Vienna Blood

47

“INSPECTOR RHEINHARDT?”

“Herr Arnoldt.”

“Would you like to come in?”

Rheinhardt peered over the zookeeper's shoulder but could see very little of the dim interior beyond. There were clumps of dense foliage: large, spatulate, dripping leaves and hairy hanging creepers. The air that escaped through the half-open door was warm and fetid.

“Not really,” said Rheinhardt, each syllable extended by equivocation.

“Why not? It's perfectly safe. Giselle has the sweetest temperament, I can assure you.”

Rheinhardt was not convinced that the zookeeper's assurances could be trusted. Even so, he crossed the threshold and allowed his shoes to sink into a carpet of springy moss. Herr Arnoldt turned abruptly and tramped down a gentle slope. “Please, Inspector,” he called out. “I would be grateful if you would close the door behind you. Firmly.”

Rheinhardt did so, but could not stop himself from asking-albeit silently-Why?

He hurried after Herr Arnoldt, who had vanished behind a matted curtain of trailing vines. Rheinhardt followed him through and discovered the zookeeper standing with his legs apart and his hands on his hips, staring across a still expanse of dark green water. The virid glassy surface was surrounded by lush swamp vegetation. On the opposite bank was a massive reptile with a broad, flat snout. Its scaly skin was brown and black, although the area surrounding its jaw and the visible parts of its neck and belly were creamy white.

“Giselle,” said Herr Arnoldt.

“A crocodile?”

“No,” said Herr Arnoldt. “She's an American alligator. Mississippiensis.”

“Ah,” said Rheinhardt. “And you are sure she's not… dangerous?”

“Quite sure.”

Suddenly, two olive-green eyes appeared silently just above the surface of the water.

“My God, what's that?” cried Rheinhardt.

“Oh, that's only Richard,” said Herr Arnoldt.

“Richard…”

“Yes.”

“You never said anything about Richard.” Herr Arnoldt remained ominously silent. “Is he dangerous?”

“Not if we keep our distance.”

“Herr Arnoldt, I had no intention of getting any closer.”

The zookeeper turned toward Rheinhardt and let his hands fall loosely by his sides.

“I just thought… I just thought you might enjoy seeing them like this. Few people are afforded such a privilege. They are magnificent creatures.”

There was something in the keeper's tone of voice that made Rheinhardt feel he had been mean-spirited. Herr Arnoldt's invitation had been well intended-an eccentric but essentially friendly gesture.

“Yes,” said Rheinhardt. “You are quite right. They are magnificent creatures. Thank you… Most kind.”

The zookeeper nodded, realizing that some subtle misunderstanding had now been resolved. “So,” he said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together eagerly. “Have you caught him?”

“No,” Rheinhardt replied. “Unfortunately not.” The zookeeper pushed out his lower lip. “However, we are making good progress. Not as much as I would have liked at this stage, but progress nevertheless. I wondered if you would help us again? I have a question pertaining to the statement you gave at the Schottenring station.”

Herr Arnoldt nodded.

“After your memory returned,” continued Rheinhardt, “you were able to remember the approach of the assailant, who marched down the corridor, whistling a… jolly tune?”

“Yes, that's right,” said Herr Arnoldt. “I told your assistant everything. I'm afraid there isn't any more to tell.”

“Indeed. But I understand that you were able to reproduce the melody for my assistant-Haussmann. Could you possibly do so again, for me?”

There was a gentle rippling sound. The previously submerged alligator broke through the pool's surface, revealing its full size.

“God in heaven-it's huge!”

“Just over thirteen feet,” said Herr Arnoldt, calmly. “Among male Mississippiensis, Richard is not exceptionally large.”

The animal's jaws opened. It appeared to be yawning.

“So many teeth…,” said Rheinhardt, feigning a light conversational tone, while suppressing a very strong urge to run.

“Yes, about seventy or eighty. And each one is as sharp as a razor.”

“Have you ever been bitten?”

The zookeeper laughed. “No, Inspector. Few people get bitten by Mississippiensis and live to tell the tale.”

“Just as well, then,” said Rheinhardt. “Now, where was I?”

“The melody-you said you wanted me to sing the melody again.”

“If you can still remember it-yes.”

The zookeeper cleared his throat, and began to sing:

“Pa, pa, pom, pom, ta-ta-ta-ta, pom, pom, pom…” The first few phrases were distinctive and the pitches accurate. Thereafter the melody became loose and improvisatory, eventually degenerating into a piece of pure invention. “That's about it,” Herr Arnoldt added. “I'm not sure about the last bit-but the beginning is correct.”

Rheinhardt opened a large cloth-bound volume that he was holding under his arm. Herr Arnoldt noticed that the pages were covered in musical notation. When Rheinhardt had found the right page, he took a deep breath and began to sing from the score: “ Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja-” I'm the merry bird catcher, A familiar sight to young and old.

Rheinhardt's deliciously resonant baritone filled the enclosure. It rolled out across the water and bounced back from the high ceiling. He had never performed in such a strange arena and to such a strange audience. Indeed, so peculiar was his situation that for a fleeting moment he entertained the possibility that he was, in fact, still lying in his bed and the events of the morning were occurring in a dream.

Giselle and Richard did not respond, but the zookeeper's expression was utterly transformed.

“Yes, that's it,” he cried. “That's it!”

Rheinhardt continued singing: I know how to set a trap And whistle like a bird…

The melody was playful, charming, and composed in the style of a popular song.

“What is it?” asked Herr Arnoldt.

Rheinhardt gently closed the score. “It's from The Magic Flute.”

The sound of displaced water disturbed them. Richard had begun to move forward. He seemed to be traveling quite fast. His snout was producing a high bow wave.

“I think…,” said Herr Arnoldt, looking a little concerned. “I think it's time to go.”