‘I’m afraid not, sir. It’s a popular line apparently, especially with all the Jews leaving Germany for America. Herr Glanz reckons that they must sell three or four a week.’

‘Lucky him.’

‘The curtain material is cheap stuff. You can buy it anywhere.’ He started to search through my in-tray.

‘Go on, I’m listening.’

‘You haven’t read my report yet then?’

‘Does it sound like I have?’

‘I spent yesterday afternoon at Emmeline Steininger’s school –the Paulsen Real Gymnasium.’ He found his report and waved it in front of my face.

‘That must have been nice for you. All those girls.’

‘Perhaps you should read it now, sir.’

‘Save me the trouble.’

Becker grimaced and looked at his watch.

‘Well actually, sir, I was just about to go off. I’m supposed to be taking my children to the funfair at Luna Park.’

‘You’re getting as bad as Deubel. Where’s he, as a matter of interest? Doing a bit of gardening? Shopping with the wife?’

‘I think he’s with the missing girl’s mother, sir.’

‘I’ve just come from seeing her myself. Never mind. Tell me what you found out and then you can clear off.’

He sat down on the edge of my desk and folded his arms.

‘I’m sorry, sir, I was forgetting to tell you something else first.’

‘Were you indeed? It seems to me that bulls forget quite a lot round the Alex these days. In case you need reminding, this is a murder investigation. Now get off my desk and tell me what the hell is going on.’

He sprang off my desk and stood to attention.

‘Gottfried Bautz is dead, sir. Murdered, it looks like. His landlady found the body in his apartment early this morning. Korsch has gone over there to see if there’s anything in it for us.’

I nodded quietly. ‘I see.’ I cursed, and then glanced up at him again. Standing there in front of my desk like a soldier, he was managing to look quite ridiculous. ‘For God’s sake, Becker, sit down before rigor mortis sets in and tell me about your report.’

‘Thank you, sir.’ He drew up a chair, turned it around and sat with his forearms leaning on the back.

‘Two things,’ he said. ‘First, most of Emmeline Steininger’s classmates thought she had spoken about running away from home on more than one occasion. Apparently she and her stepmother didn’t get along too well–’

‘Her stepmother? She never mentioned that.’

‘Apparently her real mother died about twelve years ago. And then the father died recently.’

‘What else?’

Becker frowned.

‘You said that there were two things.’