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Literary ping-pong - Chapter 6
31.12.2020
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Clémence Censi
One crime novel, two authors. My colleague Carolin and I are writing a short story, alternating chapter by chapter. This week, our protagonist comes across concrete motives and a diabolical alliance.
In the intro article, Carolin and I explained the rules for our new series and let you vote on the genre, time and product to be included. That's why we're now taking turns every Thursday to write a crime thriller set in the present day. The highlight: you can intervene in the action yourself by voting at the end of each chapter. As a reader, you decide which product from a random preselection the author has to include in her sequel. A kind of mini-challenge from the Community.
What has happened so far
Ephraim has been lonely since his dog Hannibal was killed in a nail bomb attack. A high-ranking member of the PdA was also killed in the attack on his workshop. The sun blind weaver waits in vain for the results of the investigation by Inspector Magenta and his juice squad. After finding a frightening message in his letterbox, he secretly steals an application form for a house search during his visit to police headquarters, which suggests that the painting business "Lack und Eder" has something to do with the case. To get some clarity, Ephraim decides to go and see Eddie. A boy who often hangs around the Eders' house and may have overheard a conversation between Angred and Diethard Eder.
All previously published chapters can be found at the bottom of this article.
Chapter 6
Devilish alliance
Ethat stutters. Only fragments of sentences and individual words pass his lips. Nevertheless, they are enough to chase any colour from Ephraim's face. «M-m-müssen a-a-aufpassen», «B-b-briefk-k-kasten», «Decke», «gross-ss-sse Explosion», «Sch-sch-schüberle». So Eddie was actually listening to a conversation between the Eders. They couldn't have known anything about the blanket with the nasty message in his letterbox; after all, he kept this detail to himself. Unless the Eders themselves were behind it. Ephraim looks at the terrified Eddie, who is nervously chewing on a cable tie. Ephraim thanks him and leaves Eddie to the rubbish bins again, among which he has tracked down the boy.
At home, Ephraim tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together. There's the stolen application to search the house, which targets the Eders. Then there are the sentence fragments from a conversation between Angred and Diethard Eder, which Eddie secretly overheard and in which the local journalist Joachim Schüberle was also mentioned. Ephraim also suspects that the capitalists - to whom Angred and Diethard belong - are targeting the PdA. Because on the day the nail bomb went off, four members of the PdA were registered in his workshop. Three of them cancelled. The fourth was Xavier Ambühl, the cantonal party president. He fell victim to the assassination attempt. Either several party members should have been killed and chance saved the others from their fate, or Ambühl was the only target from the outset. Either way. Ephraim has to dig deeper and he already knows where to start.
Just as Ephraim enters the reception area of the "Kaff Aktuell" editorial team, his gaze falls on a man standing with his back to him, taking a coffee from the vending machine. The man turns round, greets the red-haired receptionist with a toasting gesture and stops abruptly when he sees Ephraim. It is Diethard Eder. "Well, well, well. What are you doing here?" asks Diethard, visibly aghast. "I want to place a classified advert for the workshop," lies Ephraim, trying to remain calm. "I see. See you around then." Diethard passes Ephraim with a lowered gaze and at a brisk walking pace.
Ephraim already knows that Diethard is in contact with the journalist Joachim Schüberle. According to Angred, only because the newspaper reported on the reopening of "Lack und Eder". But that was weeks ago. So what was Diethard doing here? The receptionist could help him. Now he has to jump over his own shadow again, as he did the other day with Angred. "Is there another article about the Eders' paint shop?" asks Ephraim innocently, pointing with his thumb behind him at the door behind which Diethard has just disappeared. The nameplate in front of the receptionist reads "Jennifer Bieri". Jennifer giggles and waves it off. "No, the reopening is old news." Then she whispers: "I'm not allowed to say this, but Diethard has been a silent partner in 'Kaff Aktuell' for a few months now. I really hope he can save our paper from its misery." She bites her lower lip guiltily and then holds her index finger in front of her lips with a muffled "Shhhhht". "Who do you need to see?" she abruptly changes the topic as someone enters the reception area.
Schüberle's office looks and smells old-fashioned. The dark green carpet has clearly seen better days. Not to mention the desk, which has lost its varnish in most places. Something Ephraim would like to do now. But instead, he takes a seat on the chair opposite Joachim Schüberle's desk while he lets himself out for another coffee. Nervousness spreads through Ephraim's body. Only now does he realise that he hasn't really thought about what questions he wants to ask the journalist. His hands start to tremble and the car keys he was clutching tightly a moment ago fall out of his hand. As Ephraim bends down to pick up the key, his eyes fall on a cardboard box under the desk, which is filled to the top with political flyers. Ephraim hadn't expected this: Joachim Schüberle wants to become the cantonal party president of the PdA.
Ephraim's thoughts are racing: now that the incumbent president, Xavier Ambühl, is dead and cannot stand for re-election, Schüberle should be a shoo-in. But something doesn't fit into the picture here. Why should Diethard support Joachim's newspaper when the two couldn't be more different in their beliefs? Because almost exactly three years ago, Joachim Schüberle announced in his newspaper that he was joining the PdA, even though up until then he had fervently fought for the opposite side. The sudden change of heart made waves in the village and is still incomprehensible to many today.
But what if Joachim Schüberle, the journalist and owner of "Kaff Aktuell", never really changed sides and by joining the party was not supporting the PdA, but merely infiltrating it in order to weaken it from within in his favour? Diethard Eder could be indirectly financing the whole thing as a silent partner. An assassination attempt on the long-standing president would thus secure Joachim's path to the top and increase his circulation at the same time. That would be two birds with one stone.
If this is really the case, the question remains: who built the bomb and to what extent is Commissioner Magenta involved? Because a master painter and a journalist together don't make a terrorist...
"So, what can I do for you, Ephraim?" asks Schüberle.
Continued on 07 January 2021
You can vote until 23:59 on 3 January 2021. The product with the most votes at that time will be included in the next part of the story. Follow the topic "Series" here or us as authors to make sure you don't miss an episode.
All parts published so far
Natalie Hemengül
Senior Editor
Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.chAs a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions.