Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Chapter Three

Berlin, Germany

THE POLIZEIKOMMANDANT, OTTO Schiffer, two uniformed police officers, and the superintendent of the apartment building, Herr Karl Goetz, were staring at the naked, shriveled body lying at the bottom of the overflowing bathtub. A faint bruise circled her neck.

The Polizeikommandant held a finger under the dripping tap. Cold." He sniffed at the empty liquor bottle on the side of the tub and turned to the building superintendent. "Her name?" "Sonja Verbrugge. Her husband is Franz Verbrugge. He is some kind of scientist." "She lived in this apartment with her husband?" "Seven years. They were wonderful tenants. Always paid their rent on time. Never any trouble.

Everyone loved? He realized what he was about to say and stopped. "Did Frau Verbrugge have a job?" "Yes, at the Cyberlin internet cafe, where people pay to use the computers for-" "What led you to discover the body?" "It was because of the cold water tap in the bathtub. I tried to fix it several times, but it would never turn completely off." "So?" "So this morning the tenant in the apartment below complained about water dripping through his ceiling.

I came up here, knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, I opened it with my passkey.

I came into the bathroom and found? His voice choked.

A detective came into the bathroom. "No liquor bottles in the cabinets, just wine." The Kommandant nodded. "Right." He pointed to the liquor bottle on the side of the tub. "Have that tested for fingerprints." "Yes, sir." The Kommandant turned to Karl Goetz. "Do you know where Herr Verbrugge is?" "No. I always see him in the morning, when he leaves for work, but-" He made a helpless gesture.

"You did not see him this morning?"

"No." "Do you know if Herr Verbrugge was planning to take a trip somewhere?" "No, sir. I do not." The Kommandant turned to the detective. "Talk to the other tenants. Find out if Frau Verbrugge seemed depressed lately, or if she and her husband quarreled, and if she was a heavy drinker. Get all the information you can." He looked at Karl Goetz. "We will check on her husband. If you think of anything that might be helpful-" Karl Goetz said tentatively, "I do not know whether this is helpful, but one of the tenants told me that an ambulance was parked in front of the building last night, and he asked if anyone was sick. By the time I went outside to see what was happening, the ambulance was gone. Does that help?" The Kommandant said, "It will be looked into." "What-what about her-her body?" Karl Goetz asked nervously.

"The medical examiner is on his way. Empty the tub and throw a towel over her."