"Won't you please let me take you all the way?" "He might have come home already." "It's not a long walk." "Let's run off." "Get your things and we'll leave." "We might as well do it." "Yes, I do mean right now." "Vera..." "I love you." "I want to spend my life with you." "I have to go." " Vera..." " Of course I want to be with you." "Just give me a little time." "Oh, here he is..." "I love you very, very much, Pieter." " What's up?" " Have a seat." "Otto, I'm afraid I've made a mistake." "Really?" " A huge mistake." " An accident?" "Is it serious?" "Have you harmed a patient?" "Tell yourself this:" "No matter what I did, it will never happen again." "Then you can put it behind you." "Don't worry, everything will be fine." "Darn it..." " Hand me those pincers." " Right..." "Will these do?" "Didn't your dad teach you about pincers and nippers?" " What was that?" " Nippers." "Pincers - nippers." "Sorry." " Hello." " There was a queue." "How's it going?" "Yummy..." " You don't have to eat this." " What do you mean?" "I'm hungry." "Is there something wrong, Marlene?" "No, it's kind of sweet." "Six months ago you wouldn't be sitting here." "Knock it off." "You're sweet, that's all." "Listen..." "We're expecting a baby." " What was that?" " We're having a baby." "What?" "When?" "I planted it eleven weeks ago." " I mean, when is it due?" " In August." " Am I the first person you've told?" " Yes." "If there's anything at all..." "No matter what, no matter when..." "I'll be there for you." "Cheers." "Cheers." "Hit and run case still unsolved" ""Some time has passed since you murdered Alex Linger. "" ""I've been waiting for your conscience to react,"" ""but I see now that you are a weak person. "" ""My silence will cost you 100,000."" ""Put the money in a green plastic bag. "" ""At exactly nine p. m." "Tonight, put the bag in the rubbish bin"  "in the men's room of the roadside tavern Trattoria Commedia. "" ""A friend. "" "Hi, I'll have a beer." "Thanks." "Hello, there..." "I'd like to have a word with you." " You aren't my friend, are you?" " No..." " I'd like to know what you're up to." " Nothing." " What do you want?" " Who the hell do you think you are?" " Don't go sneaking up on people." " I want to talk to you." " What the hell are you doing?" " Beat it!" "Leave me alone, damn it!" "Stay out of my life!" "Leave me alone!" "Do you hear me?" "Stay out of my life..." "Leave... me alone." "Hello!" "I've been attacked!" "He tried to beat me up." "He attacked me..." "Well, she vomited all night long." "I haven't slept for days." " Hang on, you've got a smudge..." " The guy's over there." "Some time yesterday." "Heavy blows to the head." "There's nothing in his pockets." "Maybe somebody mugged a drunk." " Can I tag along?" " Give me a few minutes first." " So, did you win anything?" " No..." "I managed to pick the wrong teams..." "It's Erich!" "Erich Van Veeteren." "Ulrike?" "I'm going to let Erich work on his own today." "Would you like to take a walk?" "Well?" "Yes or no?" "Münster is here." "It seems to be something serious." "Hello." "What can I do for you?" "Erich is dead." "Who?" "Erich." "Your son." "Erich?" "Well, we... found him this morning, beaten to death." "Outside this roadside tavern." "It could have happened last night." "We're not sure yet, someone passing by..." "Honey?" "Hello..." "What are you doing?" "I'm getting dressed." " Who's in charge of the case?" " I am." "Will this tie do?" " Let's sit down..." " I'll leave you alone." "You're a police officer." "Do your duty and ask questions." "We found Erich at a roadside tavern." " Do you know why he was there?" " No." "You're supposed to ask when I saw him last." "That was two days ago." "I hired him to fix up my bookstore." "It's coming along nicely." "Did he mention why he was going to the tavern?" " How many are on the case?" " The usual group." " Moreno, Jung, Rooth..." " You'll need more people." "Don't go." "You know where to find me." "Keep me posted." "Hi." " How did it go?" " Well..." " What about you?" " I went to see Erich's wife." "I woke her, she hadn't noticed that Erich didn't come home." "She wasn't in any shape to give us much to go on." "Did she know what he was doing at that tavern?" "It seemed like she didn't know he was going there." " Could you get that?" " What had he done during the day?" "According to her, he came home at six and then went to see Van Veeteren." "But that's not true, I've... just been to see him." " He hasn't seen him for two days." " Erich could've lied to Marlene." " When did he get to the tavern?" " Around nine." "We ran a check on Erich's car, and he got a ticket that night." "At 7:35 p. m." "The location isn't anywhere near Van Veeteren's place." "This is downtown." "Run the address and see what we can find." " Anything on the other guests?" " The bartender helped us out." "He gave us the names of the other patrons." "They didn't notice Erich." "But they do recall seeing a middle-aged man with a beard." "He left quickly, something the bartender confirms." " Who is the guy?" " We haven't been able to find him." "There are two aspects to focus on:" "The identity of the man with the beard and Erich's whereabouts during the last three hours of his life." " What about the Chief Inspector?" " Keep him out of the investigation." "Yes..." "It's Erich." "Let's go, I'll walk you." "Know anything about the murder weapon yet?" " The weapon." "Tell me what you know." " Not much so far." "It was some kind of tool, we think." "One that packs a punch." " But you haven't found anything?" " No, not yet." " Is Münster in?" " I'll ask him to call you." " Why?" " He's kind of busy." " He can spare me five minutes." " He's in a meeting." " Why don't?" " I'll wait." "Hello." "How long have you been Erich's probation officer?" "Ever since Erich went to prison, three years or so ago." " Did he go to that tavern a lot?" " I have no idea." "In that case, he never told me." " He used to be a drug dealer." " I know." " Think he went back to it?" " Not that I noticed." "But you wouldn't exclude the possibility?" "Well then, thank you for coming." "Call me if you think of anything." " How are things coming along?" " Fine." "We're still in the process of gathering information." " Any suspects?" "Need any help?" " Not yet." "We'll manage." "Well, since you're here..." "We found this note in Erich's pocket, is that his handwriting?" ""Trattoria Commedia. 9 p. m."" "Yes, he wrote this." "What's this? "Odus"?" "If Erich had a note with directions, that must mean he had an appointment." "Call me if you come to any conclusions." "An appointment... that's odd." " What does it mean?" " That we keep our options open." " No jumping to conclusions." " But you have thought about it." "I can tell." "Erich goes to meet someone and this happens." "You must have reached some conclusions." "Let's be completely open-minded here." "Is it inconceivable that Erich bought or sold drugs at the tavern?" " Drugs?" " He does have a prior conviction." "Erich was going to be a father." "He would never display such poor judgment." " Erich had changed." " I just wanted to discuss it." " I hope you understand." " I do." " Good luck." " Thanks." "I really ought to be there now." "Listen, why don't you take sick-leave?" "We only have two weeks." "I'll write you a doctor's certificate." " Have you called in sick?" " Absolutely." "Bye..." ""Two lives." "You have two lives on your conscience. "" ""The price of my silence has changed. "" ""You have seven days at your disposal to arrange for 200,000."" ""This is your last chance to buy your freedom. "" ""A friend. "" "Don't worry about the funeral." "I'll take care of it." "All the expenses, too." "The police think Erich was dealing drugs, what do you think?" "Why would they think such a thing?" " Are you sure he was clean?" " Absolutely." "So am I." "Excuse me..." "What are you doing?" "Sorry, I was just..." "Do you recognize this?" "Do you know where it came from?" "Maybe." "Hang on." "How about this?" "Look..." ""Green plastic bag"..." "What's that supposed to mean?" "You have to know something about this." "Someone called and he wrote that down." " Someone called here?" " To his mobile phone." " When?" " It was..." "It was the same day he..." " Did you hear what they discussed?" " Somebody needed help." "And you couldn't tell who the caller was?" "No..." " I haven't the vaguest." " I'll take this with me." " Are you leaving?" " Yes." "See you." "Hello." "Wait a second." "Hello." "What are you doing there?" "You do understand that this case means more to me than anything else?" "The question is, what was in the green plastic bag?" "What bag?" " You don't know?" " No." "The bartender remembers that Erich went into the restroom  and came out holding a bag." "What do you know about the others?" "All the others are clear, apart from a middle-aged man with a beard." " Not much to go on." " So he might be our man?" "Look, the file on Erich is missing." "Do you know where it is?" "Concentrate on this." "Marlene says that Erich received a phone call  a few hours before he left." " Why didn't she tell us?" " She's in shock." "This is her husband we're talking about!" "She thought it sounded like the caller was asking for a favor." "Like picking up a plastic bag in the men's room?" "It's possible the two men never saw each other." "Neither of them knew what the other looked like." "Erich was killed out front." "Someone was waiting for him out here, in the dark." "Only how did the killer know Erich was the right person?" " He was holding the bag." " And what was in the bag?" " Money?" " Exactly." "Mr. Beard wanted his money and this is where he took it back." " Sounds probable." " Does the pattern sound familiar?" "We've had similar cases." " Blackmail." "Erich was involved..." " Wrong." "Don't forget the call." "Someone asked Erich for a favor." "Erich wasn't the one who was supposed to die." "Creol Pool Hall" "Carry on, don't let me interrupt anything." "The phone call Erich received, do you have any new information?" " We've managed to trace it." " Really?" "Unfortunately, it came from a prepaid phone." "All we could get was a number, no name." "But you do have a number, right?" "You aren't working this case, and I would like you to leave." "Do you have any other leads than the ones I gave you?" " You know I can't tell you that." " Is anyone actually working here?" " We'll find the killer." " Oh, so you're looking for a killer?" " That's bloody obvious!" " I would suggest taking a shortcut." "Only that would mean having the guts to switch focus." "But I won't be bothering you with such trifles." "Goodbye." "What's the best approach, a random search for a killer?" "Or should we ask ourselves which one of Erich's acquaintances  is a blackmailer?" "Who sent him to the Trattoria?" " Any suggestions?" " No, not yet." " Then what's our next step?" " I have a list of Erich's friends." "Why don't you go get it?" "We'll do as you suggested, redirect our focus and find the blackmailer." "Here." "Oh..." "I don't recognize a single name." "So this is a list of Erich's acquaintances?" "The people he has associated with who aren't presently doing time." "So you still think that Erich was up to no good?" " You're wrong." " How can you be sure of that?" "You weren't there when Erich told me about the baby." "You didn't see what I saw, a person who wanted to clean up his life!" "He went to the tavern, right?" "But he didn't tell Marlene he was going." "Well, maybe he didn't know what was in the bag." "Maybe he thought it was unimportant." "A plastic bag in the men's room?" "In that case Erich was..." "No way he thought it was unimportant!" " Are you calling him stupid?" " He knew what was in the bag." "You can deny that all you like." "This is a murder investigation and you're a relative." "Erich's probation officer faced the facts." "And he knew Erich way better than you ever did!" "Erich was a crook." "I see..." "I apologize." " I'm Erich's father." " Hello." "The Chief Inspector..." "Erich mentioned you now and then." "Come on in." "I was just getting something to eat." " Are you hungry?" " I'm fine... thanks." " Do you have several probationers?" " Just a few." "Only as many as I think I can reach." "I'm a custodian as well." " Were you and Erich close?" " I was kind of like an extra dad." " Just an extra..." " I understand." "Did you know that they were expecting a baby?" "He was actually holding the pregnancy test when he called me up." "I need some names." "The names of Erich's contacts." "There might be something in his letters." "Letters?" "Did Erich write to you?" "I expect he did it to kill time in prison." "Listen to this." ""All I need is a toolbox. "" ""After all, people do need handymen to build their porches and stuff. "" ""So don't worry about me." "I'll be spending my time with a hammer. "" ""Rupold"..." "Do you know this Rupold person?" "Would you happen to have a pen?" "Münster isn't here." "I've got a name:" "Rupold." "A person Erich likes to work with." "Could you run it through the computer?" "I..." " Chocolate." " Thanks." ""Rupold"." "R- u-p-o-I-d." "Oh, fifty names." "Do you have more than a first name to go on?" "See if you recognize anyone." "Jung..." "Listen, could you help us sort out the Rupolds on this list?" "See if there's anyone who rings a bell." "Hang on..." "Hold it." ""Rupold Meunster"." "There's something about the address..." "That's where Erich got that ticket, on the night he died." "35 years old." "Done time for narcotics violations and assault." "He was released four years ago." "Rupold Meunster..." "That's who Erich went to see the night he went to Trattoria Commedia." "It's true." "Want one?" "Go ahead." " Jung?" " Thanks." "Shall we get started?" "Would you like to join us?" "Just as an observer." "You might catch something we've overlooked." "Are you interested?" "But remember, Moreno and I are in charge, you are an observer." "Well then, Rupold..." "Erich Van Veeteren died last Friday." "I know." " How do you feel about it?" " Why are you asking me that?" "Did Erich visit you the night he died?" "Erich's car was parked just around the corner from your place, you see." "When Erich was released, he started doing carpentry work." " Why would he run errands for you?" " What do you mean?" "Isn't it correct that you told him to go pick up a green plastic bag  at Trattoria Commedia?" "No." "You live in a fancy place, but you don't have a job." "How do you get by?" " An inheritance." " Listen carefully, Rupold." "We will be able to prove that Erich came to see you." "We can question your neighbors, tear apart your flat in a search, make your life a living hell..." "Or you can tell us the truth." "Right now." "It's your choice." "All right..." "He did stop by." "Erich figured I had some business dealings he could be a part of." " Oh, did he?" "Was he right?" " I do have business dealings." "But none Erich was welcome to take part in." "A lowly carpenter wasn't welcome." "Erich wasn't a carpenter." "Why would you think he was one?" "Well, I think it's time for a break." "Say, 15 minutes?" "Would you like some coffee?" "We'll carry on." " So what did Erich do for a living?" " The same old thing." "Sold pills to school children, stole unlocked cars..." "That's the way he was." "Did Erich sell drugs to school children?" "He lost his old customers when he did time, he needed new ones." "What did Erich do at your place?" "For the umpteenth time, he went on about wanting in on my turf." "And for the umpteenth time I said no." "He told me about a job, and I think he mentioned that Trattoria place." "I turned him down again and he left." "Erich lied." "He was back to his crooked ways as soon as he was out." " I'm sorry..." " Don't you understand?" "I have to know who he associated with." "Let go of me, I don't have time for this." "I'm sorry." "Listen..." "I'm on my way to the clinic, I've got a bus to catch." "I'm having one of those ultrasound scans." "Hang on..." "I'll take you." "Marlene..." "Do you recognize any of the names on this list?" "It's a list of the people Erich used to associate with." " I don't know." "No." " Are you sure?" "Does this have something to do with that phone call?" "Possibly." "Erich had custom ringtones for different callers." "That morning, I think it was "Satisfaction"." ""Satisfaction"?" "Rolling Stones, you know." " You can set your mobile..." " Really?" "But I can't see that "Satisfaction" would fit anyone on that list." "That would be for, like, ordinary friends." "Did Erich have any ordinary friends?" "Say he had gone back to dealing drugs..." " Where would he keep the stuff?" " I don't know." " At home?" " Do you think I'd stand for that?" "He must have had some safe place, some storage area." "He had a locker at the pool hall." "Pool hall?" "Did Erich play pool?" " Didn't you know that?" " No." "Marlene Van Veeteren." "Come on." "Look, do you see its tiny heart?" "There's the baby's back..." "That's Erich Van Veeteren, he died a few days ago." "He was good." "Good at pool, I mean." "Absolutely." "Very good." " I'm looking for the owner." " That's me." "I see." "I'm investigating Erich's murder." "He supposedly had a locker here, is that right?" "Erich made it to the finals last year too." "His nerves got the better of him then too." "Couldn't take the pressure." "That's strange..." " Maria?" "When was Erich's locker cleaned out?" "Call Erich's dad." ""Call Erich's dad", what are you saying?" "Erich's dad came here and cleared it out." "Hang on..." "Was Erich's dad here?" "When was that?" "About an hour ago." " An hour ago?" " Yes." "An hour ago, you say..." " What happened?" " Nothing, he took his stuff." " Some queues and stuff." " So he..." "You opened the locker and he took Erich's things and then he left." "He asked if Erich had any close friends." "He seemed like he was looking for someone." "I told him I didn't know and then he left." " What did he look like?" " I don't know..." "Ordinary." " Did he have a beard?" " Maybe." "When he picked up the stuff, did he touch anything?" "Did he touch the lockers?" "Did he drink from a glass?" "Not as far as I know." "Erich Van Veeteren is my son!" "Hello, are you Marlene Van Veeteren?" "I'm Oskar van der Linger from the Infinity Insurance Co." "I'm not interested." "You see, your husband, Erich, was a client." "I'm here to help you." "Come on in." "Let's go upstairs." "I'd like to start by offering my condolences." " Would you like some coffee?" " Yes, please." "So why are you here?" "Erich had a life insurance policy." "Life insurance?" " How much are we talking about?" " The equivalent of a regular salary." "Paid over several years." "A rather sizable amount." "Wow..." "However, a certain point needs to be cleared up:" "What was Erich doing  at Trattoria Commedia that night?" "If we can establish that he was not involved in any criminal activities, the payments will be substantially higher." "Really?" "He only went there to help a friend out." " He didn't do anything wrong." " He went there to help a friend?" "The police suspect blackmail." "Erich was just helping somebody out." " Do the police know who it is?" " No." " They don't have any suspects?" " Not as far as I know." "Do you know?" "Isn't that just what you expect from the Maardam police force?" "If I were a crook, I'd certainly settle down here." "They do know about the call from the mobile phone." "What call?" "The person Erich was helping he called Erich's mobile that day." " But they don't know who it is." " That can't be hard to find out." "He used a prepaid service." "You need Erich's phone to see who it was." "Hello, I have a question about my PIN code." "My name is Eric Van Veeteren." "I've entered my PIN three times, only something's not working." "Erich Van Veeteren." "And then there's one of those puck codes..." "PUK, that's right." "That's great." "I have a new address, I've moved in with my girlfriend, so could you send the code to that address?" "You can't..." "Well, then send the code to the old address." "When can I expect it?" "Tomorrow?" "That's great." "Thank you very much." "Bye." "Hi, what's going on?" "What?" "This?" "One of my patients called." "He's been having trouble with his mobile, he's a bit muddled..." " He's managed to lose his PIN code." " I see." "Should I wear this?" "Take a look." " I can go get Ulrike, if you like." " Forget it." "You look nice." "You look very nice, Marlene." " Have you found the guy?" " No." " Will you ever?" " Who knows?" "Do yourself a favor." "Don't think about it today." "Did you know that Erich had taken out life insurance?" "He wasn't completely lost after all." "He had his moments." "All we have to do is find that blackmailer." "The man from the insurance company said that would mean more money." " How are you doing?" " Fine, thanks." "What are you doing?" " Do you have to go?" " They need a senior doctor on duty." "But I'll be back in an hour or so." "Just stay in bed and wait for me." "See you later." "Love you." "Like this?" "We've got to run." "So he even had a cup of coffee..." "Do you recognize the guy?" "Well, it's a starting point." "Hi, Jana, it's Vera." "Could you do me a favor and check our records?" "A good friend of mine is worried about her boyfriend." "I thought I might help her out." "Good." "Erich Van Veeteren, is he one of our patients?" "He isn't?" "All right, then." "Thanks for helping me out, Jana." "Bye." "Hello!" "Hi there." "It didn't take as long as I thought." "Feel like doing something later?" "Like go to the movies, or should we make babies?" "What do you say?" "Movies or babies?" "Dear Erich, your new PUK code is..." "Vera..." "Listen to me, Vera." "You know that night when I dropped you off and it was raining?" "On my way home..." "It's all so unreal." "I happened to hit a boy." "I tried to help him." "But he was already dead." "I was going to go to the police but just as I was going to do it I thought:" "He's dead, there's nothing I can do." "And it felt so unfair..." ""Two lives." "You now have two lives on your conscience. "" "Two lives?" "!" "Things went so fast." "I thought he was the blackmailer." "And he tried to kill me." "He attacked me." "I gave him a shove and suddenly he was lying there." "It was an accident, Vera." "I swear!" "You should have said something." "Straight away." "Maybe it's not too late." "If it was an accident and self-defense..." "Then maybe the police..." "Oh, Pieter, what have you done?" " Let's go to the police." " Don't you understand?" "Didn't you listen to me?" "It wasn't my fault!" "He's the one who should be arrested!" "It's the blackmailer's fault!" "Can't you see that?" "Stop it!" "I said, stop it!" " Shall we stay for a while?" " No, I'll be fine." "Well, then..." "What the hell is this?" "Good..." "Listen..." " I'll go talk to him." " You do that." "We found some fresh prints in there." " If we're lucky, he'll be on record." " I don't think so." "They'll belong to Marlene and myself." "We'll see." "Marlene is certain about that letter from the phone company." "It seems to be the only thing missing." "The company confirms the fact that Erich Van Veeteren ordered a new code for his phone." "I guess that's what he came here to get." "Now he has the code that starts up Erich's mobile phone." " What will his next move be?" " To check out the caller log." " He'll find a name there." " Belonging to the blackmailer." "Whoever he is, he won't be alive for long." "I can't believe I was so wrong about Erich." "After all, I am a police officer." "I didn't see what you saw." "You love him." "He's your son." "It doesn't matter what he's done, you'll still love him." " Can I do anything for you?" " No." "When you find the body of that blackmailer, call me." "That will at least give me a name." "The body was found at dawn, but she died yesterday." "I found residue from a disinfectant under her nails." "I found traces of the same product in Erich's wounds." "Hospital products." "It's possible that she works at a hospital." "Let's start at the biggest hospital in town." "I'd like to check the addresses of people with a certain name." " Yes, it's Vera." " Vera Miller." " No." " You know everyone who works here." "This is an open clinic, anyone can pass through here." " Is that it?" " No one at the ward recognizes him." "That leaves only nine hundred other people to ask." "This will take weeks." " Any other bright ideas?" " I need your signature." "What's the matter?" "The blackmailer." "I know who it is." "This way." "Come on." "Hello, Keller." "Hello..." " What can I do for you?" " Rupold was a washout." " So you want more names?" " One name will do." "The name of the killer." "The name of Erich's killer." "This is your pen, isn't it?" "You told me you were a custodian." "Only you didn't say where you worked." "And if the killer works here, then maybe his blackmailer does too?" "Stop, or I'll shoot!" "Stop!" "We still need a name." "I know where Keller lives." "Hey, come here!" " "Drop 200,000 on the 15th. "" " That's today." ""Be at the Domestic Terminal at exactly 9:45."" "That's an hour from now." "We can make it." "According to this letter, the killer is supposed to do three things:" "Put the bag in the locker." "Sit on the chair closest to the aquarium." "And stick the key under the chair." "Keller sent him a ticket, and he's supposed to go to the gate." "Keller must have planned to wait until he saw the man's flight leave." "Your ticket, please?" "There are the chairs." "Münster, stay here and guard that chair." "Moreno and I will take the gate." "The plane can't take off until we've checked the passenger list." " Is everyone accounted for?" " Well..." "Actually, we are missing a passenger." " What's his name?" " Alex Linger." "He's got to be close by." "He's waiting for Keller." "There's only one way to smoke him out." "We'll give Keller to him." "You're not going anywhere, this is dangerous!" " I'll call for backup." " There isn't enough time." "No, I'm in charge here!" "You'll do as you're told." "I'm no longer on the force, I'll do what I damn well please." " Hello." " Hello, Keller." "You won't be able to see me, but now I know what you look like." "Above all, I know what your name is and where you live." " This isn't 200,000." " There's 50,000 in the bag." "Either you settle for fifty grand, or you give me peace of mind." "You'll see what I mean." "If you want more money, you'll do what I say." " And if I don't?" " You deal with the police." "I'm leaving the country and the police won't be able to catch me." "This is your last chance to get that money." " What am I supposed to do?" " See the lift on the far left?" " Yes." " Get in." " What should we do?" " I don't know." " What floor?" " The third." " What the hell is this?" " Press the stop button." " What next?" " Go right, towards the staircase." " What's making that racket?" " What the hell are you up to?" "!" "Keep following my directions." "Bloody hell!" "Come on." "As long as you do what I say, everything will be fine, Keller." " What do we do now?" " Let's go." " Should I go out through the door?" " Hurry up!" "Where are you going?" "Open the door." "Open the door!" "What the hell?" "!" "Keep walking towards the parking complex." "Just keep on going." "See the Citroën?" "Go and open the boot." "You destroyed my life." " I demand an apology." " What?" "Apologize to me!" "I'm supposed to apologize to you?" "Yes!" "You killed my son." "You killed my son." "Stop, or I'll shoot!" " I'm hungry." " Then let's go get a burger." " You don't have to..." " It's my pleasure." "And they have those children's meals with toys..." " I think the baby's too little." " Oh..." "When do you think the time will be right?" "Ripped by:" "SkyFury"