The first day after
What happened so far:
Mia Novak works at the Frost & Flamme restaurant and notices the lingering smell of butter, garlic, and red wine on her clothes after work. The dining room is almost empty, and as she clears the tables, she thinks about her busy weekly schedule, which leaves her with no free evenings. Her mother believes that working for the rich has its advantages, but Mia knows that tips alone are not enough. During a charity dinner, Mia observes the guests, including the mayor and Jonas, and notices the tense atmosphere when a cheesy song is played. Later, two men disappear behind the stage, and Mia hears the hated chorus again just before a loud scream.
The morning no longer smelled of party, but of cold grease and disinfectant. The police had marked the guest room like a strange world. Yellow ribbon at the entrances, numbered signs on the floor, plastic covers on shoes that otherwise belonged only to guests.
Mia stood at the door to the kitchen, clinging to a tray as if it were a sign. She had been asked to wait until her "turn". As if this were a queue in front of an attraction and not the echo of a night that had taken a wrong turn.
The place where he had been lying was cleaned, but she saw it anyway. The outline, the blood, the staring gaze she had caught in the corner of her eye before she was sent away. The moment someone had screamed had stuck in her like a splinter.
In her head, the night played as a jump shot: trays, laughter, the intrusive song, Jonas' face, the narrow corridor, a dull sound, then voices that were suddenly higher, sharper.
An officer picked her up. "Just a few questions," she said. "It's all routine."
Mia sat down in the cool room and noticed how her hands were getting wet. She knew what she had seen. She also knew what she would rather forget. In between there was a gap in which one could easily put a lie.
Nor did she choose to keep silent what her heart cried out in another language.
German Audio
English Audio
