suddenly fallen on a painting of particular interest. Engel laughed delightedly, like a boy who has just seen a deck-chair collapse under a fat old lady.
"It looks as though I'll have to go to work on this lad," he said. "He obviously thinks we're a bunch of idiots--and I don't like that."
"I feel the need for a short breather." Major Grau got up, carefully smoothing a few imaginary creases from his immaculate tunic. "Meanwhile, Engel will continue the conversation with our witness. Make him an offer, Engel, and don't be stingy. Herr Liesowski, may I ask you to accompany me?"
Grau stepped out into the corridor followed by the Inspector. It was a long, narrow passage with a high ceiling and pale green, peeling walls. Several Polish detectives stood there in the semi-darkness like stone sentinels. There were no civilians in sight.
Grau glanced at Liesowski's worried face and gave a fleeting smile. "Don't worry, Inspector. You mustn't forget that there are certain differences between us and the S. D. or the Gestapo--differences which we set store by. Engel's methods are a picnic by comparison, I can assure you."
He went into the communal lavatory on the floor below, sat down on the seat and peered through the keyhole. The whole corridor was visible. He could even hear, with comparative ease, snatches of apparently amiable conversation drifting down from the room once inhabited by the murdered woman. Engel was administering one of his guaranteed cures for a defective memory. He was haggling like a horse-trader, offering foodstuffs in exchange for a full and immediate statement.
"Let's go back," Major Grau suggested, glancing at his watch. Little more than five minutes had elapsed, but past experience told him that this was long enough for Engel's efforts to yield preliminary results.
They found Engel standing in the centre of the room. In front of him, not far from Maria Kupiecki's body, stood the witness, wearing a more co-operative expression.
"I've had a few words with our lavatory-man." Engel clapped his hands. "Now then birdie, start singing! What did you see?"
Wionczek shuffled self-consciously. Detective-Inspector Liesowski leant against the wall as though seeking support. Major Grau sat stiffly erect in his chair.
"Well, I sat there listening to the screams. At first I thought, Maria's tight again. She was always drinking and making a racket, you know. But then it struck me that she sounded really frightened. Then everything went quiet."
"Go on," prompted Engel. "You looked through the keyhole."
"Yes, because I heard steps coming downstairs from the floor above."
"What exactly did you see?"
Wionczek hesitated. "I must have been mistaken."
"Why not?" said Engel cheerfully. "You're only human, after all. Anyone can make a mistake. The main thing is, tell us what you saw--mistakenly, of course."
"There's no need to be afraid," Liesowski said gently.
"I caught sight of a man," Wionczek blurted out. "He was wearing uniform--the sort of uniform the Germans wear, grey or greenish--the light in the corridor was too dim for me to see clearly."
"You don't say!" exclaimed Engel. "A German soldier? He'll be telling us it was a German officer next."
"Kindly don't interrupt him," said Major Grau. "And don't make any leading remarks. Let him speak for himself."
"It could well have been a German officer," said Wionczek. Words suddenly gushed from him like water from a spring, "At least, that's what I thought at the time. Of course, I could be wrong. I was in a bit of a state--not feeling too good--that's why I was sitting there in the first place. Anyway, I caught sight of something else, something red, like a red stripe running down the man's trouser-leg--a wide red band. And there was something that looked like gold up by his collar."
"Great balls of fire!" exclaimed Engel. "Can you beat it? He goes the whole hog and describes a German general. I've half a mind to withdraw my generous offer and..."
Major Grau cut
"It looks as though I'll have to go to work on this lad," he said. "He obviously thinks we're a bunch of idiots--and I don't like that."
"I feel the need for a short breather." Major Grau got up, carefully smoothing a few imaginary creases from his immaculate tunic. "Meanwhile, Engel will continue the conversation with our witness. Make him an offer, Engel, and don't be stingy. Herr Liesowski, may I ask you to accompany me?"
Grau stepped out into the corridor followed by the Inspector. It was a long, narrow passage with a high ceiling and pale green, peeling walls. Several Polish detectives stood there in the semi-darkness like stone sentinels. There were no civilians in sight.
Grau glanced at Liesowski's worried face and gave a fleeting smile. "Don't worry, Inspector. You mustn't forget that there are certain differences between us and the S. D. or the Gestapo--differences which we set store by. Engel's methods are a picnic by comparison, I can assure you."
He went into the communal lavatory on the floor below, sat down on the seat and peered through the keyhole. The whole corridor was visible. He could even hear, with comparative ease, snatches of apparently amiable conversation drifting down from the room once inhabited by the murdered woman. Engel was administering one of his guaranteed cures for a defective memory. He was haggling like a horse-trader, offering foodstuffs in exchange for a full and immediate statement.
"Let's go back," Major Grau suggested, glancing at his watch. Little more than five minutes had elapsed, but past experience told him that this was long enough for Engel's efforts to yield preliminary results.
They found Engel standing in the centre of the room. In front of him, not far from Maria Kupiecki's body, stood the witness, wearing a more co-operative expression.
"I've had a few words with our lavatory-man." Engel clapped his hands. "Now then birdie, start singing! What did you see?"
Wionczek shuffled self-consciously. Detective-Inspector Liesowski leant against the wall as though seeking support. Major Grau sat stiffly erect in his chair.
"Well, I sat there listening to the screams. At first I thought, Maria's tight again. She was always drinking and making a racket, you know. But then it struck me that she sounded really frightened. Then everything went quiet."
"Go on," prompted Engel. "You looked through the keyhole."
"Yes, because I heard steps coming downstairs from the floor above."
"What exactly did you see?"
Wionczek hesitated. "I must have been mistaken."
"Why not?" said Engel cheerfully. "You're only human, after all. Anyone can make a mistake. The main thing is, tell us what you saw--mistakenly, of course."
"There's no need to be afraid," Liesowski said gently.
"I caught sight of a man," Wionczek blurted out. "He was wearing uniform--the sort of uniform the Germans wear, grey or greenish--the light in the corridor was too dim for me to see clearly."
"You don't say!" exclaimed Engel. "A German soldier? He'll be telling us it was a German officer next."
"Kindly don't interrupt him," said Major Grau. "And don't make any leading remarks. Let him speak for himself."
"It could well have been a German officer," said Wionczek. Words suddenly gushed from him like water from a spring, "At least, that's what I thought at the time. Of course, I could be wrong. I was in a bit of a state--not feeling too good--that's why I was sitting there in the first place. Anyway, I caught sight of something else, something red, like a red stripe running down the man's trouser-leg--a wide red band. And there was something that looked like gold up by his collar."
"Great balls of fire!" exclaimed Engel. "Can you beat it? He goes the whole hog and describes a German general. I've half a mind to withdraw my generous offer and..."
Major Grau cut
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