Snow White Must Die (Bodenstein & Kirchhoff, #4)(142)

“What actually happened at the meeting today?” she asked Christoph. He turned on the light in the kitchen.

“Nothing good, I’m afraid,” he answered seriously. “Neither the house nor the barn were approved when they were built. And it’s next to impossible to obtain retroactive approval because of the overhead power lines.”

“But that can’t be!” Pia felt like the rug was being pulled out from under her feet. This was her house, her home! Where was she supposed to go with all these animals? She stared at Christoph, shocked. “Now what? What happens now?”

He came over to her and took her in his arms.

“The demolition order still stands. We can file an appeal that will delay it for a while, but unfortunately not forever. And there’s also another little problem.”

“Oh, please no,” Pia murmured, close to tears. “What else?”

“Actually the state of Hessen has the right of first refusal for the property, because at one time an autobahn exit was supposed to be built here,” Christoph told her.

“Oh great. Then I’m going to be dispossessed.” Pia wriggled out of his arms and sat down on the kitchen table. One of the dogs nudged her with his nose, and she patted his head absentmindedly. “All that money I paid goes down the drain.”

“No, no, listen to me.” Christoph sat down facing her and took her hand. “There’s actually some very good news too. You paid three euros per square meter. The state will pay you five.”

Pia looked up in disbelief.

“Who told you that?”

“Well, I happen to know a lot of people. And today I made a lot of phone calls.” He smiled. “And I learned something interesting.”

Then Pia had to smile too.

“If I know you, you’ve already found us a new farm,” she said.

“You do know me well, I’ll admit,” Christoph said, amused, but then turned serious. “The thing is, the vet who used to take care of our animals at the zoo wants to sell his former horse clinic in the Taunus. I went out to see the place a while back, because we were looking for someplace to house new animals under quarantine. The farm isn’t suited for that, but … for you and me and for your animals it would be a dream. I picked up the key today. If you want, we can drive out and see it tomorrow. What do you think?”

Pia looked into his brown eyes. Suddenly she felt overcome by a deep, warm surge of happiness. It didn’t matter what happened. Even if they had to tear down the house and leave Birkenhof. Because she wasn’t alone. Christoph would always stand by her, the way Henning had never done. He would never leave her in the lurch.

“Thank you,” she said quietly and reached out her hand to him. “Thank you, my darling. You’re simply incredible.”

He took her hand and held it against his rough cheek.

“I’m only doing all this because I want to move in with you,” he said with a smile. “I hope you realize that you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Tears welled up in Pia’s eyes.

“As if I’d ever want to,” she whispered, smiling too.





Tuesday, November 25, 2008



It was a little after five in the morning when Bodenstein left the hospital. He felt deeply moved by the sight of Amelie patiently keeping watch by Tobias Sartorius’s bed until he woke up from the anesthesia. He put up the collar of his coat and made his way to the service vehicle. At the last second he had managed to arrest Daniela Lauterbach. She wasn’t on the plane going to South America, but on the one headed for Australia. Bodenstein walked around the hospital building, lost in thought. The fresh snow creaked under his shoes. It occurred to him that almost three weeks had passed since the day the skeleton of Laura Wagner had been found at the Eschborn airfield. Previously in his career he had viewed every case from the sober perspective of an outsider who was getting a look inside the lives of complete strangers, but this time he felt like he’d been personally involved in events. Something in his attitude had changed, and he knew that he would never again feel the way he had before.

He stopped when he reached the car. He felt as though on the slow, calm river of life he’d suddenly gone crashing over a waterfall and was now sailing on stormy waters in a whole new direction. This image was alarming and yet exciting at the same time.

Bodenstein got into the car, started the engine, and waited until the windshield wipers had shoved the snow aside. Yesterday he had promised Cosima to drop by for breakfast and talk over everything in peace and quiet, if his work permitted. He was astounded to realize that he no longer harbored any anger toward her and felt fully able to discuss the whole situation objectively. He drove out of the parking lot and took the Limesspange expressway toward Kelkheim. His cell phone, which hadn’t worked inside the hospital, beeped. He took it out of his pocket and pressed the message symbol. A callback from 3:21 A.M. with a cell number he didn’t recognize. He pressed the number on the display at once.

“Hello?” said a sleepy female voice he didn’t recognize.

“Bodenstein,” he said. “Please excuse me for bothering you so early, but I had a callback number on my cell and thought it was urgent.”

“Oh … hello,” said the woman. “I went with my sister to see Thies at the hospital and got home really late. But I wanted to thank you.”