Christmas Sepcial/ Chapter 33: Leopold Rauch

It was still dark in the corridors, with scattered ceiling lights. Our footsteps echoed off the walls. The cut in my arm hadn't really hurt, but now it throbbed under my bandage. We stopped in front of a room numbered 116, earlier we had got into a lift and gone up to the 5th floor. Lifts didn't really exist anymore, they were only used to transport large masses. Scientists discovered that humanity lived much longer in good health if they didn't take lifts but walked. This prison was at the level of the last century. I heard a jingling next to me, at first I thought Nicolas was going to pull my chain out of his trouser pocket. However, that was impossible, it was gone, forever. He had promised to give me a new one, but it wasn't the same. Of course they were keys. The concrete walls were painted green, there was a small bench in the room. A large window was opposite the bench. I entered and looked around, although there wasn't much to see, quite unspectacular. The man, Schmidt, I had noticed by now, cleared his throat and I drew my attention to him. "You're welcome to sit down lady, it'll be a while yet." Nicolas took me in his arms and led me to the bench, for I had begun to stare at the window. Only a narrow pane of one-way mirrored glass separated me from Leopold. I was not ready to see him after all that had happened. I swallowed as a shabby red wooden door, there were a few bullet holes and dark stains in it. It reminded me of my front door in my flat. A sign? The room was lit up and a person on handcuffs with a cloth mask was led in. Someone squeezed my hand, perhaps to reassure me, but it made me uncomfortable and I had to rise. Slowly I kicked the glass, I had to make sure it was him. When the mask was revealed, I flinched. Leopold was sitting on a chair still in handcuffs. His face was swollen, he had a black eye. As if we had a telepathic connection, mine was throbbing too. I ran my hand against my sunglasses, trying to take them off. The handcuffs were released. Leopold rubbed his sore hands. How long had he been defenceless like this, I had never seen him like this before. Defenceless. Schmidt opened a flap in which there was an intercom. He pressed a button, before asking us for silence: "You know why we brought you here?" Leopold flinched briefly as a nondescript voice suddenly hovered over him. He looked up at the ceiling: "If I were to deny it, then I would have nowhere to put my eyes and ears." "Please can you give me a clear answer, Mr Leopold Rauch." He smiled slightly to himself and twiddled his thumbs: "Let's face it, I'm going to die today. How much time do you give me another half hour or five, let's get it over with." He struggled for composure, but his façade is brittle. I continued to watch him. Your relatives are here," Schmidt turned to us. Leopold clenched his hands into fists and stared at the shabby table: "Who?" The guard passed us off as his distant family who had arrived to pay their last respects to him. He raised an eyebrow and glanced in the mirror, now we were looking at each other. I had to swallow, it was eerie he couldn't see me but I could see him.

The glass with the poison was placed on the table in front of him, it was on a silver tray with ornate handles. I had been told that it was an arsenic mixture and had been refined with mint to make it easier to swallow. It gradually slowed the heart and one fell asleep. Leopold played with it but made no move to drink it. Then he took it in his left hand and lifted it up as if to toast. He stood up and headed for the window. His face was very close to mine and I recoiled. He formed something with his lips, but I didn't understand him. "If you want to say something to your relatives, use the microphone on the tray." He sauntered back and took a sip of the brew, then put the microphone on his prisoner suit. It crackled. "I know you're here, enjoy seeing me like this...Belle." It was like a clang inside me. How did he know I was here, that was impossible, he hadn't had a chance with the outside world for weeks. Someone pulled me by the hand: "We're leaving." It was the prince. I escaped from him: "No, I want to be sure it's over." Hot tears welled up in my eyes. He no longer has any power over you, he is trapped, he can no longer threaten you, I tried to tell myself. My enemy continued: It is always interesting how gullible you are. Did you really think I didn't know you were coming to see me?" He suddenly tensed and contorted his face, holding his hand against his heart. The poison worked slowly. His glass still a third full, Schmidt demanded that he drink it all. Leopold reached for it and downed it all: "Are you satisfied now?" No answer. His voice was already very low: "It's not over yet, darling, the game is being played out." He then put his head on the tabletop, his hand went limp and the empty glass rolled to the floor. His cold eyes became expressionless. I couldn't look away, my body seemed rooted to the spot. I blanked out everything around me, the rushing in my head growing. I hadn't noticed how I was led out of the room.