Mephisto Waltz by F. R. Tallis

Author:F. R. Tallis [Tallis, F. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2017-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

FORTY-FOUR

Rheinhardt was awakened by an early telephone call from Schottenring.

“What did they want?” asked Else.

“I’m not sure. Something about Haussmann and a tapestry. The duty sergeant isn’t very good with messages. I’ve got to go straight to the Beatrix.”

A short distance from his apartment, Rheinhardt bought a pork sausage from a street vendor. The steaming meat exuded a spicy fragrance that made him salivate. He covered the sausage in mustard and consumed it in a matter of seconds. The street vendor smiled, “Good?”

“Very good,” said Rheinhardt.

“The salt comes from Sečovlje—the pans. You wouldn’t find a better sausage in Ljubljana.”

Rheinhardt licked his fingers and etched an informal salute. “I’m inclined to agree.”

Josefstadt and Alsergrund were adjacent districts and the walk to Thurngasse was relatively short. Rheinhardt stepped into the foyer of the Beatrix where he was informed by Herr Okolski that Haussmann had already arrived and was waiting for him in suite four.

“I hope this is important, Haussmann.” Rheinhardt grumbled as they entered the second bedroom. “I had to rush breakfast.”

“I think it is, sir,” Haussmann replied.

Rheinhardt registered the tapestry and remembered the duty sergeant’s garbled message. “Well, what have you found?”

Haussmann climbed onto the bed and raised the wall hanging, behind which was a hole in the wall. The aperture resembled the mouth of a letter box, although much wider.

Rheinhardt removed his hat and scratched his head. “Couldn’t you have just told me?”

“There’s more, sir.” Haussmann reached into the hole and pulled out a rubber hose, which dropped as far as the pillows.

“I see. You’ve found a hole—and a pipe. Would you care to explain why you think these discoveries merit my immediate attention?”

Haussmann’s response was unexpected. He sat down, legs outstretched, with his back against the wall. Then, he produced the half-sphere of black rubber—with its short length of tubing—that Rheinhardt had found in the otherwise empty chest of drawers. Haussmann inserted the short length of tubing into the hose. “Exact fit, sir.” He then covered his right ear with the half-sphere. “It’s a means of eavesdropping, sir. You can listen to the people talking upstairs.”

Rheinhardt’s mouth fell open. It took some time for it to close again. “Who are they?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask the manager for the register. I thought it best not to say anything until you got here.”

“And when did you discover this apparatus?”

“Late last night, sir.”

“Have you been making use of it?”

Haussmann nodded. “A man and a woman, sir. Quite well to do, although they didn’t say very much this morning—something about a concert—the ‘Academic Festival Overture’?”

“Brahms, Haussmann.”

“And something else about a dean—that’s all. The other end of this pipe comes out in their bedroom. When I listened yesterday I just heard snoring.”

Haussmann got off the mattress and waited for instruction. Rheinhardt postioned himself in front of his slender junior and let his hands fall heavily on the young man’s shoulders. He then gave him an affectionate shake. “Well done, Haussmann, excellent detection. Whatever made you look behind that tapestry?”

“It was moving, sir—when by rights it should have been still.

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