The Zurich Conspiracy

knife away and undid her apron. Josefa sat cowering on her plastic pail, her whole body quivering.
    “You’re nearly frozen, Josefa. Come on, let’s go upstairs and have a warm drink. Erwin will be coming any minute now.”
    The water was steaming in the pot in the warm kitchen. Josefa saw that the stove was heated with wood. She stirred in some more instant coffee and sat down near the stove without saying a word.
    Helene took off her colored bandana and ran her fingers through her hair.
    “Do you know the story of Al Capone, the American Mafia boss? Capone was responsible for dozens of deaths. But since he never carried out the murders himself—he used hired killers—the police could never pin anything on him. But the police found a way to lock him up anyway. Capone actually was in fact sentenced to eleven years in prison. And do you know what for? Tax evasion! Something that gangster hadn’t figured on.”
    Helene looked out the window, fir branches seeming to stretch endlessly into the distance. Her face showed great concentration and something like quiet triumph.
    “Those guys got off with one of the biggest frauds in the history of Zurich. Unbelievable, but true. But that doesn’t protect them for the rest of their lives.”
    Her voice was now perceptibly livelier, as it had just been in that cold dungeon. Josefa gripped her warm coffee cup.
    “They made mistakes. Little illegal games. So-called gentlemen’s crimes. Forgivable stupidities. But they weren’t going to get away with them; we’d see to that. That’s why we watched them like hawks. Karl Westek can thank us for his dirty divorce. He was a notorious two-timer, and we let his wife in on his indiscretions, photos and all. If you get my meaning.”
    Josefa nodded as if in a daze.
    “Salzinger often drove after three or four glasses of wine. That’s why his driver’s license was suspended a year ago. He must’ve wondered who kept tipping the police off. The gun that killed him was not registered, by the way. We found that out too and told the police. But he was already dead.”
    Helene was moving her coffee cup back and forth across the table in a random pattern. Josefa kept her arms tightly folded, as if that would help her keep Helene’s words at a distance.
    “Thüring had a cocaine habit. We informed the Spanish police on Tenerife, anonymously of course. He’d bought himself off with bribes earlier, but this time it looked bad for him. Maybe he was in a drug fog and hopped off the boat of his own free will.”
    Helene leaned toward Josefa and looked her directly in the face. But Josefa couldn’t look her friend in the eye; she just kept her focus on Helene’s cup.
    “These guys deserve to be punished, Josefa, but it’s not what you think! We don’t do the judging. Do you think Salzinger’s family didn’t have his death investigated? There’s nothing that indicates anything but an accident.” She let her words hang in the room for several minutes, then leaned back.
    “Freya was on Tenerife because she hoped to be on the scene when Thüring was arrested, but the Spanish police messed up. It may sound cynical, but if the police had moved in at the right moment, Thüring would still be alive. He’d be sitting pretty—but in a prison cell.”
    She paused. Josefa looked her in the eye now. “And how did she recognize me? We’d never met.”
    Helene looked at her in amazement. “But you’re my best friend! I’ve no doubt showed her pictures of you. Of us both, of our hike up the Üetliberg, you must remember that. You are a valuable person in my life. Besides…With those big, dark eyes, your face is not so easy to forget.” Her mouth flashed a wry smile, then she was serious again.
    “You must understand that Freya didn’t want to identify herself. She didn’t want to get you involved in the business.”
    That wasn’t enough to dispel all of Josefa’s doubts. “And Karl Westek?”
    “Westek was in Germany with a prostitute, and he met some shady characters. Then we lost track of him. That’s all there is.” Helene met Josefa’s gaze squarely.
    “Now you know more than you ought to, more than what’s good for you. I really wanted to prevent that because you’ve got your own problems. I didn’t want it to be a load on your shoulders.” She gave a bitter laugh. “But you don’t know everything, and it’s better that way. For your own protection.”
    “My own protection? Why are you talking about my