An Elegant Solution(97)
“Good morning,” I said.
“Yes, good morning,” he answered. “What might I do for you?” It was abrupt, to let me know that my claim was accepted, but thin enough to not to be relied upon heavily.
“It’s a very small thing, and I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Well, go ahead.” That meant he was also sorry that I was bothering him.
“I asked last week about the hat that I had? I remember of course you said it was lost.”
There might have been a difference in his annoyed glance. “What of it? Yes, it was lost. I have an appointment, Leonhard, and no time. What do you want of me?”
I hoped it was not another disrespectful student! “I still have a desire to find my hat.”
“Then find it. Elsewhere. It isn’t here.”
“But might you be able to tell me what became of it from here?”
“It must have been thrown out. I don’t allow rags to be left about in my house.”
“I really must insist,” I said, “to find what became of it.”
“And why is that?” He was saying plainly that he wouldn’t answer.
I paused a moment to prepare myself. “On the night that Daniel and Nicolaus returned from Italy, I saw Master Jacob’s trunk in the kitchen at their house. I think my hat will assist me in learning how that trunk came from Master Huldrych’s house to Master Jacob’s.”
He raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. “And I suppose Knipper the coachman was in the kitchen with it?”
“He was. I spoke with him.”
“I don’t see that your hat will be any assistance.”
I might have piqued his interest, but he still seemed in a hurry.
“I considered telling you before the Inquiry—”
“It’s plain why you didn’t.” And Gottlieb’s tone made it plain that it was plain. “You’re tantamount to accusing one of us in the house of murder.”
“I was afraid I might be misunderstood to be, so I said nothing.”
“It might well not have been a misunderstanding. But I’m not any Inquisitor now, so I won’t ask you any more of it. And it’s still nothing to do with the hat.”
“And I realize,” I said, proceeding, “that it had been you who had the trunk taken to Master Huldrych’s in the first place when you arrived in Basel twenty years ago.”
“Who else would have? Jacob asked me to keep it away from Johann. This still isn’t worth bothering me over a hat.”
“And you had Knipper carry it there for you. Then he would have recognized it later when he saw it. He was very anxious at it being in Master Johann’s house. I’d never seen him so distraught.”
“I’m sure he was so. He should have been. When I first sent him with it to Huldrych’s, I instructed him very strongly to never tell Uncle Johann he knew anything of it.”
“And later, some few years ago,” I said, “Lithicus the mason carried it to Master Johann’s.”
“The mason? Who was killed just yesterday? Why do you say it was him?”
“He was told where Master Jacob’s papers were. It was just by chance. And he knew Master Johann wanted to find them.”
“The papers were still in the trunk?”
“Yes.”
“All of them?”
“I don’t know how many there ever were.”
“How many did you see?”
“I didn’t see them myself. I only saw the trunk.”
“Who did see them?” he said, and he was still as impatient, but only that I wasn’t answering quick enough.
“I have a witness . . . but I won’t say who it is.”
“There aren’t many who it could be. What else does this witness claim?”
“Only that there were papers in the trunk, and they were Jacob’s.”
“Tell me who this witness is. Would he know also who killed Knipper.”
“I pledged that I wouldn’t tell.” But after a moment, I said, “I still wonder what has become of my hat.”
“Why do you want it? What does it have to do with any of this?”
“I do think it would be of help to me.”
“Then tell me,” he bargained, “who is your witness? What papers did he see? And I will consider the hat.”
“Little Johann. But I told him that I’d not tell anyone that he’d looked in the trunk, or even seen it.”
He frowned at that. “And that was who came here to take your hat, and I made the same pledge to him.”
We stared at each other for a moment, considering.
“What was the danger you spoke of at the Inquiry?” I asked. “You said there was a danger to Basel.”