Bad Wolf by Nele Neuhaus Page A

match. She had left her high heels and suit at home today, and instead she was wearing white jeans, a T-shirt, and comfortable sneakers. She crossed Neue Mainzer with a throng of Japanese tourists and entered the terrace of KUBU from Opernplatz. Ninety percent of the midday crowd consisted of businessmen from the nearby bank towers; a smaller number of women in professional attire and a few tourists made up the minority. Wolfgang was sitting at a table at the edge of the terrace in the shade of a plane tree and studying the menu.
    When she reached the table, he looked up and smiled, delighted to see her.
    “Hello, Hanna.” He got up, kissed her on both cheeks, and courteously pulled out a chair for her. “I’ve taken the liberty of ordering a bottle of mineral water. And some bread.”
    “Thank you. A very good idea. I’m famished.” She reached for the menu and scanned the daily specials. “I’ll take today’s special, wild leek foam soup and sole.”
    “Sounds good. I’ll have the same.” Wolfgang closed his menu, and seconds later the server appeared and took their order. Two specials and a bottle of Pinot Grigio.
    Wolfgang rested his elbows on the table, clasped his hands, and gave her a searching look. “I’m really curious to hear what you’ve come up with.”
    Hanna poured some olive oil into the little dish, strewed coarse salt and pepper over it, and then dunked a piece of French bread into the oil. In all the excitement this morning, she’d had no time for breakfast, and her stomach was growling. Low blood sugar was threatening to put her in a foul mood.
    “We’re going on the offensive,” she explained as she chewed, putting her handbag in her lap and taking out the plastic sleeve. “We’ve gotten in contact with the people who complained about us. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be meeting with the man in Bremen, and with the woman in Dortmund in the afternoon. They were both extremely responsive.”
    “Well, that sounds very good.” Wolfgang nodded. “Our board and the shareholders’ reps are pretty nervous. We can’t afford any bad publicity right now.”
    “I know.” Hanna swept a strand of hair from her brow and took a sip of water. Here in the shade, the temperature was still tolerable. Wolfgang removed his tie, rolled it up, and put it in an inside pocket of his jacket, which he’d hung over the back of the chair. Hanna explained her strategy to him in brief sentences as he listened attentively.
    By the time the soup was served, they’d agreed to try to limit the damage.
    “And how are things with you otherwise?” Wolfgang asked. “You look a little tired.”
    “It’s all taking a toll on me, I have to admit. This thing with Norman and the whole mess. And last night, Meike was perfectly rotten toward me, as usual. I don’t think we’re ever going to get along.”
    With Wolfgang, she could be frank and didn’t have to pretend. They’d known each other now for half an eternity. He had witnessed her meteoric rise from news anchor at Hessen Radio to idolized TV star, and if she had to make an appearance somewhere and didn’t have a man at her side, he was always available as an escort. She had no secrets from Wolfgang. He was the first person she told when she got pregnant—even before Meike’s father. Wolfgang had been her witness at her wedding and was Meike’s godfather; he listened to her patiently when she had trouble with her love life and was happy for her when things were going well. He was without a doubt her best friend.
    “And if that wasn’t enough, last night somebody slashed all four of my tires and dented the hood of my car.” She said this in a deliberately light tone of voice, as if it didn’t particularly bother her. Once she granted the demons of fear a place in her life, they would have the upper hand.
    “What did you say?” Wolfgang was truly shocked. “Who would do such a thing? Did you call the police?”
    “No. Not yet.” Hanna wiped her plate