Strangers: A Novel(69)

The visitor with the computer bag. “Yes, I remember. Where did you get my number?”

“It doesn’t matter. Just tell me … Have you heard from Erik? Do you know if he’s OK?”

I look up, see Erik shake his head decisively, and realize there’s an enormous opportunity offering itself up here for him.

“No.” I try to inject as much despair as I can into my voice. It’s surprising how easy it is. “I can’t get hold of him, even though I’ve been trying for hours, again and again.”

“So it’s true.” Bernhard too sounds as though he’s struggling to hold back tears. “I didn’t want this to happen, please believe me! I didn’t know what would happen, not exactly. They lied to me.”

“Who? Who lied to you?” There’s no way I can let Bernhard end the conversation now.

Silence.

Is he still there? If I scared him off now with my stupid, overly direct question, then I also blew the first real shot at shining a little light into the darkness surrounding us.

But he is still there. A little more composed than before. “That doesn’t matter anymore. It’s too late for Erik, but not for you, Joanna. You have to disappear, as quickly as you can. Please believe me. This isn’t a joke, you have to get yourself to safety.”

Cold fear grips my insides, quicker than my mind is able to wrap itself around what he’s saying. “But—who wants to hurt me? And why?”

Silence again, I hastily glance over at Eric, who is visibly trying to stay calm. To not give himself away.

“Tell me what’s going on!” I can’t stop my voice from breaking. “Please.”

Bernhard doesn’t answer again, but I can hear that the place he’s calling from has changed. Street noises, a car horn, and, in the distance, an emergency vehicle going past with its sirens on.

“It’s too complicated, I don’t have much time. The part you’re playing in everything that happened is too big for them to simply leave you in peace.” A dull thud, like a car door being slammed shut. “All the information you want is available, and if you stay alive long enough you’ll get it too, but for now you just have to believe me. Get yourself to safety, otherwise you’ll soon be dead, just like Erik.”





32

I can see that Joanna’s struggling to keep her composure as she puts the phone aside, her hands trembling. At the same time, I’m trying to take in what I just heard Bernhard say.

“What … does he mean by that?”

How the hell am I supposed to know, I think. “You’re asking me?”

“He said I play a big part in it. I know how that must sound to you right now, but I have no idea what he was talking about. You have to believe me.” Joanna wipes her face with a jittery hand. “I really don’t know.”

I listen to my gut and realize that my common sense is working again, in spite of this ever more ludicrous situation. Or maybe because of it. Either Bernhard and Joanna are in cahoots with Gabor and this phone call was some madcap attempt to convince me of their innocence, or Joanna’s really in great danger. I stare at her intently. “Where did Bernhard get your number?”

She shrugs her shoulder and shakes her head in exasperation. “I don’t have a clue.”

After spending a few moments thinking about what has just happened, I finally nod. “All right. I believe you.”

She seems surprised. “You believe me? Why now of all times, just after that phone call? I thought now you’d have even less reason to—”

“If you’d arranged the whole thing, you would have had an explanation for how Bernhard knows your number.”

She raises her eyebrows, making wrinkles appear on her forehead.

“That’s why you believe me all of a sudden?”

Yes, I think, and probably also because I want to believe you. Despite everything.

“Bernhard said you were in danger,” I say, ignoring her question. “So he knows what’s behind all this insanity.”

“But he also said he didn’t exactly know what would happen, and that someone lied to him.”

“Yes, and he thinks I’m dead. He knows something, maybe he knew that I was going to be killed, and did nothing to stop it. But either way, I’m about to find out.”

I jump to my feet angrily and reach for Joanna’s phone. The sudden movement causes waves of pain to surge through my body. I ignore them. Finally there’s a small chance of finding out what it is that’s turned our life upside down. And I’m not about to let it slip away. Bernhard, that two-faced bastard, he’s in for it now. “I’m going to give Bernhard a call. And he’s going to tell me what he knows, no matter how long it takes. I’m sure he’ll make time when he hears that I’ll report him to the police otherwise.”

“Don’t!” Joanna gasps quickly, making me pause. “He thinks you’re dead, remember?”

I give her a grim nod. “Perfect. So he’s going to be all the more surprised when he hears my voice.”

“No, Erik, don’t you understand? Whatever all of this means, if they think you’re dead, then they’re not going to be looking for you.”

“But they will be looking for you. Bernhard just said so loud and clear. That you’re in great danger. So what sort of difference does it make if they’re just looking for you or for the both of us?”