Five Past Midnight - James Thayer [77]
Müller's raincoat was buttoned to his throat. His eyes shone with anger. He chopped his head at Wenck and demanded, "Tell him what you just told us."
The coroner pursed his mouth a moment before he began, Dietrich guessed to annoy the Gestapo chief, who seemed to quiver with impatience, rocking on his heels and clenching and releasing his fists, his gaze cutting between the body on the table and the three photographs on the wall.
Wenck stepped toward the wall. "These are photographs of three of the soldiers killed at the Vassy Chateau. You can see that all have severe wounds to their throats, which caused their deaths. These photographs were taken by a military police lieutenant right after the deaths, and are of an inferior quality to photographs I would normally insist upon from my investigators."
"Can we cut this short," Müller said. It was not a question.
Wenck said, "Skin on the neck is in a state of tension because of clastic fibers that align on a particular axis—"
"Shorter," Müller ordered.
Wenck inhaled sharply. "I have examined all three—"
"This is one of my agents lying here." Müller stabbed the table with a finger. "He and two others were knifed last night in the Niko- lassee district."
Doctor Wenck said, "There is a certain artistry to the wound that killed this man and the other two last night."
"An artistry?" Dietrich repeated.
"An economy is perhaps a better word." Wenck bent over the table to lift a flap of the corpse's skin, exposing the neck wound. "This sharp force wound was a straight penetration. The assailant used a knife approximately twenty centimeters long. And although it is difficult to tell if the knife had one or two edges, I believe the one used here was a double-edged blade."
"A commando knife," Müller added.
Dietrich stepped closer to the table. The dead man was washed white by the lamp. A small cloth was over his groin. The harsh light seemed to be making him less significant, nothing but a specimen.
Wenck continued, "By economy I mean that the wound was inflicted by someone who knew how to do it. This injury displays no evidence that the knife's action had twisting or rocking components, which are common in knife wounds. And the blade penetrated the neck here." The coroner pointed at one end of the wound. "And it moved across the neck, only once, and not any further than was needed to accomplish the assailant's task."
"Which was to kill him," Müller said.
"Which was to cut both carotid arteries in the neck and the internal jugular vein." Wenck moved his finger into the wound. "This controlled cut resulted in almost instant death."
"The same clean, quick knife work killed those three soldiers on the wall," General Eberhardt said.
"Photographs, even good ones, are not a substitute for an examination," Wenck said. "But as far as I can tell, all the wounds—on the chateau soldiers and on the three agents—are virtually identical. So it is possible, perhaps probable, that the same person wielded the knife."
General Eberhardt said darkly, "The American is now in Berlin."
Müller flipped a thumb toward Eberhardt. "The general's so-called impenetrable wall around the city to keep this Jack Cray out was full of holes. The general has failed."
Eberhardt straightened his backbone. "While the Führer is alive, I have not failed."
"And so far, Detective," Müller glared, "you have failed, too."
"Jack Cray is in Berlin." Otto Dietrich said the words slowly, tasting them. Then he asked, "Is there anything more you can tell me, Doctor?"
"The assailant is right-handed," Wenck answered. "Why is that important to me?" The coroner replied, "Stay away from his right hand." Dietrich smiled. He nodded his thanks and turned to go. "Dietrich," Müller called after him. "You have underestimated." Dietrich passed