house, and climbed the four flights of stairs. Now they’re standing in the doorway of the living room, not daring to enter. There’s a radio on the floor, playing a song by America. The nailed-up woman stares at the opposite wall.
“Is she dead?” asks Tamara.
“Of course she’s dead,” says Wolf.
“Have you checked?” Kris wants to know.
Wolf shakes his head. Kris walks into the room and turns the radio off. He stops in front of the woman, stretches and touches her neck. For a minute he just stands there, before lowering his arm. All four turn away at the same time.
Tamara is leaning against the wall beside the kitchen window. She says she doesn’t know if she can stand up all by herself. Frauke hands her a cigarette, Tamara shakes her head. Wolf talks about the phone call and what the man said. Then he shows them the paper bag that was outside the door to the apartment.
“I don’t know what you think, but we should get away from here. As fast as possible.”
Kris shakes his head.
“No one leaves this place until we know what this guy’s playing at.”
“What do you mean?” Wolf yells at him, pointing into the corridor. “Does that thing out there look like a game?”
“Come on, Wolf, pull yourself together.”
“I have no intention of pulling myself together, I just want to get out of here!”
“Wolf’s right,” says Frauke. “We should call the police.”
“I didn’t say anything about the police!”
Kris turns to Frauke.
“Do you really want to call the police? What do you think will happen then? Do you think they’ll take the corpse off the wall, shake our hands, and send us on our way?”
“I don’t care what they do.”
“Yes, you do, Frauke,” says Kris, looking back at Wolf. “And you think we should get out of here as quickly as possible and hope that no one saw us coming and going? And what about this?”
Kris holds up the paper bag.
“How do you explain this? Are you going to forget it too?”
In the paper bag there are three photographs, a digital recorder, and a computer printout with a message.
I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE .
I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU .
YOU MADE ALL THIS POSSIBLE .
YOU AREN’T GOING TO PANIC .
YOU WILL GO ON LIVING AS BEFORE .
BECAUSE OTHERWISE I WILL VISIT YOUR FAMILIES .
YOUR FRIENDS .
YOU .
One of the photographs shows Kris and Wolf’s father. Lutger Marrer is filling up his car. He has one hand in his trouser pocket, and he is looking at the gas pump. The second photograph shows Tanja Lewin. Frauke’s mother is in bed, smiling at the camera. Frauke recognizes the background. The murderer has sought out her mother in the clinic. The third picture shows Jenni tying her shoelaces.
Tamara picks it up and says, “How does he know about Jenni?”
They look at her. It’s the first time in three years that Tamara has mentioned her daughter by name to them.
Don’t break down on me now, kiddo
, Frauke thinks.
“And how does he know about us?” Tamara goes on.
Silence. No one has any idea.
“We’re about to find out,” says Kris, turning to Frauke. “Did you remember to bring the folder?”
Frauke takes the rucksack off her shoulder and wipes a space on the floor clean. She opens the folder and looks for a moment before taking out the right file.
“His name is Lars Meybach. He called ten days ago and—”
Tamara gives a start. Everyone looks at her.
“It was me. Oh, my God, it was me.”
“What was you?”
“He … he phoned me. He said it was urgent and—”
There is a dull thud. Wolf has thumped the wall with his fist. He looks with surprise at his right hand, as if it has developed a life of its own. Blood drips to the floor from his scraped knuckles.
“That wasn’t intelligent,” says Kris. “But if it makes you feel better …”
While Tamara binds Wolf’s hand with her scarf, Kris and Frauke look at Meybach’s file. There isn’t much to read. Meybach didn’t apply in writing. A short
“Is she dead?” asks Tamara.
“Of course she’s dead,” says Wolf.
“Have you checked?” Kris wants to know.
Wolf shakes his head. Kris walks into the room and turns the radio off. He stops in front of the woman, stretches and touches her neck. For a minute he just stands there, before lowering his arm. All four turn away at the same time.
Tamara is leaning against the wall beside the kitchen window. She says she doesn’t know if she can stand up all by herself. Frauke hands her a cigarette, Tamara shakes her head. Wolf talks about the phone call and what the man said. Then he shows them the paper bag that was outside the door to the apartment.
“I don’t know what you think, but we should get away from here. As fast as possible.”
Kris shakes his head.
“No one leaves this place until we know what this guy’s playing at.”
“What do you mean?” Wolf yells at him, pointing into the corridor. “Does that thing out there look like a game?”
“Come on, Wolf, pull yourself together.”
“I have no intention of pulling myself together, I just want to get out of here!”
“Wolf’s right,” says Frauke. “We should call the police.”
“I didn’t say anything about the police!”
Kris turns to Frauke.
“Do you really want to call the police? What do you think will happen then? Do you think they’ll take the corpse off the wall, shake our hands, and send us on our way?”
“I don’t care what they do.”
“Yes, you do, Frauke,” says Kris, looking back at Wolf. “And you think we should get out of here as quickly as possible and hope that no one saw us coming and going? And what about this?”
Kris holds up the paper bag.
“How do you explain this? Are you going to forget it too?”
In the paper bag there are three photographs, a digital recorder, and a computer printout with a message.
I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE .
I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU .
YOU MADE ALL THIS POSSIBLE .
YOU AREN’T GOING TO PANIC .
YOU WILL GO ON LIVING AS BEFORE .
BECAUSE OTHERWISE I WILL VISIT YOUR FAMILIES .
YOUR FRIENDS .
YOU .
One of the photographs shows Kris and Wolf’s father. Lutger Marrer is filling up his car. He has one hand in his trouser pocket, and he is looking at the gas pump. The second photograph shows Tanja Lewin. Frauke’s mother is in bed, smiling at the camera. Frauke recognizes the background. The murderer has sought out her mother in the clinic. The third picture shows Jenni tying her shoelaces.
Tamara picks it up and says, “How does he know about Jenni?”
They look at her. It’s the first time in three years that Tamara has mentioned her daughter by name to them.
Don’t break down on me now, kiddo
, Frauke thinks.
“And how does he know about us?” Tamara goes on.
Silence. No one has any idea.
“We’re about to find out,” says Kris, turning to Frauke. “Did you remember to bring the folder?”
Frauke takes the rucksack off her shoulder and wipes a space on the floor clean. She opens the folder and looks for a moment before taking out the right file.
“His name is Lars Meybach. He called ten days ago and—”
Tamara gives a start. Everyone looks at her.
“It was me. Oh, my God, it was me.”
“What was you?”
“He … he phoned me. He said it was urgent and—”
There is a dull thud. Wolf has thumped the wall with his fist. He looks with surprise at his right hand, as if it has developed a life of its own. Blood drips to the floor from his scraped knuckles.
“That wasn’t intelligent,” says Kris. “But if it makes you feel better …”
While Tamara binds Wolf’s hand with her scarf, Kris and Frauke look at Meybach’s file. There isn’t much to read. Meybach didn’t apply in writing. A short
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