A Man Without Breath (Bernie Gunther Mystery 9) - Plot & Excerpts
After breakfast, Ahrens got the key to the cold storeroom where the remains were kept and we went down to the basement to examine these. I found a large tarpaulin laid out on the stone floor. Ahrens drew back the top part to reveal what looked like a tibia, a fibula, a femur and half a pelvis. I lit a cigarette – it was better than the stale, meaty smell coming off the bones – and dropped down on my haunches to take a closer look. ‘What’s this?’ I asked, handling the tarpaulin. ‘From an Opel Blitz,’ said Ahrens. I nodded and let the smoke drift up my nostrils. There wasn’t much to say about the bones except that these were human and that an animal – presumably the wolf – had been chewing them. ‘What happened to the wolf?’ I asked. ‘We chased it off,’ said Ahrens. ‘Seen any wolves since?’ ‘I haven’t but some of the men might have. We can ask if you like.’ ‘Yes. And I’d like to see the spot where these remains were found.’ ‘Of course.’ We fetched our greatcoats and were joined outside by Lieutenant Hodt and Oberfeldwebel Krimminski from the 537th, who had been guarding against German soldiers looking to take wood for their fires.
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