Chapter 15

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I make no pretence of having specialized knowledge of psychoanalysis, hence this chapter should not be perceived in that light.

I

As her tumultuous mind switched between moments of clarity, panic and paralysis, the entire exchange felt to Nodame like a piece of kabuki theatre. In this drama she was the helpless puppet in the hands of a malevolent puppeteer who was prone to mysterious and dramatic revelations. In quiet desperation she filed through her memory banks of a decade of Puri Gorota episodes for some way to make sense of this predicament but even that failed to provide any kind of comfort or ready wisdom. For better or for worse, she was all alone and she felt it keenly.

A barrage of emotions sent shock waves through her senses as she waited for her captor to make his next move. Fear was undoubtedly present. However, it was not entirely for herself. First and foremost in her thoughts was the man she left behind. He must be worried and wondering where I am.

At least I hope he is.

The park was deathly silent and as she glanced around her, it was clear (bar a miracle) that there was only darkness to look forward to. But as it turned out, despite what she had been led to believe, the ferris wheel was not going to be her final destination.

Will I see him again?

Weiss gently lifted her arm and tugged her sleeve, leading her towards the centre of the park. "I've always loved amusement parks but my father never took me. He said it was only something that philistines and common children went to because they didn't know better. One night, I sneaked out and came here but he locked me out of the house. So he won that round. But I had the last laugh... I bought myself an amusement park."

Evidently, Weiss' mental state was deteriorating fast. A cacophony of past influences was now taking its toll on an already troubled mind -- an authoritarian childhood, failed romance and crushed ambitions – ingredients for a lethal cocktail bound for destruction and crippling his ability to see reason. Nodame had good reason to fear for her life.

I wonder where he's moving me to. Should I be glad or worried that I'm not dead yet? So it's not going to be death by ferris wheel.... Death by roller coaster maybe. Bumper cars? Giant saucer cups? Maybe I should try to run.

Stealing a glance at her captor, she caught a sinister gleam in his eye. Maybe not...

Nodame was no psychologist by any stretch of the imagination but even she knew that she had to keep this man occupied and talking. Hence she spoke, not out of any obligation to make small talk but to distract and to divert.

"What do you want from me?" Her throat was dry but she managed to choke out the words.

"Want? I want nothing." He paused briefly as his breathing quickened. "Except your best of course."

"So why did you kid... bring me here?" She stammered uncertainly. His sincere demeanour baffled her. He seemed to all intents and purposes, the picture of benevolence and serenity. Unhinged or not, he was completely indifferent to the moral implications of his diabolical machinations... a clone in the tradition of James Bond villains.

"To talk. Why else do you think?"

"But I was in the middle of a recital..." Nodame heard herself say in a voice she did not recognize.

"Recital? Pah... I have better plans for you."

"Plans?"

"Absolutely! You are destined for great things, my dear. You deserve the best that life has to offer."

"The best that life..."

"Certainly! And I'm just the man to give it to you."

"Give me...? Give me what?"

"The world... my dear... the world."

Beresford jumped into the nearest taxi, with no idea of what he was doing or getting into. Even he understood little of his newfound motivations. His contact in London had supplied him with all the details he needed and the next thing he knew he was waving down a taxi. Better get on with it before I change my mind.

Wonder why Weiss is after her... she looks nothing like Montgomery... not in the slightest... So what is it about the new Mrs Chiaki that's caused him to go all batty?

Or me for that matter...

Homely to look at... childish... childlike... completely artless... Nothing at first glance that would make her stand out from the crowd.

But she is a demon on the piano... Demon... angel... enchantress... once she casts her spell, she quickly gets under your skin. Her music... like the music of the Sirens... to Odysseus. She ensnares... enthralls her hearers and causes them to see visions... memories... to weep of things that once was... of things that could have been.

Quite unforgettable...

Despite his experience with the fairer sex, James Beresford was confounded. Picturing himself at that recital stirred many sensations... many familiar... many long lost but returning home, begging to be reacquainted. It made him uneasy... He had always found it easier not to remember. It was more convenient to think of other things. The frivolous things... The urgent things...

Good lord... I thought I was the worst cad around.. my penchant for wedded beauties... but Weiss, seducing and kidnapping another man's wife in broad daylight is plainly pathetic.

The thought did occur to Beresford in the middle of his contemplation that the entire fiasco had very little to do with her... perhaps it's the young husband that had incurred his loathing. Hadn't Weiss been vying for the Secretary position for years? It was beyond ridiculous to Beresford that anyone would covet the position to such an extent of wanting to exact revenge but then Weiss, he thought, was always a rather sanctimonious, narcissistic nitwit and Anna Montgomery's death might have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Still hard to imagine any woman falling for that brownnoser.

All this brooding led Beresford to consider his own intentions towards the troublesome Mrs Chiaki. True she wasn't his type... from all appearance as sexually appealing as a soot-covered waif but her transparency as a musician and a person was... arresting. Against all his better judgement, he was learning to care despite feeble attempts on his part to suppress these protective impulses, wondering why she of all people would inspire such feelings. There were no simple answers. Or answers he was satisfied with. On the rare occasion he did, however, develop a kind of superficial fondness for the objects of his dalliances. But only rarely and only during their brief time together.

This, however, was something else... something quite unfamiliar... and the thought of which unnerved him.

Luckily for him he did not have to think further on it. The driver of the taxi cleared his throat and announced that they had arrived at their destination.

"What about Shinichi?"

"Shinichi? Oh you mean Chiaki? What about him?"

"Where does he come into this?"

"He doesn't. You don't need him when you have me."

"I need him! He's my husband..." Our life together... our plan to be the golden pair...

A look of confusion registered for a second or two on Weiss' jocund facade.

"Husband?" He asked bewildered. "Husband?"

As if trying to make sense of the implications of the word, his face contorted into a grimace as if in pain or anger. A minute later, he fell into a dream-like state only to emerge from it racked with barely suppressed rage, babbling on urgently.

"He will only destroy you, my dear... but we mustn't let him, must we? No... we can't. Let's take you somewhere safe... somewhere where he can't hurt you?" He clutched onto both her arms as if his life depended on it.

"Hurt me?" You're hurting me... "Let go of me, Herr Weiss"

"Yes... Anna, my love... he doesn't care for you the way I do."

Anna? Anna? Mukiii... Why is he calling me Anna?

"Nobody cares for you the way I do... Anna."

Gyabo... is Anna that woman... Does he really believe I'm her?

"Maestro. Maestro Weiss... it's Nodame here... Remember me, Nodame...? I'm the wife of Shinichi Chiaki... a colleague of yours. We had dinner together last night." Nodame was trying to wriggle free but the Viennese conductor had strengthened his grip and was exerting it with apparent ease. She was a rag doll in his hands and he seemed completely oblivious to her kicking.

You're hurting me... you lump of human excrement. Let go of me...

"I'm Nodame, Maestro... Shinichi Chiaki's wife. Please let go of me..."

Mention of Chiaki, however, did not serve to soothe the disturbed conductor but only managed to fuel the deep-seated anger that was gradually surfacing. This was his moment to air grievances that had hitherto been contained by a fragile veneer.

"Chiaki... They chose that boy over me. How could they? After years of service... my contributions to the guild... all for nothing. The ultimate insult."

Nodame was bewildered by the comments and stopped her struggling. "Nothing? Aren't you the president?"

"The president is a nobody. I am a nobody... I'm just a figurehead like the Queen of England. They have the real power in the guild... they make the decisions. They pulled all kinds of strings to get Chiaki elected... I hate them..."

Nodame had no doubt that the "hate" part was true. There was, however, the question of the "they".

"They? Who are they?"

"Vieira... Stresemann... and their gang of rats... who else!"

Despite being hostage to the ever changing moods of a decidedly obsessed individual, Nodame was inwardly furious.

Mukiya! We gave up our honeymoon for this? A power hungry mad man kidnaps me for revenge even though I have nothing to do with the guild? If I get out of this alive... I will personally make sure that a lot of people never conduct again.

"If" I get out of this alive...

Evidently there would be no reasoning with the man although she hoped in her desperation that it might still be possible appeal to his better side... to play up her innocence and ignorance...

"This has nothing to do with me... maestro... I am completely ignorant of the guild's power plays."

"Of course, you are, my dear... which is why I brought you here."

Huh? You are punishing me for my ignorance?

"Come, come... let's have something to eat. I'm sure you must be hungry. Hans can be an idiot but he does know how to pack a good meal."

To that suggestion Nodame assented heartily. It was the first good thing she had heard all evening. True to form, it was her solemn belief that dying on an empty stomach was second only, in terms of horrific endings, to dying without one's beloved.

The food was good but Nodame took little pleasure in it, thinking that it might be her last chance to indulge in some real cuisine. He had re-tied her hands with strong knots so it was an awkward affair partaking in food and... a quiet one. Weiss had fallen uncommunicative preferring to rearrange the ingredients on his platter into something resembling a sandwich and Nodame was in no mood to engage in small talk with her capricious kidnapper.

Now that there was some semblance of calmness, Nodame felt much more predisposed towards exploring her environs. The light source, though adequate, was some distance away and using that as a guide, she could just make out a sizeable, dark object tucked away at the other end of the room. By and large, the room was vacant, no furniture to speak of... no windows to stare out of... no easy access to a door to make a quick getaway. All that was visible to the naked eye were air conditioning vents to keep the environment tolerable. All of which, was calculated to keep anyone inside from leaving voluntarily.

A multitude of thoughts, none good, raced through her mind. I am going to die. This is my last meal. This crazy man is going to turn me into a stuffed pig and cut me into a million pieces when he's done with me. Or maybe he is going to poison me and throw me into acid bath. Worse still, he's going to shoot me in the stomach and let me die a slow painful death.

Weiss had seem so normal the night before... so what was it that turned him from the charming host into a psychopathic kidnapping-wannabe-killer? What was it that Fritz said... about Nodame reminding Weiss of his old flame? Anna? Was she the old flame?

Nodame's knowledge of psychology was undeniably limited but even she could see that her eating companion was a prime candidate for the insane asylum. Nonetheless, despite what fears she may have had, Nodame was insatiably curious about Weiss' lost love, the apparent rationale behind his skullduggery. When she observed that Weiss had calmed down considerably and seemed lucid again, she plucked up courage to ask about the mysterious "Anna" that had apparently inspired this string of outrageous acts.

On that subject he was eager to talk. He seemed almost normal while relating the particulars. "Anna Montgomery was... simply... the greatest soprano that I had ever heard. The first time I heard her sing, I fell in love with her. Even though I was young and foolish, she became the love of my life." He said with more than a tinge of sadness. Nodame almost felt sorry for him. "But I knew I wasn't good enough for her. I was twenty-two, a nobody with a hundred dollars to his name in those days."

"What happened?"

"She thought she found someone who would take care of her... a rich man who could give her a secure future. That's all she really wanted. To be secure... to have someone take care of her. I was happy for her at first. But it didn't take long for him to tire of her... She had been some kind of trophy wife for him probably... That's when she started drinking, doing drugs... She was always very sensitive but he didn't understand her." No one did... not the way I did...

"I'm sorry."

"She died six months ago. I was too late to save her. The only woman I really cared about my whole life... was gone before I could do anything. I blame myself for not acting more quickly."

"That man didn't have the courage to love her the way she deserved... but then I didn't either..."

To Nodame's great surprise, he turned to look at her with burning intensity.

"Do you believe Chiaki loves you, Nodame?"

"I do." Nodame thought about their big fight the previous day. That was nothing... it doesn't matter... I know he does...

"How do you know... how sure are you?"

How do I know... I just do. Especially after Rome. Nodame wasn't sure that was what Weiss had in mind and groped around for something more tangible. Because he finally made things official? That he wasn't afraid to tell the world that he wanted to be with me? Many such thoughts turned over in her mind as she fingered her engagement ring unconsciously. In the end she blurted out awkwardly the one thing that stood out in her consciousness: Chiaki's circuitous proposal that had been punctuated with fillers and pregnant pauses.

"He said we should get married..." After nine years of waiting... but I would have waited forever...

"So are you saying that marriage is the ultimate proof of love?"

Nodame was caught off guard by the question. "I guess so..." She ventured carefully wondering where this was headed. "Don't you?"

"You're the expert amongst us, my dear but we're about to put that to the test."

"Test?"

"It's an experiment..."

"An experiment?" What is he up to?

"Let's think of it... as an experiment in love."

"But why?"

"Don't you want to know... don't you want to be 100% sure... that the man you chose... you married... really does love you?"

"I don't need proof..."

"Such faith... wonderful! But... can you be certain?" He challenged. "It is good to be loyal but better to be sure. Afterall, you don't want to wake up one morning realise that you've made a big mistake."

"Why are you doing this?" Nodame demanded. "Are you jealous?"

"Perhaps... I am... but it won't hurt to find out, will it?"

"You are trying to confuse me."

"Contrary to what you think, I only have your best interest at heart."

"I don't believe you..." Nodame eyed him warily. "What's in it for you?"

"Nothing... really." Only the satisfaction of proving to the world that I was right all along.

"Do you expect me to believe you? You are not a good man, maestro. You pretend to care but all you want to do is to destroy because love was taken away from you."

"You have been deluded, poor child... but not to worry... Alex here will show you the truth and the truth will set you free."

Nodame was growing impatient with what she thought were the ramblings of a mad man. After much effort she managed to stand and raised her voice.

"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about but it is you that brought Nodame here... against Nodame's wishes and you say that Nodame's mind is clouded. You talk about helping Nodame... helping Nodame see the truth but really you are just an angry blind man whose heart has been cut out and now you're empty inside. Are you trying to make Nodame empty too?"

"You don't understand..."

"I don't want to understand... I just want to go home... I have work to do."

Before Weiss could pontificate further, the ever efficient Fritz dashed into the room breathless.

"Hey boss, I hate to interrupt but I think we have company."

"Already? So soon... I wasn't expecting anyone just yet. Who is it?"

"It's that British guy... Room 306... oily, sleazy..."

"Oh him... excellent... wasn't expecting him but he could come in useful." Weiss rubbed his hands together with some relish.

"What do you want me to do with him?"

"Just let him wander in and I'll handle him myself."

II

At the Ambassador's Hotel, delegates were still trying to make sense of the bedlam that was the malicious poison pen letters, the missing pianist and rumours that someone was causing this ruckus for vengeance. Grown men and women were skulking up and down the corridors on edge, nervously wondering if they or their spouses were next on the hit list. Many were ready to pull out and fly out of the country except that they had been duly reminded in no uncertain terms of their needed cooperation in a criminal investigation. Needless to say, the conference was in complete shambles and the older guard were well aware that this could spell the end of the guild as it had been for 150 years.

"How could something like this have happened?" Stresemann bleated mournfully.

"You don't think it's one of the young ones, do you?" Vieira speculated. "This has impetuosity written all over it."

"I doubt it... It's someone with axes to grind... A young one would have just resigned and taken off. Young people these days don't have much interest in preserving tradition."

"But they're classical musicians... surely they care about..."

"Their careers..." Stresemann was in a pessimistic frame of mind. "No, Vieira... it is somebody who is angry... someone who cares enough to be angry... who cares enough to go to all this trouble. Who has enough information about all the members to be dangerous. This tells me that it is long-time member."

"Surely not!"

"We cannot be sure about anything. When a person is angry, they are capable of anything."

"You don't really believe Nodame is any danger, do you?"

"I don't know... I can't say for certain. I wish could..." Stresemann's voice faltered.

"You're fond of her, aren't you?"

Stresemann said nothing. He had been so proud of her... the ugly duckling that was turning into a swan...

It was then a forty-something conductor from Sweden chose to burst into the room they were in, huffing and puffing.

"Stresemann, Vieira... good you're both still here..."

"What's the matter..."

"It's Weiss..."

"What about him?"

"No one seems to know where he is..."

Inspector Moser was on a warpath. People were missing left, right and centre at this conference and yet his interrogation was yielding little result. There was the usual reticence of people closing rank but it was difficult to work out who was shy of talking to the police or who actually had something worthwhile to the investigation to hide.

He thought himself a methodical, patient man but even he could see that he was going no where fast. When the two senior members of the guild offered to accompany him he was sceptical, unsure if they would help or hinder his investigation. But Streseman looked as if he wasn't about to take "no" for an answer and it did occur to Moser later that perhaps the German conductor could be useful. He knew most of these people... their secrets and many stood in awe of him. Furthermore, behind that veneer of steel, Moser could sense that there was something deeply personal for Stresemann about this entire affair.

The president of the guild was now missing too. His room was immaculate. The bed looked made or perhaps it had been untouched. But there were no signs of his personal effects or that he left involuntarily. Although he had not checked out officially, there was no indication either that he was planning to return.

"But you were the last person to see him."

"Inspector... I really don't know where Alex went... I swear upon my mother's grave... if I did I would tell you." The restaurant manager protested.

"Alright, alright Hans... calm down... just tell us what happened this morning." The interview was going nowhere and Stresemann felt the need to intervene.

"Well, he gave me instructions first thing in the morning to pack him a picnic basket. 'Only the best.' He said so I did. He came to pick it up a few hours later."

Lurking in the background listening to the exchange, the inspector then posed his question. "What was he like? How would you describe his mood? Was he happy, upset... excited...angry?"

"Definitely happy. And excited. Oh yes... Said he was going on a date."

"A date?" Stresemann was stunned. "With whom?" I didn't know he was seeing anyone.

"He didn't say who.. except that it was a lady. I had not seen him this happy in a while... especially, well you know... after..." Hans looked at Stresemann wondering how much he should say.

"After what?" Moser noticed the two men exchanging looks.

"After the death of Anna Montgomery." Stresemann volunteered. Hans looked relieved as if someone had taken a burden off his shoulders.

"Anna Montgomery?" The inspector was intrigued and perplexed.

"The British singer... soprano... She died several months ago. You may have heard."

"No, I hadn't... and what was Ms Montgomery's connection with Herr Weiss..."

"They were lovers... a long time ago..."

"Herr Weiss never married, did he?"

"No... She left him for fame and fortune... and well, he never quite got over her."

"I see... So Hans... tell me, what else did Herr Weiss say to you..."

"Nothing much. He did, however, get very angry though when we talked about the guild."

"Really?"

"I don't think he was happy being president... it was very strange... he talked about the secretary's position being the real job or some such thing."

Stresemann grew attentive. "He did? Did he talk about Chiaki?"

"Oh yes... and Mrs Chiaki too."

"What did he say about her?"

"Well, I could see that he was getting a bit hot under the collar so I changed the subject. The three of them had dinner here last night so I made a comment about Mrs Chiaki being a charming lady."

"How did he feel about Mrs Chiaki?"

"He definitely liked her... even said that she reminded him of Miss Anna."

"He did?"

"Uh huh... that's when he got angry again. It was something I said about Miss Anna making her own choices and he was furious and blamed her husband for 'corrupting' her. That's when I walked away. I know Alex too well... he doesn't get angry much... but when he does, you don't want to be standing too close."

"Did you know Anna Montgomery personally, Hans?" The inspector queried.

"A little. Alex and I are distant cousins. We were a lot closer when we were younger... especially after his father's death... yeah, I met Anna in those days before she got it into her head that she was too good for him. In the end, I think it was better that she did leave... she tended to choke the life out of things around her. It's funny he never saw that... sad really... Love is blind, I guess."

"So how did he handle Ms Montgomery's death?"

"Not too well, I'm afraid. Very badly. He suffered depression as a result. Had to be hospitalized."

"You knew about this, Herr Stresemann?" The inspector turned to the conductor who had become quiet.

"I did."

"And you, Herr Vieira..."

Vieira had remained silent throughout the proceedings and was content to remain in the background. He merely nodded.

"How many people knew about this?"

"Not many. Just a few of us older ones. We saw no need to embarrass the man... he'd been through enough and then a couple of months ago... he seemed to come out of it."

"You didn't think it might be a problem..."

"Not really. None of us are psychologists, inspector... He seemed very much his old self. Even the VSO took him back. There was no reason to think otherwise..."

"Think what?" Hans piped up. "What's wrong, Herr Stresemann... inspector? Is Alex alright? Is he in trouble?"

"We don't know... Hans... we just don't know..."

"In all likelihood Weiss has her... he's gone missing as well... and it's too much of coincidence."

Chiaki choked on his glass and spluttered. "Weiss... why?"

"We're not sure... he's had some mental health issues in the past year..."

"Mental health issues? What mental health issues? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Chiaki was incensed and ready to throttle Streseman. "You let an insane man run lose in a major international conference... and now, you say you think he has my wife?"

"Shinichi... no one could have foreseen this..." Vieira interjected.

"He's not exactly insane. Just angry..." Stresemann backed away cautiously.

"Enough with the semantics... What does he want with her?" Fraught with worry, his patience was wearing thin.

"We can't be sure..."

"Just tell me..."

"I don't think he quite got over the fact that we made him president."

"So what's that got to do with Nodame?"

"Well... It was no big secret... He was eyeing your position for some time..."

No big secret? Well, I didn't know. "Why didn't you just give it to him?"

"We couldn't... he could've cracked at any time but more importantly, no one really respects the man. Most of the younger members think he's a joke."

"Well, I wonder who's laughing now."

The Wurstelprater was abnormally quiet and as he made his way to the entrance, Beresford could feel the cool chill of the evening tingle on his cheeks. The grounds appeared to be deserted, heightening his awareness that he was all alone. He wondered why he hadn't told anyone he was coming. Perhaps he wasn't sure... just trying to test out a theory? Fear of sending the police on a wild goose chase? All this newfound introspection was maddening. What was he supposed to do with it? Although quiet, the amusement park was still brightly lit in anticipation of visitors. This caused him to see that perhaps his outrageous hunch was not as outrageous as he had thought it was.

Wonder what Weiss intends to do with this place? Part of his retirement plan? Wonder how much he paid to get control of this place. Even the restaurants are closed. What did he do, declare a public holiday? Evacuated everyone this morning?

Despite everything, Beresford felt a grudging respect for Weiss' attention to detail. All this must've taken a bit of planning. Dotty or not, the man knew what he was doing. Can't have done it alone though.

Just as Beresford was thinking through the intricacies of Weiss' plan and where his hideout was, Fritz emerged from apparently no where.

"Oh... Mr Beresford... the boss is expecting you."

Expecting me? "The boss?"

"Herr Weiss, of course. In this place, he's the boss."

Author's Notes:

Thanks for your patience and your continued interest in this story (and all my stories). I had no idea that it was seven months since I last updated. I really wish I had more time to devote to writing but unfortunately it does cause sleepless nights and I can't afford too many of those.

Thanks also to those who showed interest in We Don't Say Goodbye and wrote to say so. The response was better than I had hoped.

And to Jess H who wrote a wonderful review for Intermezzo... thank you. I was both flattered and deeply encouraged by your kind words, particularly because of your musical background. You are every writer's dream reviewer.