Chapter 37 Chapter Thirty-Six

When Diana arrived at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, she had to wait fifteen minutes in a queue for a taxi.Finally it was Diana's turn. The driver smiles: "Wohin?" (German: "Where to?") "Can you speak English?" "Of course, miss." "Grand Kempinski Hotel, please." "Ja wohl." (German: "Yes.") Twenty minutes later, Diana checked in at the hotel. "I want to hire a car and driver." "Of course, miss." He looked down. "Your luggage?" "We'll be there later." When the car arrived, the driver asked, "Where do you want to go, Miss?"

She needs time to think: "Take a walk around first, please." "Gut (German: 'Good.'). There's a lot to see in Berlin." Berlin surprised Diana: she knew it had been nearly razed to the ground during World War II, but now she saw a bustling city, with beautiful modern buildings and a vibrancy that meant success. The names of the streets sounded like a mouthful to her: Winterscheider Strasse, Regensburger Strasse, Rutzowfl... Along the way, the driver explained the history of the park and the buildings, but Diana didn't have the heart to listen.She had to talk to M. Verbrugge's colleagues to find out what they knew.According to information on the Internet, Franz Verbrugge's wife has been murdered and Franz himself has disappeared.

Diana leaned forward and said to the driver, "Do you know where there is an Internet cafe?" "Of course I do, miss." "Excuse me, will you take me there?" "A very good internet café. Very popular. Anything you need can be found there." I hope so, Diana thought. Cyberline is not as big as its chain in Manhattan, but it appears to be thriving just as much. As Diana walked through the door, a woman stepped out from behind her desk: "We have a computer free in ten minutes." "I want to speak to the manager," Diane said. "I am the manager."

"Oh." "What do you want to see me for?" "I want to talk to you about Sonia Verbrugge." The woman shook her head: "Mrs. Verbruger is not here." "I know," said Diana, "that she's dead. I'm trying to find out how she died." The woman looked at Diana intently: "It was an accident. When the police checked her computer, they found—" A sly expression crossed her face, "Wait here, miss, I'll call someone , he can help you. I'll be right back." Diana watched her hurry to the back of the shop and suddenly felt nervous.After the woman was gone, Diana rushed outside and got into the car.Don't expect to get any help from here.I must speak to Franz Verbrugge's secretary.

In the phone booth, Diana found KIG's number and dialed it. "Berlin KIG." Diana said: "Will Franz Verbrugge's secretary answer the phone?" "who are you?" "Susan Stratford." "Please wait." In Tanner's office, blue lights flickered. Tanner smiled at his brother. "It's Diana calling. Let's see if we can help her." He put the phone on the speaker. The voice of the KIG operator said: "His secretary is not here. Would you like to speak to his assistant?" "Okay, please." "Hold on."

A woman's voice came: "I'm Heidi Frank. What can I do for you?" Diana's heart began to beat rapidly: "I'm Susan Stratford. I'm a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. We'd like to report on the recent tragic events that have happened to some of KIG's employees. I don't know if I can interview you?" "I have no idea--" "Just for some background information." Tanner listened intently. "How about lunch? Are you free today?" "Sorry, no." "Dinner, then." There was hesitation in her voice: "Okay, I think so."

"Where do you want to meet?" "There's a nice restaurant called Rockendorf. We can meet there." "Thank you." "Eight thirty?" "Eight thirty." Diana hung up the phone and smiled. Tanner turned to Andrew. "I decided to do what I should do first. Call Greg Holliday right away to take care of this. He's never let me down." He looked at Andrew. "He's got a Inflated ego. He's asking for an arm and a leg, but"—he's not smiling—"he'll deliver an arm and a leg."