Hotel Bosphorus by Esmahan Aykol Read Free Book Online Page B

please ask her whether she heard anything unusual when she returned to her room last night?” he asked when Petra had finished. He was asking me, but his eyes were fixed on Petra.
    I couldn’t contain myself, slave to my curiosity that I am.
    â€œWhat sort of sound do you mean? The sound of a gun?” I blurted out.
    â€œThe sound of a gun? Where did you get that from?” He turned to look at me.
    â€œI don’t know…. I mean… How was Müller killed?”
    â€œOh, that’s what you mean. No, no, he wasn’t killed with a gun.” He laughed teasingly. When he laughed, his gleaming white teeth were visible. I tried, with difficulty, to concentrate on what he was saying rather than on the man himself.
    â€œActually, you might say it was rather original,” he continued. “It happened when he was having a bath. While he was in the tub, a hair-dryer was thrown in, and it was switched on…” He stopped for a moment; this time he smiled ever so slightly and said, “A very frothy murder.”

    I repeated this to myself: a very frothy murder. Fine, but was that what made it original? The fact that it was frothy?
    Inspector Önal looked straight at me impatiently, “Will you please ask Miss Vogel whether she heard anything unusual last night? Did she see anything? Any information that might seem insignificant to her could be useful to us. Please would you translate this?”
    I translated what he had said.
    â€œNo,” said Petra, with certainty. “I heard nothing and I saw nothing. I went to sleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. I was very tired.”
    He noted down what Petra said.
    â€œWe’ll have to take another statement from Miss Vogel in the presence of an authorized interpreter.” I think he thought that might have sounded rude because he hastily added, “I have to have an authorized interpreter for this to go on file.”
    He then turned to Petra and continued, “Miss Vogel, if you wouldn’t mind coming to the police station tomorrow… Just ask for me when you arrive. Shall we say five o’clock?”
    I translated what Inspector Önal had just said to Petra, hardly daring to think how I would react if a policeman asked me to come down to the station. However, Petra calmly continued rocking back and forth. With the same calmness, she confirmed that she would come to Inspector Önal’s room at five o’clock the following day.
    â€œWould you also ask whether Miss Vogel has any immediate plans to leave Istanbul? The other members of the film crew say they are going to stay and finish the film, but if Miss Vogel has different ideas I would like to know.”

    I translated this into German as well.
    â€œNo, I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to finish the film, with or without Müller,” insisted Petra.
    After Inspector Önal had noted that down, he got up and shook her hand. Before extending his hand to me, he asked whether he could come to the shop again later.
    â€œWhy?” I gulped. “This has nothing to do with me. I simply know Petra, that’s all.”
    â€œI didn’t say I was coming to ask anything about the murder. I wanted to chat to you about crime fiction. I read a lot of thrillers too.”
    I have to admit that made me feel more at ease. I screwed my face up into an awkward smile and said, “Actually, I want to ask you something too. How did you find me?”
    â€œMadam, that’s our job. We believe we can learn something from anyone who might have some connection with a murder, however remote.”
    â€œYes, but that doesn’t answer my question,” I said.
    For a moment, he studied my face carefully.
    â€œThe film crew said that Miss Vogel had a friend who is a bookseller in Istanbul. It wasn’t difficult to find your shop.” He spoke as if mine was the only bookshop in Istanbul, but I didn’t question him