Tayte shook his head. ‘I don’t want to leave you. After what happened last night these people know we’re still digging.’
‘Good,’ Jean said, a little indignantly. ‘Personally, I’m tired of these people trying to scare us off. Remember they’re only doing it because we’re on to something. We must be.’
Tayte liked her spirit, and he couldn’t argue with her logic. ‘I suspect Tobias Kaufmann must be on to something, too,’ he said. ‘Why else turn his place over like that?’ Tayte had been wondering about the motive and the timing of the attack on the Kaufmanns’ offices all night. He figured the reason had to be connected with whatever Tobias had found from ‘following the money’ as he’d put it.
Jean agreed. ‘And he’s going to be excited when we tell him we know Strobel is still very much alive.’
‘He sure is,’ Tayte said. ‘And if Fleischer was going to take us to him, he can’t be too far away. He must have come to Munich after all, as Kaufmann’s insider said he would.’
‘So keep digging,’ Jean said. ‘I was fine here all by myself yesterday, and I’ll be fine again today. Besides, Jan Statham might be too busy to see you later. What if she’s found something?’
The thought put a smile on Tayte’s face. ‘She was looking into Ava Bauer for me.’
‘Yes, you told me.’
‘I think Ava could be pivotal in this.’
Jean laughed. ‘You don’t have to convince me. Go and find out while there’s still time. You know you’ll only regret it when we get back to London if you don’t.’
Tayte knew Jean was right. ‘You’ll wait here until I come back for you?’
‘Right here,’ Jean said. ‘This area of the hospital’s always busy. Fleischer would have to be crazy to try anything.’
‘That’s exactly what I’m worried about.’
‘You know what I mean,’ Jean said. She gave Tayte a playful smile. ‘Besides, it’s you he’s after now, remember?’
‘Only too well,’ Tayte said. He leaned in and gave Jean a kiss. ‘You’d better go. The nurse is waiting. Call me as soon as you’re ready to leave.’
‘I will. And I know I keep saying it, JT, but be careful.’
Tayte gave her a cheesy smile as he made for the exit. ‘Careful is my new middle name,’ he said. ‘Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be back before you know it.’
As Tayte sat in the back of the taxi on his way to Munich’s civil registration office, his thoughts were preoccupied with Ava Bauer and the idea that she was the most likely candidate for his paternal grandmother. As for his paternal grandfather, all Tayte knew was that his mother and her husband, Karl, had gone to see the Kaufmanns in connection with tracing Karl’s father, which suggested to Tayte that Karl had at least considered the possibility that Volker Strobel was his father. Yet, if Ava was indeed Karl’s mother, then given that she was married to Johann Langner during the Second World War, there was every possibility that Langner was Karl’s father. Tayte closed his eyes and shook his head as he wondered how on earth he was going to prove any of this. He had to remind himself that he was still working on little more than a hunch. He thought it was a pretty big hunch, given his findings, but in his line of work he knew that it was the facts that really mattered. He just had to find them.
‘Find the child,’ he told himself, ‘and you’ll find your family.’
Tayte had become so lost to his thoughts that the journey seemed to take no time at all. He only snapped out of them fully when the taxi pulled up outside the Munich Standesamt and the driver asked for his fare. Tayte checked his watch. It was just before ten—a little later than he’d hoped. He took his phone out as he walked towards the entrance and tried Tobias Kaufmann again, but as before, his call went straight to voicemail. He supposed Tobias must be busy sorting out the mess Fleischer and his gang had made.
‘Mr Tayte!’
Tayte spun around to see Jan Statham pacing towards him with a spring in her step as she tried to catch up. She was wearing a light green trouser suit today. He stopped and met her smile, noticing that she had a paper tray of hot drinks in her hand.
‘Good morning,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry I’m a little later than I said.’
‘That’s quite all right,’ Jan said. ‘It’s not like we’re running to any kind of schedule is it?’ I thought you wouldn’t be much longer so I popped out and got you a fresh coffee.’
She handed one of the paper cups to Tayte. ‘Jan, you really are a lifesaver,’ he said. ‘And please call me JT.’
They went inside, taking the stairs up to the same office area as before.
‘Did you manage to find anything?’ Tayte asked.