"Wait, just wait a little while, soon the bogeyman will come to you with his chopping knife." "He'll cut small pieces out of YOU!" "You're out!" "Wait, just wait a little while, soon the bogeyman will come to you with his chopping knife." "He'll cut small pieces out of..." "I told you not to sing that horrible rhyme!" "Can't you get that through your heads?" "Always that cursed rhyme!" "Wait, just wait a little while, soon the bogeyman will come..." "Oh, Lord!" "What a nightmare of a staircase." "What's wrong?" "You can keep telling those rascals not to sing that dreadful murderer rhyme." "They'll still keep getting on your nerves with it - as if one didn't hear enough about the murderer anyway." "Let them be." "As long as you can hear them singing you at least know they're still there." "Yeah, you're right, I guess." ""10,000 Marks Rewardl" ""Who Is The Murderer?" ""Since Monday, June 11, this year, the following children are missing:" ""The pupils Kurt Klawitzkin and his sister Klara," ""last known residence in the Müllerstrasse 470." ""Several indications suggest" ""that these children might have fallen victim to a crime" ""similar to that committed on the Doering siblings last autumn."" "You've got a pretty ball!" "What's your name, child?" "Elsie Beckmann." "Didn't Elsie come back with you?" "Nah - not with us she didn't!" "Beautiful!" "Thank you so much." "Latest Reader's Digest, Frau Beckmann." "Suspenseful, captivating, sensational..." "Yeah, sure..." "Just a minute, Herr Gehrke." "By the way, Herr Gehrke..." "Yeah?" "You haven't seen little Elsie?" "No..." "Didn't she just come up the stairs before me?" "No." "She's still not home." "Well, she'll be along soon then." "Good day, Frau Beckmann!" "Goodbye, Herr Gehrke." "Purchase of rags, paper, scrap iron, wine and beer bottlesl" "Extra!" "Extra Edition!" "Extra!" "Extra Edition!" "Extra Edition!" "Extra!" "Extra!" "Extra!" "Ex..." "Can't you see I don't have any change?" "Extra!" "Extra!" "You can't even send the kids to school anymore." "Extra!" "All the details!" "Extra!" "Who is the murderer?" "Who is the murderer?" ""Since the police withheld my first letter from the eyes of the public," ""I now turn directly to the pressi" ""Make your inquiries - you'll soon get confirmation." ""But I'm not finished yetl"" ""10,000 Marks Rewardl"" "My God, it happened again?" "!" "How awful!" ""10,000 Marks..."" "The print is so small, nobody can read it." "Somebody read this thing!" " Read it out loud!" " Yeah, read!" " "The unknown murderer..."" " Silence!" "Shut your trap!" "Let him read, damn it." ""The Terror Of Our City Has Claimed A New Victiml"" "Speak up there!" "Can't hear a thing." ""Several leads are indicating that this latest murder" ""was committed by the same monstrous fiend" ""who already has claimed eight children of our city." ""It has to be continuously stressed" ""that it is the most sacred duty of any mother or father" ""to warn their children more than ever before" ""of this enormous danger which continues to persist," ""especially since that danger most likely approaches them" ""in the most friendly disguise." ""A piece of candy, a toy, even an apple" ""could lure these children into certain doom."" "Geez... awful!" "Well - go on!" ""The understandable unease among the general public is being heightened" ""by the fact that the intense efforts by the police to make an arrest" ""have so far, unfortunately, failed to bear any fruit." ""On the other hand the police face the almost impossible task" ""to apprehend a culprit who has yet to leave any trace behind." ""Who is the murderer?" ""What does he look like?" ""Where is he hiding?" ""Nobody seems to know him," ""and yet, he is right among usl" ""And anybody sitting next to you could be the murdererl"" "Right!" "Very true!" "What are you looking at me for?" "Well... you'll know." "What am I supposed to know?" "Well, think about it." "It'll come to you." "What do you mean by that?" "That I saw you going after the little girl from the fourth floor as she was walking up the stairs." "You're crazy, you swine!" "Who's the swine here?" "Me?" "Or the guy who's after little girls?" "You bastard!" "You... you... damn scoundrel!" "MURDERER!" "But, gentlemen, gentlemen, please!" "You" " I'm gonna see you in court!" "I'll have you put behind bars!" "You... damn slanderer!" "Character assassin!" "Damn slanderers." "This is character assassination!" "And the police give credence to this!" "With a search warrant even." "What a terrible disgrace." "You turn the house upside down 'cause of an anonymous note." "Now, now, calm down, Herr Jaeger." "We're just doing our duty." "As if it isn't enough that we don't have a single quiet moment out of fear for our children." "See?" "That's precisely why the police have to follow every lead." "Anyone on the streets could be the murderer!" "Can you tell me what time it is?" "Of course, my child." "Hurry home now." "Where do you live, child?" "What business is it of yours, where the little girl lives?" "Begging your pardon?" "What do you want of the kid?" "I want absolutely nothing!" "What do you want of me, anyway?" "You'll see what I want of you!" "Let go of me!" "This is outrageous!" " What's going on here?" " Outrageous, I say!" " What's with the old foghorn?" " Stop fussing." "Giving little kids the come-on..." " Get him on the chin!" " What did he say?" " Getting fresh, too, huh?" " Please, let me go!" " I didn't even approach her!" " Wanted to kidnap her, eh?" " And kill her like the others!" " This is the murderer!" " Grab him!" " Call the police." "Typical - no copper around." "Officer!" "Officer!" "Officer!" "Officer!" "Make way, gentlemen." "Clear the stairs." "Arresting a small-fry pickpocket is the best you can manage." "Go catch the murderer!" "What?" "That's the child murderer?" " The murderer?" " This is the child murderer?" "Move along!" "Don't loiter." "Move along!" " Look!" "The murderer!" " The monster!" "Drag him down here!" "Grab him!" "The murderer!" "Get him!" "Tackle him!" "Why don't you tackle him?" "Move along, people." "Let us through!" ""Murderer Writes To The Press." ""Since the police withheld my first letter from the eyes of the public," ""I now turn directly to the pressi" ""Make your inquiries - you'll soon get confirmation." ""But I'm not finished yetl"" "This is a scandal of enormous proportions." "Can you imagine the impact a note like this will have on public opinion, Commissioner?" "This is simply ir-res-ponsible!" "Mr Secretary, we cannot prevent the murderer from writing to whoever he wants." "Perhaps this severely pathological man is getting great satisfaction out of the media coverage his crimes get." "We've contacted the newspaper's editors and the note has been handed over." "It's being examined by our forensic department as we speak." "Of course it's nearly impossible to take any fingerprints from a piece of paper that's gone through so many hands." "Nonetheless, no stone will be left unturned in the hope that by comparing the findings to our records we'll come up with something that'll bring us closer to closing this case." "After that the note will be examined by graphology." "The aforementioned diamond-shaped and swelling sweeps - open brackets - especially in the word 'soon', third paragraph from the bottom - close brackets..." " You got that?" " Yes." "...clearly underlines the strong pathological sexual state of this sex offender." "Period." "The partially disrupted and uneven style of his other handwriting is in its interpretation a form of acting that to everyone else would take on the face of indolence, even lethargy." "In the general style of his handwriting lies a hint of a hardly provable, yet intensely perceptible aura of MADNESS." "Yes, yes, of course, Commissioner." "I don't doubt for a moment that you are doing your duty." "Yes, as do your men on the force." "Of course!" "But to what end, please?" "To what end?" "Mr Secretary, my men haven't had even 12 hours sleep in a full week!" "The swat teams aren't getting a moment's peace, and at the beginning of their shifts they're almost more fatigued than at the end!" "Our work is unnerving yet painstaking and detailed and 80% if not even 90% of our leads are false." "The men of the murder squad haven't even changed their clothes." "They're constantly on call, always on alert!" "They're prepared to follow every lead without hesitation - every single lead that presents itself - as it could possibly be the one that solves the case." "Mr Secretary, consider the search at the crime scene!" "To give you an example - just behind a picket fence, in the bushes, a small, crumpled paper wrapping was found." "Apparently, it once contained cheap sweets." "In the outermost corner of this wrapper we found traces of fruit drops and powdered sugar particles." "We've tried to trace the origin of this wrapper in every coffee shop and grocer's within a two-kilometre radius, to no avail." "With every day that passes we widen the drag net." "But, of course no one remembers anything that would provide any leads since so much time has passed." "Despite all these setbacks, we're forced to continue searching for clues, examining all avenues - always facing uncertainty and starting out with little chance of success in bringing this case even one step toward its conclusion." "Our men are doing everyth..." "What good is all this?" "Commissioner, I'm aware that you're not putting your feet up!" "But this doesn't change the fact that an unknown killer is terrorizing 4.5 million people!" "And that the police are incompetent!" "His Excellency apparently doesn't have a clear picture of what enormous difficulties the force has to deal with right now." "Are you aware, for instance, that when it comes to the route the child was taking to get home there are at least 15 varying, if not conflicting, eyewitness accounts alone?" "Here's a random example." "Questioning of witnesses - file number 1478 - re:" "Beckmann murder case..." " You ain't got a clue!" " More than you do, mister!" "Gentlemen, gentlemen!" "You must have some idea of the colour of the little girl's cap that you said you saw around lunch time with the suspected murderer." "Of course, Inspector!" "It was red." "Inspector, the cap was green!" " It was red!" "Red!" " It was green!" "Green!" " Red!" "Red!" " Green!" "Green!" "Enough!" "Enough!" "This is pointless." "Thank you for coming, gentlemen." "You're welcome." "Bring in the next." "Look, if you're relying on a colour-blind man for clues, it's no wonder you're going out of business, Inspector!" "In their hunt for the killer so far the police have followed up on 1,500 detailed leads." "The files on this case already cover 60 thick volumes." "We've dispatched all our available forces to systematically comb the surrounding areas of the city." "Every undergrowth and thicket, every tree in a plantation is carefully examined, since in any bush or under any leaf a potential clue may be hiding that could finally put us on the right track." "We have the best trackers with their sniffer dogs going over even the slightest traces, but they've lost the scent and despite all efforts failed to pick it up again." "Since the first murders police officers have repeatedly searched homeless shelters everywhere and thoroughly checked the identities of every vagrant in them." "Of course, this doesn't make the police very popular nor does it reduce the level of tension in the general public." "The surveillance of the railway stations is being continuously maintained." "Still, the investigation hasn't turned up any results yet, nor have the nightly raids in the underworld districts." "Coppers!" "Quiet!" "Go back!" "This is the police!" "Move back!" "Damn!" "Let me go, you son of a bitch!" "Let go of me, you damn son of a bitch!" "Let me go, I tell you!" "Let go!" "Let go, son of a bitch!" "Let me go!" "Let go!" "Take your hands off her, you damn copper!" "Silence!" "SILENCE!" "SILENCE!" "Move back!" "Look!" "The top copper!" " Silence!" " You'd like that, huh?" "By order of the police, nobody leave this establishment!" "Get your ID's ready." "Let me go!" "Please!" "Kids!" "Come on." "Stop this racket." "Huh!" "Big fat Lohmann!" "Lohmann!" "Lohmann!" "Silence!" "SILENCE!" "It's pointless." "Why don't you go catch the murderer?" " Exactly!" " Bravo!" "Bravo!" "SILENCE!" "Wake up to yourselves!" "Make way there!" "Move!" "Coming through!" "Move!" "Get going!" "Present your papers!" "Present your papers!" "Haven't got any." "Nope." "Come on, show your papers." "Officer, can't you let me go?" "Sir, the two birds who tried escaping have been caught in the Krangasse." " Line them up!" " Shut up!" "Have your papers ready!" " Haven't we met before?" " Yeah, so what?" "Kids, we're going to the Alex HQ again." "Even before the first quickie..." "Come on, this is pointless!" "Anyone who doesn't have their papers will be taken to Headquarters at Alexanderplatz!" "Who cares?" "I don't." "I haven't done anything." "Ah, quit babbling, will ya?" "Hummel!" "Hummel!" "Silence!" "Present your papers!" "Where's the blue Minna?" "One at a time!" "Don't panic - everyone will be served tonight." "Silence!" "Silence!" "Cool it, kids!" "Get your papers ready!" "Where are your papers?" "My dear Inspector, you expect me to carry my birth certificate around?" " Stop bitchin', my dear." " No, really, you can't expect..." "Alex HQ!" "What?" "This is a dump!" "Poor craftsmanship, boy!" "They got the better of you." "Alex HQ!" "So long, Willy!" "Toodle-oo!" "Oh, leave me alone." "Next!" "Stuck-up prig!" "What's wrong?" "Pop Lohmann!" "Got him already!" ""Unsolved Burglary in Fur Shop."" "Well, I guess we take you to headquarters, too." "But why?" "My papers are all in order!" "Next!" "Next!" "Duped again, huh?" "Next one!" "Papers?" "Don't have them." "Alex!" "Tough luck." "Alright." "Next!" ""Ladies"" "You're wrecking my whole business, Sergeant." "All these raids every night." "No one gets a breather anymore." "They're human beings too, you know!" "Do you think we spend all these nights up because we like to?" "No, but you're driving my customers away, and you won't find the one you're lookin' for anyway!" "If you knew how mad they are about the pig that got them into this every night!" "Especially the girls, even if they hustle - business is business - but believe me, Sergeant, in every one of them is a mother!" "I know lots of heavies who get all teary when they see kids playing." "If they were to get that monster, you'd have to pick him up like toothpicks, I tell ya!" "Ready to leave, Sergeant." "See ya." "They got the 'Little Crocodile' today." "Two trucks!" "I wonder where Schränker is." "Is it 3:00 yet?" "I'll find out." "Oh, Miss, what's the exact time, please?" "2:58?" "Thank you!" "Two... fifty... eight." "The coppers are all over the streets like ants again." "Green coats wherever you spit." "They don't even let you have fun with the girls." "They've gone wacky, too - nothin' on their minds but the murderer." "Mine has a little girl, she's six, right?" "Now I've gotta look below the bed three times a night to check if the murderer is there." "You can't do business anymore 'cause you're always stumbling over coppers." "No private life, either." "I've had it, I tell ya!" "So what's new?" "What's keeping Schränker?" "They wouldn't have caught him, right?" " Nah!" " Him?" "Not in your life!" "He robbed a bank in London once where Scotland Yard had set a trap for him." "He was hands up against the wall with coppers all around him and two seconds later three corpses were lying there but he wasn't among them!" "The best man between Berlin and Frisco." "They've been looking for him for six years, with no luck!" "Yeah, but put enough dogs on the fox's trail..." "Shut up!" "Goddammit!" "I can't take this!" "He was always on time before." " Thank God." " Finally!" "Mornin'!" "Are you crazy?" "Close the blinds!" "Gentlemen, I open this meeting." "For matters of protocol" "I declare all division leaders of this organisation are present." "I assume that you are empowered to make binding decisions in the name of your divisions." "Good." "Needn't bother with unnecessary introductions as to subject - we all know why we're here." "An outsider is wrecking our business and revenue." "The counter measures by the police, the nightly raids to catch this... child murderer are seriously undermining our work in an intolerable way." "It is no longer acceptable that we're not safe now at any hotel, pub, cafe or even private home from the grip of the police." " Very true." " Bravo!" "This siege has got to end." "We have to get things under control, or we go bust." "Our organisation's resources are nearly depleted." "If we can't get funds to support the wives of those members who currently get their meals courtesy of the state's prison system" "I don't know how we can finance our activities." "It also hurts our reputation." "The police seek the murderer in our fold." "Gentlemen, when I run head-on into an officer from the squad he knows the potential risks, as I do." "If one of us dies in performing his activity, fine." "That is occupational hazard." "But between who the police are looking for and us is where we draw the line!" " Very true." " Right!" "We are doing our job in order to survive, but this monster has no right to survive." "It must disappear, be eliminated, exterminated, without mercy or scruples!" "Gentlemen our members have to go back to their regular business without having to face constant interference from police." "I ask your opinions, gentlemen." "Increase ID checks, systematic searches of the whole city, and raids - relentless, hard-hitting raids!" "We need informers!" "We need to know about police activity almost before they do themselves!" "The girls should throw themselves onto the coppers more!" "How often was one of us nabbed because his girl sang to the cops?" "Now they can rat out the coppers!" "Every home-owner, landlord, everyone owning property, must be forced to consent to detailed searches for clues." "We have our connections - if we were to put an article into a paper that our..." "well, respectable organisations don't want to be classed with this monster, that the cops should look for this pig somewhere else..." "Hell, he's not even a real hoodlum!" "This is perhaps a man who is - aside from his urge to kill - a normal-looking citizen who wouldn't hurt a fly." "Perhaps when he is not in the state of madness he plays marbles with his landlady's kids or he plays cards with friends." "Without the - let me put it this way - private normality that these murderers have, it would've been impossible for the likes of Grossman or Haarmann to have lived right next to their neighbours for years without revealing even a clue to their true character." "This is where we should focus the public's attention." "They have to cooperate." "Public cooperation, my foot!" "Just thinking of it makes me vomit." "I beg your pardon, Commissioner." "Sorry!" "But ain't it the truth?" "What the devil did we gain so far from public cooperation?" "Piles of letters with the most unbelievable slanders." "Very true." "They call the murder squad whenever a chimney sweep walks by." "Right!" "But when you really want some information from them, they suddenly haven't a clue." "They can't recall anything at all." "That's public cooperation for you!" "I think you're exaggerating a little, Lohmann." "It's not that bad, is it?" "It is, Commissioner!" "Most of the public still think, "What's it to me?"" "It never occurs to the masses that what happens to even the poorest or most unknown child on the street is a matter for everyone's conscience." "I've got another idea!" "There was this magician." "What's his name...?" "Well, anyway, he could get money out of people's pockets." "I mean..." "The reward money is still far too low." "Commissioner, the man leading us to the murderer should get a fortune!" "That's nothing new." "This is all leading nowhere." "Should we wait until the police catch the guy instead?" "The obstacles in solving crimes like these are often insurmountable, since perpetrator and victim are usually only connected by the crime itself." "The instincts of the moment dictate the murderer's moves." "The victim is found, identified, the last known whereabouts are established, and then then all that's left is a big question mark." "The children vanish without a trace." "And when they are found well, you know how we found them." "And the perpetrator..." "It's a very well-known fact that murderers like this rarely leave a clue behind." "That's what makes our work so hard, our successes so few." "The police have been hunting the murderer for eight months." "They'll only get him by accident now." "Can't wait for that!" "We'll be broke by then." "What then?" "We have to catch him!" "We ourselves!" "Yes!" "That's what we must do!" "There is perhaps another way." "Files on the person we're after must already exist." "That person, being a pathological case, no doubt already had some kind of contact with the authorities." "That's why we have to get the care facilities, prisons, clinics and insane asylums to support us unequivocally." "We specifically need information on those who were released as no danger to society but who by their nature are a threat." "We'll cover the city with a net of informants." "Every square mile must be under continuous control." "Not a single child must take a step without us knowing it!" "Alright." "But how?" "And who?" "They have to be inconspicuous - people who can follow anyone without attracting attention, who can follow children to every house without causing mistrust - in a word, people who do not alert the murderer." " But who?" "Who?" " There are no such people!" " Who could do that?" " Who?" "Who?" "The beggars!" "The organisation of beggars!" ""Our dear colleague CREDIT has died." "The Commission."" "Grease in black pudding!" "That cheese is potent!" "I'll strip you naked, gals!" "Man, don't snore like that." "You're gonna wake the lice." "Two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen, eighteen..." ""Begging and peddling forbidden."" ""Sandwich stocks - 16th" " Evening."" "Sandwich with butter - lukewarm response." "Black Friday for roast beef - takes dive." "Alright." "Now to the backyards." "Right." "From 1 to 88." "Next!" "You cover all the backyards from 1 to 88." "Right." "What now?" "High Street, numbers 89 to 196." "High Street, numbers 89 to 196." "Registration number?" "3-7-95." "Emil Dustermann." "3-7-95." "Du-ster-mann," "Emil." "Well, Emil, maybe you'll cash in the 15 grand." "Fine by me!" "Toi Toi!" "Knock on wood!" "Ladies and gentlemen, my fondest appreciation!" "Thank you!" "(Police memo advising everyone to commit inconspicuous searches for anything related to a letter the murderer wrote to a local paper- the 'Städtische Kurier'- such as an old wooden table used as rest to write the letter," "a red pencil, writing paper." "The word 'located' is misspelled.)" "Idiot!" "Come in!" "Inspector, here are the requested medical histories of those released as cured or harmless within the past five years - records of both state and private insane asylums as well as city hospitals and treatment centres." "And here the latest addresses of these individuals." "Good day!" "Does a Herr Beckert live here?" "Pardon?" "Does a Herr Beck-ert live here?" "I can't understand you." "I'm a little hard of hearing!" "You're telling me..." "DOES A HERR BECKERT LIVE HERE?" "Herr Beckert?" "Oh, yes, Herr Beckert lives here, yes." "Unfortunately he just went out." "Is that so?" "Huh." "I would've liked to talk to him." "I'm from Inland Revenue, you know." "Inland Revenue?" "Well, perhaps you'd like to wait for him?" "Yeah." "Thank you." "My pleasure." "Make yourself comfortable until then." " Thank you." " You're welcome." "Would you like something to read?" " Thank you." "Terribly nice of you." " Pleasure." "By the way, Frau Winkler..." "Yes?" "Does Herr Beckert have his own subscription to a paper?" "Herr Beckert?" "Oh, no!" "He always borrows mine." "That so?" "Alright." "Thanks again." "Oh, Mummy!" "I wanted to meet you halfway..." "But child, you're not supposed to do this!" "You know why!" "Good day!" "What would you like?" " Coffee." " Cheers." "No!" "A vermouth." "No, Cognac!" "Cognac." "Here you are." "Another one!" "Bill, please!" "Two Cognac - 1.65, please." "Cheers." "Number 24" " Beckert." "No subscription of the 'Städtische Kurier'." "Table is mahogany finish with tablecloth." "No red pencil, not even traces - in fact, no writing implements at all." "Printed matter found in waste basket - cigar ad, postcard with flowers on it signed "Best wishes" " Paul", no mailing address of sender." "Empty cigarette box of the brand Ariston, a small bag of sweets, half empty with..." "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "Hold it!" "Hang on a moment!" "Ariston?" "A-ris-ton?" "There was..." "What was it?" "A-ris-ton?" "Bring me the case file of the Marga Perl murder." "Thank you!" "Odd..." "I've heard that tune before." "That was..." " Hello!" " Heinrich?" "Hey, what's up?" "What's bothering you?" "Listen!" "Somebody's whistling." "Can't you hear it?" "There!" "Now he's stopped." "Did you see the guy who was whistling?" "Yeah, I can still see him." " Heinrich!" " Yeah?" "He's approaching a kid!" "Little girl!" "He's walking up the road with her." "Follow him, damn it!" "And don't lose him!" "Why?" "The day little Elsie Beckmann was killed, a man bought a balloon for a little child he had with him and that man whistled exactly like this one." "Damn!" "Are you nuts?" "Throwing orange peels on the ground!" "Somebody could break their neck!" "Unbelievable!" "Should be reported to the police." "Outrageous, this kind of behaviour!" "Uncle!" "Hmmm..." "Aha!" "There it is." ""Not far away from the murder scene," ""in several locations in a 50-metre radius" ""three cigarette butts of the brand Ariston were found."" "There you have it!" "Given, the brand is the same, but the table was not made of old wood." "Well, he could have written it some place else." "But..." "Heavens!" "The window ledge!" "Right." "Hang on." "Red pencil!" "Lord!" "Finally!" "Finally we're on his trail." "Yeah." "Yeah." "What?" "They tracked him down?" "Yeah." "The beggars found him!" "He approached a little girl!" "He whistled the whole time." "Shut up!" "What did you say?" "They're following the mark." "They won't let him out of sight." "They're following his every move." " Uncle!" " What is it?" "You've soiled your coat." "Where?" "There!" "On the shoulder." "Here, I'll wipe it off." "But... what's wrong?" "Come!" "We're leaving!" "He didn't come out this way." "We would've seen him!" "Out of the question!" "He must be here somewhere." "He didn't turn back." "Damn it!" "He has to be somewhere!" "Perhaps... he's hiding inside." "Shift!" "Man, let's hope he doesn't escape when the employees leave their offices!" "If he slips through now..." " Here come the first!" " Quick!" "Back on the road!" "Look out!" "Excuse me, can I ask you a question?" "My first transport is tomorrow." "I'll start in Königsberg." "No, I can't stomach anything like that." "Guess what?" "The boss was in my office today." "Better turn off the light, otherwise he'll get suspicious when he comes home and finds everything illuminated." "What time is it, anyway?" "Almost half past six." "He's gotta to be in there!" "He definitely wasn't with the people who left the building." "That so?" "Yeah." "Uh-huh." "Yeah." "No!" "Hang on!" "The beggars have called for backup and surrounded the whole building." "They reckon the guy is hiding in that building!" "What's in there?" "What kind of building is it?" "Just a business complex." "I don't know what's in the cellar." "On the ground floor is a branch of the local savings bank, from the first to the fifth floor there are offices, and above is the loft." "This is unbelievable!" "Anybody still in there?" "Hello?" "Hello!" "Hello!" "Anybody still in there?" "What the devil?" "Is anybody still there?" "All this twiddling because somebody overlooked a damn door!" "Yeah." "Uh-huh." "It seems he's really trapped!" "We'd better call the cops right away." " I agree." " But..." "Give me that!" "Hello?" "Stay by the phone and call again in a few, alright?" "You're crazy, right?" "The police?" "No way!" "We get him ourselves!" "Look - it's now... what?" "8:00." "Alright... 9:00 10:00..." "At 11:00!" "Evening." "Do you realize your gate is still open?" "What?" "But that's impossible!" "I made sure..." "But it is loc...!" "Open, quick!" "And not a sound!" "Move!" "Hurry up!" "Come on!" "Move it!" "How many other watchmen are in this building?" "So you don't want to answer, huh?" "Fine." "There are two other watchmen in the complex." "Damn bloody shit!" "Bloody piece of crap!" "Oh, damn!" "Bloody shit!" "Crap!" "Be absolutely careful with the lights." "And make sure nobody stomps like buffaloes." " What?" " He's not in the main basement." "We went through everything." "No luck." "That so?" "Friedemann and August are searching the boiler room now." " Hold it!" " That's the last one." "Go up to Emil, he still needs someone." " Right!" " Go!" "Go!" "Schränker sent me." "Alright." " Pay attention!" " Yeah?" "This is a new kind of time clock and this is the manual for it." "If they're not set at exactly the right minute, an alarm automatically goes off at the nearest police station." " Got it?" " Uh-huh." "Done." "Now, have you got all that?" "Hey, what kind of a clot do you take me for?" "Well..." "He's not in the boiler room or the coal-cellar." "That so?" "We turned every coal brick upside down." "Hey!" "Are you completely daffy?" "What if the doors are linked to the security system?" "Do you want the police here in the next five minutes?" "But we have to get in here if we're gonna search the joint systematically." "But not through the door, you idiot!" "Go to the offices on the first floor, then down through the ceiling." "Nothing." "Right." "Off we go." "What's up?" "Hey!" "Hey, what's up?" "Hey, Paul, what is it?" "Answer, damn it!" "I heard someone knocking." "Where're you goin'?" "Why are you running?" "Wait!" "What's goin' on?" "Wait, damn it!" "Where's Schränker?" "The loft." "The loft." "He's there!" "I clearly heard someone knock!" "In the loft!" "The loft!" "Shh!" "Quiet!" "Right..." "Move!" "He has to be in here!" "Here's the light switch." "Open all storage sheds!" "Got him!" "I found him!" "He's hiding in the loft!" " Yeah?" " I heard someone knock!" "I told Schränker and they'll have him soon!" "Just came down to fill you in." "If I wasn't so alert we could've kept searching for hours!" "The watchman!" "3-1-4!" "314!" "Three-hundred and fourteen." "Everybody out!" " What?" " Why?" "The cops will be here in five minutes!" " Damn it!" " You're crazy!" " How come?" " The watchman alerted them!" "Let's get outta here!" "Hold it!" "Quiet!" "Five more minutes, six more storage sheds." "Move!" "Get goin'!" "What are you doing there?" "Step aside!" "He's not here." "Go on!" "Next door!" "Come on!" "Faster!" "He isn't here, either." "Alright, alright!" "Next door!" "Quick!" "Next ones!" "Only three minutes left!" "Get moving!" "Quick!" "There's no lock on this one at all!" " Open it, damn it!" " Can't!" " Something's blocking it." " Let me." "Hurry up, damn it!" "Only one minute left!" "There!" "There he is!" "There's the dog!" "Come on!" "Move it!" "Everybody out?" "Get goin', damn it!" "Move it!" "For heaven's sake, get goin'!" " What's keeping the others?" " Any moment now!" "Well, if not they might as well stay here, with or without the guy." "Scram!" "What in hell is keeping them?" "Finally!" "Thank God!" "Quick now!" "Go!" "Make it snappy!" "He's not down here." "Hey, Willy, why'd you pull up the rope ladder?" "HEY!" "Willy!" "Why did you pull up the rope ladder?" "Idiots." "What's up?" "Hands up!" "But I'm holding on to the rope ladder!" "Come out!" "But I'm really innocent this time like a newborn baby!" "You'll find it curious, Franz, but..." "I believe your every word." "Huh?" "Yeah?" "Well... then everything is peachy, Inspector!" "Then I can go now, right?" "Just a moment!" "Cigarette?" "Oh, boy." "I'll take your word for it, Franz." "Provided that you can tell me who the man is who you turned the whole building over for, and that you have captured!" "I don't get you, Inspector." "A man, you're saying?" "I don't know nothing, Inspector." "You must've gotten your wires crossed!" "I don't have a clue." "Not the slightest." "Of course, of course." "There is just one thing I don't understand - that you're covering for the same gang that left you in a tough spot." "Fine pals that scram when the going gets tough and leave you to take the rap." "Despicable!" "That routine... doesn't work on me, Inspector, sir." "Now what?" "So what can happen to me?" "A bit of what you call wilful damage to property - so what?" "Nothing got pinched." "On the contrary, there was, sonny!" "And no small change, either!" "What?" "There was?" "And how much?" "You tell me something..." "and I tell you something." "Already told you, I know nothing." "As you wish." "Then start using your head, Franz." "When one is all by himself for, uh... two or three hours, a lot of things can come back to mind which one wouldn't recall earlier, right?" "Take him!" "Have the watchman come in." "Watchman Damowatz." "Take a seat, please." "So, you said in your statement - listen carefully now, you might have to testify under oath later - that you overheard one of the burglars tell the fellow who was watching you," ""We got himl I have found the guyl He's in the loftl"" "Is this true?" "That's right, Inspec..." "Ow!" "That's right, Inspector!" "I'd always be prepared to swear to it!" "Fine!" "Then go home now and try to relax a little." "But... stick around in case we might need you." "Of course..." "Inspector, sir." "Good mornin', Inspector!" "Mornin'." "Do you know whether Inspector Lohmann is still in?" "Ah, he's on the other line." "No, no, not necessary." "Thanks." "I'll... uh..." "I'll come over myself." "What?" "That so?" "Still not home yet, eh?" "Well... did you also keep an eye on that old Winkler woman?" "Come in!" "COME IN!" "Am I disturbing you?" "Nah - do come in." "Alright, listen." "The whole block is under surveillance." "If he's coming home at all he has to walk right into us." "So... stay on target." "If there's anything new I'll be here at headquarters." "Blast!" "What's on your mind?" "I wanted to ask you if you could do me a favour." "Eugh, what horrible sewage!" "I wanted to ask you..." "Well, why don't you read that first?" " A statement?" " Yeah." "Burglary in an office building." "Benno Street?" "That's quite a respectable part of town." "Well... perhaps not that respectable." "Now, that is goin' too far!" "What in heaven's...?" "Did they want to empty the whole joint?" "What did they want with the coal?" "Incredible!" "Unbelievable!" "Curious..." "Now, that's a hot one!" "Ah, so the savings bank was what they were after." "Good Lord!" "What's that supposed to mean?" "Now I'm confused." "They didn't even touch 'em?" "What a bunch of idiots this must've been." "I'll be damned!" "Now, is that somethin'?" "Nothing stolen but a man taken God knows where!" "Dandy!" "And Franz... keeps his trap shut." "He's afraid, of course." "I know the guy." "His type would rather jump out of a fifth floor window than be mixed up in a murder rap." "If we could take him from that angle." "If you were to help me on that..." "Yup!" "I see where you're goin'!" "Well, then let's get our good Franz!" "You're wanted for questioning!" "What?" "Four guys for me?" "What's this?" "Move it!" ""Duty Register, Murder Squad"?" ""Head of division..." ""..." "Inspector Karl Lohmann"?" "But what do I have to do with you?" "With the murder squad?" "Yeah, boy." "The case is now in my hands." "Ahhh." "But why?" "Why?" "You all did your job just a tad too well." "One of the watchmen..." "Dead?" "Acting as an accessory to murder..." "That's an ugly business, Franz." "Inspector, I'm not gonna play anymore!" "I don't want anything to do with that!" "I'll tell it all, everything I know!" "That's very sensible, but unfortunately too late." "But it can't be too late, Inspector!" "It just can't!" "I'll tell you everything I know - even what we were looking for in that damn building." "And?" "The child murderer!" "Wh... what?" "Who?" "The child murderer, Inspector." "Just a moment." "Always me..." "This always has to happen to me!" "Now, take a seat next to me, boy." "Right." "Now, let's be candid with each other." "Got it?" "Yes, sir!" "And God forgive you if you pull something." "Alright." "So, what did your buddies have to do with the murderer, and where was the guy taken?" "Well, Inspector you know the old Kuntz  Levy distillery?" "The one that folded during the Depression?" "Right, and since then it' been abandoned and nobody gives a damn about it." "Move it!" "Move!" "Let me go!" "What have I done to you?" "You swine!" "Let go of me!" "Pack of bastards!" "Swine!" "What do you want of me?" "What do you want of...?" "Help!" "HELP!" "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "I want out!" "I want to get out!" "Let me out of here!" "You'll never get out of here." "But gentlemen..." "I beg of you!" "I don't even know what you want of me." "I beg you, please let me leave." "This whole thing must be a mistake!" "A mis..." "Oh, no!" "No mistake!" "Out of the question!" "This is no mistake!" "No, no." "No mistake." "Recognise that?" "It was just such a balloon you bought for little Elsie Beckmann." "Just such a balloon!" "EI..." "Elsie!" "EI..." "Elsie!" "No!" "No!" "NO!" "Where have you buried little Marga Perl, you bastard?" "But but I never I never even knew her!" "Oh?" "You never even knew her?" "Never knew that one either, huh?" "And her?" "And you never knew her either, huh?" " Stop him!" " Grab him!" "Grab him!" " Stop him!" "Don't let him escape!" "Watch out!" "The door!" " Let me out!" " Hold him!" "Give him a hook to the chin!" "Let go of me!" "LET GO OF ME!" "Let me out of here!" "OW!" "Heave!" "Heave!" "Heave!" "Heave!" "Heave!" "You've no right to treat me this way!" "We'll show you that we do!" "You have no right to hold me here!" "Right?" "There's only one thing right for you - death!" " Kill him!" " Kill that cowardly bastard!" "Ice him!" "Quiet!" "Kill him!" "Kill him!" "You spoke of 'right' just now." "We shall be your right." "All sitting here are experts in the rule of law!" "From six weeks in Tegel prison to 15 years in Brandenburg." "They will make sure that you'll get your right!" "You'll even get a defence counsel." "Everything according to law and order." "Defence counsel?" "Defence counsel?" "I don't need a defence counsel!" "Who wants to prosecute me?" "You perhaps?" "YOU?" "Hey, you, if I were in your shoes I wouldn't make big speeches, sir!" "It's gonna be about your head - just in case you hadn't noticed!" "And who would you be?" "I have the dubious pleasure of defending you here!" "But I'm afraid it won't do you any good." "But... do you want to kill me?" "Do you simply want to do me in?" "We want to render you out of action, that's what, and we can only be absolutely sure of that if you're dead." "But you can't just murder me!" "I demand to be handed over to the police!" "I demand to be put before a genuine court of law!" " That's a hot one!" " He's good!" "You'd like that, wouldn't you, sonny?" "Look who's talkin'!" "So that you can invoke section 51 and spend your life being cared for by the state!" "And then you break out of the asylum or you fall under amnesty, and you're happy as can be, free to enjoy your licence to kill - since you're protected by law due to insanity - back to chasing little girls." "No way!" "No more of that!" "Right!" "You must be rendered harmless!" "You must vanish!" " Bravo!" "The bastard has to go!" " But I can't help it!" "I can't." "I really can't help it!" "That's an ancient one!" "Standing before the judge, we all "can't help it"!" "What do you know?" "What are you talking about?" "Who are you, anyway?" "Who are you?" "All of you?" "Criminals!" "Probably proud of it, too - that you can crack safes or are cat burglars or can cheat at cards!" "All of these things, I think, you could just as easily give up if you'd learned something useful or if you had jobs or if you weren't such lazy prigs!" "But I?" "Can I...?" "Can I do anything about it?" "Have I not this curse on me?" "The fire?" "The voice?" "The torment?" "So, you're saying that you HAVE to kill." "Always always I have to roam the streets and I always sense that someone is following me." "It is me!" "And I shadow myself!" "Silently yet I still hear it!" "Yes!" "Sometimes I feel like I'm hunting myself down." "I want to run - run away from me!" "But I can't!" "I can't flee from myself!" "Must... must take the path that it's urging me on and run... run!" "Endless streets..." "I want off!" "I WANT OFF!" "And with me run the ghosts of the mothers and children." "They never leave!" "They are always present!" "Always!" "Always!" "ALWAYS!" "Except when I'm doing it when I'm..." "And then I don't remember anything." "Then then I stand in front of a billboard and read what I've done, and read and read." "What have I done?" "But I don't remember anything!" "But who's going to believe me?" "Who knows what's inside of me?" "How it... cries out and screams inside when I have to do it..." "Don't want to." "Must!" "DON'T WANT TO!" "MUST!" "And then a voice cries out." "I CAN'T LISTEN ANYMORE!" "HELP!" "I CAN'T!" "I can't!" "I can't!" "I can't." "The accused has stated that he cannot help himself." "Therefore he must commit murder." "With that he has handed himself the death sentence." " Bravo!" " Quite right!" "A man who claims about himself that it was forced upon him to destroy lives - that man must be extinguished like a bonfire!" "Bravo!" "That man must be obliterated!" "Wiped out!" " Yeah!" " Right!" " Exactly!" " Bravo!" "Bravo!" "Exactly what I think!" "May I... address the court?" "The counsel for the defence has the floor." "The... very respected previous speaker who, if I am not mistaken, is wanted in three cases of manslaughter by the po..." "That has no bearing on this case!" "...has claimed that the fact that my client was acting compulsively warrants the death sentence." " That's right!" " Damn right!" "Yet he commits an error in judgement, because the very nature of compulsion warrants an acquittal!" "Oh, get outta here, will ya?" "You gotta be nuts, or plastered...!" "It is exactly the nature of compulsion that relieves him of the responsibility of his crimes!" "And what a man is not responsible for he cannot be punished for, either!" "That's ridiculous!" "Do you mean to say this monster should go free?" "That he should live?" "I mean to say that this man is sick." "A sick man should not be handed to the executioner." " He should be handed to the doctor!" " Will you guarantee his cure?" "What does the state build asylums for?" "What happens if he breaks out of the asylum?" "Or is released as cured?" "And one fine day the killing starts all over?" "Again the month-long hunt!" "Again section 51!" "Again the insane asylum!" "Again break out or possible release!" "And again..."must kill"!" "And that's supposed to go on indefinitely?" "Killing a man who cannot be held responsible for his crimes is in nobody's right!" "Not even the state's!" "As for YOU, you'd have the least!" "The state has to make sure that this man is rendered harmless so that he ceases to be a danger to society." "You never had kids, did ya?" "See?" "Then you never lost any, either." "But if you wanna know what it's like when a kid is taken from you then ask the parents of the kids that he has taken from them!" "Ask 'em about the days and nights that they didn't know what happened!" "And then, once they finally knew..." "Why don't you ask the mothers?" "You should ask the mothers!" "Think you'd get mercy from any of them for the murderer of their kids?" " The woman is right!" " She sure is!" "No mercy for the murderer!" " Let him have it!" " Slaughter that bastard!" "Kill the monster!" "Kill him!" " Put this animal to death!" " Slay him!" " Kill him!" " Yeah!" "Waste him!" " Get rid of him!" " Annihilate the monster!" "Slaughter him!" "Slaughter him!" "I will not be shouted down by you!" "I will not allow an act of murder in my presence!" "I demand that this human being..." "That is no human being!" "...that this human being be given the same protection by the law rendered the common criminal!" "Big deal!" "I demand that he be handed over to the police!" "The police!" "Of all the dumb...!" "In the name of the law..." "In the name of the people..." "This will not bring our children back." "One has to take more care of them!" "YOU!" "Translation by Torsten Kaiser" "Subtitles by the Australian Caption Centre"