Read Online The House of Dolls by David Hewson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: David Hewson
Ads: Link
had?’
Bakker put her hands on her hips. An expression of exasperation he was coming to recognize.
‘How many do you think I got?’
‘Enough. You’re bright. Educated. You wanted to be a police officer. In a quiet little country town called Dokkum.’
‘You don’t know me!’
He nodded.
‘True. But I know Til Stamm. You behaved the way she expected. Life’s easier sometimes if you do the opposite. When they think you’re going to play hardball be charming. If they think you’re the nice guy . . .’
‘Always the nice guy. That’s you. How was the dope they were smoking? Good?’
‘Frank talking out of turn?’
‘It’s in the files, Vos,’ she said, a little shame-faced. ‘On your record when they gave you sickness retirement. I thought . . .’
She didn’t finish the sentence.
‘Thought what?’
‘I thought you’d look older. And more wasted.’
He laughed at that and said, ‘You shouldn’t believe everything you read in the files.’
‘Does this go down on mine?’
Before he could answer her phone rang. She took the call. Change of voice. Deferential not defensive.
‘Any news from Frank?’ he asked when she was done.
Bakker said, ‘You’ve got to stop doing this to me.’
‘It’s the way you talk.’ Vos unlocked his bike. ‘From aggressive to . . .’ He was about to say defensive but that wouldn’t have been right. ‘You’ve got to learn to listen to people, Laura. Especially when what they say doesn’t seem to matter.’
‘That kid in there was lying.’
‘She was,’ he agreed. ‘So what?’
The round green eyes widened.
‘So what? She was lying.’
‘Til Stamm was doing what comes naturally with people like us. Does it matter?’
A quiet curse beneath her breath.
‘Wim Prins finally got around to going to Marnixstraat,’ she said. ‘De Groot wants us back there to talk to them. Prins is busy apparently. A meeting to go to. He can’t stay long.’
Vos held out his hand for the phone. She passed it over. He returned the call. Asked De Groot some questions. Gave no reasons for them. Then passed the phone back and pointed to her bike.
‘Time to go, Aspirant Bakker.’
‘To Marnixstraat?’
‘To court. According to Frank they’re going to let Theo Jansen out sometime over the next hour. He’s promised to be a good boy. Let’s hope we get there in time.’
She didn’t move.
‘Commissaris de Groot specifically told me to get you back to Marnixstraat. If I don’t . . .’
‘Frank can talk to Wim Prins. I don’t want to miss Theo. It’s been a while.’
‘Will you please tell me what’s going on?’
He showed her the piece of paper he’d taken from the bedroom.
‘Katja’s friend is Jaap Zeeger. A pointless little druggie and petty crook who was, for a while, the primary suspect in my daughter’s disappearance. Turned out to be wrong. At least I thought so.’
She read the document. A summons to the court for that afternoon.
‘Zeeger was on Theo Jansen’s payroll,’ Vos said. ‘Maybe a few other people’s too. Klaas Mulder got him to turn informer and put his boss in jail.’ Vos climbed on the bike. ‘Now he’s retracted everything. He’s going to help Jansen go free.’
The letter said Zeeger would be in court for the hearing.
‘Why’s he changed his mind?’
‘Let’s ask him. After we find out what he knows about Katja Prins. Since you’re so good at multitasking you can phone Frank and tell him where we’re going.’
Vos set off down the narrow alley back towards Warmoesstraat.
She followed, getting more shrill along the way.
‘Vos! Vos! Why don’t you call . . . ?’
Her voice rang off the dingy brickwork. Spots of rain. Shouted pleas from behind. Something about him being infuriating.
Which was wrong, Vos felt. More . . . preoccupied.
He turned, smiled, waved, then rejoined the busy street where, three and a half centuries before, Petronella Oortman had lived with her little wooden mansion and her
Bakker put her hands on her hips. An expression of exasperation he was coming to recognize.
‘How many do you think I got?’
‘Enough. You’re bright. Educated. You wanted to be a police officer. In a quiet little country town called Dokkum.’
‘You don’t know me!’
He nodded.
‘True. But I know Til Stamm. You behaved the way she expected. Life’s easier sometimes if you do the opposite. When they think you’re going to play hardball be charming. If they think you’re the nice guy . . .’
‘Always the nice guy. That’s you. How was the dope they were smoking? Good?’
‘Frank talking out of turn?’
‘It’s in the files, Vos,’ she said, a little shame-faced. ‘On your record when they gave you sickness retirement. I thought . . .’
She didn’t finish the sentence.
‘Thought what?’
‘I thought you’d look older. And more wasted.’
He laughed at that and said, ‘You shouldn’t believe everything you read in the files.’
‘Does this go down on mine?’
Before he could answer her phone rang. She took the call. Change of voice. Deferential not defensive.
‘Any news from Frank?’ he asked when she was done.
Bakker said, ‘You’ve got to stop doing this to me.’
‘It’s the way you talk.’ Vos unlocked his bike. ‘From aggressive to . . .’ He was about to say defensive but that wouldn’t have been right. ‘You’ve got to learn to listen to people, Laura. Especially when what they say doesn’t seem to matter.’
‘That kid in there was lying.’
‘She was,’ he agreed. ‘So what?’
The round green eyes widened.
‘So what? She was lying.’
‘Til Stamm was doing what comes naturally with people like us. Does it matter?’
A quiet curse beneath her breath.
‘Wim Prins finally got around to going to Marnixstraat,’ she said. ‘De Groot wants us back there to talk to them. Prins is busy apparently. A meeting to go to. He can’t stay long.’
Vos held out his hand for the phone. She passed it over. He returned the call. Asked De Groot some questions. Gave no reasons for them. Then passed the phone back and pointed to her bike.
‘Time to go, Aspirant Bakker.’
‘To Marnixstraat?’
‘To court. According to Frank they’re going to let Theo Jansen out sometime over the next hour. He’s promised to be a good boy. Let’s hope we get there in time.’
She didn’t move.
‘Commissaris de Groot specifically told me to get you back to Marnixstraat. If I don’t . . .’
‘Frank can talk to Wim Prins. I don’t want to miss Theo. It’s been a while.’
‘Will you please tell me what’s going on?’
He showed her the piece of paper he’d taken from the bedroom.
‘Katja’s friend is Jaap Zeeger. A pointless little druggie and petty crook who was, for a while, the primary suspect in my daughter’s disappearance. Turned out to be wrong. At least I thought so.’
She read the document. A summons to the court for that afternoon.
‘Zeeger was on Theo Jansen’s payroll,’ Vos said. ‘Maybe a few other people’s too. Klaas Mulder got him to turn informer and put his boss in jail.’ Vos climbed on the bike. ‘Now he’s retracted everything. He’s going to help Jansen go free.’
The letter said Zeeger would be in court for the hearing.
‘Why’s he changed his mind?’
‘Let’s ask him. After we find out what he knows about Katja Prins. Since you’re so good at multitasking you can phone Frank and tell him where we’re going.’
Vos set off down the narrow alley back towards Warmoesstraat.
She followed, getting more shrill along the way.
‘Vos! Vos! Why don’t you call . . . ?’
Her voice rang off the dingy brickwork. Spots of rain. Shouted pleas from behind. Something about him being infuriating.
Which was wrong, Vos felt. More . . . preoccupied.
He turned, smiled, waved, then rejoined the busy street where, three and a half centuries before, Petronella Oortman had lived with her little wooden mansion and her
Similar Books
