such
a depraved character could be. Those were his own
words, more or less ... I accepted his explanation, but
then I wanted to know why Gilgen had stolen the
sandbag out of my suitcase.

"It was then that I learnt I'd been kept under observation by - however unlikely it sounds - Pieterlen.
Pieterlen had hidden in the empty attic above my
room; he'd felt that was the safest place for him. He
felt so safe he even risked playing the accordion there.
That's why Gilgen got such a shock when he was in my
room and I asked him who was playing. There was a
hole in the attic floor, so Pieterlen could observe
everything that went on in my room. He saw me hide
the sandbag and the piece of grey cloth in my suitcase.
During the night he slipped into Gilgen's room on the
ward and told him. But coming into your apartment
was too dangerous for him, which was why Gilgen had
to do it. Fear of getting the sack was just a pretext, he
knew he had nothing to be afraid of now you were
director."

Studer paused for a while, then went on.

"Caplaun calmed down ... his hatred of Jutzeler
seemed to have evaporated too. I went over to Dreyer,
prodded him and told him to stop pretending. He gave me a venomous look ... I really should have kept
a closer eye on him. But you can't think of everything
all the time.

"We, that is Jutzeler and I, had the pair of them
between us. Caplaun was walking beside me, then
came Dreyer and right over on the left wasJutzeler. We
were going along the road and Jutzeler said taking the
path along the river would mean a considerable short
cut. . ."

"Are you sure, Sergeant" Dr Laduner broke in, "that
it was Jutzeler who suggested it?"

Studer gave him a look of astonishment. "Yes, Herr
Doktor, quite sure."

"Aha," was all Dr Laduner said. Then he took his
hands out of the pockets of his dressing-gown and
folded his arms across his chest.

Studer became unsure of himself. "I don't know," he
said hesitantly, "if you know the place where the bank
is steep and close to the path? The river's deep there."

Laduner nodded silently.

"The path along there is so narrow we had to walk in
single file. I was in front, Dreyer came next, then Herbert, and Jutzeler at the back. I looked round from
time to time, but Dreyer kept his head bowed. It was
dark. On the left the bank dropped away to the river,
on the right was a steep slope with thick bushes growing up it. Suddenly I heard noises behind me, heavy
breathing, scuffling. I turned round. Caplaun and the
porter were grappling, each trying to push the other
into the river. I called out to Jutzeler to separate them,
since I was in a precarious position myself, right on the
edge of the path, with the ground crumbling away
under my feet. Jutzeler didn't move. He just stood
there, arms folded, like you, Herr Doktor, and watched
the struggle. Then everything happened very quickly. I had just managed to get a firm footing when I saw
Dreyer free his right arm, take a swing and hit Caplaun
on the chin. He toppled backwards into the water ...
Believe it or not, Herr Doktor, at that moment the
image of the Director falling backwards down into the
boiler room came to my mind. It seemed to me like ...
well, yes, like poetic justice. I might have been able to
grab hold of Caplaun, but then I would have certainly
fallen in the river with him. It's incredible how quickly
you think in moments like that, Herr Doktor. I didn't
move - I'm a poor swimmer, you see. Caplaun sank
straight away ... he didn't even cry out. The blow had
stunned him. The two of us, Jutzeler and I, seized
Dreyer and took him to Randlingen. I gave
instructions for him to be sent to Bern this morning."

Silence, a silence that was suddenly broken by the
shrill ring of the telephone on the table. Dr Laduner
stood up, gave his name, then handed the receiver to
Studer. "It's for you, Studer. I think it's the head of the
police unit at Bern railway station."

Studer listened in silence, then said, "Right," carefully replaced the receiver and turned round. His face
was pale.

"What's happened, Studer?" asked Dr Laduner.

"Dreyer tried to escape and ran straight into a lorry.
He was run over ... dead. . ."

Dr Laduner seemed still to be listening, even though
the word "dead" had died away a long time ago.

Then the smiling mask appeared on his lips again.
He held up his right hand, fingers spread out, and
placed his left index finger on the thumb. "First the
Director," he said, then the finger moved on to the tip
of his right index finger, "then Gilgen, that makes
two." Now it was the turn of the middle finger: "Three,
Herbert Caplaun," then the ring finger: "and four, Dreyer, the porter. I think you'd better give up this
case, or I won't have enough fingers, even with both
hands. But perhaps it's best like that." He paused, felt
for the bandage round his head, straightened it out
and said, "I was almost the fifth."

"Ernst!" exclaimed Fran Laduner, aghast, and
grasped her husband's hand.

"That's enough of that, Greti." said Laduner calmly as
he stood up and started to walk up and down the
room. Finally he stopped in front of Studer and folded
his arms over his chest again.

"You still haven't asked me about the deaths in Dl,
Sergeant. What conclusion have you come to? Am I a
doctor who puts the lives of the patients in his care at
risk by carrying out dangerous experiments on them,
or not?"

Studer pulled himself together. He tried to look the
doctor straight in the eye, but found he couldn't, so he
addressed his reply to the floor. "I presume that is a
matter for your conscience as a doctor and is no
business of mine as a layman."

"Well answered, Studer." Laduner gave an appreciative nod. "But I still owe you an explanation. In this
clinic typhus is endemic - that is, we have never managed to eradicate it completely. Despite all our precautions individual cases keep cropping up from time to
time. Then it disappears, only to flare up again weeks
or months later. Now, I observed that some hopeless
cases - mental defectives, catatonics - showed a sudden improvement after recovering from typhus. Two
cases who'd been in the clinic for ten years, classified
as incurable, we could even discharge after they
recovered from typhus. That gave me the idea of
deliberately infecting patients. I only tried it out on
patients who had been in hospital for at least ten years, whose condition had remained the same and for
whom there was not the slightest hope of
improvement.