The Perfumer E-Book

Laszlo Reti

• Herausgeber: Laszlo Reti
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 626

Beschreibung

What happens when a special ability allows someone to use a sense in their work that most people cannot?

Gitta Kardos is a 40-year-old single businesswoman who lives for her work. As a perfumer, she designs personalised fragrances. But that's just the surface. Her work is much more complex, using her refined sense of smell to detect scents that no one else can. With the right concentration of scents, she can influence the behaviour of others without their awareness.

She can put one party at an advantage in business negotiations.

It can infer the current state of an athlete's body odour and thus determine his chances of winning for a bookmaker.

She can tell whether a negotiating partner is scared, aroused or sexually motivated.

And she can do all this by her smelling.

Gitta Kardos is brought together with a new client in Budapest, whose order she fulfils without a second thought, putting her and the business she founded with her partners in danger. Before she knows it, she is being hunted by the police as a suspect of multiple murders, and if that wasn't enough, she is being pursued by several assassins.

Can she prove his innocence in the murders? Can she outwit his pursuers? Will she find out who wanted her dead?

And how can she use his wonderfully sensitive sense of smell to do it?

Leseprobe

Laszlo Reti

The Perfumer

2024

Laszlo Reti – The Perfumer

Copyright © Laszlo Reti

First publication of the book:

2013 – Budapest – Hungary

Contact:

[email protected]

Edited by

Laszlo Reti (2024)

Cover design

Laszlo Reti & AI

E–book edition

Laszlo Reti

© Cameron Larkin

ISBN: 978–615–6733–08–5

Prologue

The woman put down her coffee cup. It was the third one that day – or the fourth. And it was only a quarter to eleven. True, she drank decaf. Placebo, as she used to say. The computer screen flickered annoyingly, so she turned away and looked out the window. She put her feet up on the ledge, resting her hands soothingly on her belly. She was five months pregnant, and it was not only showing, but she was beginning to feel the weight of the baby. More and more, she had to stop, sit down, rest, or just pad her feet. Like now, for the duration of the wait.

There were knocks.

– Come on!

The door swung open and a detective from the department stood on the threshold. He was unshaven, with circles around his eyes, and wearing the same shirt she had seen him in the afternoon before. No wonder. They'd been inside until midnight, catching up on paperwork, and then the phone rang, and they were off to the little house on the edge of town.

– You guys done at the scene? – asked Tekla Kárpáti, Major of the Budapest Police Headquarters.

– Yes. The boys are already packing. Unfortunately, we had to wait three hours for the doctor.

Tekla nodded in understanding. There was only one police doctor on duty this week who would have believed her if he had told her that this man had not been hanged but had ended his own life. No wonder he's sometimes late, poor chap.

– You got the man?

The detective looked out into the corridor.

– We did. Shall we bring him in?

– We're on our way. What's he like?

– What do you want to know?

– Everything. I'm on my last shift. Doc's putting me on sick leave next week. I got called in at 5:00 a.m., and I've been sitting here since then, and I don't know anything.

– -Yeah,- the colleague scratched his head.

– Was it even him?

– That was him. He had blood all over his clothes. We had to change him so we could confiscate what he was wearing.

– Equipment?

– Fuck... hatchet.

– Jesus... the victim... really?

– 'Really,' the man nodded gloomily and turned pale. – He did. It's a shit job.

– And what did he say? Why?

– The bastard doesn't say anything.

– What do you mean, nothing?

– Tommy and I brought him in, tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't say a word. He just stared out the window.

– -Major Karpati began cautiously, but his colleague waved him off.

– -No. Nobody hurt him. We don’t want to touch him, but we have to put him in the car.

– I see.

– Well? Shall we?

– Sure. Sure. Bring him in.

The detective turned into the corridor and waved to his partner. They pushed him into the office and pushed him down onto the chair in front of the desk.

Tekla slid a pair of handcuffs across the desk.

– Put mine on.

The detective replaced the bracelet, then looked at him expectantly.

– Anything else?

– 'I don't know anything,' the detective said gently. I need at least a report on what happened...

– I'll tell you in a minute...

– In writing. -That stays, and the word goes,- she smiled at them.

They were in a morose mood, and Major Karpati was not surprised. They had not slept a wink last night.

– I will. I'll mail it to you.

The detective threw the man's briefcase on the table, waved goodbye, and headed for the door. She looked at the other man expectantly before the colleague who called himself Thomas pulled his lips away, took one last look at the cowering figure, and kicked the chair leg. The man flinched, but stared at her.

– Damn you! – hissed the detective. – That's why they invented the death penalty.

– -Tomi,- Tekla said quietly, -he's mine now. Go. I need that report.

– Not a word out of that beast!

– Go!

– You'll get nowhere with him. You stubborn bastard...

– Get out of here!

– All right – he growled, and finally left the office.

The Major got up, closed the door behind her, then walked round the desk and sat back down. For a moment, she wondered whether she shouldn't pull the chair closer to her so that the desk wouldn't be a chain between them, but then she decided against it. It was all right if she could feel the difference. Although, as she looked at it, it would be a major task to break through the veil of silence at all.

The handcuffed prisoner was clearly out of this world.

He was an average man of about forty–five. His hairy, thin, sinewy arms hung helplessly from the sleeves of his red–striped shirt. The handcuffs on his wrists seemed somehow disproportionately large. His fingernail beds were stained brownish–black. It didn't take a closer look to tell Major Carpathia that he was seeing coagulated blood. The man was wearing faded jeans, trainers with the laces pulled out.

His eyes crept upwards. Hair that cried out for a barber, a shaven, sunken face with deep furrows, dark circles under the eyes. Even at this distance, she could smell the cheap wine that emanated from every pore of the prisoner.

He sat hunched over, staring at the handcuffs on his hands, but he had a feeling she might not see them.

She pulled his wallet in front of him and fumbled through the pockets. She looked at his ID and found a family photo. It must have been taken years earlier. She saw the man sitting opposite – well–combed. A little girl with brown hair on her knee, a big boy with a serious face beside her, and a pretty woman at her side. A normal family – before alcohol. Before the crisis.

She stifled a sigh and put everything back in the wallet. He stood up, went to the bathroom, and filled a glass with water. She set it on the desk in front of him.

– Would you like a glass of water?

He got no answer.

– How about a coffee?

She gave him a minute, but he gave no indication that he had even heard what was said. She shrugged and filled her cup from the thermos. It didn't matter whether it was four or five. She leaned back in her chair and, although he didn't smoke, now put a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. He did not light it. At any other time in this situation, he would have, but now there was the baby.

– A cigarette?

At last, the corner of his mouth twitched, he raised his head slightly, now looking her straight in the eye. She shivered at the look in his eyes. There was nothing blood–curdling in it – only suffering. Relentless suffering.

She slid a thread across the table and pushed the match beside it. He took the cigarette with trembling hands and lit it with great difficulty. He tried to put the matchbox in his pocket, but the Major nodded.

– Throw it on the table.

– 'I didn't mean to steal it,' said the prisoner hoarsely. It was evident from his voice that he had not opened his mouth for many hours. His tongue must have stuck to the roof of his mouth.

– I know – Tekla nodded, and threw the matches into the drawer. She pointed to the glass of water: 'Do you still want a drink?

After some hesitation, he lifted the glass and drank it slowly.

– After a moment of hesitation, he took a glass slowly.

– He asked for a glass of water. If you want some more, let me know.

His eyes had not become any clearer, but now he was staring straight into her eyes.

– Why are you doing this? – she finally asked.

– What?

– You’re talking to me normally.

– Haven't you ever been spoken to normally before?

– You're not a cop?

– Sure I am.

– The others almost killed me.

– They hurt you?

– No, they didn't. Only with their eyes.

– It's not my job.

– What's not your job?

– Judge.

– Then what is your job?

– To listen.

– Are you going to interrogate me?

– I'm not in the habit. I'll listen. What you say, I'll write down.

– I don't want to say anything – he closed his mouth again and took a drag on his cigarette. The ash fell on the carpet, but Tekla didn't say anything.

The computer beeped, an e–mail came through. Major Karpati opened it with one eye open. The detectives had sent the report. It was a slendrian job, but that's usually the way it is when you're trying to get tired and bored people to work who are already thinking about drinking beer after their shift. She skimmed through the one–page text as she rolled another cigarette at him. By the time she finished reading, a sweat was breaking out on her back. She was glad she wasn't out there, but she was dreading the moment when she would have to look at the photos. She looked up. She was staring into space. The detective felt her hand slipping from her grasp, the heavily opened door about to close. She shifted.

– Are you hungry?

– Not hungry.

– When did you last eat?

– Yesterday morning.

– Eaten what?

– Scrambled eggs.

– How many?

– Four eggs... Why?

– And did you drink?

– Yes, I drank. Half a glass.

– Brandy?

– Yes.

– What did you do after that?

– I fixed the lawn mower until noon.

– Lunch?

– No lunch. The postman came... – he stopped.

– And?

– He brought a letter from the court.

– Your wife? – Tekla used the first piece of information in the e–mail.

– Last trial, he nodded.

– How did it go?

– The children stay with her, the house is her by default. – She let out a deep sigh.

– How old are they?

– Zolika sixteen, Kata ten.

– So she didn't have lunch? – she jumped back in time.

– I had no appetite.

– Did you drink?

– Yes.

– What?

– Wine. About three or four litres... I didn't count.

– How long did he drink?

– It was dark.

– The woman?

– She's gone. I don't know where she went. At her lover's, I suppose.

– The children?

– Kata's home from school. She was studying, her girlfriend arrived, and Zolika came home. Then they had dinner. Kata went to bed, and Zolika went to her friend's.

– And you?

– I sat on the veranda.

– And drinking. – It wasn't a question.

He nodded.

– How long did you stay there?

– I don't know.

– When did you decide?

– In the meantime. I went in at one point. The ax was on the porch.

– Did you put it there?

– It was there. I was cutting kindling.

– Did you pick it up?

– Yes, I picked it up.

– Did you? – the detective risked the question.

– I don't know. Maybe.

– Have you slept?

He nervously sucked in his cigarette. He did not say.

– Have you slept? – she repeated emphatically.

This question was somehow incredibly important to him.

– Was she asleep... – Tekla suddenly felt a strange sense of relief. He continued quietly, -She was asleep. I sat down on the edge of her bed. She was sleeping facing the wall... Oh my God...

– How long did he sit there?

– Minutes... hours... I don't know.

– How many times did he hit me?

– Twice... oh... twice for sure... maybe three times...

There was silence. Tekla did not want to disturb him. After a minute, he continued on his own.

– I woke up. I just looked at the blood on the wall.

– What did you want?

– To take care of everything.

– Even Zolika?

– Yes, I did.

– And his wife?

– I... loved her. Don't let anyone else have it.

– And why didn't you go on?

– I fell asleep.

– You fell asleep?

– I was drunk. Zolika woke me. She kicked me in the back and shouted, -What have you done?! Then the police came.

They looked at each other for a long time.

– Do you want a coffee now?

– If you'll give me one.

She poured him a glass. The prisoner didn't take it, he just looked at her.

– And now?

– We'll write down what you told us... all right?

– All right, then.

– -Try to calm down, and we'll go over it again.

She pulled the keyboard in front of her, and a blank report template appeared on the screen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him stub out a cigarette. She shoved the whole packet in front of him.

– Help yourself, if you like.

– Thank you... Do you despise me?

– My private opinion is irrelevant.

– So you despise me.

Major Carpathia hesitated. She didn't want to break the spell. For some reason, she felt it wouldn't do to lie. Not to this man.

– He finally blurted out.

– Then why...?

– Because I know you’re already been punished.

The man lowered his head.

– Meg... You know? You've... you've dealt with... people like that?

– I have.

– How do you... how do you put up with that?

– Honestly?

– Honestly.

– You can't. No matter what the judge says, you'll get life. No matter what they sentence you, you'll never get out...

The prisoner leaned back in his chair, looked the detective in the eye and nodded slowly. They both knew what that meant. Tekla saw the tears streaming down his furrowed cheeks.

– Oh... my sweet little treasure...

He buried his face in his hands.

The door opened, and the detective who had just opened it, Thomas, stuck his head in.

– I got it, Tekla. The boss wants you.

– No way! This is important.

– Go. I'm not making this up.

– No, I'm not leaving unless it's something big...

The detective poked his finger behind his back.

– It's a really big deal. Now, go on. They're waiting for you.

As Major Carpathia hurried down the corridor, she wondered what could be more big than a child murder...

1

Six months earlier, November 2012

Telegdi glanced at his secretary and the two other figures sitting next to him, whom he did not know personally, except that one was from the press department and the other from marketing.

– Well?

– -No more questions for the moment,- the press officer shrugged.

Telegdi nodded and looked at the three well–dressed men sitting opposite him.

– Thank you.

One of them cleared his throat and spoke with a slight accent:

– If you have any questions about our presentation...

– -Thank you,- the businessman repeated dryly.

The three suits stood up. The man who was giving the presentation pulled the flash drive from the computer connected to the projector, closed his notebook, and they all left without a word. Telegdi waited for the padded door of the suite to close behind them, stood up, and walked thoughtfully to the window. The door opened again before he poked his head in, but only a woman in her forties, wearing the hotel uniform and with black hair, entered. The secretary motioned for her to go about her business calmly. Telegdi turned back to the window and took in the panorama. The Hotel Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge was true to its name in terms of views. It was a magnificent sight, with the Chain Bridge bathed in the evening light and the Castle complex opposite, even if the fog blurred the outlines.

The secretary was tidying his notes in his netbook. Occasionally, he exchanged a word with the marketer. The press officer sat pensively in an armchair, scratching his chin. The hotel employee, meanwhile, went about his work almost invisibly. The coffee cups and mineral water bottles emptied during the meeting were placed on a silver tray, and a new place setting was set. He placed a full coffee pot in the middle of the table.

Telegdi mused at the window. He thought of his grandfather's farm, where he used to fork the manure onto the wagon every summer, even as a university student – and now he was standing on top of the world. At least on top of the Hungarian world. He smiled bitterly. Grandfather couldn't understand that anymore... but perhaps he wouldn't have understood it either.

The hotel employee finished setting the table. He went over to the dresser and, as he had done for all the trials before this one, replaced the electric vaporizer. He stowed the appliance he had set up before the meeting in the bottom of the serving trolley and placed a new one on the cabinet. From his suit pocket, he took a small glass vial and poured two drops of liquid into the distilled water, then closed the lid and discreetly started the appliance.

– Gentlemen, can I get you anything else?

The secretary waved no, and without a word, he pushed the car out and closed the door behind him. Telegdi winced and went back to his desk.

– Opinion?

– They were good, the press officer began cautiously. – Technically, everything was in place.

– Could it work?

– Why not?

– -I'm not paying you, Zoltan, to ask me back,- Telegdi told his subordinate without any edge. Can it work?

– Yes.

– But you don't like it, the businessman claimed.

– Nor do you, Mr President. Something is missing.

Telegdi nodded in agreement.

– Well said. I had a bad feeling all the time, listening to these Frenchmen. Somehow... I can't get a grip on it. My instinct tells me there's something wrong with all this. That their theory is wrong. The philosophy on which they're building their campaign is wrong... do you even understand what I'm saying?

The publicist and the marketer looked at each other and the latter joined in the conversation.

– I felt the same myself. Everything was very nice, the presentation was fast–paced, but I still didn't feel the urge to do business with them.

Telegdi hummed and rubbed his palm and went back to his armchair.

– 'Let's see the last team,' he instructed his men.

The secretary got up and opened the door. The three Frenchmen in suits were loitering in the corridor, their eyes now fixed expectantly on the door, but the secretary looked over their heads with a polite smile and beckoned to the party standing opposite the lift.

– Please, come in!

The other three men quietly passed the Frenchmen and filed through the door.

– 'It's time for the presentation of Tarynex Holding, Mr President,' said the secretary, and then sat down in an armchair himself, pulling his netbook in front of him so that he could take any notes he might need immediately.

– 'No,' replied one of the young men, looking behind him, where his partner had set up a flipchart in no time.

Telegdi waved generously.

– 'Go ahead, gentlemen.

The young man in his mid–thirties took the floor.

– My name is Gábor Sinkó, and I am going to give you a presentation on Tarynex Holding. It's getting late, I won't take up much of your time...

Telegdi already gave the guy a good point. It was the sixth and last presentation of the day. He was terribly bored, but he couldn't let it show. It was a multi–hundred million dollar deal, and he couldn't afford to take even the sixth show lightly. He'd rest tomorrow. Today, he would make this difficult decision, and then the company employees would do their job. But the strategic decision is his. Tomorrow, he heads for Tihany, and will lie for hours by the pool and even switch off his mobile phone.

He found himself thinking about the holiday home in Tihany, and a few minutes of the young man's presentation had slipped out. He was sorry, but because of all the bidders, Tarynex was the only company with the majority of Hungarian ownership. There were Belgians, Germans, British, a Russian group, and of course the French we had just seen. But only this one bidder was Hungarian. All of them wanted the business, as was evident from the fact that they did not accept Telegdi's offer to give the presentation in English, but all decided to get a Hungarian–speaking employee to present the project plan, even from underground. A small gesture. Oil on the gears. And then the millions will compensate them.

Telegdi was annoyed to realize that he had digressed again.

Sinko had been talking for ten minutes, but the businessman had no idea what he was talking about. He forced himself to pay attention. The felt–tipped phrases on the flipchart behind Sinko looked familiar. As he read them, he was amazed to see his company's slogans and strategic principles lined up on the huge sheet of paper in the young man's hurried, capitalized handwriting.

The seventy–year–old Telegdi straightened in his seat and now began to listen. What is this snot–nosed bastard doing, dragging out the inviolable principles of the Telegdi Works Limited Company he founded, to which he and all his staff have adhered for twenty–two years.

Sinko has committed sacrilege at this moment.

– -Well, that's it,- he pointed passionately to the blackboard, -that's the biggest obstacle to progress!

The secretary gasped for breath.

Sinko's performance, calculated to the second, was reaching its climax.

Either he would be kicked out of the suite in a minute or...

Telegdi opened his mouth to speak, but the young man would not stop.

– I'll tell you what we're doing to keep Telegdi Works successful and to increase its profits further down the road. Because of that, gentlemen, the ultimate goal is to increase profits.

Sinko looked defiantly at Telegdi, and the old businessman nodded involuntarily. The President shrugged thoughtfully. That is exactly his ultimate goal: to increase profits. Once a business starts to decline, it's over. It must always grow. Always. There is no such thing as stagnation because that's the beginning of the end.

Sinko reached up and grabbed a piece of paper with words stretched across the flipchart known as the corporate Ten Commandments. In one swift motion, he tore it up, then crumpled it into a ball and threw it at Telegdi's feet.

The ball of paper landed on the shiny leather shoe, then fell and stopped at Telegdi's ankle.

Sinko continued.

– We must throw this out first, gentlemen! It was the basic throw that was at fault. For the last twenty years, we have been working within the framework set by the basic assumptions, and the framework is now flawed! Time has passed them by. If we always add up the same numbers, the result will be the same. So, we need to change something in the equation, and we will tell you what.

The marketer glanced cautiously at Telegdi, not wanting to believe his eyes. A faint smile played on the President's lips. For the first time all day.

The next forty–three minutes were a formality. Sinko outlined the new directions and explained the meaning and underlying significance of the new slogans and phrases that had been emblazoned. When he finished, the room fell silent.

Only the humidifier hummed discreetly on the dresser.

Gábor Sinkó stood at his blackboard, a little heated and with a loose tie.

All eyes were on Telegdi. The businessman nodded slowly.

– He's all yours.

Sinkó blinked.

– Excuse me, Mr Telegdi?

– I said, it's yours. – He stood up and extended his hand. – You won my tender, son.

Sinko pulled himself together and shook Telegdi's hand. But the old man did not let go of his hand but pulled the young businessman closer to him. He licked his parched lips before he began to speak in a voice low enough for the two of them to hear.

– He had won, but from now on, it was not only a sea of money but a responsibility. For I will hold you to account for every last word of what you've put forth here today. To the last word. And I'm going to hold you accountable because you convinced me. Not your holding company, not your president, but you. I will hold you personally responsible. You threw away a lifetime's work and principles here today. I accept that. Times have changed. I understand. Let's try. But if it doesn't work the way you've been telling me for the last hour, I'm holding you responsible. And I'll find him wherever he goes. Do you understand?

– 'Yes, Mr Telegdi,' said the young managing director of Tarynex Holding hoarsely.

Sinkó left the office with trembling feet. Five minutes later, he was sitting in the hotel bar, where two of his colleagues were relaxed, patting their backs and sipping their expensive eighteen–year–old whisky.

– You were great! – one of them gushed.

– 'It was amazing,' countered his partner. – The president should have seen it.

– Okay, okay, calm down,' Sinko calmed them down and downed his drink.

He couldn't believe he had succeeded. He was going to drink tonight. All night.

But there was one more thing you had to do first. He excused himself from his excited cell phone conversation and hurried out of the bar. He took the elevator to the third floor and soon found himself standing in front of a room he had checked into, but he didn't have the key card. He knocked softly. The door opened after a few moments and Sinko entered the room.

The woman was wearing a grey suit, her cropped black hair glistening here and there from the lacquer. Her blue–green eyes were framed with a hint of contour. From the first time they met, Sinko had noticed that the forty–one–year–old woman could easily be five or six years older. The hotel staff dress she had worn all afternoon and evening, changing the tablecloths during breaks in meetings, now lay folded in an open suitcase on the bed. On a tray trolley pushed into a corner and on the table beside it, in a messy pile of unwashed cups, mineral water bottles, glasses and coffee pots, were two humidifiers.

– We've done it!- announced Sinko with a beaming face.

– Nothing surprising about that,- she said, cooling her enthusiasm, and continued packing. She threw the humidifiers into the hard little suitcase and closed the lid.

– 'Well... of course,' stammered the young man, scalded.

– Did you bring it? – she looked up.

– -Yes.

Sinko took out his phone and sat down on the edge of the bed. The next minute he made a transfer and waved the screen at her.

– Twenty–five thousand euros transferred. Are your expenses in order?

– What expenses?

– The trolley, coffee, water, clothes. You had to get all that.

– I'm a professional. It was part of the price.

– Ah... I see. Thank you, then.

– You're welcome.

The young man shook his head.

– Thank you for everything, Gitta. You've done a wonderful job.

– You already thanked me, Gábor. Is there anything else I can do for you?

– I think I'll be looking for you before the next important trial.

– Nothing wrong with that. A lot of people do. You know the price.

– You know the price. But, uh...

– What is it?

– How did you do it? – the question came out of the young man.

– That's my job. That's all. You asked me, I looked into the circumstances, and when it was obvious that I could do it successfully, I took it on. The job is done, you are satisfied, I am satisfied. That's what you call a successful business.

– But how did you do it?

Perfumer Gitta Kardos saw such sincere admiration in her client's eyes that she couldn't resist giving him a little information.

– So I had to play hostess. I changed the humidifier before every trial. I had this unit slightly upgraded by a specialist on my own design. It disperses the vapor and, with it the scent fifteen times faster than a normal piece. In the first five trials, I added a substance to the water that negatively affected the mood of the people inside. The negotiators did not feel comfortable and had no idea why. Then, in your trial, I had the opposite effect on your partner. This is the result.

– Unbelievable,- Sinko shook his head. – What did you put in it?

– It would be useless to tell you. I've been studying for years and mixed a special compound here. Every situation and every person is different, even if there are broad rules to follow. The key is concentration. It's about setting below the stimulus threshold. Telegdi will never know why his interlocutors' presentations in the first five cases were unsympathetic and why yours impressed him. I manipulated below the level of awareness.

– But how can you do that?

– That is my job, dear Gabor.

– That's power, Gitta.

She picked up the handbag and, dragging the suitcase on its wheels behind her, headed for the door. She called back over her shoulder.

– You're right, Gábor. Power indeed.

She took the lift down to the garage, got into his museum–worthy black Citroën DS, and drove out into the street. She soon reached the Corvin Promenade, and fifteen minutes later she had opened his upstairs apartment.

She turned on the lights and threw her bag on the hall table. She put her shoes neatly in the cupboard, went barefoot into the living room, poured herself a drink, and sat on the snow–white leather sofa.

The apartment was impersonal and quiet. For a while, She just looked around, looking at familiar objects. She rented the vases with the apartment, not taking a single personal item with her. Not even a photograph. She sighed. Her eyes fell on her phone. She lifted it, picked a number from the menu, and pressed the call button. It would at least be nice to have a few words with Aunt Margaret now, she thought, but the machine voice on the answering machine answered.

Of course. Aunt Margaret was already asleep, she must have switched off her phone.

She slowly scrolled through the phone book, but found no names whose owners would have been happy to ring at this late hour. A muscle tightened at the corner of her mouth, and she put the phone down dejectedly on the glass and chrome table. She decided to take a shower instead. She went to the bathroom and tore the cellophane off a toothbrush. Her eyes met her reflection as she searched for the tube on the shelf. She stared at herself for a minute, meticulously examining the tiny wrinkles, the big eyes, the narrow nose. Finally, sadly, she dropped the toothbrush.

– 'Screw your powers, Gitta,' she sighed.

2

April 2013

A grey Porsche Boxster drove in the outside lane on Erzsébet körút towards Nyugati pályaudvar. The man drove at his leisure, watching the women hurrying along in the thick spring rain, heads bowed, the distorted reflection of knocking shoes on the wet pavement. None of them glanced towards the graphite–colored, flat sports car, preferring to cover their faces with scarves in the cutting wind or to tuck their chins into their collars. Frank Tamási rubbed a sieve between his teeth. He hadn't bought the car, so no one would have to deal with it. He turned right at Sofia Street and revved the engine as he saw a slender leg slip under the edge of a jacket, but she ignored the car.

The Porsche turned into the street and rolled slowly to the market hall. It drove a little further, then parked in the first empty space. Tamási got out and headed for the bar. Smoke and heat billowed up the steep steps of the cellar entrance. Even though the smoking ban had been in force for some time, no one here bothered to smoke. The rule was simple, but it worked. Anyone who wanted to smoke could do so, but they paid the fine instead of the owner. That is, of course, if some ignorant inspector dared to fine the bar. They never came again. Some places work like that, and this was just like that.

Thomas came down the stairs and waved to the bartender at the bar, who was watching the sports channel on the TV on the opposite wall. The guy grinned at him and took out a glass.

– The usual?

– 'Sure,' nodded Thomas, and by the time he reached the bar, his drink was ready. A fingerful of gin three cups of soda. As usual.

– Thanks. Is he here yet?

– Yes. He sat in the back.

He took the glass and headed for the back room. The businessman–looking man was already sitting on one of the cowhide–covered benches, sipping a Coke. He looked nervous, clearly not comfortable in this place. It occurred to Tamás that Temesvári was probably thinking of taking the expensive suit to the dry cleaners as soon as they were done because the smoky air of the place would soak into the fabric.

Thomas shook hands with the man, who was fidgeting nervously, and sat down opposite him at the table.

– Hello.

– Did you make it?

– 'How rude of us,' Frank smiled and sipped his drink.

– 'I'm not here to be polite. My time is precious.

– So is mine. Is the money here?

– Did you make it?

– -I did,- surrendered Thomas.

Temesvári Áron was a little relieved.

– Tell me how!

– Why? The point for you is...

– Let me decide what my point is, damn it! – the businessman snapped. – Tell me how you did it!

Thomas narrowed his eyes. He was a well–built man of a hundred and eighty, with a muscular build, his hair cut in a spike, and a carefully trimmed mustache that made him look older than his thirty–three years. His stiff muscles stood out under his simple white T–shirt, worn with his black jacket. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He would have liked to punch this pompous amateur in the mouth, but he couldn't, he hadn't paid for his work yet. He'd had his hand out before but wasn't about to risk it now. He loosened the muscles in his thighs, which were tight under his jeans and leaned back comfortably.

– I went in with your key. I had the bedroom and living room wired with cameras. In the bedroom, I replaced a book on the shelf above the bed and placed the microcamera in a hole drilled in the spine. 'In case you're interested, the book is Lady Chatterley's Lover,' Frank allowed himself a little wit. 'In the living room, I hid the camera in the top left corner of the painting above the TV. You didn't tell me, but I went round the flat and wired the guest room. I fixed the thing above the doorjamb. I tried them all. The transmission unit went into the gas meter cabinet. I checked the sticker; it was scanned two and a half months ago, so no one will open it for three–quarters of a year.

– Good,- nodded Temesvári.

– Here's the code,- Tamási pushed a slip of paper across the table, -You know the online contact details. You'll see the images from all three cameras if you enter this password. The one in the bedroom and the one in the living room can be zoomed in, the third one cannot.

– Why not?

– You only wanted two, so I brought two. Once inside the apartment, I saw that I needed another one, because the guest room is also suitable for a side fuck. I had installed an older one from my own stock, but it was a little less powerful.

– I see. How much was the stuff?

Another piece of paper slid across the table.

– This is the receipt for the purchase. It's not in your company's name, don't worry. I suppose you didn't want to account for it anyway. I just asked for appearances. Nobody buys these things for a receipt. I'll charge you what's on the invoice.

– And your camera?

– I said. It's included in my fee.

– What do you know about this guy? – Temesvári changed the subject as he put the bill away.

Tamási listed the details by heart.

– Forty–three years old, a doctor. His wife met him at the surgery when she went for a cancer screening. They've been fucking for six months. As far as his wife knows, you're in Munich for the weekend. They've arranged for the doctor to come over this afternoon. I think you should see a movie around 5:00.

Temesvári's face tightened. He took an envelope from his pocket and pushed it across the table. Frank took it and counted it out in a cursory count.

– This is only half.

– That's what I think is fair. You barely worked a day and finished in a couple of hours.

– That's not what we agreed on.

– I'm a businessman. I pay you what the work is worth.

– I'll tell you again, that was not our agreement.

– I made a different decision.

Temesvári stood up suddenly as Tamási stepped in front of him. The businessman pulled a pistol from his pocket.

– 'One step and I'll shoot,' hissed Temesvári in a shaky voice.

Frank took two steps backward and tilted his head to the side. He stared straight down the barrel of the gun.

It wasn't his first time in this situation, and he suspected it wouldn't be the last.

When he first saw the light of day in a remote rural town, it hadn't looked like he'd be staring down the barrel of a gun on a rainy afternoon in the spring of 2013.

Her father was a well–to–do dentist, and her mother passed the time trying not to go mad and do nothing. She just sat at home and decorated the house, spending her husband's money on more and more nonsense, and felt more and more sorry for herself that she couldn't fulfil her potential. She never found out What she wanted to be fulfilled because that would have meant going out and doing something on her own for once. But that was beyond her dreams. It was much easier to sit and dream about what she should be doing than to go out and actually do something.

Then Frank was born, and his arrival had no other purpose than to give his mother something meaningful to do. But this meant that she tried everything on him, which she had never done but was convinced would be for her son's edification. The boy was a member of all the clubs in existence, taking lessons in the saxophone, then the violin, and later three languages at once in private lessons, but he also took lessons in the Bible and acrobatic rock and roll. And when he turned eighteen – he ran away.

His mother discovered Frank had disappeared and reported him to the police. A few weeks later, the police found him at the Vác train station. He was sleeping on a bench with a shaved head, but since he was of age, nothing happened, and his mother was only told that he was alive, but not, at the boy's request, where he had been found.

He kept in touch with his father, calling him weekly on his mobile phone to ask him to transfer some cash to the boy's bank card. Frank's desire for freedom had not spread to the point where he had cut the umbilical cord that was Visa. For two years, he had been travelling the countryside, but the odd job didn't pay much, and he really had to work, but he didn't have the stomach for it.

He ended up in Budapest, and after a few months, he was selling marijuana in the shadow of Keleti station. It soon became clear that he shouldn't be selling there, and this realisation cost him three broken ribs. That was the first time he went home because he had nowhere else to go. His mother again imposed conditions, but as the young man already knew that not everything outside the family home was a bottomless pit, he accepted the ultimatum. He was a good boy for a few years. He almost graduated in physical education and played judo for a few years. But one big flaw in the sport stood out. Sometimes during a match, if a foul was committed to his detriment, the curtain would simply come down. When he regained control of himself, his opponent was usually lying bloodied at his feet, and three or four men were trying to restrain him. This happened twice when the dean expelled him from the college.

Then his mother died of cancer, and this time his father went mad. Freed from three decades of her burden, he gave up his practice and bore all the significant symptoms of male cliché. He spent his days with Harleys and very young girls until one slimy morning on Lake Balaton, after a biker's meeting, he didn't wait long enough to get the night's whisky out of him and hit a tree full of it.

Frank inherited the house in Nagyatád and a few million in the bank account. It took him about a year to come up with the money, then he sold the house and bought an apartment in Budapest. He got into the nightlife through his former classmates and soon realised that there was money to be made by helping certain people. I solve their problems,- he says. Somewhere between private detective and bouncer, he found a gap in the market, which he filled, but he also sometimes made substantial sums by giving rich, unsatisfied women what they wanted – and then easing their bank accounts. None of them ever pressed charges against him when he left because they remembered him fondly. He was kind and performed like a stud bull. Still, it was a more pleasant way to make money than the other opportunities of the night. However, after two years, he could have doctored his own experience of the appearance of cellulite.

However, this genre required money, as rich women were only moved by the money belt. That is if they didn't immediately feel they were being ripped off. They had to invest in this business to make money in the end. Dresses, designer watches, champagne dinners, cars. Who would think a man driving a Porsche was actually travelling on her money...?

That's why he bought the used Boxster for a magnet. A woman would hardly be able to tell it's an eleven–year–old car by looking at it and seeing it's a Porsche. But he was not yet making a living from this business, so he continued to take on other assignments, such as stalking the cheating wife of Aaron Temesvári. That was the reason he was able to look down the barrel of a gun.

With head tilted to one side, he examined the gun and then pulled his mouth away.

– It's a gas pistol, Temesvári. It's a Röhm RG9. It's for fags, but I see we're local. Anyway, you're holding it like a whore holds a lily. – Tamás was suddenly put off by this figure, and he gave a resigned sigh. – Now, fuck off, I'm not going to argue with a piece of shit like you.

He stood aside and lowered his arm.

Frank could feel the red mist beginning to descend on his mind. He didn't fight it. He had known about the phenomenon for a long time, but he had never learned to control it. Temesvári moved to swipe past him, but as soon as they were in line, Frank's right swung, and he struck a powerful palm strike on the back of the businessman's head. The man lost his balance, and his head snapped forward into the left fist that was already coming. He immediately collapsed, his nose crooked as he sprawled on the plank floor. Blood was already gushing. Tamási simply couldn't remember for the next minute.

When he regained control of himself, Temesvári was lying on the ground in a tattered heap. Frank looked down at him and seriously considered kicking him two or three more times, but the unconscious figure would not have felt it. He shook his head.

– What a prick.

He bent down, took out his Temesvári wallet, and spun it out. All he had were bank cards and IDs. Tamási broke them all in half. A little thoughtfulness. It would take time and money to replace them. Cash, however, was no more than he handed over in the envelope. And that was not enough. Not a hell of a lot. Frank nervously left the figure lying on the ground and pulled out his smartphone. He logged on to the website, which had been given to Timisoara, where the businessman was supposed to view the camera images. He changed the code he had just entered. Timisoara threw away a thousand euros for nothing.

On his way out, he stopped in front of a bartender and motioned for him to come closer.

– The idiot refused to pay.

– What did you do to him?

– The usual. He'll have to wash it up, and give him a tissue before you fire him, so he doesn't bleed all over the place. – For your trouble.

– Fuck you, man. – the bartender raged. – I'm tired of your curtains going down all the time, Frank. You need to get a fucking grip on yourself!

– Take it easy.

The man looked into the back room and angrily threw the rag he was holding onto the counter.

– Don't come anymore, Frank, okay? I'm gonna take care of this, but if you fail, I'm gonna turn you in. And really, don't come back!

– Okay, okay.

– Get the fuck out of here.

Tammany shrugged and went up the stairs and out into the street. His watch read thirteen fifty–five. Good. He had an appointment for two o'clock at the massage parlour across the street. The problem wasn't that, it was the missing thousand that Temesvári had swindled. That thousand had its place. Worried, he drove around the Porsche, crossed the street, and entered the salon. Maybe he'd think of something during a massage, he thought.

Five minutes later, Tamási lay face down on a table in the massage parlour, naked, waiting for the familiar Ukrainian girl to start working her muscles. He would see the rest, he decided. Today, he couldn't relax much; he was tense and wondering where he was going to get the missing thousand. As for the massage, if she did a good job, he might be in the mood for it by the end, if not, he wouldn't.

Irina pulled back the curtain and set to work without a word. She smeared her hands with oil, then moved to the end of the table and began massaging the man's feet.

Fifteen minutes later, Tamási was resting in a pleasant, half–dream–like state. His breathing slowed, his legs relaxed, his skin heated. More and more, he forgot the worries of the outside world and thought more and more of Irina's large breasts, though disappointingly pendulous without a bra. He was probably in the mood for it today, after all. He toyed with the idea. She didn't speak a word of Hungarian. At least, that's what the owner said. That might make it all a lie, but the fact remained that she had never uttered a single Hungarian word. When she did, she would say something in Russian. When he did, Frank just grinned and waved him on. And she knew her job. And massage.

Thirty minutes passed. Thomas was already on his back, a towel draped over his hips as she kneaded the inside of his thighs. The man was utterly relaxed, an ethereal calm came over him. He didn't even see the curtains being drawn and two figures entering the tiny booth. Irina was about to express her disapproval, but then she saw the expression on the face of the man as he arrived. She immediately closed her mouth. She knew the type, this wasn't the first time she'd seen one. Back home in Kirovograd, this type of animal looked the same, only there, they were dressed differently. The strange thing was that the companion was a woman, but the threatening expression was the same. He put his finger to his lips, then motioned with his head towards the exit. Irina nodded, stepped back from Frank on the table, and slipped out through the curtains.

The two arrivals looked at each other, she stepped closer and began massaging Tamás's pectoral muscles.

– 'That's it, Irina, that's it,' Frank murmured, enjoying the way the woman's hands moved down his stomach.

Then, unexpectedly, the spell was broken.

– Is that the only dick you've got, Frank?

It was a man's voice.

Thomas would have moved immediately, but the hitherto velvety female hand turned to steel, dug into the hooded muscle on both sides and pulled him back down onto the table. He landed with a crouch, his eyes searching for his attackers, and braced for the blows – but they did not come. She stepped back, and he backed away cautiously.

Thomas sat up and shrugged his shoulders painfully.

– 'Cattle,' he growled.

The Bódi brothers, Sándor and Anita, grinned gloatingly at their victim.

– You scared the hell out of me.

– Have you got a guilty conscience?

– Well, what can I say, this is not what I expected, lying here with my tail between my legs!

– Was that standing? – he grinned.

– Fuck you!

– I wouldn't even notice.

– -Enough of this courting,- concluded Alexander. -You know why we're here.

Tamási nodded in surrender. Sitting on the table, he reached over, unhooked his jacket from the rack, and pulled his wallet from his inside pocket. He counted out a thousand euros on the table and thrust it in front of the doorman. Bódi did not reach for the money.

– This is only half.

– 'That's all I have,' Tamási showed him the empty pocket of the wallet. – It didn't flow in...

– I don't give a shit. Where's the other thousand?

– I'll explain. I didn't get paid by a guy who...

– That's your problem. My problem is that you're trying to fuck me over with a grand instead of two.

– Two days, and I'll get it.

– Csuka won't be happy. You were late last time.

– But I paid it back.

– What did I tell you?

– Look...

– What did I say then!? – Bódi shouted.

The air froze. She stepped to the side and took out a switchblade. She hadn't meant to stab him, oh no – it was merely a warning to Frank to take it easy. After all, he was a certified figure skating coach, and Anita certainly didn't want to fight him. She knew her brother didn't either. Alexander's side was still sore from a week ago when a desperate debtor had attacked them unexpectedly. He pushed the man against the kitchen counter before throwing himself out of the eighth–floor window of the apartment in Kispest. The two Bódi just stood in the kitchen window and watched as the man's head splattered on the pavement twenty–six metres below. Even for them, it was a thought–provoking moment. And Alexander cracked a rib. It's not a simple case of bread and butter.

They didn't want to fight now because if they had, more people would have come to Frank's. But Tamás had to share the attention when he saw the knife. Of course, it never occurred to him to attack. The Bódis were Porky's collectors, and he didn't want to mess with Porky.

Only this was the second time Frank didn't pay. The man swallowed before replying quietly.

– You said if I was late again, it would all come due.

– Exactly.

– But I don't think...

– 'I'll enlighten you,' said Anita in a honeyed voice. 'You borrowed ten thousand from Chukka. I even know you bought an eleven–year–old Porsche with it. You took on two thousand a month, paid once, paid late the second time, and then we told you what would happen. You're late again. That's it. You owe me ten grand. You have the usual deadline, which is one week. You're advertising yourself as a fixer. Your reputation is that you solve problems when someone comes to you with a problem. Now, solve your own problem.

Thomas nodded desperately. That's how it goes, it's just shit when it happens to you. He didn't argue, he knew it was pointless. The Bódis were just Csuka's advocates. It's not worth arguing with them because they'll beat you up, and they won't change the conditions or the deadline anyway because Csuka wouldn't do it.

– -I have not heard,- noted Sándor.

– 'All right,' sighed Tamási.

– A week then. I'll call you to tell you where to bring it.

– I'll call you when I get there.

Anita looked at the man sitting in the towel.

– -He was really standing there,- she noted.

– Tamási looked up, confused.

– 'Your cock. He had to stand because now you can't see it.

– Get the fuck out!

Sándor Bódi nodded cheerfully and followed his sister out of the massage booth.

Frank jumped down from the table and reached for his clothes. Irina came through the door.

– Ja pradolzhayu...- she began cautiously.

– 'Fuck you too,' Tamási pushed her out of the doorway, pulling on his trousers and T–shirt as he went. He slung her jacket over his shoulders but had to stop for a moment to get the slippers before he hopped on one foot and wiggled into the tight footwear.

He stepped out into the street and looked around. The blue Audi used by the Bódis had just turned the corner onto Rose Street. His eyes fell on the Boxster. The driver's side mirror was kicked off, dangling on the wires. Tamási went over and tried to snap it back into place, but he could see that the joint was broken. In a helpless rage, he ripped the wires out and threw the mirror into the front seat.

– Son of a bitch! – he slammed angrily on the steering wheel.

It took him minutes to calm down enough to think. The situation was clear, he had to get money! At all costs...

But from where?

3

At first glance, the white villa looked like a farmhouse. But when you looked closer, you were in for a surprise. The closer you got to it, the bigger and bigger it looked. Its thatched roof had round–arched windows that revealed the building of an attic. Above them, iron chimneys, painted snow–white, rose up. A side porch ran along the sides, and the window frames were painted walnut brown. Rounding the house, a vast, glazed balcony door appeared, leading out onto a hundred–and–fifty square metre terrace. From here, there was a magnificent panorama of the abbey and the inner lake. The villa was newly built, but the architect from Tapolca did an excellent job: the building had all the hallmarks of the Balaton Highlands architecture, blending in beautifully with the lavender fields and neatly kept vineyards of the rolling hillside. The lavender was still green, and the flowers were not due to bloom for another two months.

The house was surrounded by a two–and–a–half metre high stone fence, with security cameras at the top and a locked gate. In the villa's crushed stone courtyard, two Mercedes waited alongside a Lexus and an S8 Audi. Three drivers were sitting around a table in the shade of a neighbouring walnut tree, passing the time chatting.

Four people sat on the terrace, shielding themselves from the still chilly dusk with thick jackets. On the tablecloth, a large bowl of walnut brioche and fresh fruit was served after dinner, and there was a cut glass jug of white wine and mineral water.

Géza Telegdi held an iron cigar between his fingers but did not light it; he only twirled it thoughtfully.

– I think we have discussed the details of the Kenderes factory. I have no other ideas now as to what else we should discuss in that matter.

– 'I agree with you,' nodded the short, very fat Tibor Kiss sitting next to him. He was one of the biggest real estate speculators in the country. His speciality was buying cheap, selling expensive, and he had an unparalleled sixth sense for what was worth investing in. Of course, this sixth sense was aided by the local government and senior political connections that occasionally leaked certain information. This made it much easier to work out where to buy a field that was going to be unexpectedly expropriated in two months' time for a motorway or an industrial park. -That's the way this country works,- says Kiss. Just read The Golden Man by Jokai. Without inside information, there is no money.-

– Maybe we'll have another drink then! – suggested the third participant in the discussion, a slim man of about seventy with a red beard. Something sweeter?

Telegdi put the cigar in his shirt pocket and straightened up in his seat.

– Of course, there is! – He turned to the fork and exclaimed. – Thomas!

The young man was out in an instant.

– Here you are, Mr Telegdi!

– Bring me a jug of tramini. Fill this again.

After a minute, the bearded man, Antal Halmos, snapped his fingers in satisfaction as he put his glass back on the table.

– Delicious!

– 'Too sweet for me,' remarked the youngest of the guests, forty–five–year–old Károly Varga.

– -It was sweet for me too when I was young,- nodded Telegdi, -but as I get older, I appreciate semi–sweet and sweet more and more.

Kiss and Halmos, much closer in age to him, laughed in agreement. Varga joined them.

– I understand, my brother Géza, in fact I'm going in the same direction.

– This is the first step, Karcsi. Then comes the soda water, and soon you find yourself suddenly unable to stand up.

– Then I'll hang myself!

– -That's what I said,- Telegdi smiled, -and then the time came, and I felt that was one problem less.

– How fucking right it is!- laughed the oldest member of the group, Halmos, who was in his seventy–third year, with a loud laugh.

– What a lovely outlook! – Varga grinned and poured himself a glass of tramini.

– Nice, not beautiful, that's all.