Daisy and Bernard (The Blind Sleuth Mysteries 3)

Chapter 17

"...the last demonstration in Leipzig was already very impressive, with 300,000 people showing up to demonstrate peacefully against the regime. But today, on this fourth of November, we are witnessing something even more impressive, as at least half a million people have swamped Alexanderplatz, in the heart of the GDR capital of East Berlin. For the first time a demonstration has been authorized by the powers that be, a reflection perhaps of the new outlook of the regime since Honecker has stepped down, but even so the new leader is not popular. Some of the banners carried by the demonstrators proclaim 'We are no fans of Egon Krenz,' which in German rhymes nicely, and 'Socialism yes, Egon no'..."

Daisy was sitting in a pitch dark cellar, listening to a transistor radio. Down in her concrete cell, she could only receive broadcasts by way of a wire going through the pipe of an air vent and connected to an antenna hidden among the rubbish at street level. The cellar was situated deep under a flat building on a council estate. Normally it was not in use, but a camping bed, a table and a chair had been installed for her sake, and there was an electric water boiler that allowed her to make some tea. While she sat at her table and worked on her new art project, Daisy listened intently to the latest news from Berlin.

"...In fact the banners carried along by the throngs of protesters give a fair idea of the demands of the citizens of East Germany. They say 'We are the people'. They ask for more freedom as they repeatedly refer to articles 27 and 28 of the constitution, which in theory guarantee freedom of speech and freedom of assembly: 'Civil rights not only on paper', 'Facts instead of phrases'. They demand 'Democracy for the GDR' and 'Real elections instead of fake figures'. Some banners are rather humorous: 'Privileges for all' or 'Change without ifs or buts'. Right now a long succession of personalities are giving speeches. Some of them are government officials, who get jeered at and booed by the crowds; most are opposition leaders and leading artists, and are warmly applauded. More remarkably still, the whole thing is being broadcast live on the GDR state television..."

Daisy was working on a landscape. With tiny balls of beeswax that she softened between her fingers she was drawing an image in raised lines and volumes on a smooth, glazed kitchen tile. The beeswax smelled delicious. The landscape was fascinating. A street lined with terraced houses; a few cars parked by the curb of the pavement; a lamppost and a road sign. A very ordinary scene for normal people, but for her it was an absolutely thrilling experience to be modelling such a street view. "Why have I never thought of this before?" Above the roofs she had even added a few very exciting details: a puff of smoke coming out of a chimney; some clouds floating in the sky; a couple of pigeons in flapping flight... all these outlandish details plainly visible under her fingers. Incredible!

As she kept working on her "piece", Daisy's mind kept racing along several parallel tracks. It is fascinating how the human mind can follow all these threads in short bursts of apparently random thoughts.

First: the momentous events of the day on Alexanderplatz; "I wonder if my old friend Hans Konradi is there today? What has become of the young chap who guided us in East Berlin when we visited the place in the seventies, Margery and I? We gave him all our Ostmark for his trouble... Charming boy; quite proficient in English."

Then: Jonathan's spectacular arrest only hours after she had held him in her arms in Battersea Park; "It was all over the news; it was only to be expected, after showing up in front of Bernard like that; the worst blunder he could have made! Oh well, I hope he can find some peace of mind, now that he is in custody, poor boy..."

And her own escape from Bernard: "I told him, 'My fate is now in your hands', but I'm damned if I was going to leave it that way. He can hand over my confession to the prosecutor if he wants—yes, I signed the thing in the end—but if they want to arrest me, they'll have to find me first..."