The Zurich Conspiracy

the poor dear wouldn’t be so afraid of becoming a murder victim himself.”
    The flock of tourists had wandered over to their side of the church, the guide’s voice interrupting their conversation. When they’d gone on, Paul picked up from where they’d left off.
    “I find Schulmann’s demise more interesting. What did Werner Schulmann have up his sleeve, and what did Francis Bourdin have up his? Why did they bug those guys? It strikes me as obvious that Bourdin brought Schulmann into Loyn, probably to expand his power base. And then things worked out quite differently from the way he imagined they would.”
    Josefa wrinkled her brow. “I somehow can’t conceive of Schulmann knowing about the bugs before he discovered the tapes in Bourdin’s room. Our cunning little Francis wouldn’t take that risk.”
    “I have to agree with you there; after all, Schulmann hadn’t been with the company for long. Why would Bourdin make himself vulnerable by having an accomplice? But the way I see it, Bourdin and Schulmann both wanted the same thing: control of Loyn. Schulmann as manager, Bourdin as creative genius. But Bourdin was wrong about Schulmann; the guy was only after power and didn’t give two hoots about the company or its products.”
    Josefa shoved her hands into her coat pockets and pressed her arms to her body. It was cold in the church. “Nevertheless, it still doesn’t make any sense,” she said pensively.
    “What?”
    “That Bourdin would kill Schulmann. Schulmann left a note saying that if he were found dead his cause of death was to be investigated. Not a word about Bourdin. If Schulmann had even the merest suspicion about him, he’d have acted accordingly.” She was shivering. “No, Schulmann must have felt very secure, very superior as far as Bourdin was concerned.”
    Paul wrapped his scarf more tightly around his neck. “The fact he didn’t name names is a method psychopaths use to victimize someone by casting suspicion on innocent people and—”
    Josefa interrupted him. “So let’s say Bourdin and Schulmann wanted to take over Loyn. Thüring, Westek, and Salzinger wanted to as well. But the company was not to be had!”
    There was a sudden silence in the church; the tourists had disappeared. The two of them were lost in thought, until Paul said, “That brings us to the mole. What information did Thüring and Westek get that led them to believe they could force Walther to sell?”
    “That’s what Westek said, not Thüring. But…who gave him that information?”
    “Nobody in top management, certainly, nobody who had access to top-secret data, Walther’s CFO, for example. People like that could only lose, I mean, lose a lot of money. Besides…you can hide a lot of things in a family business; they don’t have to release the numbers the way a public company does,” Paul stated.
    Josefa nodded. “Maybe Schulmann found a way to access important data; he was a good hacker. He certainly tried to steal computer data. There’s still a question as to how far he got with it?”
    “But Schulmann definitely did not give any data to Westek,” Paul objected, almost whispering; the church had grown so quiet.
    Josefa had to smile. “We’re acting as if we know something. But we’re just playing cops.”
    Then a thought crossed her mind. “Maybe the gang of four was blackmailing Walther.”
    “Why?”
    “Look at it this way.” Josefa hesitated, uncertain how far to get into it. “A friend of a friend said he saw a certain prominent Zurich businessman in a gay bar in London.”
    “Wow! That puts a whole new light on things. But who’d give up his life’s work because of a blackmailer? That doesn’t save him from being blackmailed later. But still…that sure is an interesting angle.” He moved his legs around again. “But of course…if it had been blackmail, why would Thüring and company need a mole?”
    “We’re none the wiser.” She heaved a sigh.
    Paul clicked his tongue. “Six crooks are dead, but the world isn’t one iota safer.” He laughed hoarsely. “Only a few bears in Canada and a few deer in Vals can breathe easier.”
    “Why in Vals?”
    “Because Salzinger can’t go hunting there anymore.”
    Josefa looked at him in surprise. “You told me he was in the Canton of Wallis. Vals is in Graubünden.”
    Paul shook his head. “You see how good my geography is. But it was in Vals; I’m dead sure. He was seen at a thermal spa in Vals shortly before his