Page 173 - harryDEC12_clean.iba

She said spontaneously. Odd I thought then, she never before had spoken about Ferrari- That meeting was to prove fateful; in a way it was a vision in the future about a significant event in my life, a turning point to a “not so normal life," a life full of excess, dangers, and repeated encounters with the past. But I did not know that at the time. Back in Hamburg I decided to deepen my research into Martha’s other life. Then chance came to my aid. Klaus Friedrich Weyrauch had hired a young aristocrat called von Plattberg, a young blonde bore, who played the act and who was to represent the firm. One midday von Plattberg came to my office and asked if I had time to have lunch with him. I said yes, and we went into an Italian restaurant some distance away. After the meal von Plattberg asked me directly:
“Dr. Weyrauch, do you know what people are saying about your wife?”
I said no - expected something of witchcraft.
"Well then, I’ll speak about that directly. I have my information both from tailors in Blankenese who is a friend of your wife and from the wife of your father – but that stays between us. They say that Rachel is the daughter of your father, and she is the cause of trouble in the family, and also the reason why your father wants to get you out of the firm before too many people learn about it.”
So that was it, the confirmation of my deepest latent feeling that something was wrong from the beginning: the adoption, acknowledgement of paternity, the short pregnancy, the conduct of Martha toward my father and my own lack of fatherly feelings to Rachel - which so far I had guilt-fully contributed to my own lack of compassion. Everything fitted in as in a mosaic. I reacted calmly, but in me a fire was blazing, fanned by bitterness and betrayal. Von Plattberg continued:
“Your father knows that I know, but did not ask me to keep it a secret from you. You know your father, maybe he wants to give you a push to make your own decision.“
I had heard enough. Rachel was not my daughter, but my half-sister. I would have to draw the conclusions. It was Thursday. I rang Alex in London and gave him a short description of what had happened. Alex reacted spontaneously:
“Take the plane and come to me in London, then we’ll talk over everything.”
oOo
172