Different Seasons - Stephen King [141]
They think Dussander might have known about a lot of the other fish. Most of those still alive are probably in South America, but there may be others in a dozen
countries including the United States. Did you know they collared a man who had been an Unterkommandant at Buchenwald in the lobby of a Tel Aviv hotel?'
'Really!' Monica said, her eyes widening.
'Really,' Richler nodded. 'Two years ago. The point is just that the Israelis think the letter Dussander wanted Todd to read might have been from one of those other fish. Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong. Either way, they want to know.'
Todd, who had gone back to Dussander's house and burned the letter, said: I'd help you-or this Weiskopf-if I could, Lieutenant Richler, but the letter was in German. It was really tough to read. I felt like a fool. Mr Denker Dussander kept getting more excited and asking me to spell the words he couldn't understand because of my, you know, pronunciation. But I guess he was following all right. I remember once he laughed and said, "Yes, yes, that is what you'd do, isn't it?" Then he said something in German.
This was about two or three minutes before he had the heart attack. Something about Dummkop. That means stupid in German, I think.'
He was looking at Richler uncertainly, inwardly quite pleased with this lie.
Richler was nodding. 'Yes, we can understand that the letter was in German. The admitting doctor heard the story from you and corroborated it. But the letter itself, Todd do you remember what happened to it?'
Here it is, Todd thought. The crunch.
'I guess it was still on the table when the ambulance came. When we all left. I couldn't testify to it in court, but -'
'I think there was a letter on the table,' Dick said. 'I picked something up and glanced at it Airmail stationery, I think, but I didn't notice it was written in German.'
Then it should still be there,' Richler said. That's what we can't figure out'
'It's not?' Dick said. 'I mean, it wasn't?'
'It wasn't and it isn't'
'Maybe somebody broke in,' Monica suggested.
"There would have been no need to break in,' Richler said. 'In the confusion of getting him out, the house was never locked. Dussander himself never thought to ask someone to lock up, apparently. His latchkey was still in the pocket of his pants when he died. His house was unlocked from the time the MED-Q attendants wheeled him out until we sealed it this morning at 2:30 a. m.'
'Well, there you are,' Dick said.
'No,' Todd said. 'I see what's bugging Lieutenant Richler.' Oh yes, he saw it very well.
You'd have to be blind to miss it 'Why would a burglar steal nothing but a
letter?
Especially one written in German? It doesn't listen. Mr. Denker didn't have much to steal, but a guy who broke in could find something better than that'
'You've got it, all right,' Richler said. 'Not bad.'
'Todd used to want to be a detective when he grew up,' Monica said, and ruffled Todd's hair a bit. Since he had gotten big he seemed to object to that, but right now he didn't seem to mind. God, she hated to see him looking so pale. 'I guess he's changed his mind to history these days.'
'History is a good field,' Richler said. 'You can be an investigative historian. Have you ever read Josephine Tey?'
'No, sir.'
'Doesn't matter. I just wish my boys had some ambition greater than seeing the Angels win the pennant this year.'
Todd offered a wan smile and said nothing.
Richler turned serious again. 'Anyway, I'll tell you the theory we're going on. We figure that someone, probably right here in Santa Donate, knew who and what Dussander was.'
'Really?' Dick said.
'Oh yes. Someone who knew the truth. Maybe another fugitive Nazi. I know that sounds like Robert Ludlum stuff, but who would have thought there was even one fugitive Nazi in a quiet little suburb like this? And when Dussander was taken to the hospital, we think that Mr. X scooted over to the house and got that incriminating letter. And that by now it's so many decomposing ashes floating around in the sewer system.'
'That doesn't