Chapter 34

A few minutes before ten the next morning, Johannes, Rummy and Helen pulled up in front of Compagnie Schellen's offices. Inspector Semmel, vigilantly scanning the area as he did so, opened the car door for Helen, who stepped out and waited on the sidewalk for the two men. Today, she was dressed in a conservative suit with a skirt just above the knees. The jacket and a mandarin-collar blouse hid the traces of her vest.

The three entered the building, where they met another man, short and stocky, clad very much like a middle-rank official.

Johannes introduced him. "M Ferrol, the magistrate in this case." The little man nodded stiffly to each of them. By this time, the young woman who was Schellen's receptionist had appeared, and was ready to take them into the office.

Schellen was waiting for them, standing in front of his desk. Once Ferrol had been introduced, Schellen went to a door at one side of the office and showed them into a small conference room next door. The table was set up with glasses and bottles of juice and water.

"Please take seats, Mme Wallace, gentlemen. I am sorry we have to meet at all, but I hope we can resolve all the issues simply and quickly."

Johannes took a small recording device from his briefcase and began. "M Schellen, as you know, attempts have been made in the last weeks on the lives of Mme Wallace, M Harms and your employee M Dumont. We have made some investigations in this case, and we now require you to answer some questions for me and M Ferrol. I have asked Mme Wallace and M Harms to be here in case they can offer any additional information. As you can see, I am recording this conversation for the record. Please, each of you, state your names and that you understand this meeting is being recorded."

Everyone did as he requested, and he went on. "M Schellen, please tell us the whereabouts of M Dumont."

Schellen rested his forearms on the edge of the table. "M Dumont, with your knowledge and permission, is on a short leave of absence which he is taking at home with his family. At his request, I have removed him from the Freiburg project and will introduce a replacement, a M Villion, shortly." Schellen looked at Helen as he said this, and then continued, "Dumont has told me in detail about the requests and offers made to him by M Sauter and informed me that he will have nothing to do with M Sauter or with his company in the future. Either that or he will leave my company, which I do not desire. I consider him quite competent."

The man sat back in his chair. "Major Selig, Magistrate Ferrol," he said and turned to the others, "Mme Wallace and M Harms, I am most disturbed about this entire affair. I intend to cooperate with your investigation as fully as possible. I do not tolerate the kind of things that have been happening here."

Johannes responded, "M Schellen, at this time, we have no indication that you or your company are directly involved in the incidents that have occurred so far. I am aware, however, that M Sauter has a considerable investment in your company..."

Schellen raised his hand and interrupted Johannes. "Forgive me, Major. Raul Sauter has an interest in the company. He has no investment." Johannes raised his eyebrows; Ferrol scribbled in his notebook. Schellen continued, "Sauter is my brother-in-law. When he married my sister, I gave him, as a wedding gift, a 15% interest in the company. He is the beneficial owner of the shares, but he cannot sell them or obligate them with loans. He cannot vote them. My intention was that, should his own affairs not prosper, there would be enough income there to maintain his wife — my sister — if necessary. Sauter has no investment here."

"Did you have reason to believe," Ferrol responded, "that his affairs would not prosper?"

Schellen reached for a bottle of sparkling water and poured a glass, which he held before him on the table. He looked down at it briefly before taking a sip. "I did not — do not — trust Sauter. You will note that he is neither on my supervisory board nor on my management board, despite his interest. As you know, he, or rather, his company is in considerable difficulty due to possible involvement in criminal activities." He looked at Helen with a grim smile. "Mme Wallace went so far as to point this out to me when we met and stated that she would not accept a proposal from someone in his position."

Johannes asked the next question. "We are aware of several meetings with you that are of interest to us, M Schellen. Three, at least. Two before the signing of your contract, and one afterward. Can you tell us how the latter one came about?"

Schellen nodded and glanced at Helen before responding. "Sauter came to me and asked me to arrange the meeting. He told me at that time that he wanted me to ask Mme Wallace again to consider a proposal that he would make through me. I was not sure about that, but he was persistent, and I arranged the meeting, rather against my better judgment, especially when I heard that he had been found trespassing on my work site. I should say that I did not know about the incident with the excavators until M. Wallace told me about it at that meeting."