Five Past Midnight - James Thayer [144]
The detective replied, "Cray might have gotten by them, killing some, maybe."
Eberhardt sighed wearily.
"We can't cover every single firing site Cray might use."
"Of course."
A gleam entered Dietrich's faded blue eyes. "But we can cover two or three."
The RSD general nodded.
And Dietrich added with relish, "And then maybe once—just once— Jack Cray will appear where we want him and when we want him."
15
"You EVER HEARD of her, Egon?" Dietrich asked, his hand on the dashboard, bracing himself. "A Countess Hohenberg?"
"Not that I recall," Detective Haushofer replied. "She's not related to Katrin von Tornitz, then?"
"Not that we can find. I suspect the countess was a friend of Katrin von Tornitz's mother, but that's a guess."
The Mercedes lurched and sank, then bounced up and dipped again as it rolled over rubble on Heuwingstrasse. Dietrich's hat flattened against the car's roof and slid off his head to the seat.
Dietrich's men had started watching the homes of all Katrin von Tornitz's relatives days ago, figuring she and the American might be staying with one of them. They found she had several cousins in Berlin, and some north of the city in Mecklenburg, where the family once owned an estate. The decades had dispersed the family so Berlin detectives had been watching sixteen homes With no luck at any of them.
Heuwingstrasse was a narrow ravine between inclines of rubble, all that remained of the three- and four-story apartment buildings and shops that had once lined the street. It had also been a neighborhood of breweries, and the scent of malt still lingered. This street had been newly ruined, and the scree was still precarious, falling into the street when prompted by gusts of wind. A bulldozer had pushed aside the debris like snow, so smaller hillocks of bricks and boards lined the sidewalk.
Dietrich commented, "We got a break on this."
Haushofer nodded. "We needed a break."
A woman who lived on the floor below the countess happened to be peeking out her door when Katrin von Tornitz was walking up the stairs. She had recognized Katrin from the posters along the street.
"One of those old ladies who monitors the morals of her fellow tenants, I suppose," Haushofer added. He pulled on the steering wheel, and the Mercedes wound around a file cabinet and sofa in the road. A drumroll of rain sounded on the Mercedes's roof. Haushofer leaned forward to wipe his hand against the window. Haushofer's skin had a cloistered pallor. His eyes were red-lined from lack of sleep. His chin was large and uncompromising. The wiper blades beat back and forth.
"Are Cray and Katrin von Tornitz still there, you think?" Haushofer asked.
"The snoop said she hadn't seen them today, so probably not. But I want to talk with the countess." Dietrich stopped himself from rocking back and forth to encourage the car to go faster. "Hurry up, will you?"
Haushofer grinned and pressed the accelerator. The car bounced over a clot of rubble, sending Dietrich against the roof. He held up his hand like a traffic cop, and Haushofer eased the pressure from the gas pedal. The canyon ended at an intersection, and the car drove between low apartment buildings. This portion of Heuwingstrasse had been spared.
Dietrich squinted through the rain. "There's her building. Pull over."
The clouds suddenly parted, revealing the sun. The road began to steam. Dietrich left the car and ran to the door to check for her name on the mailbox. HOHENBERG. He pushed open the door, ran past an empty glass vase on a lamp stand, and began ascending the stairs. He drew his pistol. On the third floor a narrow crack between the door and the frame revealed the snoop's wide eyes. Breathing in gulps, Dietrich climbed to the fourth floor.
The countess's door was open. Dietrich could see into her apartment. Saw a hat stand and an umbrella holder. He stepped nearer,