police officer got to his feet, picked up his chair by its back and carried it round the table. It was a metal chair, and he slammed it down on the floor right in front of the suspect. Then he turned briefly to Landau and shrugged his shoulders. It looked like an apology, but Landau didn’t know how to take it.
The police officer sat down. The suspect raised his eyebrows and looked at the other man. The officer leaned forward. His face was less than thirty centimetres from the suspect’s.
‘You wanted it this way,’ said the police officer. ‘I’ll explain to you first. I want you to know exactly what I’m going to do to you.’
Landau realized that the situation was getting out of control. Later, she often thought of this moment, and then she wondered whether she could have prevented it. But she always came to the same conclusion: she hadn’t wanted to.
‘These days,’ said the police officer, ‘we don’t do it with electric shocks to your balls, or knives, or beatings. That’s Hollywood stuff. All I need is a kitchen towel and a bucket of water. It’s fast. We’re on our own here, you bastard, the others are out searching for the girl. If you say what happened later, no one will believe you. You won’t have any visible injury, no scars, there’ll be no blood, it will all be inside your head. Of course you’ll call a doctor later, but he won’t be able to establish anything. It’ll be my word against yours. You don’t even need to wonder which of us the judge will believe. You’re a rapist and now you’re going to pay for it. No one holds out against what I’m going to do to you for more than thirty seconds. Most of them give up after three or four. You will…’
At that moment Landau managed to stand up, and she left the room without a word. She walked down the brightly lit corridor to the toilets. She closed the door of the ladies behind her and leaned against it. The place smelled of chlorine and liquid soap. When she had calmed down, she put her handbag on the shelf and washed her face, bending over the basin to let cold water run over the nape of her neck. She folded a paper towel, moistened it and pressed it to her eyes. Then she went to the window and opened it.
‘I swear that in the exercise of my office I will be faithful to the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany and the constitution of the city of Berlin, in accordance with the law and for the good of the general public, and I swear to carry out my official duties conscientiously, so help me God.’ She had taken that oath twelve years ago, and she still knew it by heart. ‘So help me God.’ Most of the younger public prosecutors left that clause out; everyone had a free choice there. But she had said it; she still retained her childhood belief in a kind, omnipotent deity.
She looked out at the inner courtyard of the old building. It was dark, and there were lights on in only a few of the rooms. She took a deep breath. The air was so cold that it hurt her lungs. She closed the window again, sat on the radiator, took one of her shoes off and massaged her foot. She hadn’t slept for twenty-six hours.
She thought of the trial in which she had been involved four years before. A jealous husband had tipped boiling milk over his wife’s breasts, intending to punish her. Landau had prosecuted the husband, but during the trial the wife had killed herself. After that case, Landau had wanted to give up. But her head of department had said something that she felt was both horrifying and consoling, and she had borne it in mind every day since then. ‘We don’t win cases, we don’t lose cases, we do our job,’ he had said.
All at once Landau sat up straight. Suddenly she was wide awake, with her mind perfectly clear. She hurried out of the ladies, down the corridor, and pushed the door of the interrogation room open. She had left the police officer and the suspect together for twenty-four minutes.
Later, Landau was sitting
The police officer sat down. The suspect raised his eyebrows and looked at the other man. The officer leaned forward. His face was less than thirty centimetres from the suspect’s.
‘You wanted it this way,’ said the police officer. ‘I’ll explain to you first. I want you to know exactly what I’m going to do to you.’
Landau realized that the situation was getting out of control. Later, she often thought of this moment, and then she wondered whether she could have prevented it. But she always came to the same conclusion: she hadn’t wanted to.
‘These days,’ said the police officer, ‘we don’t do it with electric shocks to your balls, or knives, or beatings. That’s Hollywood stuff. All I need is a kitchen towel and a bucket of water. It’s fast. We’re on our own here, you bastard, the others are out searching for the girl. If you say what happened later, no one will believe you. You won’t have any visible injury, no scars, there’ll be no blood, it will all be inside your head. Of course you’ll call a doctor later, but he won’t be able to establish anything. It’ll be my word against yours. You don’t even need to wonder which of us the judge will believe. You’re a rapist and now you’re going to pay for it. No one holds out against what I’m going to do to you for more than thirty seconds. Most of them give up after three or four. You will…’
At that moment Landau managed to stand up, and she left the room without a word. She walked down the brightly lit corridor to the toilets. She closed the door of the ladies behind her and leaned against it. The place smelled of chlorine and liquid soap. When she had calmed down, she put her handbag on the shelf and washed her face, bending over the basin to let cold water run over the nape of her neck. She folded a paper towel, moistened it and pressed it to her eyes. Then she went to the window and opened it.
‘I swear that in the exercise of my office I will be faithful to the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany and the constitution of the city of Berlin, in accordance with the law and for the good of the general public, and I swear to carry out my official duties conscientiously, so help me God.’ She had taken that oath twelve years ago, and she still knew it by heart. ‘So help me God.’ Most of the younger public prosecutors left that clause out; everyone had a free choice there. But she had said it; she still retained her childhood belief in a kind, omnipotent deity.
She looked out at the inner courtyard of the old building. It was dark, and there were lights on in only a few of the rooms. She took a deep breath. The air was so cold that it hurt her lungs. She closed the window again, sat on the radiator, took one of her shoes off and massaged her foot. She hadn’t slept for twenty-six hours.
She thought of the trial in which she had been involved four years before. A jealous husband had tipped boiling milk over his wife’s breasts, intending to punish her. Landau had prosecuted the husband, but during the trial the wife had killed herself. After that case, Landau had wanted to give up. But her head of department had said something that she felt was both horrifying and consoling, and she had borne it in mind every day since then. ‘We don’t win cases, we don’t lose cases, we do our job,’ he had said.
All at once Landau sat up straight. Suddenly she was wide awake, with her mind perfectly clear. She hurried out of the ladies, down the corridor, and pushed the door of the interrogation room open. She had left the police officer and the suspect together for twenty-four minutes.
Later, Landau was sitting
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