The Cure is Murder – Chapter 11

Oskar Freund

They seemed a nice lot at my table. I could relax. No politics. No stress. Even flirt a little. That was always good for the soul and did wonders for a neglected body finding its way to a life. Oh, yes. I´d made my enquiries. There was the policeman, a normal sort of chap trying to keep out of trouble before a well-earned retirement; then the plumpish lady with the laugh who probably was quite serious as people who seem fun-loving often are; the German-speaking Australian woman from Sydney – Vienna born, she said. I´d have to try and warn her, but there´d be plenty of time to find the right moment over the next few weeks. The dark-haired Austrian woman, obviously a government burnout case like her blonde companion. The faces looked familiar. Maybe that Hysteria class photo I´d seen? But they couldn´t pose any problems, being burnt out and wanting just to mend to get back to their tasks as Messiah groupies. Committed they would have been. But even that takes its toll as I know too well. The necessary secrecy, of course, adds another stress level in my case. But all that´s gone for the next few weeks. Hmm. The pretty blonde is probably older than she looks. Her eyes seem to coast over me, hovering – the scar always intrigues, but there´s a certain hunger in her look. She may think I´m on her wavelength. I may well be. I can have some fun, too, can’t I? What danger could there be here at the spa, with doctors all around. It would probably do the old system good to give it a bit of a jolt and get those neglected nerve endings going again. She´s staring at me now. In a nice way. Lascivious almost. I could do with a bit of that. It’s been so long.

“What do you think of the pool?” Beate said to the table in general.
“Very nice for an indoor one,” Sabrina Neuling said, “but it´s a pity it´s only open for our classes. It´d be nice to have a late evening or early morning swim. All alone”, she added.

Beate nodded and glanced at me. I´d had the same thought as Sabrina Neuling from Sydney who was probably used to a morning and evening dip. But this was Waidhofen, and we were within the confines of the spa. Yet there was something tempting about such a swim. I looked up and caught a blush on Beate´s chipmunk cheeks.