Death
"Hasn't that been surprisingly easy?"
I winced. Sattler was so close to my ear that his lips almost touched it. "Go away."
He laughed out loud, but pulled away. Then I heard the door slam and not a second later he appeared in the interrogation room.
All this time I had not been able to take my eyes off Legolas. He looked the same as the day I had run away. And instead of stabbing Sattler with glances like Morag, he fixed the tabletop in front of him. He seemed very calm and introverted. Almost as if he had given up looking for the solution to the riddle.
The thought of it frightened me.
Sattler, in keeping with the cliché, dropped a file on the table and stood in front of the two prisoners. If they had had their hands free, he would not have dared to do that, I was sure of it.
Without further ado, he opened the first page and let the contents take effect. What it was, I could not make out. I only saw that Legolas paled. Morag, on the other hand, looked like a full, contented cat.
Sattler turned to Legolas. "I suppose you planned this from the beginning."
The elf's eyes were literally glued to the piece of paper, and it took him several breaths to release his gaze. Then he shook his head, but said nothing.
What had Sattler shown him?
The latter now sat down on the edge of the table and leaned forward. "We know that you know him. And we also know that he has fooled you."
Legolas pinched his lips together, while Morag slouched casually in his chair. How he managed to do that with the handcuffs was a mystery to me. Still, I had a strong urge to slap him.
"Wouldn't it be a fair price if you helped us? A settlement, so to speak?" continued Sattler. He had again unwrapped that insanely velvety voice he had used once before when trying to wrap me around his finger. It hadn't worked then. But now, here, Legolas looked as if he was about to give in.
The silence dragged on. Finally the elf said, "All right."
I closed my eyes. Whatever Sattler had shown him had done its work.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up. David had stepped up beside me and was pointing to the door. "We have to go."
"Where to?"
"You'll see."
With a furrowed brow, I looked at the bodyguard and only now noticed that he seemed uneasy. Almost as if he had wanted to get me out of the room ten minutes ago.
Then I heard something bang and wheeled around.
Morag was no longer sitting in his chair, but lying hunched over on the floor. Above him was one of the guards who had accompanied Sattler into the interrogation room. Damn, what was that all about?
"Shit," I heard David mutter behind me, but it was too late. I jumped up and was at the mirror glass in a few steps. In the few seconds I had taken my eyes off the situation, it had completely escalated. Legolas was cowering in the corner of the room closest to me. One of the guards' knives was stuck in the wall just a hair's breadth from Sattler's head. And the latter was aiming his weapon at the elf, ready to pull the trigger at any second.
Fear for Legolas wrapped itself around my heart like a cold hand, and I stared at Sattler. He would not pull the trigger, he was not allowed to, he could not.
Yet he did.
The bang was so deafening that I flinched again. David's hand grabbed my shoulder, but I wiggled out of his grip.
I would have expected the elf to be lying on the ground bleeding, just like Morag, but the opposite was true. He must have anticipated Sattler's move, because he had tipped the table over and dug in behind it. But that was of no use to him now, because the remaining guards rushed at him and buried him under them. Still, he fought back fiercely, ramming his arm into the face of one of the men and purposefully kicking the other in the stomach, causing him to let go.
"Enough!"
Sattler had broken free of his stiffness and was now aiming at Legolas again. His head was tomato red and the frantic vein from earlier had been joined by two more. He looked as if he would tear off the elf's head with a kiss of his hand and then nail it to the wall in his office as a decoration. Respect, not even I had been able to make him that angry.
I swallowed and whirled around. "I have to get to him, David! Maybe I can get him to cooperate with Sattler, maybe..."
"No."
"What?"
The bodyguard looked at me sharply. "You're not going in that room."
My mouth dropped open, but his tone allowed no argument. Still: I had to go in there! And after all, David hadn't said I couldn't talk to the elf. He just didn't want me to enter the room, which wasn't the worst idea, considering the circumstances.
I thought feverishly. "Can the glass be made transparent?", I then asked.
He looked at me for a moment, but instead of him, the policewoman, or whatever she was, answered me. I had completely forgotten she was still there. "Yes, that's possible."
"Then let me talk to him."
"What makes you so sure he'll listen to you?"
I turned to her. "Would you rather Sattler be on the verge of shooting him?"
Of course, I had no idea if that was a wise question. But I seemed to recall that Sattler had been prowling around her earlier like a predatory dog looking for its bone. He did seem to be in command of the foot troops, but she, she was of a higher order. Maybe even his boss?
"You're smart, young lady." Her smile did not reach her eyes, but at least she had agreed with me. With a wave of her hand, she signaled one of the other two men and he pushed buttons hidden in the wall paneling. "Go."
I didn't take much of a chance and stepped up to the microphone so I could be heard. The mirrored glass was now nothing more than an ordinary window and I fervently hoped that it really worked. Maybe the elf was also so angry at me that he simply ignored me.
My stomach did capers as I cleared my throat and stepped in front of the glass. "Let it go, Legolas. He won't miss you a second time."
Both the elf and Sattler turned to me in unison. Sattler looked as if his toy had been taken from him, whereas Legolas seemed to pin me to the wall with his x-ray gaze. Whether he was glad to see me, or simply surprised that I was still alive, I could not tell.
I lowered my eyes and ran my tongue over my lips. I always did that when I got nervous. "Leave him alone, Sattler. You know as well as I do that you need him," I continued. As I did so, I avoided looking at Legolas. What did I expect? That he would jump for joy? He was probably disappointed in me. After all, I had run away from him again and again, even though I had promised not to do it again.
The policewoman stepped up beside me and took the mike from my hand. "She's got a point there, Michael."
Sattler lowered his gun. Nevertheless, he still looked as if he would have liked to wring the Elf's neck. Turning to his last man, he growled, "Arrest."
Without resistance, Legolas allowed himself to be tied up again, but continued to stare at me. I felt this even without looking at him. I felt so guilty all at once. Cautiously I raised my eyes, only to lower them again immediately. He thought I was a traitor. What else could he think? After all, I was standing here on the safe side while he was being threatened and shot at in there. I had to make this right. Somehow.
Before I could do anything, though, the policewoman spoke up again. "Get the bodies out, Sattler, and give Ina and our prisoner a minute to celebrate their reunion."
I looked at her, puzzled, but she was already halfway out of the room. David just shrugged his shoulders. Where did this come from all of a sudden? Why did she want to leave me alone with him? Sattler seemed to ask himself the same question, and was about to reply. But his boss ran an "Immediately!" over his mouth.
Irritated, I leaned against the wall and watched the men drag Morag and the two guards Legolas had finished off out of the interrogation room. The sight was horrible, but it didn't reach me. I stared at the trail of blood Morag had left behind. Was he really dead? Just like that? It had all happened so fast, and he was an elf, after all, dammit! Even if I wouldn't miss him, he didn't deserve that.
I turned away. It was as if a protective layer had settled around my heart, through which only the reproachful gaze of the elf could penetrate, who was now being led into my room by two more thugs.
As soon as he entered, the room was too small for me. My hands became terribly sweaty and I didn't know what to say.
The others stepped out into the hallway and David gave me another nod. Then the door closed and we were alone.
