The Zurich Conspiracy Read Online Free PDF Page B

talked to him when absolutely necessary. But her grudge festered. She rejected out of hand the idea of telling her superiors; she constantly heard about some “bedtime story” or other on every floor of the office. Who would ever come to her defense?
    Back in Zurich she argued in her post mortem that Loyn ought to shift their focus onto its products and their best-known advertisers; the distinguished and understated Loyn image was not well served by extravagant sound and light effects. She never received an official response to her report, but Schulmann never got another assignment from Loyn.
    The sound of approaching footsteps snapped her back to the present. Claire appeared in her doorway in a salmon-colored two-piece suit that made her look paler than she already was. Closing the door in anticipation of their conversation, she took a seat across from Josefa.
    “Walther has had a talk with me,” Josefa said, getting right to the point. “We’re getting a new marketing head.”
    Claire said nothing.
    Didn’t she get it? Josefa thought, adding, “The new man’s name is Werner Schulmann.”
    “I know,” Claire said flatly.
    “You know already?” Josefa flared up. “Am I the last person in this company to find out?”
    Why does nobody tell me anything?
    Claire leaned back in her chair, as if trying to avoid a blow. “Werner Schulmann told me yesterday.”
    Josefa stared at her in disbelief.
    Claire squirmed in her seat. “Werner and me…we…OK, we’ve been together for six months. I met him at a mutual friend’s. In Paris. He called me up afterward and…he invited me to dinner. And I fell in love with him. Just like that.” She was in agony.
    Josefa was thunderstruck. Claire Fendi and Werner Schulmann. Claire and that…that…How could such a smart young woman be taken in by a con artist like that ! Claire never talked about her private life; that was none of the corporation’s business. That was another reason Josefa had always relied one hundred percent on her discreet, trusty, always ready and able assistant who was now spelling out her defeat in rapid-fire words.
    “I thought he felt the same way. He…he gave me presents and wrote a love letter every day. Then yesterday he told me—not until yesterday!—that he had been offered and accepted the job at Loyn. He said we could still be together, but nobody must find out about it.” She tossed her head back. “I didn’t know a thing about it before yesterday, Josefa. He never breathed a word about it…I don’t know what to do.”
    Josefa tried to read her pallid face. Did Claire know about her run-in with Schulmann? Had he told her about it? She rejected the idea immediately. It wouldn’t have been in his interests to portray himself as a stud. But maybe he’d tried to winkle information out of Claire about Loyn and about her boss…
    “Did you tell him anything about the company?”
    “The usual trivialities, the sort of things you tell your partner.” Her soft voice started to break. “I don’t want him interfering with my work. It’s an impossible situation. He didn’t even ask me before accepting the offer! He kept the whole thing under wraps.”
    Josefa felt increasingly dizzy. The five years with Loyn had not been easy, but now one problem after another was stacking up before her eyes, threatening to bury her.
    “The sad thing is,” Claire said, “that he’s starting next week.”
    “What? Next week!” Josefa blew up. Walther hadn’t uttered a word about that. Clearly they intended to give Schulmann a grace period while she was on vacation. They were giving him time to stake out his turf. Her turf.
    She needed to think this through in peace and quiet.
    “Take care of this,” she said to Claire curtly, pointing to Pius’s photo file lying on the table.
    Claire took the folder and looked Josefa straight in the eye. Josefa spotted something defiant there, some rebelliousness.
    “Why didn’t you apply for the job?” Claire