Strangers: A Novel(74)

I hesitate, then shake my head. “For now, I’d rather stay here. In case Erik turns up again.”

The man shrugs regretfully. “We’d like to station someone here to protect you, but right now we need everybody we’ve got. So it’s best if you don’t open the door to anyone and call the police if anything strange happens. Maybe you have some friends who could stay with you for a few days?” I don’t answer and just shrug instead.

“OK then. If you change your mind…” He presses a card into my hand; I take it with a grateful smile.

No place the police could offer me would be as safe as the one I’m going to get us to.

Just another day, then everything will be over.





34

I exit the pantry. At last. I felt like a criminal, hiding in there.

The fact that Joanna knowingly lied to the police officers is arousing a feeling of discomfort inside me. After all, these men are some of the people we’re hoping will help us. But she’s right, it had to be done.

Roughly another minute passes before she calls from the hall. “You can come out now, their car is leaving.” She stops in the passage through to the kitchen when she sees me sitting at the table.

“You did that really well,” I say.

She sits down opposite to me. “What else—”

The doorbell. Again. I shoot her a querying look, and she does the same to me.

“The police,” Joanna guesses and gets up.

I follow suit. “Yes, maybe they forgot something. Sneak over to the door and take a look. But don’t open it if it’s somebody else.”

She nods at me. I see the fear in her eyes. Can she see it in mine too? She sneaks into the hall and I position myself by the door to the storeroom, ready to vanish into it again.

Nothing happens for quite a while, then Joanna says something. So the policeman really did come back. I pull the storeroom door shut behind me until only a small strip of light falls through.

Joanna’s voice again; I can’t understand what she’s saying. I hear it again, more muffled … no, that’s not Joanna. It’s coming from outside. Another woman. She keeps talking, quickly and excitedly. I think I hear my name, and suddenly I can understand everything that’s being said.

Joanna has let the woman come into the house.

Then I recognize the voice. Nadine. I clench my teeth so hard it hurts my jaw. This simply can’t be happening. Nadine, of all people. What if Gabor sent her? Ever since her performance here the other day, I wouldn’t put anything past her. I hear the front door being pushed shut.

“Thanks for letting me in,” I hear Nadine say. “Despite the stupid way I acted a few days ago.”

“If you really wanted to talk to me, you could’ve just called.” The way Joanna’s talking to Nadine leaves no doubt about the fact that she’s not particularly thrilled by her showing up here.

“I did, but you wouldn’t pick up. That’s why … I just need to know about Erik. Also, I—” She pauses. Formulates a new sentence. “I’ve been here for a while. The two men arrived almost at the exact same time as I did. I hid and waited until they’d left again. So that’s how I knew you were home. Who were they?” Nadine’s voice still sounds agitated.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because I … was it someone from my work?”

There’s a brief pause. Joanna’s thoughts are probably racing right now, just as much as mine are. What’s Nadine up to? And—if she knows where Joanna is, does Gabor know as well?

“No, it wasn’t anyone from work. Come on.”

The sound of footsteps moving away, then immediately coming closer from the other side. They’re in the living room.

“Have a seat.”

“Thanks. So who were those men, then?”

Another pause. Then Joanna’s voice. “That’s none of your business. I’ve got other things to worry about right now; I don’t have time to play games. So, will you please stop asking me questions and tell me why you’re here?”

Careful, Joanna. Don’t be so abrupt. You’re sick with worry about me, remember? Nadine isn’t stupid.

There’s silence for a while, followed by the sound of someone forcefully blowing their nose. Then Nadine’s voice again. It’s tearful now, interspersed with sobs.

“I think it’s terrible that we still don’t know about Erik. And I rented the car he took to Munich, too.”

More sobbing. Joanna cuts in after a few moments.

“Does anyone know what happened to the people Erik was meant to pick up?”

“I don’t know anything. Lately everything’s changed at work.” Nadine slowly seems to be getting ahold of herself again. “Erik told me about a new project that I didn’t know about. That’s never happened before. I’ve … I’ve always been in charge of project administration, and now all of a sudden there’s a project I don’t know a thing about? I talked about it to Herr Geiger, that’s my boss. Erik’s boss as well. His reaction was very strange. He said he didn’t know anything about a project, but he was lying; I noticed right away.”

“How so?”

“He started making phone calls the minute I left his office. I can see it on my phone display. I stood next to the door and eavesdropped. Although I couldn’t understand much, Geiger was speaking very quietly. But my name was mentioned, and so was the word Phoenix, two times, even.”