The Year is Almost Over

The Case of the Portly Murderer

"The answer lies with one small but crucial clue that has been left behind on the carriage."

"So tell me, what brought you to criminal investigation as a way of life?"

Lindenbaum and I had journeyed together from the tragedy of the woodcutter at Mistendorf, and were continuing north towards Berlin, he to return to his hometown of Amsterdam, and I to continue my poorly planned exploration of Europe. Our train had several stations still to go through before we reached Munich, and we had stopped at one small station in the middle of flat arable land, to enjoy ten minutes or so of easier chatter without the gushing sounds of the steam engine.

"What a question!" he said. "Well, I suppose like anybody, it was a combination of interests and happenstance. I remember once as a small boy, I was on holiday with my parents in Normandy. We had finished all the activities that we'd planned, but still had a day left before our return. Father decided we should spend the day relaxing beside the Seine - no doubt a blessed luxury for adults, but a situation that could only bore a small boy. As I sat on the riverbank, I saw three birds flying swiftly through the sky. I watched them as they flew out of sight, then I asked myself, where were they going so earnestly? Why were there places that were so much better for birds that they had to reach there so quickly? How had they learnt this? And how did they communicate with each other, and why was it so important that they go there together? I wondered if it had something to do with what they called 'migration' - then I realised that they'd been flying west, and I had some vague conception that birds only migrate between north and south..."

"And did you ever find answers to those questions?"

"Alas, I can't recall. But it may be my earliest memory of wanting to know the answers to things. And soon I found that the answers to some questions brought questions of their own. I remember, before I was married, I was getting to know her... I was a young man, in love, and I asked her, what is in your heart? And she said to me, no, it is too early for words. Was that the moment that I knew she was the girl I wanted to marry? Ah... some questions can never be answered."

The train's whistle shrieked, and we began to pull out. As our compartment drew almost to the end of the platform, I saw a man standing there, looking back toward the building. As if he sensed me watching him, he suddenly turned to meet my eye. He was large, with a round, bald head, and a huge belly that comes from drinking too much beer. His cheeks seemed to push inward and open his mouth, and his eyes were surrounded by wide, bruise coloured circles. Our eyes met for only a moment, as the train moved past, but I was unsettled by the encounter, in a way I could not explain.

"Good Lord," I said.

"Do you mean the farmer? Yes, he was an unpleasant looking fellow!"

"How do you know he is a farmer?"

Lindenbaum shrugged.

"Well, his hands and arms were covered in dirt, and most of this part of the country is farmland. Of course I don't know for sure, but if he were the subject of a criminal investigation, these facts would help to point us in the right direction!"

After a while the train slowed as it drew into the next station. I examined my timetable.

"There's a mistake of some kind - we aren't scheduled to stop here."

Lindenbaum looked out of the window.

"A German train? I doubt it."

The train sat at the platform for some time, but no passengers seemed to get on or off. There was a knock on the door of our compartment, then it was wrenched open. Two men stood there, one of them wearing the uniform of a police officer. The other had no smile on his face, and he leant forward in a way that I found slightly threatening. He immediately began to address us in German, then he and Lindenbaum entered into a discussion. At some point Lindenbaum pointed to me and said my name, then he offered some identification to the man. He gave a slight nod of approval and handed it back to Lindenbaum. They continued to converse for some time, then Lindenbaum turned to me.