The Tooth Tattoo(97)

After exchanging a few words with the communications room he told Ingeborg, ‘No joy. Not even a sighting.’

‘What description did you give them?’ she asked.

‘Average height and build, wearing a hoodie, dark blue or black. Dark trousers and shoes.’

‘It’s not a lot, especially if he has the sense to take off the hood or tuck it out of sight.’

‘I suppose. What do you think his game is? Have we covered all the angles?’

‘All the obvious ones. Anything else would be stretching it.’

‘And you still think Mel is on the level?’

‘Don’t you?’ She gripped the wheel so hard that the steering shuddered.


In the CID room a surprise awaited them in the shape of a young blonde woman with plaited hair coiled on top of her head. In a houndstooth suit and white blouse, she was sitting on the edge of Keith Halliwell’s desk drinking coffee from the machine.

‘Guv, this is Dagmar,’ Halliwell said, as if Diamond should know all about Dagmar.

‘Right,’ Diamond said, with an enquiring glance towards Ingeborg, who amazed him by saying, ‘Dagmar? How did you manage this?’ She turned to Diamond and said, ‘Dagmar is my contact in the Vienna Police. I never expected to meet her in person.’

Dagmar eased herself off the desk, which involved a small jump. She was not much taller than the three-drawer filing cabinet. She formally extended a hand and addressed Diamond in a voice so deep that it more than compensated. ‘Pleased to meet you, Detective Superintendent. I am Detective Inspector Aschenberger of the Bundespolizei, Vienna District.’

‘We didn’t know they were sending anyone,’ Diamond said, impressed by the strength of her grip.

‘I flew in this morning.’

‘That was quick.’

‘But you are not my reason for coming.’

‘No?’ He scratched his chin, uncertain where this was leading.

‘I am here for a course in forensics at Bristol University, but I volunteered to make a special visit to Bath after we heard from you yesterday.’

Ingeborg said, ‘You’re a star,’

Diamond said, ‘So why are you here – apart from meeting Ingeborg?’

Dagmar stooped and picked her backpack off the floor and made a startling noise ripping open the Velcro flap. ‘As you know, most of the material you requested was sent electronically, but there is a piece of evidence that by law we must keep in the possession of our police service.’

‘The netsuke?’ He felt like picking Dagmar up and kissing her on both cheeks. He had become increasingly curious about the strange little ornament found with Emi Kojima’s body. ‘You brought it with you?’

‘I can allow you to examine it as long as I am present. This way, we observe the letter of the law.’

‘Understood.’

Dagmar produced from the backpack a transparent evidence bag and handed it across. It contained an object not much bigger than a table tennis ball, but less white. It was intricately carved.

‘May I take it out?’ Diamond asked.

‘No problem. Many people have handled it since it was found.’

‘Not many as clumsy as me, I bet.’ With care, he tipped the netsuke into his palm. It weighed very little. ‘Nice carving!’ He held it up with his left hand. Two figures, male and female in traditional costume, formed the upper portion, with hands joined around the rim, exquisitely detailed. The doomed lovers were finely worked by the sculptor, but only to waist level. The lower half of the piece had been left as a mainly flat surface representing fallen snow, giving the impression they were half submerged in a drift.

‘Do you know the story?’ Dagmar said.

‘The lovers who commit suicide by going into deep snow?’

‘Chubei and Umegawa. We learned about this when we consulted Japanese experts to find out whether the netsuke had some significance.’

‘As an emblem of suicide?’

‘Exactly.’ She brought her small hands together in a gesture of finality. ‘With their advice we reached the conclusion that the victim meant it to symbolise her choice of death.’

‘So we heard. And did the evidence back this up?’

She shrugged. ‘There were no obvious signs of … what do you say?’

‘Foul play?’

‘Yes. No foul play.’

Diamond didn’t relish challenging the Bundespolizei, Vienna District, interpretation, but it had to be done. ‘The body had been in the water for some time, right?’

‘Correct.’ Dagmar looked at him with all the respect she would show to a man who had arrived at her door to sell double-glazing.

‘So it was difficult to be certain?’