"INSPECTOR REX" "THE girl AND THE MURDERER" "Look, how hard he's working." " Yes, he can work." " Everyone can." "I hope he won't disgrace me when he works in the gravel pit." "After all, I got him the job." "On his day release he worked there on trial." "Or they wouldn't have employed him." "They took him because I pushed for him." "Leave him alone." "Since he got back you're forever picking on him." "He spent seven years in there and has to learn again." "Fred's a good boy and won't disgrace you." "I don't care." "If he mucks things up I'll call the doctors and they'll get him." "Hubert, please." "Leave him alone." "He's your son." "My son?" "Your son." "What do you mean?" "My family never had any idiots." " Why do you say that, Dad?" " I do as I like." "This is my house." "No one made you come back." "Should have stayed in the loony-bin." "Hubert, please." "Let him be." "He's our child." " He can't be all his life..." " Why not?" "We're punished enough." "Why did he kill the boy?" "He said Fred didn't achieve much." "For years, people wagged their tongues about us." "Because of him." "Because he's nuts." "It comes from your side." "My family's healthy." "There are no duds like him." "Don't say that, Dad." "You wouldn't dare, you idiot." "Agnes, go and ring the cops." "Ask them to get him." "Put him in a straitjacket." "I don't want to go back." "Please, Mum... please..." "I don't want to go back." "Are you crazy, Jennifer?" "You get on my nerves." "Can't you leave us alone for half an hour?" "You're not allowed to smoke." "I'll tell Mum." "And I'll tell her you're smooching." "You'll soon have to go home." "But I've got an idea." "Come on." "Jasmin?" "Jasmin?" "Oliver?" "If you don't answer, I'll tell Mum everything." "You're dopey." "Anything new?" "No?" "Come on, Rex." "Let's go swimming." " Where's Christian?" " Canteen." "Iced tea." "Oliver?" "Jasmin?" "Where are you?" "Jasmin?" "Look, there's a fire!" "Shit." "Jennifer." "Where are you, Jennifer?" "We must call the fire brigade." " What about Jennifer?" " Come on." "Rex, bring it here." "The ignition needs adjusting." "Stop crying." "Please let me go." "I won't say anything." "It's no use running away." "There's no one for miles around." "What do you want from me?" "I don't know yet." "Rex... you fell for the oldest trick in the world." "Come." "Who's the boss?" "Who's the big boss?" "I'm the big boss, I am." "Brandtner..." "Work?" "You must be joking." "Where?" "Give me 1 5 minutes." "Got to dry off first." "I'm nearby." " A coffin..." "Jennifer." " My poor mum!" "I can't go home." "We must think of something." " Hi, Lorenz." " Hi, Alex." " Can we go inside?" " Yes." "No poisonous steam." "Woodwool and cardboard were burning." " Hello, Alex." " Hello, Leo." " Can I have a look?" " Please." "So far, I know it's a woman and she was bashed." "Come and see me in about three hours." " Thanks," " Bye." "Hurry up." "What sort of track is this?" "Narrow tyre tracks from an old motorbike with sidecar." " I see." "Please make a cast." " Right." "Excuse me." "I want this recorded." "Tell me, Lorenz, who reported the fire?" "A boy or a young man." "He was very nervous." "He didn't give his name and hung up at once." "Hung up..." "Will you send the tape to my office?" "Thanks." "Hello, I'm Brandtner." "Did you see anything?" "I'm Müller." "Who are you?" "No thanks." "I'm from Criminal Investigation." " Did you see a boy?" " Yes, there were children." "Three kids." "They went by in a rubber dinghy." " A yellow dinghy." " Rubbish, a red one." "When?" " Afternoon, early evening." " Rubbish, it was midday." "How old were the children?" " About 1 2... 1 3..." " The girl was older." "No, the boy was older." " How many boys and girls?" " A boy and two girls." " A girl and two boys." " Maybe you'll agree about it." "This is my colleague, Kunz." "Tell him all about it." "Thanks." " Müller." " Kunz." "What am I doing in the woods?" "Ah, it's you." " And you." " Hi." "I'm glad you came." "Your inner call reached me." " Why are you here?" " Rex pulled it off." "Call Forensics out here." "Check the missing persons list." "Try for Oliver and Jasmin." "The fishermen say there were three." "Kids and a dead woman?" "A boy called the fire brigade, then they left in a hurry." "They even forgot their gear." "Meaning..." " Something scared them." " Or they started the fire." " Probably." " Or they're runaways." "That's what I thought." "They took off in a dinghy." "Well, another five minutes on low heat." "Have you never cooked a soup?" "I like noodle soup." "And?" "What will we do afterwards?" "Play a game?" "Do you have a game?" "She was about mid-forties, had one child, had gall bladder surgery five years ago." "Physically, she was healthy." "She died from a heavy blow to the head with a sharp-edged metal object, such as a shovel, an axe or a spade." "And here." "A gold ring." "It came through the fire okay." "The woodwool fire wasn't hot enough to melt 8 carat gold." "Two names and a date." "Hubert and Agnes." "3. 1 977." "If she got married when she was 20, you were right about her age." "I'm always right." "She'd been dead for an hour when the fire was lit." "Where are we?" "It's my old hide-away." "I know it well." "What now?" "Maybe we should clear out." "A long way away." "That wouldn't bring my sister back." "Know what?" "I'll sneak home tomorrow and get my passbook." " The money will get us away." " What about Jennifer?" "Double mill!" "You don't stand a chance." "You owe me 200 shillings already." "Well, gambling debts are debts of honour." " Who was in the sack?" " None of your business." " Play!" " Why did you burn it?" " Play." " No, it's no fun with you." "You can't play at all." "Error message." "Austrian marriages are only centrally recorded from 1 991." "Who says 1 7.3.77 was the civil wedding date?" "It could have been the church wedding." "Or the engagement date." "So we have to ring every damn registry office in Austria." "Asking if they married a Hubert to an Agnes on 1 7.3. 1 977." "Maybe Hubert and Agnes got married abroad." "Right." "In that case, tackle the German offices after the Austrians." "Then the Italians, the French and the Swiss." "Very funny." "And the kids' names?" "Negative." "Not reported missing." "Something's wrong." "If they're not missing..." "Maybe just coincidence and they went home." " Why are their swimmers there?" " They'll be back." "The fire brigade sent this by courier." " What is it?" " It's for you." "The tape." "Come quickly." "The old sawmill warehouse is burning." "Hello, who's calling?" "Kunz here." "Forensics." "The fingerprints on the lighter are from a small hand." "Possibly a child's." "Okay, I'll recheck the missing persons list." "The sawmill..." "The boy knows the area well." "Hey..." "Hello... you there..." "Help!" "Thanks." "Yes, it was a motorbike with a sidecar." "Do the tracks matter?" "A "missing" report from District Two." " Two girls, no boy." " Names?" "Jennifer and Jasmin." "Inspector, District Two?" "Brandtner, Homicide." "You posted a "missing" report." "Is the person still there?" "Please ask her if she knows an Oliver." "I'll be over soon." "Keep her there." "Thanks." "Mrs Götz, the mother, was to meet them at 9.00." "Come on." "And me?" "As I said, Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland." "You'll be a great help, Kunz." "You must never leave me again, Oliver." "You can rely on me." "Try to sleep." "Good evening." "Mrs Götz?" "Brandtner." "Are you from Homicide?" "Yes, that's right." "But we don't suspect your kids are hurt." "Please sit down." "Tell me, is it the first time the girls didn't get home on time?" "Not like this." "They always rang." "But today..." "What about Oliver?" "Mrs Taschner, his mother, is on her way here." " Do you know this lighter?" " Yes, it's Jennifer's." "She sometimes smoked, I must admit." " Where did you find it?" " By the harbour." "Mrs Taschner." "Brandtner, my colleague Böck." " Got a photo of your son?" " Yes." "Any idea where the kids could be?" "We rang everywhere." "We used to live near the harbour." "Oliver knows the area very well." "Since we moved away he often goes there in summer." "He's taken the girls several times." "You know," "Oliver and Jasmin are going steady, as people say." "Will you please listen to this?" "Come quickly." "The old sawmill warehouse is burning." " Is that your son?" " Yes." "I'll take over the search." "With the water police." "We break for a police newsflash." "Last night the body of a 45-year-old woman was found in the old sawmill warehouse by the harbour." "The police say the woman was beaten to death." "Then the culprits tried to burn the body to conceal the crime." "The police ask for your help." "Where's she missing from?" "Who saw anything supicious by the harbour, yesterday afternoon or later?" " What's up?" " It's not Jennifer." "Just listen." "It was a 45-year-old woman." "Yes... but where's Jennifer?" "She might be home by now and we needn't worry." "Come on, we'll ring your mother." "The search for the kids didn't come off." "Dog days again." "On such a hot day, no ham rolls for me." "I might go on a diet." "Thank you, Rex." "Fritz doesn't want his, Rex." "You want both?" "I don't think I'll go on a diet." "Shall we give it to him?" "There." "Thanks, Rex." "Tell me, found anything?" "I've rung the 200 biggest registry offices." "But as they're closed on Sundays police take the registrars to their offices." "And you?" "In 20 years, six fires to conceal murders." " They're all behind bars." " And the shrinks?" "Böck." "Very good." "Where?" "Thanks." "They found the dinghy." "Let's go, Rex." " Take care of the psychopaths." " It's Sunday today." "They always let you in." "Meaning?" "Well... the coffee will be ready soon." "Help!" "The chopper sighted the dinghy." "From the water you can't." "Rex, where have they gone?" " Strange, I heard something." " So did I." "Let's go." " What's up?" " Can we make an urgent call?" " No, there's no phone." " No phone?" "No, there's no phone." "Come on." "Let's go into town." "Nowadays everyone has a phone." "I bet he lied." "Maybe he didn't pay the bill and got cut off." "Still strange." "I told you not to cry." "That was Oliver." " Who?" " Oliver." "My sister's friend." "They're looking for me." "Come on, untie me." "And let me go." "I won't give you away." "Over there's the harbour, right?" "Would you drive my car there?" "Right." "There's no one here fitting your description." "What about former patients?" "Eisenstadt Police?" "Kunz, Homicide, Vienna." "Please get the registrar from his breakfast and take him to his office." "Fred Kolar is the only one left." "Four years juvenile detention for crime passionel." "Diminished responsibility." "A young man with a low trigger." "A schoolmate teased him so he beat him to death." "Then poured petrol over him and burnt him." "These days he's stable." "No need to keep him here, medically speaking." "We discharged him to his parents' care." " When?" " Ten days ago." "His mother came and got him." "His file went to the attorney's office." "Parents, Agnes and Hubert Kolar." "Agnes and Hubert..." "That could well be." "What's their name?" "Agnes and Hubert Kolar." "Very good." "Thank you." " Kunz." " I found them." "Me too." "Fred Kolar, fine." "I'm halfway to the Prater." "I found two of the children." "You'd better come over." "Hello, I'm from the police." "Oliver Taschner and Jasmin Götz?" "Yes." "Is Jennifer home?" "No." "I thought you three were together." "Ouch!" "Don't worry, Mum." "It will be okay." "We'll find Jennifer." "Yes, go and see her mum." "Okay." " Thanks." " You?" "I won't talk to my mum." "We must find Jennifer first." "Okay." " You know this area well?" " Yes." "Mr Kolar used to work in the gravel pit." "After an accident he retired early." "Decent people." "Then this thing happened with their son." "I think his name was Fredi." "The other kids teased him and he finally cracked." "They live in that isolated house." " We just went there." " You went over there?" " We wanted to make a call." " And?" "This weird guy stood by his motorbike and sidecar." "He wouldn't let us in, said he had no phone." " Of course they have." " Motorbike and sidecar..." "Let's go." "You two come with me." "Look at this, Jasmin." "Yes, that's her writing." "She likes playing for money." "What's up?" "Don't worry, she's just unconscious." " Christian, ring the parents." " Right." "Well?" "Everything okay?" "We're so glad we found you." "Right, Rex�"