The Devil in Munich

Peppi did not mention Anna again. Neither did he refer to his will. At our next reunion the sun was shining bright and the breeze was light and soothing. Shortly after I returned to Singapore I found a concise message on my answering machine. Lucy asked me to return her call as soon as possible. For a while I stared apprehensively at the telephone. Snippets of conversations and fleeting images from my encounters with Peppi ran through my mind. When I sensed I was in control of myself, I picked up the receiver and dialled the number I had come to know so well. ...

Anna and Otto were waiting for us in the sitting room. I was struck by Anna’s appearance. The middle-aged woman who got up to meet us bore little resemblance to the charming little girl and vivacious teenager whose captivating smile livened up Peppi’s family album. I was put off by her severe expression, her firm mouth and her eyes – eyes devoid of mirth. Otto, in contrast, appeared friendly and well balanced and his eyes were warm. ...

On my last day in London, I had an early breakfast and, following a pleasant stroll on Hampstead Heath, decided to have a last browse in Kensington Church Street. Leaving the train at Notting Hill Gate, my feet soon led me to Theophil’s Antiques. Lucy had concluded the negotiations forthwith. The new owners transferred the stock in trade to one of their shops and removed the furniture. The building, which was to be put on the market following refurbishment, looked desolate. Gone were the tapestries, the illuminated books, the silver, the glass and the porcelain displayed in the show windows. The vacant rooms and bare floors, visible through the panes, announced ‘empty’. The signboard alone bore witness to the fact that this barren shell had once housed one of London’s famed antiques stores. ...

For a while we remained silent. He was watching me closely. I contemplated him with admiration. Despite his unappealing appearance I was mesmerised by his bright eyes. True, they looked straight through me and read my thoughts effortlessly and accurately, stripping me of all pretence. All the same, I sensed their warmth and was captivated by the understanding they reflected. I knew I was facing a being superior to me and realised I was in the presence of an intellect that dwarfed mine. Nonetheless, I was overcome by an intense feeling of brotherhood. ...

The driver of the van and his mate dismantled Peppi’s desk unceremoniously, hauled its three parts down the lift and returned for the armchair and stool. The former smacked his lips appreciatively as he reinserted the cork into the neck of the bottle of Slivovitz which I had asked him to take away with him. For a while I wandered through the empty rooms, scenes from my many encounters with Peppi and Lucy racing through my mind. It was only after I had pulled the front door shut that I noticed it was raining heavily. Instantly, I realised that I had left my umbrella in the stand in the entrance hall. Looking around me anxiously for cover, my mind strayed to Theophil. At the very same moment I heard a sharp sound and turned to see my umbrella hanging from the door handle. Had the men put it there? ...