Human Rites, page 18
“Show me, please.”
Adrian led the way to the bathroom, wishing he had some kind of excuse not to accompany the man. He unlocked the door and jolted as he saw Herr Rieder remove a gun from his holster. His nerves approached hysteria and he began to sweat. Rieder motioned him away, shoved open the door and switched on the light. The bathroom and its mirror reflected innocence and emptiness. The reflection of his washed-out self and an armed cop seemed ridiculous in the spa-like sanctity of the space.
Rieder found the door to the sauna without instruction. Perhaps most houses had a similar arrangement, Adrian thought. He watched the officer open the door, call an order in German and wait. No response from the darkness.
Rieder entered and switched on the light. The wooden staircase creaked with each step as he descended into bright cleanliness. Adrian followed on tiptoe. The room was empty, peaceful even, with the one area of uncertainty. The sauna itself. The small wooden block, like a sinister Wendy House, sat in the corner with its one window in darkness. Adrian’s hair stood on end and every sense screamed at him to retreat. Rieder did a 360° check and moved towards the sauna. Adrian held his breath. The officer threw back the door with his left hand, keeping his gun cocked in his right.
Silence. The door swung back and forth from the momentum but afforded enough visibility to see the space was empty. The only thing apart from pine slats, a heating unit with artificial coals and a laminated instruction sheet was a pile of picture frames. Rieder took out gloves to examine them and the photographs they contained. He showed them to Adrian.
“Those were the ones on the mantelpiece. My guest will tell you. We stood there and talked about them.”
“The guest who stayed the night?”
“Yes, I told you, the owner of the dog. Daan Knutsen.”
“Who gave you so much strong alcohol you had to go to bed, leaving him downstairs. A man very familiar with this house, who would know about the sauna.”
“Daan didn’t do this. He was as freaked as I was. And he left me his dog!” Desperation roughened his voice and he bit his lip, determined not to cry.
A loud knock sounded from upstairs, making them both start. Rieder indicated Adrian should take second place as he climbed up the staircase.
“My colleagues. I hope they have your dog.”
The door opened to three people. Two cold, tired, snow-dusted police officers and in the middle, Holger. An optimistic shot of adrenalin pumped though him at the sight of his friend but he could not help but scan the background for Mink.
Frau Jenssen shook her head to dash any hopes. “We looked everywhere, including the owner’s house in case he made his way home, and sent out an appeal to officers nearby. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. In this weather, he will find somewhere to hide.”
“It’s a she,” said Adrian and fell into Holger’s arms.
The officers sat by the fire and took a statement from Holger while Adrian made more tea. Beatrice called again to announce her arrival in Knee-Boo or something, which was where the car shuttle would begin at five am. She and her colleague had checked into a motel to catch a few hours’ sleep. The news of Holger’s arrival seemed to ease her mind and she advised him to get some rest.
When he got back to the living room, the police had gone and Holger was poking at the embers in the grate.
Holger looked up, his face full of concern. “Are you OK?”
“I feel a whole lot better since you arrived. Where’d the police go?”
“They answered another call. We can go into the station tomorrow to add to our statements. Anytime, doesn’t have to be early.”
“I have to be up before first light. Beatrice will be here at six.” Adrian placed the tray on the table and sagged onto the sofa.
“Beatrice? I didn’t know she was coming to Sylt.”
“I called her when I couldn’t get hold of you.” Adrian had barely enough energy to lift the teapot.
“I couldn’t get hold of you! After I got your message, I phoned you twice. When I got no answer, I decided to come here. You always answer your phone. When you didn’t, I assumed there was a problem. Then I phoned Daan but he’s on a job in Denmark. So I ran for the train. And if you use this as another opportunity to persuade me to get a mobile...”
“You spoke to Daan?” Adrian rubbed his itchy eyes. “Did he tell you about the crucifix?”
“Yes, he mentioned it.”
“See, it’s not just me! Daan saw it this morning and didn’t understand it either. He thought it was creepy. That’s why he put on the CCTV cameras and left me Mink. And what did I do? I went and lost her.”
Holger stared at him. “Daan activated the cameras? And you didn’t tell the police?”
A huge sense of embarrassment followed by relief washed over Adrian. How could he have forgotten the CCTV? Finally proof that he was not imagining things.
“I forgot. I was worried about Mink.”
“Stay here and listen for the dog. I’ll check last night’s recording and find out what the hell is going on.” Holger stomped up the stairs.
Adrian poured more tea but didn’t drink it. Instead, he checked the thermometer on the kitchen window. Minus 7°. He paced round all the windows, imagining Mink outside, shivering in the snow and freezing rain, the light in her blue eyes growing duller.
A warm hand on his shoulder woke him.
“Adrian?” Holger crouched by the sofa. “Do you want to get ready for Beatrice? It’s nearly seven in the morning.”
He blinked several times and took in his surroundings. He was lying on the sofa, covered by a fleecy throw. The fire had gone out. His brain circuits crackled into life. “Mink?”
Holger stood up and shook his head. “She’s still not back. No point in going out yet, it’s still as dark as the inside of a cow’s arse.”
“What did you see from the cameras?”
Holger shrugged and looked away.
Adrian sat up. “What? What is it?”
“The camera footage shows nothing. No one going in or out of the house. No one outside the building. No dog. Nothing registered between 18.00 and 21.00. The first images show up at 21.39 when you arrive at the kitchen door.”
Adrian rubbed his eyes with his palms. “Wait, what? No footage at all? None of me collecting and chopping the logs? None of the crucifix? You’re not telling me it didn’t pick up Mink knocking me flat. I ran round the house three times, it can’t have missed that!”
Holger knelt beside him. “We’ll work this out later. I’m as confused as you are. Something’s wrong, I just don’t know what.”
A light flashed outside the window and by the time Adrian had risen to his feet, he could hear the sound of an approaching engine.
“That must be Beatrice. Listen, Holger. I agree that something’s wrong. But it isn’t me. This is not my imagination.”
Chapter 23
On the journey across the sea and up the island, Beatrice bounced between various emotions. Concern for Adrian, for his well-being and mental health. Residual guilt at abandoning Hamilton after he’d taken the time to deliver his news in person. Professional embarrassment at dashing off across the country with a senior detective just as her case was coming to a head. Irritation at how Stein appeared lean, rested and fresh while she had all the appearance of an uncooked doughball. And an undertow of worry about her medication, left behind in her Hamburg hotel bathroom. A day or two will make no difference, she told herself, trying to block out an image of James shaking his head.
Stein spoke little, which suited her. For all she could see in the inky pre-dawn, Germany’s picturesque playground for the rich and famous could have been a back road in Norfolk. Blackness, a bit of sea, a glimpse of village and more blackness. A flash of irrational anger blazed at Holger for suggesting somewhere so remote and impractical for Adrian’s rest cure. Occasional sleet showers spattered the windscreen as she checked her phone again. Nothing new from Adrian. She gnawed at her thumbnail and leant over to see the SatNav.
Stein spoke. “Three kilometres, DI Stubbs. We’re there, almost. Are you OK?”
“Yes, thank you… No, not really. Four hours sleep and no idea of what’s really going on is making me extremely nervous. You shouldn’t be here, for a start. I’ve already broken an entire file of protocols by asking my colleague to drive through the night to help a possibly delusional friend of mine. In the cold light of, well, not-yet-day, I think my judgement was off. I should not have...”
“You asked me for advice and I gave it, as your colleague. I offered to drive you here as your friend. I’m very happy you accepted. Attention! Here’s the turning. Look out for the dog.”
The car bumped down the track to the isolated house at the end. Silver streaks of dawn were just beginning to pierce the night sky as they parked. The door burst open and Adrian rushed out to meet them. He hugged Beatrice.
“I am so glad you’re here.”
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yes, since Holger turned up I feel much safer. Still no sign of Mink though. The police searched but found no trace of her.”
“We’ll look again when it’s light. This is Herr Stein of the Hamburg police. He very kindly drove me all the way here. Herr Stein, Adrian Harvey.”
The two men shook hands. “Pleased to meet you, Mr Harvey. Let’s go inside, you must be cold.”
Holger, standing in the doorway, raised a hand in greeting. Beatrice made the introductions and Holger closed the door, shutting out the wind.
Stein glanced around the interior and said something in German. Beatrice couldn’t pick up any of the words but recognised the appreciative tone. Holger nodded and replied, then said a word Beatrice certainly did know.
“Kaffee?”
“Ooh yes please,” she said.
“I’ll make coffee for us all and let Adrian tell you... his story.”
Adrian shot him a look Beatrice couldn’t read.
Ever the professional, Stein took notes while Beatrice pressed Adrian for precision. “How long did it take you to get dressed to go after the dog?”
“Only a couple of minutes. I put on my boots, grabbed a coat and found a torch, locked the door and left.”
“Was the crucifix still there?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see it, but it must have been. I only just chucked it off the porch. But it was dark and...”
“No outside lights?” asked Stein.
“They weren’t working. The first time they came on was when I got back and I found the kitchen door open.”
Stein made a note. “And that was at what time?”
“I can check,” said Beatrice, scrolling through her phone. “Here it is. 21.41.”
Holger entered with a tray. “Yes, that matches what’s on the CCTV footage. I can clearly see him pacing and talking on his phone at that time.”
Stein looked up. “There’s CCTV?”
“Yes. But the problem is that it shows nothing. I checked everything it recorded from six o’clock last night. The first activity it picked up was Adrian leaving by the back door.” He looked at Adrian. “I’m sorry.”
Beatrice frowned. “How is that possible? Are some of the cameras faulty?”
Holger shrugged and shook his head. “They recorded the police arriving, me turning up and everything. Just no dog, no activity outside apart from Adrian.”
The room fell silent and Beatrice sensed Stein’s surreptitious assessment of Adrian. She tried not to do the same, despite her urge to study his face and gestures for clues. To give herself time to think, she poured coffee for everyone. Sunlight crept across the room and the only sounds were the stirring of spoons and ticking of the clock for several minutes. Then a creaking, bouncing and honking of a horn announced the arrival of a vehicle.
“It’s Daan,” said Holger. He stood up. “I’ll go and tell him what’s happened.”
“No. I’ll do it. I lost his dog, so I should be the one to tell him.” Adrian pushed himself to his feet and went to open the door. He looked utterly wretched.
The big Dane took the news in his stride. He greeted everyone with a general wave and listened to Adrian’s explanation with every appearance of calm.
“Probably chased off after something and got lost. Maybe she tried to make her way to my place. I’ll go home and check. It’s a shame she’s not wearing her collar, but many people would recognise her anyway. You go out, look around and call me if you find her. If she’s not at home, I’ll be back to help in around forty minutes.”
He jumped straight back into his Jeep and rattled off up the lane. Then his brake lights came on and he began reversing. He rolled down the window.
“Take her collar with you!” he bellowed.
Holger gave him the thumbs up and he rumbled away.
Adrian, Holger and Beatrice prepared to search, while Stein left to talk to the local police. Since the sun had come up, Beatrice could appreciate the beauty of the place. Last night, it had seemed bleak, miserable and almost deliberately inaccessible. This morning, the expanse of golden pink sunrise reflected on a snowy beach would have taken her breath away if the cold hadn’t got there first.
She took the stretch of beach to the left, reaching towards the headland, leaving Adrian to cover the middle and Holger to take the right. As she crested the dunes, she could see the rough outline of a coast in the distance and she wondered whether it was still part of Germany or if she was actually looking at Scandinavia. Birds screeched and swirled, and the early sun highlighted the drifts of snow on the leeward side of the dunes. The wind whipped her hair across her face, but her eyes scanned the landscape and she let out her infamous whistle. Two fingers in her mouth, a lungful of air and she could make an impressive noise.
But no dog or anything else came running. She’d covered the headland and was making her way back towards the house when she saw the Danish man’s Jeep pull up outside. She squinted and watched him jump from the cab with some kind of box in his hand. He strode off down the beach. So the dog hadn’t made it home yet. Chilled by the wind and pained by her impractical footwear for beachcombing, Beatrice decided to explore further inland. She kept up her whistling while turning over the nagging worry that Adrian’s story was only partially true. There had been a dog; the collar was evidence. But if it hadn’t gone missing when he said it had, what had really happened? Why would he go to such lengths as to bring Holger all the way here from Hamburg, to worry Beatrice herself enough so that she would travel half the night?
Half an hour later, her eyebrows frosted and thighs like slabs of ice, she returned to the house. As she opened the front door, she heard Holger’s voice, speaking German. His head whipped round when he heard Beatrice come in, so she shook her head regretfully, so as not to raise his hopes. She removed her outerwear while he finished the call. He lifted the coffee pot in enquiry.
Beatrice was just about to answer with enthusiasm and politely suggest some toast when her phone rang.
“Adrian?”
“We found her! She was shut in a shed. She’s OK but she seems a bit woozy. Daan’s carrying her back. Where are you?”
“Oh that’s wonderful news!” She took the handset from her mouth. “They’ve got the dog!” Holger closed his eyes and sagged with relief.
“I just got back to the house. Holger’s here too.”
“Good. Can you find some blankets and stuff so we can keep her warm? What? Oh, Daan says to heat some milk too. We’re about ten minutes away.”
“I’ll do it now. See you in a bit.”
By the time the odd procession reached the porch, Beatrice had assembled a bundle of blankets, put some milk in a pan over a low flame, instructed Holger to light a fire and was waiting at the door to welcome them.
The dog, a great furry thing like the ones that pull sleds, bobbed along in its owner’s arms, wrapped in his puffa jacket. Adrian’s lips were blue with cold, but his recent worried frown was only a trace of itself and in his hand was a box of dog biscuits.
Daan laid the dog on the blankets and removed the coat. Beatrice fetched the milk and gave it to Adrian, who crouched beside the two big hairy heads.
“Mink? Here you go, girl. I expect you’re thirsty. Nice warm milk for you.”
The dog’s sleepy blue eyes watched him set the bowl down and she got unsteadily to her feet. Her back legs remained in a crouch but she sniffed the milk and began lapping. Four humans watched, each wearing an indulgent smile.
Holger spoke first. “Where did you find her?”
Adrian looked up from his kneeling position. “In one of the outbuildings on the next farm. Daan was calling and whistling and we heard her bark. Just once. So we searched all the barns and found her in what looked like an old chicken coop.”
Daan nodded. “You know it, Holger. That shed on the Lemper farm. We all used to play in there as kids. Though I can’t remember the Lempers ever having chickens.”
“How did she get in there?” asked Beatrice.
Daan’s voice deepened, although his focus remained on the dog. “She didn’t. The door was bolted from the outside. Someone shut Mink in there deliberately. My guess is she went after some meat. She’ll do anything for food.”
Beatrice was beginning to feel the same way.
“It looks like she was drugged or sedated somehow,” added Adrian. “See, it’s just like she’s come round after an anaesthetic.”
The dog had finished her milk and seemed to have dozed off, still standing up.
“Perhaps she should have a check-up,” said Beatrice, partly out of concern and also to disguise her rumbling stomach.
Daan guided the dog back down onto the blankets, mumbling gentle words in a foreign language. Then he got to his feet and smiled.
“Let’s see if food, time and a warm fire make her feel better. If there’s no change in two hours, I’ll take her to the vet. First, I need coffee and breakfast. Dog-carrying on an empty stomach is never a good idea. I’m hungry and I don’t think I’m the only one.” He grinned at Beatrice. “Adrian, will you stay with Mink? Beatrice and I have work to do in the kitchen.”
He rubbed his hands and led the way. Beatrice followed without hesitation. She had already decided she was going to like Daan.
Adrian led the way to the bathroom, wishing he had some kind of excuse not to accompany the man. He unlocked the door and jolted as he saw Herr Rieder remove a gun from his holster. His nerves approached hysteria and he began to sweat. Rieder motioned him away, shoved open the door and switched on the light. The bathroom and its mirror reflected innocence and emptiness. The reflection of his washed-out self and an armed cop seemed ridiculous in the spa-like sanctity of the space.
Rieder found the door to the sauna without instruction. Perhaps most houses had a similar arrangement, Adrian thought. He watched the officer open the door, call an order in German and wait. No response from the darkness.
Rieder entered and switched on the light. The wooden staircase creaked with each step as he descended into bright cleanliness. Adrian followed on tiptoe. The room was empty, peaceful even, with the one area of uncertainty. The sauna itself. The small wooden block, like a sinister Wendy House, sat in the corner with its one window in darkness. Adrian’s hair stood on end and every sense screamed at him to retreat. Rieder did a 360° check and moved towards the sauna. Adrian held his breath. The officer threw back the door with his left hand, keeping his gun cocked in his right.
Silence. The door swung back and forth from the momentum but afforded enough visibility to see the space was empty. The only thing apart from pine slats, a heating unit with artificial coals and a laminated instruction sheet was a pile of picture frames. Rieder took out gloves to examine them and the photographs they contained. He showed them to Adrian.
“Those were the ones on the mantelpiece. My guest will tell you. We stood there and talked about them.”
“The guest who stayed the night?”
“Yes, I told you, the owner of the dog. Daan Knutsen.”
“Who gave you so much strong alcohol you had to go to bed, leaving him downstairs. A man very familiar with this house, who would know about the sauna.”
“Daan didn’t do this. He was as freaked as I was. And he left me his dog!” Desperation roughened his voice and he bit his lip, determined not to cry.
A loud knock sounded from upstairs, making them both start. Rieder indicated Adrian should take second place as he climbed up the staircase.
“My colleagues. I hope they have your dog.”
The door opened to three people. Two cold, tired, snow-dusted police officers and in the middle, Holger. An optimistic shot of adrenalin pumped though him at the sight of his friend but he could not help but scan the background for Mink.
Frau Jenssen shook her head to dash any hopes. “We looked everywhere, including the owner’s house in case he made his way home, and sent out an appeal to officers nearby. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. In this weather, he will find somewhere to hide.”
“It’s a she,” said Adrian and fell into Holger’s arms.
The officers sat by the fire and took a statement from Holger while Adrian made more tea. Beatrice called again to announce her arrival in Knee-Boo or something, which was where the car shuttle would begin at five am. She and her colleague had checked into a motel to catch a few hours’ sleep. The news of Holger’s arrival seemed to ease her mind and she advised him to get some rest.
When he got back to the living room, the police had gone and Holger was poking at the embers in the grate.
Holger looked up, his face full of concern. “Are you OK?”
“I feel a whole lot better since you arrived. Where’d the police go?”
“They answered another call. We can go into the station tomorrow to add to our statements. Anytime, doesn’t have to be early.”
“I have to be up before first light. Beatrice will be here at six.” Adrian placed the tray on the table and sagged onto the sofa.
“Beatrice? I didn’t know she was coming to Sylt.”
“I called her when I couldn’t get hold of you.” Adrian had barely enough energy to lift the teapot.
“I couldn’t get hold of you! After I got your message, I phoned you twice. When I got no answer, I decided to come here. You always answer your phone. When you didn’t, I assumed there was a problem. Then I phoned Daan but he’s on a job in Denmark. So I ran for the train. And if you use this as another opportunity to persuade me to get a mobile...”
“You spoke to Daan?” Adrian rubbed his itchy eyes. “Did he tell you about the crucifix?”
“Yes, he mentioned it.”
“See, it’s not just me! Daan saw it this morning and didn’t understand it either. He thought it was creepy. That’s why he put on the CCTV cameras and left me Mink. And what did I do? I went and lost her.”
Holger stared at him. “Daan activated the cameras? And you didn’t tell the police?”
A huge sense of embarrassment followed by relief washed over Adrian. How could he have forgotten the CCTV? Finally proof that he was not imagining things.
“I forgot. I was worried about Mink.”
“Stay here and listen for the dog. I’ll check last night’s recording and find out what the hell is going on.” Holger stomped up the stairs.
Adrian poured more tea but didn’t drink it. Instead, he checked the thermometer on the kitchen window. Minus 7°. He paced round all the windows, imagining Mink outside, shivering in the snow and freezing rain, the light in her blue eyes growing duller.
A warm hand on his shoulder woke him.
“Adrian?” Holger crouched by the sofa. “Do you want to get ready for Beatrice? It’s nearly seven in the morning.”
He blinked several times and took in his surroundings. He was lying on the sofa, covered by a fleecy throw. The fire had gone out. His brain circuits crackled into life. “Mink?”
Holger stood up and shook his head. “She’s still not back. No point in going out yet, it’s still as dark as the inside of a cow’s arse.”
“What did you see from the cameras?”
Holger shrugged and looked away.
Adrian sat up. “What? What is it?”
“The camera footage shows nothing. No one going in or out of the house. No one outside the building. No dog. Nothing registered between 18.00 and 21.00. The first images show up at 21.39 when you arrive at the kitchen door.”
Adrian rubbed his eyes with his palms. “Wait, what? No footage at all? None of me collecting and chopping the logs? None of the crucifix? You’re not telling me it didn’t pick up Mink knocking me flat. I ran round the house three times, it can’t have missed that!”
Holger knelt beside him. “We’ll work this out later. I’m as confused as you are. Something’s wrong, I just don’t know what.”
A light flashed outside the window and by the time Adrian had risen to his feet, he could hear the sound of an approaching engine.
“That must be Beatrice. Listen, Holger. I agree that something’s wrong. But it isn’t me. This is not my imagination.”
Chapter 23
On the journey across the sea and up the island, Beatrice bounced between various emotions. Concern for Adrian, for his well-being and mental health. Residual guilt at abandoning Hamilton after he’d taken the time to deliver his news in person. Professional embarrassment at dashing off across the country with a senior detective just as her case was coming to a head. Irritation at how Stein appeared lean, rested and fresh while she had all the appearance of an uncooked doughball. And an undertow of worry about her medication, left behind in her Hamburg hotel bathroom. A day or two will make no difference, she told herself, trying to block out an image of James shaking his head.
Stein spoke little, which suited her. For all she could see in the inky pre-dawn, Germany’s picturesque playground for the rich and famous could have been a back road in Norfolk. Blackness, a bit of sea, a glimpse of village and more blackness. A flash of irrational anger blazed at Holger for suggesting somewhere so remote and impractical for Adrian’s rest cure. Occasional sleet showers spattered the windscreen as she checked her phone again. Nothing new from Adrian. She gnawed at her thumbnail and leant over to see the SatNav.
Stein spoke. “Three kilometres, DI Stubbs. We’re there, almost. Are you OK?”
“Yes, thank you… No, not really. Four hours sleep and no idea of what’s really going on is making me extremely nervous. You shouldn’t be here, for a start. I’ve already broken an entire file of protocols by asking my colleague to drive through the night to help a possibly delusional friend of mine. In the cold light of, well, not-yet-day, I think my judgement was off. I should not have...”
“You asked me for advice and I gave it, as your colleague. I offered to drive you here as your friend. I’m very happy you accepted. Attention! Here’s the turning. Look out for the dog.”
The car bumped down the track to the isolated house at the end. Silver streaks of dawn were just beginning to pierce the night sky as they parked. The door burst open and Adrian rushed out to meet them. He hugged Beatrice.
“I am so glad you’re here.”
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yes, since Holger turned up I feel much safer. Still no sign of Mink though. The police searched but found no trace of her.”
“We’ll look again when it’s light. This is Herr Stein of the Hamburg police. He very kindly drove me all the way here. Herr Stein, Adrian Harvey.”
The two men shook hands. “Pleased to meet you, Mr Harvey. Let’s go inside, you must be cold.”
Holger, standing in the doorway, raised a hand in greeting. Beatrice made the introductions and Holger closed the door, shutting out the wind.
Stein glanced around the interior and said something in German. Beatrice couldn’t pick up any of the words but recognised the appreciative tone. Holger nodded and replied, then said a word Beatrice certainly did know.
“Kaffee?”
“Ooh yes please,” she said.
“I’ll make coffee for us all and let Adrian tell you... his story.”
Adrian shot him a look Beatrice couldn’t read.
Ever the professional, Stein took notes while Beatrice pressed Adrian for precision. “How long did it take you to get dressed to go after the dog?”
“Only a couple of minutes. I put on my boots, grabbed a coat and found a torch, locked the door and left.”
“Was the crucifix still there?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see it, but it must have been. I only just chucked it off the porch. But it was dark and...”
“No outside lights?” asked Stein.
“They weren’t working. The first time they came on was when I got back and I found the kitchen door open.”
Stein made a note. “And that was at what time?”
“I can check,” said Beatrice, scrolling through her phone. “Here it is. 21.41.”
Holger entered with a tray. “Yes, that matches what’s on the CCTV footage. I can clearly see him pacing and talking on his phone at that time.”
Stein looked up. “There’s CCTV?”
“Yes. But the problem is that it shows nothing. I checked everything it recorded from six o’clock last night. The first activity it picked up was Adrian leaving by the back door.” He looked at Adrian. “I’m sorry.”
Beatrice frowned. “How is that possible? Are some of the cameras faulty?”
Holger shrugged and shook his head. “They recorded the police arriving, me turning up and everything. Just no dog, no activity outside apart from Adrian.”
The room fell silent and Beatrice sensed Stein’s surreptitious assessment of Adrian. She tried not to do the same, despite her urge to study his face and gestures for clues. To give herself time to think, she poured coffee for everyone. Sunlight crept across the room and the only sounds were the stirring of spoons and ticking of the clock for several minutes. Then a creaking, bouncing and honking of a horn announced the arrival of a vehicle.
“It’s Daan,” said Holger. He stood up. “I’ll go and tell him what’s happened.”
“No. I’ll do it. I lost his dog, so I should be the one to tell him.” Adrian pushed himself to his feet and went to open the door. He looked utterly wretched.
The big Dane took the news in his stride. He greeted everyone with a general wave and listened to Adrian’s explanation with every appearance of calm.
“Probably chased off after something and got lost. Maybe she tried to make her way to my place. I’ll go home and check. It’s a shame she’s not wearing her collar, but many people would recognise her anyway. You go out, look around and call me if you find her. If she’s not at home, I’ll be back to help in around forty minutes.”
He jumped straight back into his Jeep and rattled off up the lane. Then his brake lights came on and he began reversing. He rolled down the window.
“Take her collar with you!” he bellowed.
Holger gave him the thumbs up and he rumbled away.
Adrian, Holger and Beatrice prepared to search, while Stein left to talk to the local police. Since the sun had come up, Beatrice could appreciate the beauty of the place. Last night, it had seemed bleak, miserable and almost deliberately inaccessible. This morning, the expanse of golden pink sunrise reflected on a snowy beach would have taken her breath away if the cold hadn’t got there first.
She took the stretch of beach to the left, reaching towards the headland, leaving Adrian to cover the middle and Holger to take the right. As she crested the dunes, she could see the rough outline of a coast in the distance and she wondered whether it was still part of Germany or if she was actually looking at Scandinavia. Birds screeched and swirled, and the early sun highlighted the drifts of snow on the leeward side of the dunes. The wind whipped her hair across her face, but her eyes scanned the landscape and she let out her infamous whistle. Two fingers in her mouth, a lungful of air and she could make an impressive noise.
But no dog or anything else came running. She’d covered the headland and was making her way back towards the house when she saw the Danish man’s Jeep pull up outside. She squinted and watched him jump from the cab with some kind of box in his hand. He strode off down the beach. So the dog hadn’t made it home yet. Chilled by the wind and pained by her impractical footwear for beachcombing, Beatrice decided to explore further inland. She kept up her whistling while turning over the nagging worry that Adrian’s story was only partially true. There had been a dog; the collar was evidence. But if it hadn’t gone missing when he said it had, what had really happened? Why would he go to such lengths as to bring Holger all the way here from Hamburg, to worry Beatrice herself enough so that she would travel half the night?
Half an hour later, her eyebrows frosted and thighs like slabs of ice, she returned to the house. As she opened the front door, she heard Holger’s voice, speaking German. His head whipped round when he heard Beatrice come in, so she shook her head regretfully, so as not to raise his hopes. She removed her outerwear while he finished the call. He lifted the coffee pot in enquiry.
Beatrice was just about to answer with enthusiasm and politely suggest some toast when her phone rang.
“Adrian?”
“We found her! She was shut in a shed. She’s OK but she seems a bit woozy. Daan’s carrying her back. Where are you?”
“Oh that’s wonderful news!” She took the handset from her mouth. “They’ve got the dog!” Holger closed his eyes and sagged with relief.
“I just got back to the house. Holger’s here too.”
“Good. Can you find some blankets and stuff so we can keep her warm? What? Oh, Daan says to heat some milk too. We’re about ten minutes away.”
“I’ll do it now. See you in a bit.”
By the time the odd procession reached the porch, Beatrice had assembled a bundle of blankets, put some milk in a pan over a low flame, instructed Holger to light a fire and was waiting at the door to welcome them.
The dog, a great furry thing like the ones that pull sleds, bobbed along in its owner’s arms, wrapped in his puffa jacket. Adrian’s lips were blue with cold, but his recent worried frown was only a trace of itself and in his hand was a box of dog biscuits.
Daan laid the dog on the blankets and removed the coat. Beatrice fetched the milk and gave it to Adrian, who crouched beside the two big hairy heads.
“Mink? Here you go, girl. I expect you’re thirsty. Nice warm milk for you.”
The dog’s sleepy blue eyes watched him set the bowl down and she got unsteadily to her feet. Her back legs remained in a crouch but she sniffed the milk and began lapping. Four humans watched, each wearing an indulgent smile.
Holger spoke first. “Where did you find her?”
Adrian looked up from his kneeling position. “In one of the outbuildings on the next farm. Daan was calling and whistling and we heard her bark. Just once. So we searched all the barns and found her in what looked like an old chicken coop.”
Daan nodded. “You know it, Holger. That shed on the Lemper farm. We all used to play in there as kids. Though I can’t remember the Lempers ever having chickens.”
“How did she get in there?” asked Beatrice.
Daan’s voice deepened, although his focus remained on the dog. “She didn’t. The door was bolted from the outside. Someone shut Mink in there deliberately. My guess is she went after some meat. She’ll do anything for food.”
Beatrice was beginning to feel the same way.
“It looks like she was drugged or sedated somehow,” added Adrian. “See, it’s just like she’s come round after an anaesthetic.”
The dog had finished her milk and seemed to have dozed off, still standing up.
“Perhaps she should have a check-up,” said Beatrice, partly out of concern and also to disguise her rumbling stomach.
Daan guided the dog back down onto the blankets, mumbling gentle words in a foreign language. Then he got to his feet and smiled.
“Let’s see if food, time and a warm fire make her feel better. If there’s no change in two hours, I’ll take her to the vet. First, I need coffee and breakfast. Dog-carrying on an empty stomach is never a good idea. I’m hungry and I don’t think I’m the only one.” He grinned at Beatrice. “Adrian, will you stay with Mink? Beatrice and I have work to do in the kitchen.”
He rubbed his hands and led the way. Beatrice followed without hesitation. She had already decided she was going to like Daan.
