Tayte nodded. ‘She seems to be, but it’s made me think again about whether we should stick around any longer than we need to. Munich’s becoming too dangerous a place for us.’
Tobias Kaufmann shook his head with an air of despair. ‘I’ve been attacked myself. We even had a fire here about fifteen years ago. I’m sure that was deliberate, too. Thankfully, it was put out before too much damage was done. I think by now the people protecting Strobel know us Kaufmanns won’t be scared off, so they leave us alone. Either that or after all these years of trying they know we’ll never find him. These people will scare anyone off the Strobel scent if they believe them to be a threat. Which is what excited me about you when you first came to see us.’
Tayte thought Kaufmann had made a good point, as Jean had earlier. He and Jean had to be a threat to Strobel, or why go to such lengths to scare them off? Tayte didn’t like to think of anyone scaring him off an assignment, especially his own assignment, but he knew it was selfish just to consider himself in this. Jean had been right though. All the while he had to remain in Munich, he was determined to dig as deeply as he could for the answers he hoped to find, and if that meant bringing Volker Strobel to justice, whether the man was his grandfather or not, then that was fine by him.
‘When I called to say I was coming to see you,’ Tayte said, ‘you told me you had some good news for me?’
‘Ah, yes. Possibly some very good news. We’ve had clearance for you to go and see a woman called Jan Statham at the Standesamt München—the civil registration office where the births, marriages, and deaths for Munich are recorded. She’s been briefed to let you have access to the records you need to see, although you’re not permitted to remove or photocopy anything.’
‘Can I take notes?’
‘Yes, of course. I’m told Jan Statham is British, so you won’t have any language issues, and she’ll be able to help you with document translations. She’s lived and worked in Germany for a good many years.’
‘That’s great,’ Tayte said, smiling broadly. ‘When can she see me?’
‘Whenever you’re ready. She has your name. I’ll give you her telephone number at the Standesamt so you can call ahead.’
The Munich Standesamt was on Ruppertstrasse in the Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt district, a short distance southwest of Munich’s city centre. It was just after midday and Tayte was in a taxi on his way there, having called the number Tobias Kaufmann had given him for Jan Statham, who had been able to see him right away. Before Tayte left the offices of Kaufmann und Kaufmann, Tobias had also given him the contact details he had for Trudi Strobel. Tayte already knew where she lived, having written to her twice before leaving England. He’d planned to go and knock on Trudi’s door that very afternoon while he waited for Jean to get the all clear from the hospital, but as Tobias had been able to furnish him with a telephone number, he now punched it into his phone.
Tayte’s palms began to feel clammy as he waited for his call to be answered. From what Tobias had told him about Trudi’s financial situation, he didn’t expect her to answer the phone herself, and he wasn’t wrong. The voice that greeted him belonged to a female, but she sounded far too young to be Trudi. He thought she must be a housekeeper or perhaps a carer of some kind.
‘Familie Strobel, Guten Tag.’
‘Sprechen Sie Englisch?’ Tayte said, hopefully.
‘A little. Who is this, please?’
‘My name is Jefferson Tayte. I’d like to speak to Trudi Strobel.’
‘Frau Strobel nimmt keine Anrufe entgegen.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘No calls.’
Tayte wasn’t going to be put off this time. ‘Please tell her I know about Ingrid Keller. Do you understand?’
‘Yes. Wait please.’
Tayte waited, absently watching the city streets pass by outside the taxi window. He didn’t have to wait long.
‘This is Trudi Strobel. What do you want?’
Tayte wasn’t sure why he felt so nervous, but he did. ‘My name’s Jefferson Tayte,’ he said, thankful that Trudi appeared to speak very good English. ‘I wrote to you about—’
‘Yes, I know who you are,’ Trudi cut in. ‘I told you I didn’t want to speak to you.’
But you are speaking to me, Tayte thought, considering it a good sign. He thought she could just as well have told her young helper to hang up the phone, but she hadn’t. ‘I know about Ingrid Keller,’ Tayte repeated. ‘I know she’s your daughter.’
‘Yes, and what of it?’
It was time to deliver the bluff. ‘Well, I also know that her father is Johann Langner, who used to be your husband’s best friend, and I have the feeling you’d rather I kept that to myself.’
‘Are you threatening me, Mr Tayte?’