The Valkyrie Song

7

This time wakefulness came on him like an explosion. Sudden, complete, raw.

Fabel threw himself from the bed and slammed painfully onto the floor. He leaned against the wall and pulled himself up until he was standing on shaking, unsteady legs. He looked around the bedroom wildly, seeking out every shadow. Stumbling to the wall switch, he flooded the room with painfully bright light.

She was gone. He found his trousers and scrabbled through the pockets until he found the key for the secure cabinet where he kept his automatic. He took the safety off and snapped back the carriage before leaving the bedroom, going through the whole apartment, room by room, switching on the lights and sweeping each room with his gun. It was only when he was sure he was alone that he went into the bathroom and surrendered to the nausea that had churned in his gut since his first moment awake. Whatever she had injected into him had left him with a thundering headache and a sick feeling that didn’t clear even after he had vomited.

Fabel moved over to phone the Presidium but checked himself. There was something he had to do first. He went back into the bathroom and took a long shower.

Holger Brauner wasn’t on call and it was Astrid Bremer who turned up. A uniformed unit had been first to arrive, and they had insisted on knocking up every one of Fabel’s neighbours to find out if they had seen or heard anyone coming into the building.

‘That’s totally unnecessary,’ Fabel had complained. ‘The woman who broke in here is too professional to allow herself to be seen coming or going.’

The young uniformed Commissar had smiled politely and indulgently and, with total disregard for Fabel’s rank, had gone ahead and done what he felt ought to be done. And he was quite right, thought Fabel reluctantly.

‘Why on earth did you have a shower?’ asked Astrid Bremer. ‘You of all people should know better than that. She might have left DNA traces on you.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ snapped Fabel.

Bremer seemed taken aback by Fabel’s vehemence. ‘Nothing — just that if she had a garrotte around your neck, she was pretty close to you. Forensic distance, I mean. She might have left something behind.’

‘I needed to freshen up. That’s all.’ The door opened and Fabel nodded to Werner as he came into the room. ‘I felt groggy after whatever she pumped into me.’

‘I see…’ Bremer searched his expression. ‘Are you okay now?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘You look shaken up, Jan,’ said Werner. ‘The on-call police doctor is here. He wants to check you out.’

‘Like I said, I’m okay.’ Raising his voice only turned up the volume of pain in Fabel’s head. ‘Okay, maybe he should give me a once-over.’

‘We need to find out what she injected you with,’ said Bremer. ‘The police doctor will want to do that, but I’d like to do my own tests — do you mind if I take a blood sample?’

‘Okay,’ said Fabel impatiently. ‘Take it.’ He rolled up his sleeve.

‘You’ll have to provide the doctor with a second blood sample for an HIV test. Standard practice for any Polizei Hamburg officer who’s been stuck with a needle. Obviously it’s meant for accidents when searching drug users, but it’s regulations…’

Bremer took her sample. ‘Do you know which other rooms she was in? Apart from the bedroom, I mean?’

‘What are you getting at? Do you think I entertained her beforehand?’

‘Take it easy, Chef,’ said Werner. ‘Astrid’s only doing her job.’

‘I wasn’t getting at anything, Herr Fabel,’ said Bremer with sudden formality.

‘I’m sorry, Astrid.’ Fabel rubbed his neck. ‘It’s been a trying night. What’s the time?’

‘Five-twenty,’ said Werner.

‘Shit. Once I’m done with the quack you and I will have to get over to the Presidium. We’ve got to get everything set up for the sting in the Alsterpark.’

‘Are we going ahead with that?’ asked Werner. ‘I mean, I know what she told you, but it would be a pretty safe bet to assume that your lady visitor was the Valkyrie.’

‘No, Werner — that was Liane Kayser who came here last night. The whole point of her visit was to let me know in no uncertain terms that she was not Drescher’s hit woman.’

‘Did she know that Drescher was dead?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Fabel. ‘She didn’t say anything to suggest she did. But she definitely was sure that I would know who she was talking about when she mentioned the name Drescher. One thing’s for certain, she’s not the Valkyrie. That’s Anke Wollner. Liane Kayser came here tonight because she has a life worth protecting. She was giving nothing away. Well, she did give one thing away, if inadvertently.’

‘What?’

‘I have a funny feeling that she was abused as a child. Or a rape victim. Some trauma that changed her personality and made her a candidate for the Valkyrie project.’

‘Why?’ Astrid Bremer looked at Fabel with a puzzled frown. ‘What gave you that idea?’

‘I don’t know,’ lied Fabel. ‘Just a couple of things she said about how men treat women. It’s just a feeling I get.’