Snow White Must Die (Bodenstein & Kirchhoff, #4)(37)

She nodded and got up. He led her down the hall to a door.

“This leads through the pantry to the stables. Can you make it on your own?”

“Sure. I’m not scared. Now that it’s light out those guys aren’t going to be hanging around anymore,” she replied, determined to sound tough. They looked at each other and Amelie lowered her eyes.

“Thanks,” said Tobias softly. “You’re a brave girl.”

Amelie made a dismissive gesture and turned to go. Then something occurred to Tobias.

“Wait a minute,” he said, stopping her.

“Yes?”

“Why were you actually out in the yard?”

“From the picture in the paper I recognized the man who pushed your mother off the bridge,” Amelie said after a brief hesitation. “It was Manfred Wagner. Laura’s father.”

* * *



“You again.” Tobias Sartorius made no bones that the police were not particularly welcome. “I don’t have much time. What is it now?”

Kirchhoff sniffed at the air, smelling the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

“Do you have company?” she asked. Bodenstein thought he’d seen another person through the kitchen window, a woman with dark hair.

“No, I don’t.” Tobias remained standing in the doorway with his arms folded. He didn’t invite them in, although it had started to rain. Fine with him.

“You must have been working like a maniac,” said Pia with a friendly smile. “The place looks fantastic.”

Her attempt at friendliness fell flat. Tobias Sartorius remained aloof, his body language radiating disapproval.

“We just wanted to tell you that the remains of Laura Wagner have been found,” Bodenstein said then.

“Where?”

“You ought to know that better than we do,” Bodenstein countered coolly. “After all, you did transport Laura’s body there on the evening of September 6, 1997, in the trunk of your car.”

“No, I did not.” Tobias frowned, but his voice remained calm. “I never saw Laura again after she ran off. But I’ve already told the police that a hundred times, haven’t I?”

“Laura’s skeleton was discovered by construction workers at the old military airfield in Eschborn,” said Kirchhoff. “In an underground tank.”

Tobias looked at her and swallowed. There was a look of utter incomprehension in his eyes.

“At the airfield?” he murmured quietly. “I would never have gone there.”

All his animosity seemed to drop away at once; he appeared dismayed and distraught. Kirchhoff reminded herself that he’d had eleven years to prepare himself for this moment of being confronted with what he’d done. He must have reckoned that someone would find the girl’s corpse one day. Maybe he had practiced his reaction, planning in detail how he could make his look of surprise believable. On the other hand—why would he do that? He had served his time, and it shouldn’t matter to him if the bodies were found now. She thought about how her colleague Hasse had characterized this man: arrogant, overbearing, ice cold. Was that true?

“We’d be interested to know whether Laura was already dead when you threw her in the tank,” said Bodenstein. Kirchhoff kept her eyes fixed on Tobias. He was very pale and his mouth was quivering as though he were about to break out in tears.

“I can’t answer that question,” he replied tonelessly.

“Then who can?” asked Kirchhoff.

“That’s something that has occupied my mind day and night for eleven years.” His voice sounded like he was struggling to maintain control. “I don’t care whether you believe me or not. I have long since gotten used to being considered the villain.”

“Things would have gone much better for your mother if you’d said back then what you did with the girl,” Bodenstein remarked. Tobias shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“Does that mean you found out who the bastard was that pushed my mother off the bridge?”

“No, we haven’t yet,” Bodenstein conceded. “But for the time being we’re assuming it was someone from the village.”

Tobias laughed. A brief, cheerless snort.

“Congratulations on your incredibly astute observation,” he said mockingly. “I could help you out, because I happen to know who it was. But why should I?”

“Because that person committed a crime,” replied Bodenstein. “You have to tell us what you know.”

“I don’t have to do shit.” Tobias Sartorius shook his head. “Maybe you’re better than your colleagues were eleven years ago. Things would have gone considerably better for my mother, my father, and me if the police had done their work properly and caught the real killer.”

Kirchhoff wanted to say something to placate him, but Bodenstein spoke before she had a chance. “Naturally”—his voice was sarcastic—“you’re innocent, of course. We know that. Our prisons are full of innocent people.”

Tobias looked at him stonefaced. Fury suppressed with difficulty flickered in his eyes. “You cops are all the same—arrogant and full of yourselves,” he hissed contemptuously. “You don’t have a clue what’s going on here. Now get out and leave me in peace!”