“Thanks.” D’Agosta closed the phone and related what he’d heard.
Pendergast’s face tensed with excitement. “This is precisely the thread we’ve been looking for. Grove, Cutforth, Bullard. Why were all three looking for Beckmann? Perhaps we should find this Beckmann and see what he has to tell us.”
“You may find that a difficult proposition, my friend,” said the count.
Pendergast glanced at him. “And why is that?”
“Because the private investigator told me something else. That he was unable to find any information at all on this Ranier Beckmann. No present or past address, no employment history, no family information. Nothing. But I leave that to you.” The count, beaming with his success, extended his white hands. “And now, business concluded, let us be seated and enjoy our lunch.” He turned and bowed to Constance. “May I be permitted to seat you here, on my right? I feel we have much to talk about.”
{ 29 }
Even before entering, Harriman had formed a clear picture of Von Menck’s sitting room in his mind. He figured he’d find it carpeted in Persian rugs, decked out with astrological charts, ancient pentacles, and perhaps Tibetan durgas made of human long bones. The room alone, he hoped, would make great copy. Thus he was crestfallen when the door drew back at his knock to reveal a simple, almost spartan study. There was a small fireplace, comfortable leather chairs, lithographs of Egyptian ruins on the walls. There were, in fact, only two clues that this room was not just another middle-class parlor: the wall of glass-fronted bookcases, bulging with books and manuscripts and papers, and the Emmy for Best Documentary that sat neglected on the desk beside the telephone and old-fashioned Rolodex.
Harriman took the proffered seat, hoping his hunch would prove correct: that Von Menck would give shape and voice to the devil-killings story. A typical scientist would merely debunk the business, while some crank satanist would have no credibility. What made Friedrich Von Menck perfect was that he straddled the gray area in between. While Von Menck’s academic credentials were beyond reproach—doctor of philosophy from Heidelberg, doctor of medicine from Harvard, doctor of divinity from Canterbury—he had always made a specialty of mysticism, the paranormal, the unexplainable. His documentary on crop circles had aired on PBS to great acclaim, and it had been well done, salted with both skepticism and just the right frisson of the inexplicable. And, of course, his earlier documentary on the exorcisms in Cartagena, Spain, had won the Emmy. At the time, it had left even Harriman wondering—if only until the next commercial break—if there wasn’t something to the idea of demonic possession.
Von Menck would provide more than just an opinion: he would provide a foundation, a launching pad, an engine. If Von Menck couldn’t get this story into orbit, nobody could.
The doctor greeted him with courtesy, taking a seat in the leather chair opposite. Harriman liked him immediately. He was surprised to see that the compelling, almost magnetic personality projected on television was, in fact, real. It had a lot to do with the man’s low, mellifluous voice and cool, ascetic features, with the prominent cheekbones and finely molded chin. Only one thing seemed to be missing. On television, Von Menck had frequently smiled—a raffish smile of wit and good humor, of a man who didn’t take himself too seriously. It had the effect of keeping his rather technical investigations from getting too heavy. Now, however—though Von Menck was polite to a fault—the engaging smile was absent.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the doctor got right to the point. “Your message stated you wished to speak with me about the recent killings.”
“That’s right.” Harriman reached into his pocket for his digital voice recorder.
“What your paper has referred to as the devil killings.”
“Right.” Did he detect the slightest hint of disdain, or disapproval, in the doctor’s polite inflections? “Dr. Von Menck, I’ve come to see if you’ve framed an opinion on these murders.”
Dr. Von Menck leaned back in his chair, tented his fingers, and looked carefully at Harriman. When at last he spoke, it was in very slow and measured tones. It almost seemed to Harriman the man had been considering the question long before he asked it. “Yes. As it happens, I do have an opinion.”
Harriman placed the recorder on the arm of his chair. “Do you mind if I record this?”
Von Menck gave a small wave of permission. “I’ve been debating the wisdom of making my opinions public.”
Harriman felt himself go cold. Oh, no, he thought. The guy’s planning to do his own documentary on this. I’m about to get the royal shaft.