Free Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek Page B

got to her feet and was preparing to leave.
    ‘I'm not sure,’ he said truthfully. ‘Are you off?’
    ‘Yes, I need to lie down for an hour or so. I think I underestimated how draining these sessions would be. Can I come back tomorrow?’
    ‘Yes. I mean, maybe .’
    Viktor was still figuring out how to respond to Kai's advice.
    ‘I might be busy tomorrow. Why don't you give me a call? Technically, I'm not supposed to be seeing patients, and I'm behind with my other work.’
    ‘Of course.’
    Viktor felt sure that Anna was studying his expression and wondering what had prompted his reversal of mood. But she was too polite, or too canny, to let it show.
    As soon as she was out of the house, he picked up his palmtop to find the number of the hotel where his wife was staying in New York. He was still scrolling throughhis contact list when the telephone rang for the second time that day.
    ‘One more thing, Viktor.’
    Kai .
    ‘This isn't about the other business.’ He stopped and corrected himself. ‘I mean, it's got nothing to do with Josy. I just thought you'd want to fix it before the weather makes things worse.’
    ‘Fix what?’
    ‘I had a call from the alarm company. They couldn't get hold of anyone in Schwanenwerder so they tried me instead.’
    ‘Oh God, we've been burgled.’
    ‘Not exactly. As far as we know, nothing was taken. And your villa is just as you left it, don't worry.’
    ‘Then what's the problem?’
    ‘Someone broke into your cabin in Sacrow. The glass was smashed at the back.’

15
    Viktor was watching him. As the crow flies, there were four hundred and sixty-two kilometres between them, including a stretch of water measuring fifty nautical miles, but Viktor was following his every move. He tracked Kai Strathmann's progress through the cabin. The background noise on his phone was all he needed to pinpoint his exact location. The PI had driven to Sacrow with orders to inspect the damage to the cabin – and check out Anna's story.
    ‘OK, I'm in the kitchen.’
    The sound of Kai's squeaking trainers carried all the way from Sacrow to Parkum as a series of electrical pulses.
    ‘Well?’ said Viktor impatiently. ‘Has anything been touched?’ He jammed the receiver between his shoulder and chin, picked up the ancient dial phone and took a couple of steps away from the desk. The cord ran out before he reached the couch, so he hovered in the middle of the room.
    ‘If you ask me, no one's been here for ages. I'd give those surfaces a wipe before you invite any guests.’
    ‘We haven't been to the cabin in four years,’ saidViktor pointedly. He knew that Kai would be regretting his witticisms.
    ‘That's understandable, Doc.’
    The short walk through the woods had taken its toll on the 120-kilo PI. He was careful to hold his mobile away from his mouth, but Viktor could hear him wheezing all the same.
    ‘Nothing to report except the broken window. Judging by the evidence, it had nothing to do with Josy, whatever your mental patient tells you.’
    ‘What makes you say that?’
    ‘The damage is too recent. We're talking days, not months – and definitely not years.’
    ‘How do you know? Can you tell from the shards?’ Viktor raised his voice to cover the sound of banging doors. Kai was going through the cupboards and the fridge.
    ‘Viktor, there's a bloody great hole in the door. I'd expect to see damage to the floorboards – snow, rain, leaves, not to mention hordes of insects. There isn't a mark or stain in sight. Just a thick layer of dust, same as everywh—’
    ‘Thank you, Kai, I get the picture.’
    Viktor, whose arms were beginning to ache, walked the telephone back to the coffee table.
    ‘Charlotte apparently asked my patient to “search for what's missing”. I'd like you to check if anything's been stolen.’
    ‘Anything in particular? A Picasso? A kitchen whisk?How am I supposed to know what's missing? I'd need a whole bloody inventory. By the way, there aren't any