Chapter 26

Summary

• The protagonist carries home a 400-year-old bugle in perfect condition that he has stolen from the Richard Wagner Museum, where the bugle was exhibited in a sealed display box.
• He describes to Anne-Catherine, how he had to climb onto a radiator and unscrew the display box in order to steal the bugle. He mixed his theft with moving around loudly in order not to raise suspicion from the cashier downstairs.
• Anne-Catherine is displeased with him, because they already own a better bugle which they had stolen in Germany and he had broken her two rules: always wear gloves and never steal from Switzerland (since they had already been arrested there). His theft took place in Lucerne, the very city where they'd been arrested.
• Fearing Anne-Catherine's anger, the protagonist suggests that he'd drive back to the museum to erase his fingerprints. However, Anne-Catherine decides to do that herself and asks him to take her there. He manages to convince her to let him drive.
• They arrive at the Richard Wagner Museum, which is located in a beautiful location, a promontory in a gorgeously landscaped city park on the edge of Lake Lucerne. As Anne-Catherine heads into the museum with her handkerchief and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, he hopes they can find their peace again.
• Anne-Catherine is inside the museum while the protagonist wanders around and awaits her return. A police car arrives, and the protagonist is promptly shackled and arrested, despite him having no stolen article in his possession. Anne-Catherine is not noticed by the police and she definitely seems quite frantic and confused as he is taken away.