The Zurich Conspiracy

over.”
    “I thought he wanted to keep that a secret. Didn’t you say so?”
    “Werner always does what’s best for Werner,” she said, quickly getting to her feet. “I’ve got to get to the office. I’m sorry, Josefa. I’m so terribly sorry.”
    Josefa didn’t say a word. She would have to think about this whole business in peace and quiet.
    When Claire was at the door Josefa asked, “Are you really not seeing Schulmann anymore?”
    “Yes, it’s over.”
    “What will you do?”
    “I don’t know yet…I’m sticking to my job. And I really like working with you.”
    She looked so slim and fragile, but Josefa was well aware of her strength. Claire was just the victim of a cunning, malicious man, she thought to herself. And she wasn’t the first.

A flock of green-and-brown spotted ducks was bustling over the meadow around the parking lot on Zurich University’s tranquil Irchel campus. Gulls had taken over the ponds. A student occasionally rushed over the little bridge; mothers were walking with their small children, but it was mainly a place for dogs and their owners to romp around.
    Josefa saw a little girl burst into tears at the sight of an off-leash Great Dane.
    “Leash your dog right this minute!” shouted the little girl’s mother, who was pushing a stroller some distance away.
    She could hear the woman’s cries from across the meadow, but Josefa chose to ignore them; she had her fill of drama. Walking up the hill, past the university’s model agricultural operation, which reeked of horse droppings and pig manure, Josefa sat down on a bench beneath a knotty linden that overlooked the city; from this spot on top of the hill it didn’t even look like a city. The icy Alpine peaks shimmered in the distance, and a gentle range of wooded hills could be seen just in front of them. Josefa took some deep breaths. The sun was blazing down on her face. She closed her eyes. Maybe this is where she could sort out her thoughts and calm her feelings. But she had scarcely taken one deep breath when she heard footsteps.
    An old man was making his way along the path, stopping every five or ten feet to catch his breath; a Siamese cat, its tail held high, followed close behind. The cat sometimes stopped to sniff some blades of grass, then sat down and blinked at the sky.
    “He wants to have a rest,” the old man said to Josefa. “Me too. Say, is there enough room on this bench?”
    Josefa moved a little to one side. The old man sat down, and Josefa saw that he had a half-finished crossword puzzle in his hand.
    “Nice day after all this wet weather, isn’t it?” he asked.
    She nodded. “Your cat seems to be enjoying it too,” Josefa answered, since a conversation appeared to be inevitable.
    “It’s a tom. We go for a walk almost every day.”
    “All those dogs don’t bother him?”
    The man laughed. “Ueli is much faster. And smarter. More than one dog has gotten himself a sore nose.” He laughed again then looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Do you have your dog with you?”
    “No, only my thoughts.”
    “Aha…I hope you don’t have any problems.”
    “I do, with the office.”
    “Aha.” The old man fell silent for a moment. “You know, when I look back I often say to myself, ‘Most fights aren’t worth it.’ It would’ve been smarter for me to run up a tree like my cat and observe things from a safe distance.” He scratched his face. “Ueli does it, and his pride doesn’t ever seem to get hurt.”
    Josefa smiled. Maybe the old guy wasn’t so far off. “I’ve got a tricky problem here.” He waved his newspaper in the air.
    “I’m not good at crosswords,” Josefa admitted.
    But the old man was undeterred. “It’s the key word, and the clue is in verse. Here it is.” He cleared his throat. “ He moves our personal belongings, strangers’ worlds pass through his hands. He knows their comings and their goings, but never tells us where he stands. ” He showed Josefa the letters he already had: __O__ __ E__T R__ __ G__ __.
    Josefa shook her head. “Sorry, I’m really not an expert in these matters.”
    The cat hopped onto the bench and rubbed his head on the old man’s sleeve.
    “Ueli, you rascal,” he muttered affectionately.
    Josefa got up, and the old man looked up at her.
    “Oh, of course, you’re probably busy with your own thoughts anyway. Hope all goes well. Would be a pity for a young girl like you if it didn’t.”
    Josefa smiled. “Good luck