Page 7 of Wild Oblivion

I winced when I heard the news. It didn't bode well for getting an answer.

We stepped into his unit to see what condition he was in. It was safe to say that Jürgen wasn't a flight risk.

The peaks and valleys of his heartbeat blipped on the monitor beside the bed. Blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and other vital statistics constantly updated on the display. An IV dripped into his arm, and his chest was wired with electrodes to monitor his heart. He looked frail and weak, and the greenish cast from the overhead fluorescents, along with that pale green hospital gown, wasn’t doing his complexion any favors.

He was asleep when we entered.

JD and I stood at the end of his bed, looking on with grim faces. I hated to see anybody in that condition, even if he was a murderer.

After a few minutes, Jürgen peeled open an eye.

I flashed my badge and made introductions. "We need to ask you a few questions.”

He stared at us and said nothing.

I wouldn't speak either.

Denise had run a full background check on the man. He had no criminal history. Not so much as a speeding ticket. Immigrated to the United States in the 1950s. Worked as an aerospace engineer for most of his life. Moved to the Keys about 25 years ago and has been retired down here ever since.

"Do you remember anything about yesterday?" I asked.

Jürgen said nothing.

"Can you tell me why you shot Rudolph Weiss?”

His face wrinkled, and anger tensed his jaw. He had a little facial droop, and his words slurred. "Rudolph Weiss?"

"That's the name of the man you shot behind the liquor store."

Jürgen scoffed and said something. It was hard to make out, but it sounded like Heissler.

"Can you say that again?”

He took a moment, and the words came slowly. It took all of his breath to say, “Von Markov must be stopped.”

My brow knitted. "Who’s Von Markov?”

"He's been mumbling stuff all morning," the nurse said. "Hasn’t been making much sense.” She touched his foot. "Can you tell me what day it is?”

Jürgen looked at her like she was crazy.

"Can you tell me what year it is?”

He thought for a moment, then slurred, "19… 62.”

The nurse looked at us. "See what I mean? I don't think you’re gonna get much out of him."

I couldn’t disagree.

"Why don’t you come back tomorrow? They're usually pretty disoriented for the first few days after a heart attack. Plus, he had a mild ischemic event last night. It seems like everything’s a little fuzzy for him right now.”

I had to admit, I was worried Jürgen might not be around in a few days.

"Just one more question," I said to the nurse, then asked Jürgen again, "Why did you kill Rudolph?”

5

Jürgen didn’t answer.