The Paris Notebook by Tessa Harris

Author:Tessa Harris [Harris, Tessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2022-11-28T12:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

At first Katja wasn’t certain what she was being asked to look at, or why. She’d been summoned to Dr Ulbricht’s office around noon. A week had passed since her return from Paris, yet she’d still heard no word from Dr Viktor.

Ulbricht, in his white coat, was seated, wearing an expression even graver than usual. He hadn’t looked up immediately but remained focused on something on his desk, as Katja waited nervously for his instructions. It was only when he told her to sit that she spotted the photographic prints.

Relieved he had spoken at last, Katja obeyed, clasping her hands on her lap to try and stop them shaking. The seconds had ticked by as she waited for the doctor to look at her, until finally, he spoke again. ‘You remember our conversation the other day, Fräulein Heinz, regarding how Dr Viktor came to acquire his injury?’

Of course she remembered. How could she forget? She had replayed the incident over and over in her mind until her head pounded.

‘Yes, sir.’

Ulbricht nodded. ‘And you told me that Dr Viktor had never behaved improperly towards you. I think you said he was a true gentleman.’

Katja’s stomach flipped. Where is this going? He had laid a trap for her and there was nowhere else to run. She was about to walk right into it.

Ulbricht flexed his fingers as he primed the snare. ‘So how do you explain these?’ he asked.

Photographs. Katja suddenly realised he’d been looking at two large, grainy prints. He slid them around and pushed them over to her side of the desk.

Katja heard the breath leave her chest in a horrified gasp as she stared down at the images. One shot was of Dr Viktor standing outside her hotel room as she spoke to him on the threshold. The other was of her leaving his room, a large, dark stain on the front of her pale dress.

Her head cracked up. ‘No. No. This is all wrong. It wasn’t …’

Snap!

The trap had just been activated and now she was caught in its steel teeth.

‘Who took these? How did you get them?’ She was half crying, half shouting.

‘It doesn’t matter who took them,’ replied Ulbricht coldly. ‘How do you explain them?’

Katja, still shaking her head in disbelief, suddenly felt sullied. Gulping down her outrage, she began falteringly.

‘Dr Viktor … he … he called to see if I was ready for dinner, and here …’ She pointed to the second image of her alone. ‘… I had just dressed his wound and left him to sleep. That was all.’

Ulbricht blew through his nose, flaring his nostrils. ‘Surely you can do better than that, Fräulein Heinz. The chambermaid said your bed was not slept in the last night of your stay.’

‘What?’ Katja was scandalised. ‘Dr Viktor was injured. I was keeping watch at his bedside.’ Holding back tears, she told herself she had nothing to be ashamed of. ‘It’s the truth, Dr Ulbricht,’ she protested. She straightened her back. ‘And if you don’t

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.