Nemesis: Innocence Sold
Page 46
Instead of obeying, Daniel raised an eyebrow. “This, then, is what one calls a false perception of reality, Götz.” He intentionally switched to a more familiar tone for the first time.
“You’re so predictable it makes me want to puke. Where have you won? Even when my hands were bound and you were pointing a pistol at me, you did exactly what I wanted. It’s so easy to manipulate you it’s ridiculous. Except for this damned clinic, everything’s gone exactly as I planned.” Daniel lowered his voice to a whisper; the German authorities didn’t need to hear every word. “Your ass is going to land in prison, and that’s where it belongs. Do you seriously think you can point that gun at my head and rape me? Mistake. I’d told you already: you chose the wrong man for your games.” At normal volume, Daniel continued. “Last warning: lay my Sig on the table and give up, or you’ll end up in the prison hospital with a broken arm.”
As expected, Paulsen just blinked; then his rage won, and he pulled the trigger.
There was a metallic click, but nothing happened. Rather than reacting with surprise, Paulsen leapt at him. But this time Daniel didn’t hold back. He blocked the blow and knocked the pistol out of Paulsen’s hand. He followed up with a kick to the stomach. The blow to the upper arm with the edge of his hand was superfluous, but he was in the habit of keeping his promises. With a loud scream, Paulsen grabbed his broken arm and collapsed. Grinning, Daniel took his phone from his pocket. “By the way, this thing can record, too, and since you agreed to the recording of our conversation, the prosecutor will be able to use every word.”
Behind him, the door opened. While Sandra seemed rather amused, Wegener looked at his patient in shock. “I didn’t understand every word, but the general implications were clear to me.”
“You’re welcome to hear the entire conversation if it interests you,” Daniel said. His sympathy for the psychiatrist won out over the satisfying feeling of having been right. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. I had the dubious pleasure of being able to study Paulsen’s authentic methods at close range. Just do me a favor: have my colleagues pick him up and take him where he belongs.”
Wegener nodded. “That will be taken care of in a few minutes, even if I have to deliver the bastard to the prison hospital myself.”
The sun shone on the North German landscape from a cloudless sky, and Daniel couldn’t have been in a better mood. “Why don’t you drive straight to Travemünde? The weather’s ideal for a little joyride.”
“Fine with me,” Sandra said and pushed the Mercedes. “I’d prefer to use the blue light, but I’d better not.”
“Well, I wouldn’t give you away.”
Sandra gave him a sidelong glance. “Speaking of giving things away—why not a little warning next time? I thought I was going crazy when you took the magazine out of the Sig and reprogrammed your phone outside the room. How long had you been planning that?”
“I’d already somewhat planned it when Natascha called me. This morning, Mark assessed the situation just as I had, and then I was sure. I actually wanted to let you in on it, but I was afraid that would lead to an endless argument.”
“Then you should get used to having more confidence in me, Lieutenant. I wouldn’t have tried to talk you out of it.”
“Sorry. I still have to get used to having an equal and very understanding partner.”
“You mean one who even lets it slide when you suggest there’s more between you and Tom than meets the eye?” When Daniel was about to launch into an explanation, Sandra waved it aside. “Leave it. I’m not stupid, and I know what you wanted to achieve. And in a way I’m even grateful to you for getting Paulsen to take me off his list. I hope we’ve heard the last of that guy. He’s repulsive in every way.”
“There’s nothing to add to that. And what are we going to do now?”
“Enjoy every second together. I bet Mark told you this morning when your next mission starts. You really need to work on your poker face. I’d say a fast trip across the Baltic on your boat, and tonight we’ll celebrate Paulsen sitting in prison instead of in the five-star clinic.”
“That sounds good. And we’ll drink to you women having messed things up for some nice people. The method may have been unconventional, but justice prevailed in the end. Shall we invite the entire troop?”
“Yes, of course, and don’t forget Anna and Andi. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so we can stay up all night and catch up on our sleep.”
Daniel leaned back and smiled. The idea of a spontaneous party sounded good; usually these unplanned get-togethers were the best. Until he met Sandra, he hadn’t known what he was missing, but now he looked forward to making a home together—it wasn’t only Sandra who had finally arrived.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stefanie Ross was born in Lübeck, Germany. She has lived for most of her life in northern Germany and has traveled across the United States, Canada, and Mexico by car and motorcycle. In 2012 she published her first romantic thriller, featuring hot men, strong women, and dark secrets. She has published fifteen novels—crime stories, thrillers, and romantic suspense—in German, and some of her books have been translated into Bulgarian.
When not writing or thinking up new stories, she’s riding her motorcycle, reading a book, or spending time at the ocean. Ross lives near the Baltic Sea with her husband and son. She’s addicted to coffee, whiskey (single malt only!), and spending time with her two guinea pigs. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Nemesis: Innocence Sold is her English-language debut.
Readers can visit her website at www.stefanieross.de or follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stefanieross.04.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Peter Sean Woltemade is an American-born literary and commercial translator who has lived in Germany and Sweden for several years and has been based in Copenhagen since 2004. He is a former Fulbright Graduate Fellow (Berlin) and received a PhD in medieval German literature from the University of California at Berkeley in 2005. Between 2005 and 2011 he taught English and German at gymnasiums in Denmark. His work has appeared in the Brooklyn Rail, the Cossack Review, and the Missing Slate. Woltemade’s current projects include translation of fiction by Karl-Heinz Ott, Thomas Boberg, Julia Butschkow, and Maja Elverkilde.