Kronberg Crimes 01 - The Devils Grin

arms around him and not let go of him for a very long time. But, of course, I did no such thing.
    ‘Anton?’
    ‘Hmm?’
    ‘You are truly the best man I have ever met. I do not know a single soul who could accept or even respect a woman like me. I mean, look at you!’ I said grabbing both his shoulders. ‘You would even accept, although with a very heavy heart, if I loved a woman!’ I saw him getting very embarrassed now. ‘We always talked eye to eye and I’m so grateful you allowed this. I’m so grateful that you treat your only child with respect and love, like an equal.’
    He looked into my eyes now and his were a little glassy. ‘I don’t think I will ever marry. No one would tolerate a woman like me, no one who is quite right in his mind,’ I said at last.
    ‘Why would you say that?’ he cried out.
    ‘Look at me, Anton,’ I said gently. ‘Have you ever seen a woman like me? A woman who looks like a man, behaves like a man, can’t ever keep her mouth shut, and works as a medical doctor? I actually did consider marrying a woman, so that all my male colleagues would stop whispering behind my back and the nurses would stop flirting with me!’
    ‘Anna! Don’t talk about yourself like that!’
    ‘But it is true.’
    My father stood there helpless and silent, with his arms hanging at his sides.
    After a while he touched my cheek and whispered, ‘Will you help me build that wardrobe?’
    I nodded, grateful for the distraction.

    ~~~

    We spent most of the daytime together. When I wasn’t working with him on some furniture or cooking for us or cleaning up the mess we had produced in the kitchen, I sat in our cherry tree thinking about my old life here; how life had been in Boston, and now was in London. The word contrast could not quite describe it.
    On my last day, my father asked me to kill one of his hens. We were to have Katherina over for supper and he wanted a feast for his two favourite women. The chicken was in the oven when she stepped through the door. My father’s face shone brightly then, and hers, too. She approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder. The gentleness, love and respect between the two produced a big lump in my throat. She walked over to me and gave me a hug.
    ‘Anna, good you came. Your father missed you.’
    I could only nod, trying to be very busy peeling potatoes.

    ~~~

    The train rolled into the station to carry me away again. My father held me tight, as though this would be our last moment together. But who knew what the future may bring? I soaked up as much of his warmth as I could and tried my best not to cry, while telling him that he was the most loving father a child could ever wish for.
    The train gave a mighty jerk, belched a blob of steam, and started pulling me north while hooting Leipzig farewell. I peered out of the window and craned my neck until the small speck that was my father had disappeared.
    Before I reached Berlin, I knew what I had to do. Tetanus bacteria died upon contact with oxygen. I would use sodium sulfite to consume any potential traces of oxygen in our supposedly anoxic culture medium.
    Two weeks later, I saw the first colonies appear in my Petri dishes. We used them to infect rabbits and mice. The animals showed muscle spasms a week later and I extended my stay for another two weeks, to finish my work.

    ~~~

    I disembarked on January 16th 1890, lucky that the ice wasn’t closing off the passage. The additional trunk I carried with me contained copies of the glass cylinders and anaerobic vessels we had developed and used for the cultivation of tetanus germs. I would show them to a glass-blower who would then help me to supplement my laboratory equipment at Guy’s. The trunk also contained my notebooks and the valuable pure cultures, growing inside sealed glass bulbs, carefully wrapped in many layers of cotton and wax paper.
    I had wired Guy’s superintendent to send someone to safely transport my precious freight from the harbour to the lab. It was late in the evening when I arrived in London. A hansom took me and my companion to the hospital and, after making sure my cultures were safe and well, I went home, happily anticipating my own bed.
    Standing at the door to my room, the latch key in my hand, I hesitated, not knowing what or how many would greet me inside. I shook my head at my own silliness and opened the door.
    Twelve heaps were quietly snoring on the floor. The room smelled clean and my bed was untouched. I