The Case of the German Doctor: A Historical Novel Based on a True Story by Tsuriel Sdomi

Author:Tsuriel Sdomi [Sdomi, Tsuriel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-09-10T00:00:00+00:00

Lying naked in a strange bed, covered with a woolen blanket that stank of sweat, Erica woke up into absolute darkness. Her head was pounding with pain and there was a sharp burning sensation beneath her belly. She reached a tentative hand down and found she was still bleeding.

A green reading lamp lit up at the corner of the room and a dim male figure suddenly rose from his seat. The man’s perspiring face glistened like a copper relief. His voice reached her as if from a distance.

“You’re awake.” The words were accompanied by a monotonous ringing that struck her ears.

Erica rose to her elbows.

“Rest.” It was Ulrich’s voice.

“Where am I?”

“Someplace safe.”

“Where?”

“My apartment. There’s a glass of water and some painkillers on the bedside table.”

She let herself fall back onto the bed. Every breath hurt her ribs. She pursed her lips and cried silently. Then she swallowed down a painkiller and went back to sleep.

She woke up again three hours later, her temples still throbbing with pain. Nauseated, she tried to sit up. The bitter taste of congealed blood filled her mouth.

Ulrich said, “Try to get some rest.”

“My head hurts.”

“Schlenberg told me you put up a fight.”

Tears streamed down her face. The last thing she remembered was the sadistic smile of a pockmarked blond man who pinned her against the desk and wrapped his fingers around her jaws, pulling her mouth open in order to empty a bottle of cognac into it. She spat the drink in his face, and he slapped her. When she scratched his cheek, he hit her on the head with the bottle.

She couldn’t remember anything after that.

“Was Schlenberg there?” she asked.

“What do you care about Schlenberg?”

“I want to know.”

“He saved you.”

“Saved me?” she cried. “He was the one who suggested I get undressed so that my clothes didn’t get torn up.”

“No one could have prevented what happened, but you’re alive thanks to him.”

“I guess I’m supposed to thank you for that, too.”

Ulrich’s face twisted into a spiteful smile. “You’ll get your chance, I assure you.”

They had been five men who punched her in the head and chest. Each time she passed out they slapped her awake. Schlenberg told them he would transfer her to headquarters for a follow-up investigation. He pushed them off her. Then he covered her naked body with his jacket and brought her to Ulrich’s apartment.

A burning sensation and pressure in her lower back reminded her she had to use the bathroom. Wrapped in a blanket, she swayed across the room, toward the dark hallway. She felt dizzy. When he reached his hand for her, she recoiled.

“I’ll manage on my own,” she said.

When she returned, she sat down on the bed again, shaking.

Ulrich got up, pulled a bottle of whiskey from the sideboard, and poured it into two glasses. “Drink,” he said.

The whiskey burned her throat, then spread a warmth through her. She handed him the empty glass and he refilled it. This time she sipped it slowly until she stopped shaking. “So I’m supposed to thank you for saving my life.

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