Free Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith Page B

Karl and the housekeeper? Did they know anything about this? Were they trustworthy? It’s all a lot of nonsense, Jonathan thought, and wanted to smile, but he wasn’t smiling.
    ‘You’re tired.’ Wister informed him. ‘Want to see your room? Gaby already took your suitcase in.’
    Fifteen minutes later, Jonathan was in pyjamas after a hot shower. His room had a window at the front of the house, like the living-room which had two windows on the front, and Jonathan looked out on a surface of water where there were lights along the near shore, and some red and green lights of tied-up boats. It looked dark, peaceful and spacious. A searchlight’s beam swept protectively across the sky. His bed was a three-quarter width, neatly turned down. There was a glass of what looked like water on his bed-table and a package of Gitane maïs, his brand, and an ashtray and matches. Jonathan took a sip from the glass and found that it was indeed water.

6

    J ONATHAN sat on the edge of his bed, sipping coffee which Gaby had just brought. It was coffee the way he liked it, strong with a dash of thick cream. Jonathan had awakened at 7 a.m., then gone back to sleep until Wister had knocked on the door at 10.30 a.m.
    ‘Don’t apologize, I’m glad you slept.’ said Wister. ‘Gaby is ready to bring you some coffee. Or do you prefer tea?’
    Wister had also added that he had made a reservation for Jonathan at the Hotel – Victoria was its name in English, anyway, where they would go before lunch. Jonathan thanked him. No further conversation about the hotel. But that was the beginning, Jonathan thought, as he had thought last night. If he were to carry out Wister’s plan, he mustn’t be a house-guest here. Jonathan, however, felt glad he was going to be out from under Wister’s roof in a couple of hours.
    A friend or acquaintance of Wister’s named Rudolf something arrived at noon. Rudolf was young and slender with straight black hair, nervous and polite. Wister said he was a medical student. Evidently he did not speak English. He reminded Jonathan of photographs of Franz Kafka. They all got into the car, driven by Karl, and set off for Jonathan’s hotel. Everything looked so new compared to France, Jonathan thought, and then recalled that Hamburg had been flattened by bombs. The car stopped in a commercial-looking street. It was the Hotel Victoria.
    They all speak English.’ Wister said. ‘We’ll wait for you.’
    Jonathan went in. A bellhop had taken his suitcase at the door. He registered, looking at his English passport to get the number right. He asked for his suitcase to be sent up to his room, as Wister had told him to do. The hotel was of middle category. Jonathan saw.
    Then they throve to a restaurant for lunch, where Karl did not join them. They had a bottle of wine at their table before the meal, and Rudolf became more merry. Rudolf spoke in German and Wister translated a few of his pleasantries. Jonathan was thinking of the hour 2 p.m., when he was due at the hospital.
    ‘Reeves —’ said Rudolf to Wister.
    Jonathan thought Rudolf had said it once before, and this time there was no mistake. Wister – Reeves Minot – took it calmly. And so did Jonathan.
    ‘Anaemic,’ said Rudolf to Jonathan.
    ‘Worse.’ Jonathan smiled.
    ‘Schlimmer,’ said Reeves Minot, and continued to Rudolf in German, which seemed to Jonathan as clumsy as his French, but was probably equally adequate.
    The food was excellent, the portions enormous. Reeves had brought his cigars. But before they could finish the cigars, they had to leave for the hospital.
    The hospital was a vast assembly of buildings set among trees and pathways lined with flowers. Karl had again driven them. The wing of the hospital where Jonathan had to go looked like a laboratory of the future – rooms on either side of a corridor as in a hotel, except that these rooms held chromium chairs or beds and were illuminated by fluorescent or variously coloured lamps. There