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disapprovingly on the cigarette in my hand.
    â€˜You shouldn’t be smoking, you know.’
    â€˜I don’t know if Kindermann is involved or not,’ I said. ‘That’s what I was hoping to find out when I came here.’
    â€˜Well, you don’t have to worry about me,’ she said fiercely. ‘I couldn’t care what happens to him.’ She stood up with her arms folded, her mouth assuming a harder expression. ‘The man is a bastard. You know, just a few weeks ago I worked a whole weekend because nobody else was available. He said he’d pay me double-time in cash. But he still hasn’t given me my money. That’s the kind of pig he is. I bought a dress. It was stupid of me, I should have waited. Well, now I’m behind with the rent.’
    I was debating with myself whether or not she was trying to sell me a story when I saw the tears in her eyes. If it was an act it was a damn good one. Either way it deserved some kind of recognition.
    She blew her nose, and said: ‘Would you give me a cigarette, please?’
    â€˜Sure.’ I handed her the pack and then thumbed a match.
    â€˜You know, Kindermann knew Freud,’ she said, coughing a little with her first smoke. ‘At the Vienna Medical School, when he was a student. After graduating he worked for a while at the Salzburg Mental Asylum. He’s from Salzburg originally. When his uncle died in 1930, he left him this house, and he decided to turn it into a clinic.’
    â€˜It sounds like you know him quite well.’
    â€˜Last summer his secretary was sick for a couple of weeks. Kindermann knew I had some secretarial experience and asked me to fill in a while while Tarja was away. I got to know him reasonably well. Well enough to dislike him. I’m not going to stay here much longer. I’ve had enough, I think. Believe me, there are plenty of others here who feel much the same way.’
    â€˜Oh? Think anyone would want to get back at him? Anyone who might have a grudge against him?’
    â€˜You’re talking about a serious grudge, aren’t you? Not just a bit of unpaid overtime.’
    â€˜I suppose so,’ I said, and flicked my cigarette out of the open window.
    Marianne shook her head. ‘No, wait,’ she said. ‘There was someone. About three months ago Kindermann dismissed one of the male nurses for being drunk. He was a nasty piece of work, and I don’t think anyone was sad to see him go. I wasn’t there myself, but I heard that he used some quite strong language to Kindermann when he left.’
    â€˜What was his name, this male nurse?’
    â€˜Hering, Klaus Hering I think.’ She looked at her watch. ‘Hey, I’ve got to be getting on with my work. I can’t stay talking to you all morning.’
    â€˜One more thing,’ I said. ‘I need to take a look around Kindermann’s office. Can you help?’ She started to shake her head. ‘I can’t do it without you, Marianne. Tonight?’
    â€˜I don’t know. What if we get caught?’
    â€˜The “we” part doesn’t come into it. You keep a look-out, and if someone finds you, you say that you heard a noise, and that you were investigating. I’ll have to take my chances. Maybe I’ll say I was sleepwalking.’
    â€˜Oh, that’s a good one.’
    â€˜Come on, Marianne, what do you say?’
    â€˜All right, I’ll do it. But leave it until after midnight, that’s when we lock up. I’ll meet you in the solarium at around 12.30.’
    Her expression changed as she saw me slide a fifty from my wallet. I crushed it into the breast pocket of her crisp white uniform. She took it out again.
    â€˜I can’t take this,’ she said. ‘You shouldn’t.’ I held her fist shut to stop her returning the note.
    â€˜Look, it’s just something to help tide you over, at least until you get paid for your