Free The Defeated Aristocrat by Katherine John

need. If necessary, cancel all leave. I want the perpetrator of these obscenities caught and punished.’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘Keep Max Meyer in the cells for a couple of days and arrange to have him questioned at hourly intervals. Day and night. He and the Konigsberg Sonne need to be reminded what is and isn’t permissible to print. See he’s given advice on the acceptable behaviour for journalists.’
    ‘Yes, sir.’ Georg was relieved to see Dorfman walk down the stairs and out of the door. It hadn’t been easy for him to step down from the position of Acting Kriminalrat, which he’d held on a temporary basis since Dorfman’s uncle had died in 1915. He would have accepted his demotion with equanimity if a better man with experience or talent had been appointed in his place. But Dorfman owed his position to influential connections. It was enough for the Burgomaster that Dorfman’s father and grandfather had been judges, that his brother was a lawyer, and although Dorfman had no qualifications or university education he’d returned from the war a colonel.
    Georg read the note that had been delivered to Lilli. Afterwards he watched the police photographer, Otto, make a record of the room from every angle. He was still monitoring Otto from the doorway when Martin joined him twenty minutes later.
    ‘Lilli’s husband beat her.’ Martin hadn’t asked a question and Georg didn’t divert his attention from Otto or the room.
    ‘She told you?’
    ‘Not in so many words.’
    ‘It’s the words we need. She has to make an official complaint.’
    ‘She has three cracked ribs, extensive and serious bruising, and whip marks on her back, arms, and breasts. By the look of the cuts and bruises, they were made by the buckle end of a belt. I advised her to throw the brute out.’
    ‘If only it were that simple. They live in an apartment in her invalid father’s house. She’s probably terrified her husband will beat her father and child if she asks him to leave.’
    ‘Blows that forceful could kill.’
    ‘I know and she knows.’ Georg finally turned to him.
    ‘You’re a senior officer in the city police.’
    ‘She’s Dedleff Gluck’s wife. Do you know the kriminalrat’s directives on violence between husband and wife?’
    ‘Ignore it?’
    ‘Short of murder, yes. A wife is the property of her husband and a man may dispose of his possessions as he wishes. However, although I may not be able to arrest Gluck, I am his superior.’
    ‘Which means?’
    ‘I have some power over him. Did you know Lilli calls me Uncle Georg in private?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I’m her godfather. Leave her husband to me.’ He moved to allow Otto to carry out his equipment. ‘You’ve finished photographing everything, Otto?’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘You’ve made a record of every inch of the room?’
    ‘As always, sir.’ Otto was hurt by the suggestion that he wouldn’t have.
    ‘I can move anything knowing I can see where it was originally placed as soon as you’ve developed your photographs?’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘In that case, thank you.’
    Martin helped Otto stack his tripod, camera, plates and equipment outside the door before following Georg back into the room. They both stared at the mutilated corpse.
    ‘My apologies, von Mau. After the murder of your brother-in-law, this is probably the last place you want to be,’ Georg murmured.
    ‘Anton was found like this?’ Martin asked.
    ‘Exactly like this. Lilli discovered his body.’
    ‘She did?’ Martin was surprised.
    ‘Someone sent her a note with the address. Just as they did tonight.’
    ‘Could the same person have killed both men?’
    ‘It’s possible,’ Georg replied cautiously. ‘Same mutilation, same shredded pile of uniform and underclothes cut from the body, same rope ligatures binding hands and feet to the head and footboards and similar rusting mask covering the face.’
    ‘A branks.’
    ‘A what?’ Georg questioned.
    ‘A branks – a scold’s