number scribbled on it. ‘If anything else should come to mind, ring me.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, folding the piece of paper carefully and putting it in the pocket of her coat. She suddenly looked drained.
Once upon a time Stave would have ordered a patrol car to take the witness home. But not nowadays with the shortage of vehicles and fuel rationing. ‘G’bye,’ he said to her. He intended it to be friendly but the way it came out it sounded more like a threat.
‘W hy did you let her go?’ Maschke asked as they watched Anna von Veckinhausen disappear behind another heap of rubble. He and MacDonald had come over to Stave who had given them a brief rundown of his conversation.
‘There’s no reason to suspect her,’ he said defensively.
‘She was in the vicinity of the second murder,’ Maschke came back at him, ‘And she lives in the Nissen huts up by the Eilbek canal, not all that far from where the first victim was found.’
Stave sighed. He had thought of that too, but didn’t want to mention it. ‘In the case of the first murder, she’s just one of thousands living in the area. And today she reported it to the police herself.’
‘I can’t say I see her as someone used to strangling people with a garrotte,’ MacDonald interjected.
‘I can,’ Maschke said.
‘Let’s leave our colleagues here to clear up,’ Stave said wearily. ‘Czrisini will want the corpse. We should go back to headquarters and think this through.’
‘Not so fast, gentlemen, give me five minutes.’
The massive figure in the long dark overcoat, big hat and black leather gloves was Cuddel Breuer. Stave hadn’t seen him arrive.
‘Sorry I couldn’t get here earlier,’ their boss said, ‘but I had a meeting with the mayor. Goddamn this cold,’ he muttered, though he didn’t exactly look as if he was freezing.
‘I’ll have the spot guarded,’ said Stave, after giving his report. ‘One of the uniformed officers will stay here overnight. I hope he doesn’t freeze to death. Tomorrow when it’s light we’ll do a proper search of the area.’
The chief nodded, then looked up at the three detectives. ‘So, what do you think? Is it the same killer?’
It was the question Stave had been dreading. He thought carefully before answering. ‘We will keep all avenues of investigation open,’ he began. ‘There are some indications that it is the same killer – or killers, we haven’t ruled out that possibility. But a few of the clues don’t quite fit the first murder.’
Breuer said nothing, just stood there looking at him.
‘It just isn’t possible that in a city like Hamburg two people can be murdered without anybody missing them,’ Stave said defensively. ‘It would help us if we could find the link between the murderer and his victims.’
What if there isn’t one?’
‘Then it’s going to be difficult,’ he admitted. ‘If we’re really dealing with a killer who chooses his victims at random, then his modus operandi is unpredictable. In the one case he kills a young woman, in the other an old man. One attack in the east of the city, one in the west. In the one case the victim does nothing to defend herself, in the other he has to beat the old man up first.’
‘So what do I tell the mayor in the morning?’ Cuddel Breuer could have been inviting Stave to a picnic.
‘Ask him not to come to any hasty conclusions. It’s a difficult case. We’re going to need some time.’
Breuer scratched his head and sighed. ‘I know, I know. But Hamburg is blocked in by the ice. Coal supplies will only last another few days. We have very little food left. People are freezing to death every day. It’s not easy for the mayor to keep control of the city. Time is the one thing he doesn’t have.’
‘In that case the most important thing is to maintain public order,’ Stave blurted out.
Breuer smiled. ‘Indeed. Nobody wants to shout this thing from the rooftops. I shall advise the mayor simply to ignore
‘Thanks,’ she said, folding the piece of paper carefully and putting it in the pocket of her coat. She suddenly looked drained.
Once upon a time Stave would have ordered a patrol car to take the witness home. But not nowadays with the shortage of vehicles and fuel rationing. ‘G’bye,’ he said to her. He intended it to be friendly but the way it came out it sounded more like a threat.
‘W hy did you let her go?’ Maschke asked as they watched Anna von Veckinhausen disappear behind another heap of rubble. He and MacDonald had come over to Stave who had given them a brief rundown of his conversation.
‘There’s no reason to suspect her,’ he said defensively.
‘She was in the vicinity of the second murder,’ Maschke came back at him, ‘And she lives in the Nissen huts up by the Eilbek canal, not all that far from where the first victim was found.’
Stave sighed. He had thought of that too, but didn’t want to mention it. ‘In the case of the first murder, she’s just one of thousands living in the area. And today she reported it to the police herself.’
‘I can’t say I see her as someone used to strangling people with a garrotte,’ MacDonald interjected.
‘I can,’ Maschke said.
‘Let’s leave our colleagues here to clear up,’ Stave said wearily. ‘Czrisini will want the corpse. We should go back to headquarters and think this through.’
‘Not so fast, gentlemen, give me five minutes.’
The massive figure in the long dark overcoat, big hat and black leather gloves was Cuddel Breuer. Stave hadn’t seen him arrive.
‘Sorry I couldn’t get here earlier,’ their boss said, ‘but I had a meeting with the mayor. Goddamn this cold,’ he muttered, though he didn’t exactly look as if he was freezing.
‘I’ll have the spot guarded,’ said Stave, after giving his report. ‘One of the uniformed officers will stay here overnight. I hope he doesn’t freeze to death. Tomorrow when it’s light we’ll do a proper search of the area.’
The chief nodded, then looked up at the three detectives. ‘So, what do you think? Is it the same killer?’
It was the question Stave had been dreading. He thought carefully before answering. ‘We will keep all avenues of investigation open,’ he began. ‘There are some indications that it is the same killer – or killers, we haven’t ruled out that possibility. But a few of the clues don’t quite fit the first murder.’
Breuer said nothing, just stood there looking at him.
‘It just isn’t possible that in a city like Hamburg two people can be murdered without anybody missing them,’ Stave said defensively. ‘It would help us if we could find the link between the murderer and his victims.’
What if there isn’t one?’
‘Then it’s going to be difficult,’ he admitted. ‘If we’re really dealing with a killer who chooses his victims at random, then his modus operandi is unpredictable. In the one case he kills a young woman, in the other an old man. One attack in the east of the city, one in the west. In the one case the victim does nothing to defend herself, in the other he has to beat the old man up first.’
‘So what do I tell the mayor in the morning?’ Cuddel Breuer could have been inviting Stave to a picnic.
‘Ask him not to come to any hasty conclusions. It’s a difficult case. We’re going to need some time.’
Breuer scratched his head and sighed. ‘I know, I know. But Hamburg is blocked in by the ice. Coal supplies will only last another few days. We have very little food left. People are freezing to death every day. It’s not easy for the mayor to keep control of the city. Time is the one thing he doesn’t have.’
‘In that case the most important thing is to maintain public order,’ Stave blurted out.
Breuer smiled. ‘Indeed. Nobody wants to shout this thing from the rooftops. I shall advise the mayor simply to ignore
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