In Matto's Realm: A Sergeant Studer Mystery Read Online Free
Author: Friedrich Glauser
note down," said Laduner.
"Jutzeler, Max, staff nurse, 0 Ward, we usually just say
"
"What does 0 stand for?"
"0 is the Observation Ward. That's where the new
patients go, though we leave some there for years. It all
depends. P is the ward for placid patients, T is the
Treatment Ward for those suffering from some physical illness. Then there are the two wards for disturbed
patients, Dl and D2. Dl contains the isolation units.
It's easy to grasp, just remember what the initials stand
for. Anyway, you'll like Nurse Jutzeler, one of my most
capable staff. The general run of nurses, though ...
You can't even get the useless crowd organized in a
union."
Organized? thought Studer. I wonder what the old director thought about unions? But he said nothing,
just asked, with the point of his pencil hovering over
his notebook, "What was actually wrong with
Pieterlen?"
What struck Studer was Laduner's use of the past
tense. "Pieterlen was . . .". The way you talk about
someone who's dead. But he said nothing. Laduner
suddenly shook himself, stood up, stretched and
turned to his wife. "Has Kasperli gone off to school
yet?"
"Yes, he's left already. He had his breakfast in the
kitchen."
"Kasperli's my seven-year-old son, if you want to note
that down, Studer," Dr Laduner said, with his fixed
smile. "Anyway, I have to go to hear the reports now,
you can come down with me and have a look at the
office. The Director's office - the scene of the crime, if
you prefer. Although we don't know yet whether
there's a crime to go with the scene."
At the door out into the corridor they were further
held up by a young man, who insisted he had to talk to
Dr Laduner.
"Later, Caplaun, I've no time just at the moment.
Wait in the sitting room. I'll talk to you between
reports and my rounds."
With that Laduner started to leap down the stairs,
taking them three at a time. But Studer did not follow
him. He stood outside the door, staring at the man
Laduner had addressed as Caplaun. Caplaun? Caplaun had been the name of his old enemy, the colonel who
had been involved in pulling strings over that business
with the bank, the business that had cost the then
Chief Inspector Studer of the Bern city police his job.
There weren't many Caplauns in Switzerland, it was an
uncommon name ...
Well, it certainly wasn't the Colonel. The man who
entered Dr Laduner's apartment and slipped into a
room as if he knew his way around was young. Young,
skinny and blond, with a hollow chest. Pale as well,
with wide, staring eyes. Caplaun?
Studer caught up with Dr Laduner on the ground
floor. The doctor was pacing up and down impatiently.
"Herr Doktor," said Studer, "that young lad who
went into your apartment just now, you called him
Caplaun. Is he related to ... ?"
"To the colonel who put a spoke in your wheel? Yes.
The colonel's his father. Young Caplaun's undergoing
treatment with me. As a private patient. Analysis. Anxiety neurosis, typical case. Not surprising with a father
like that. He has a drink problem as well, does Herbert
Caplaun. Yes, Herbert's his first name. Perhaps you
should put him down in your notebook."
Again Studer deliberately ignored the irony. Putting
on his most guileless expression, he asked, "An anxiety
neurosis? What's that, Herr Doktor?"
"God, I can't give you a lecture on the typology of
neuroses just now! I'll explain later. Anyway, there's
the Director's office. I'll be busy for the next hour; if
you need anything, just ask the porter. His name's
Dreyer, you'd better write it down in your notebook."
A door slammed, and he was gone.
The scene of the crime and
the casino
The bush outside the window had white berries that
looked like balls of wax. Two sparrows were hopping
about on the window-ledge, among the splinters of
glass. They kept bobbing up and down, their heads
appearing over the bottom of the window frame, then
disappearing, only to reappear again after a
"Jutzeler, Max, staff nurse, 0 Ward, we usually just say
"What does 0 stand for?"
"0 is the Observation Ward. That's where the new
patients go, though we leave some there for years. It all
depends. P is the ward for placid patients, T is the
Treatment Ward for those suffering from some physical illness. Then there are the two wards for disturbed
patients, Dl and D2. Dl contains the isolation units.
It's easy to grasp, just remember what the initials stand
for. Anyway, you'll like Nurse Jutzeler, one of my most
capable staff. The general run of nurses, though ...
You can't even get the useless crowd organized in a
union."
Organized? thought Studer. I wonder what the old director thought about unions? But he said nothing,
just asked, with the point of his pencil hovering over
his notebook, "What was actually wrong with
Pieterlen?"
What struck Studer was Laduner's use of the past
tense. "Pieterlen was . . .". The way you talk about
someone who's dead. But he said nothing. Laduner
suddenly shook himself, stood up, stretched and
turned to his wife. "Has Kasperli gone off to school
yet?"
"Yes, he's left already. He had his breakfast in the
kitchen."
"Kasperli's my seven-year-old son, if you want to note
that down, Studer," Dr Laduner said, with his fixed
smile. "Anyway, I have to go to hear the reports now,
you can come down with me and have a look at the
office. The Director's office - the scene of the crime, if
you prefer. Although we don't know yet whether
there's a crime to go with the scene."
At the door out into the corridor they were further
held up by a young man, who insisted he had to talk to
Dr Laduner.
"Later, Caplaun, I've no time just at the moment.
Wait in the sitting room. I'll talk to you between
reports and my rounds."
With that Laduner started to leap down the stairs,
taking them three at a time. But Studer did not follow
him. He stood outside the door, staring at the man
Laduner had addressed as Caplaun. Caplaun? Caplaun had been the name of his old enemy, the colonel who
had been involved in pulling strings over that business
with the bank, the business that had cost the then
Chief Inspector Studer of the Bern city police his job.
There weren't many Caplauns in Switzerland, it was an
uncommon name ...
Well, it certainly wasn't the Colonel. The man who
entered Dr Laduner's apartment and slipped into a
room as if he knew his way around was young. Young,
skinny and blond, with a hollow chest. Pale as well,
with wide, staring eyes. Caplaun?
Studer caught up with Dr Laduner on the ground
floor. The doctor was pacing up and down impatiently.
"Herr Doktor," said Studer, "that young lad who
went into your apartment just now, you called him
Caplaun. Is he related to ... ?"
"To the colonel who put a spoke in your wheel? Yes.
The colonel's his father. Young Caplaun's undergoing
treatment with me. As a private patient. Analysis. Anxiety neurosis, typical case. Not surprising with a father
like that. He has a drink problem as well, does Herbert
Caplaun. Yes, Herbert's his first name. Perhaps you
should put him down in your notebook."
Again Studer deliberately ignored the irony. Putting
on his most guileless expression, he asked, "An anxiety
neurosis? What's that, Herr Doktor?"
"God, I can't give you a lecture on the typology of
neuroses just now! I'll explain later. Anyway, there's
the Director's office. I'll be busy for the next hour; if
you need anything, just ask the porter. His name's
Dreyer, you'd better write it down in your notebook."
A door slammed, and he was gone.
The scene of the crime and
the casino
The bush outside the window had white berries that
looked like balls of wax. Two sparrows were hopping
about on the window-ledge, among the splinters of
glass. They kept bobbing up and down, their heads
appearing over the bottom of the window frame, then
disappearing, only to reappear again after a
Readers choose
A Proper Companion
Amanda Quick
Diana L. Paxson
Clea Simon
William Bernhardt
Otto Penzler
Maggie Hope
Mel Keegan
HRH Princess Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian