The Killer

The prison director squirmed on the phone. "We released the Halter six weeks ago, Inspector." He was very embarrassed when Ron shouted into the phone, asking why it wasn't in the database yet. "We have a staff shortage, Inspector. We can't do some things immediately." Ron had calmed down. "I'm coming to Graz on the next train, be ready! And I want to speak to the officers who were responsible for the owner!" Ron hung up without a greeting, without any kindness. He immediately took the first train to Graz.

Prison director Robert Gessing and prison guard Udo Perschin were already in the meeting room when Ron entered. Gessing confirmed once again that Frank Halter had been released six weeks earlier, on April 4th. He had served six of his seven years and, after six years, had been legitimately released for good behavior. Perschin had testified in his favor; Halter had never caused any trouble, he was quiet and polite, but he hadn't made any particular friends in the prison. He was legally educated and had advised some inmates. "Not at all unpleasant, that fellow," Perschin concluded.

Ron wanted to know what books Halter had read. Udo Perschin already had the list at hand. Primarily Russian authors: Tolstoy, Pushkin, and others. He subscribed to two newspapers, the daily Kurier and the Standard, which, as required, were delivered to him with a one-week delay. Halter was allowed two hours of internet access daily; that was permitted. He had no email contact with anyone; he never used his email account.

Perschin had printed out random copies of his internet browsing history and presented them. Ron took them to Vienna. He returned to Vienna without any new information. Something had changed there. Rosa Morgentau, a police officer and Bodnar's lover, had joined the three musketeers. The pretty, dark-haired Jewish woman smiled provocatively into Ron's eyes. She flirted quite openly. "We're now the Jewish quartet, the quartet is complete!" she said, smiling. She had a doctorate in criminal psychology and was a computer specialist, and she took over the online research. Ron gave her the printouts of the browser histories. "Find out what he was searching for on the internet." She began immediately.

Eisen had completed the Theresa Stanzl file. They laid the three files side by side; all three had been murdered by Frank Halter in the past two months. Why? What was the motive? Why had Halter chosen these three in particular? What connected them? After much deliberation, Morgentau had an idea. All three had initially worked as informants before becoming police officers. They had been infiltrated into Artem and Frank's network and had testified in court. They had all given themselves to Artem and Frank to obtain information and had also testified extensively in court about the sexual aspect. At the time, they were all blonde, pretty, and young, and had been Artem's and Frank's lovers for a time. The others hadn't noticed this yet. Morgentau immediately continued her research; there were a total of eleven informants with the same characteristics, including the sexual aspect, concerning Galebnikov and Halter. Ron decided to inform the eight remaining female police officers and their superiors. They had to be given personal protection. Ron also sent the latest photo of Frank Halter, even though it was already six years old. He was the threat; he wanted to kill the policewomen. Only one couldn't be reached, Bina Mudak; she was on vacation visiting relatives in Odessa, Ukraine.

Morgentau called in the evening and said she had a lead and would come see him immediately. Ron was slightly annoyed; he had to send the Turkish girl, Fatme, away before Morgentau showed up. He drank the bottle of red wine with Rosa he had originally intended for the young Turkish woman.

He woke from a nap. Rosa had put her negligee back on, but she was completely naked underneath and sat at the table with her papers. Ron pulled on his trousers and sat down next to her. "Well, what was so urgent?" he asked quietly, his annoyance long since gone. Morgentau had discovered that Frank Halter had been thoroughly investigating the Artem Galebnikov case. He had reviewed the court files, but she couldn't find out where he had gotten a password. He had obviously read through the list of all those involved—witnesses and counter-witnesses, prosecutors and defense attorneys — several times. Artem Galebnikov was accused of espionage, money laundering, and human trafficking; the evidence was overwhelming. Artem Galebnikov hanged himself while in pretrial detention. Frank Halter, presumably Galebnikov's son, was one of his contacts but was not charged. Then he shot and killed a prosecution witness whose testimony could have been very dangerous for both Artem and himself. Frank Halter received a seven-year sentence and was imprisoned in Graz. "That was good work, Rosa!" said Ron.

Rosa laughed heartily and interrupted him as he began to speak. "Don't worry about that, Ronald! I was Rosenblatt's lover first, then Eisen's, and now Bodnar's. Don't worry about it, that's just how it goes. — By the way, I have to go; Bodnar will be here around ten." Ron watched her with shining eyes as she dressed provocatively. "We can't continue this," he said firmly. "I'm in a committed relationship, and I'm not giving it up." Rosa looked at him for a long time. "Okay, Ronald, message received." Ron glanced at his wristwatch; it was just after 9. He called Fatme, his young lover. "Of course," she said, "I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Ron turned on the television and waited. This felt right; as Hakim Elbagr, he felt comfortable in the arms of the young Turkish girl. "A colleague came to see me on business, with an urgent matter. Hopefully, it won't happen again soon." Fatme nodded in agreement. Hakim had never lied to her, but there was no need to ask if he'd screwed with the colleague. Of course, she knew from the beginning that he was actually a policeman. He'd given her pimp a real beating and straightened him out, that's how Hakim got Fatme off the streets, and she came to him every evening for the past fifteen months. Fatme, who liked Ron very much, clung to him like a true, passionate lover.

The next day, they added Artem Galebnikov's file. It was a thick file, much thicker than Frank Halter's. They compared all the facts about Artem and Frank. Both had been born in Odessa. According to Frank's file, Artem could be Frank's "unknown" father; he had been the lover of Frank's mother, Roxane Halter, around the time in question. All three of them had come to Vienna from Ukraine in 1992. Frank's mother still lived in Vienna. Ron drove to her house with Morgentau. They hardly spoke on the way; Rosa was concentrating on driving, and he had little desire to talk about the matter. Frank's mother opened the door, a small, delicate woman with steely eyes. She spoke German quite well and offered tea and sweet biscuits.

No, she hadn't seen Frank for six years, she claimed. "Well, through the thick acrylic glass in prison. He's free?" she asked with feigned interest. Ron and Rosa looked at each other. He said, "Frank's been free for six weeks — no, seven weeks — and I'm sure he's contacted you, Mrs. Halter!" Her gray eyes flickered. "Yes, he called me about three days ago, but I thought he was still in prison. He didn't say anything about his release, though." Ron and Morgentau exchanged another glance. That was probably a lie, but they couldn't continue like this. Morgentau changed the subject.

"According to our files, Artem Galebnikov was Frank's father, is that correct?" Mrs. Halter showed no reaction. "If it says so in your files. — But as far as I know, Artem has been dead for a long time. He hanged himself in his cell, they said." For the first time, a slight tremor could be heard in her voice. "Yes, that's what it says in our files, Mrs. Halter. I'll note that you confirm his paternity, Mrs. Halter." Mrs. Halter didn't react, but she didn't deny it either. Ron was surprised at how skillful Morgentau was. Morgentau nocked the next arrow on her bow.

"From Frank's file, I gathered that you raised Frank alone?" was Rosa's next question. Ron sensed that Rosa was about to attack and quickly release the arrow. Mrs. Halter now confirmed in a firm voice that she had raised Frank alone, she wasn't looking for a replacement father for Frank, and no, she herself hadn't had a single affair. "During the interrogations six years ago, Frank stated that he 'didn't have a girlfriend, he had his mother with whom he lived.' Am I to understand that you have an incestuous relationship with Frank?!" Morgentau seemed so unshakably self-assured that Mrs. Halter reacted strongly. "Frank only had me and sometimes his father. I did everything to keep my son from going astray. He shouldn't have to go to prostitutes and lose himself there. I only did what any respectable mother would have done in my place. And certainly nothing incestuous!" She fell silent, ashamed; she was exhausted.

Morgentau looked triumphantly at Ron. He asked, "May we look around the house, Mrs. Halter?" She nodded, tired and exhausted. They went through the rooms, then up to the bedroom in the attic. The bed wasn't made yet; it looked as if it had been the result of a fierce fight, or perhaps a passionate sexual encounter. "You live alone, Mrs. Halter?" Morgentau asked. "You don't have a boyfriend? A lover?" Mrs. Halter shook her head, visibly annoyed. "Boyfriend?! Lover?! Pah! — Aren't I too old for that?!" Morgentau grabbed her hand. "So, Frank stayed here overnight!" It wasn't a question, more of a statement. Mrs. Halter nodded unconsciously and said, "No, Frank wasn't here!" but she couldn't hide the lie in her eyes. "We're leaving!" Mrs. Halter said firmly and went downstairs. She had completely shut down, and the two police officers drove back to the Rossauer Barracks.

Morgentau steered the car and blurted out, "Frank slept at her place, I bet! We have to have the house monitored!" Ron already had his cell phone to his ear and was giving instructions. She continued to rant. "The Halter practically admitted to incest, and I'm one hundred percent certain he'd been hiding with her all along." Ron growled, "We're investigating several murders, Rosa, incest doesn't have the slightest influence in my opinion!" Rosa was silent for a moment. "But the psychological effect...?" Ron interjected thoughtlessly, "I couldn't care less!" Morgentau wasn't giving up yet. "When she opened the door, she was red and slightly sweaty. She buttoned up her housedress first, and she wasn't wearing anything underneath. I saw it and thought we'd disturbed her, maybe she'd just had sex, or maybe just sex all by herself. I didn't think much of it. But now I'm wondering if we're missing something?" Ron's face had darkened considerably. "We're investigating several murders, maybe a serial killer. I don't care about anything else!" Rosa was silent. Ronald didn't want to talk about it anymore, that much was clear. He grumbled conciliatorily, "It's completely irrelevant at the moment whether Frank is or has been screwing with his mother, and it's also completely irrelevant whether we interrupted the old woman while she was masturbating." He composed himself again. "I know, Rosa, you studied psychology, and that's where your interest stems from. Right now, I think we shouldn't attach any importance to sexuality. At least not yet, okay?" Rosa nodded and concentrated on driving.

They arrived at the office and wrote the report together. Ron said, "You questioned her brilliantly, Rosa! I wanted to say that, you were very skillful! Only, the sexual component has nothing to do with the murders. But write it in, I don't care." Rosenblatt and Eisen tried to locate Bina Mudak in Odessa. It seemed significant to Ron that Bina was born in Odessa and had only been in Vienna for 15 years. He searched through Artem Galebnikov's court file again and found Bina. She had been an informant at the time and also a lover of Artem, and later of Frank. She had been a witness for the prosecution against Artem; she only later completed her studies in criminology and joined the police force. Ron showed his discovery to the others. "This is a concrete lead, a very concrete one indeed, if Frank saw himself as Artem's son, which we can only speculate about at present." They went through the files again and again.

Rosa Morgentau sat at her desk, holding the photo of Roxane and Artem. She stared at the picture through the magnifying glass, as if staring would reveal any secrets. Roxane was 14 years old at the time; it was her honeymoon. Roxane was about 5'3" and extremely slim. She had small, girlish breasts with pointed, dark nipples. Her pubic area was barely visible beneath the blondish-reddish fuzz. Artem looked like a giant next to her. He was at least 6'5" and weighed around 275 pounds. A broad-shouldered giant with a hairy chest, he was athletically built and quite muscular. His enormous dick hung almost down to his knees. Rosa squinted and stared through the magnifying glass. She had never seen such a large dick before, and she shuddered at the thought of how it would feel inside her. She quickly pushed the thought aside in shame. She examined his glans and the foreskin, which he had apparently deliberately retracted, under the magnifying glass for quite some time. Mrs. Halter had admitted that Frank's dick was just as large as Artem's. The mere thought that Frank had abused his mother for 30 years made her gasp. Rosa sighed and placed the photograph back in Artem's file.

The next morning brought a surprise. A letter "for Inspector Hofstätter" had been delivered to the gate by a bicycle courier. The gatekeeper had taken the courier's name and phone number. Ron called him immediately. He was out on his route, the courier said, but he was available. He had received the letter from a customer at Café Eiles at around 7:15 or 7:20 a.m. The description matched Frank's photo. Ron called Café Eiles. They confirmed the courier's account; they had never seen the customer before. Ron handed the encrypted message over to the lab. They found Frank's DNA, without a doubt. It took them less than fifteen minutes to decipher the text. A very simple code; the alphabet shifted by one letter with each line. Not very common because it was easy to crack.

To Inspector Hofstätter.

You came very close to me yesterday. I was waiting for you in the cellar and would have shot you both dead. Let my mother out; she knows nothing and shouldn't be dragged into this because of me. I wanted Bina; I've had her for eight days already, and if you hurry, she'll still be warm by noon today. You'll find her, because I liked her very much. Everyone likes Bina. I'll be long gone by the time you find her. She gave me much joy and paid off all her debts to me in installments.

F.J.H.

Ron looked in Artem's file. Frank Jessipowitsch Halter. No one knew what Jessipowitsch meant; in any case, it wasn't his patronymic, as was customary. Ron read the letter twice, five times. Bednar read along, like the others. He sat bolt upright. "One sentence doesn't fit. 'People just like Bina.' - 'People just like Manner.' That must be the clue!" Morgentau was already at the computer. "There are two abandoned Manner production facilities in the city. You now have the addresses on your cell phones."

So they found Bina in one of the old Manner factory buildings in Ottakring. Bodnar and Morgentau had found her and called the others over. Dr. Gangl shook his head. No, the policewoman had been dead for at least six hours, maybe seven, but not eight. The doctor superficially examined her vagina. "A considerable amount of semen; he didn't use a condom this time. The strangulation mark on her neck is the same as with the others, a wire loop, a garrote. The wire restraints around her wrists are like the others, but this one has a gag in her mouth, a T-shirt. Probably her own. I can't say more until after the autopsy." Dr. Gangl turned away, disturbed that it was yet another pretty, young girl. Pretty, blonde, and stone dead. The series of murders was a disaster. He had heard that seven other young female police officers were on the death list.

Rosenblatt completed the dossier on Bina Budak. She was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and was now 28 years old. A translation from Ukrainian: her mother had taken her father to court; he had deflowered Bina far too young and abused her daily for years. Mother and daughter had immigrated here legally about 15 years ago after the father's acquittal. Bina had graduated from high school in Ottakring. During her time at the police academy, she was an informant and had also been infiltrated into Artem and Frank's network. She had given herself completely to both of them and thus obtained sensitive information. She had also testified against Artem in court. She was engaged to a young legal clerk, and they planned to marry after his admission to the bar.

The Yiddish squadron was in shock. Surveillance of Frank's mother had yielded nothing. Police Chief Wallner shook his head and stared at the wall onto which the letter was projected. "He's not finished yet; he's continuing and waiting for us with a gun in his hand. He has no fear and no reason to surrender. He deliberately and effortlessly led us to the latest body. There's currently no lead we can follow. — Morgentau, take on the mother, every day. Squeeze everything out of her! And, damn it, no kid gloves! We're looking for a dangerous killer, a cop killer! There are no kid gloves here!!!" Wallner was truly furious and waved the officers away; they were free to go.

Ron ran into Bodnar at the coffee machine as he was getting a coffee. "Am I imagining things, or has the atmosphere changed?" he asked. Bodnar took his time answering. "Only since you were in bed with Rosa!" So Ron hadn't been mistaken. "Look, Bodnar. I made a mistake, you're right about that. But I told Rosa right away that it can't happen again, because of me. She must have understood. I hope you do too. Without an understanding about this, we can't continue working here." Bodnar didn't reply and left in silence.

A few hours later, Rosenblatt strolled by. After a few inconsequential remarks, he got to the point. "Bodnar explained it to me. I believe you; it was bound to happen. Rosa can't leave anyone out. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon." Eisen approached just then. He nodded when Rosenblatt had finished. He offered Ron his hand. Bodnar wasn't ready until the next morning; he'd had a conversation with Morgentau the previous evening. She confirmed Ron's text. Bodnar wasn't happy about her fickleness, but he was willing to leave Ron alone. However, they had wasted half a day on this little skirmish.

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