The Body on the Beach

by Anna Johannsen

  ‘Hang on, did I miss something? Didn’t our dear Herr Bergendorf have a few friends we were anxious to meet?’

  Johann looked up. ‘That ship has well and truly sailed now Bergendorf’s in hospital. They’ll find out in no time and write him off.’

  ‘Fortunately, I’ve had a word with Warnke. We’ve got forty-eight hours. Search warrant for his house is on the way.’ She pointed to the laptop, which she’d fired up and connected to the Wi-Fi. ‘Guess who this belongs to?’

  Johann straightened up. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m calling in a chatroom meeting for this evening. I’m going to invite the lovely gentlemen to Amrum.’

  ‘You’re going to pretend to be Bergendorf? Why on earth would they come here? They’ll never agree to it.’

  ‘Let’s wait and see. I’m pretty sure they’ve been here before enough times. I just need to think up a good reason – or rather, we do.’

  Johann seemed to warm to the idea. ‘OK, let’s think this through. Those guys know the CID is on the island.’

  ‘You’re right. They need to think we’ve left for the mainland – we decided in the end that the death wasn’t suspicious, so case closed. They have to reckon there’s no risk in them coming.’

  ‘I’m with you so far. But if Lübbers is one of that lot, he’ll know, won’t he?’

  ‘Not necessarily. For all he knows, we did clear off today. There’s no official report through yet from today, and he wouldn’t be expecting one in any case if the death has now been classed as natural.’

  ‘OK, that could work. But that’s not enough to get them to come here. We need something special, something they can only do here.’

  ‘It has to have something to do with the home.’

  ‘Do you think we could sell the idea that Sabine Bohlen’s willing to come to the party? Even though she doesn’t know anything about it?’

  ‘Unlikely. And even if she were, why would they have to come here? To sign a contract? No.’

  ‘True,’ Johann said.

  ‘Let’s take a moment to think. What’s the connecting factor with all these men?’

  ‘Their addiction to sexually abusing innocent children. Their lust for power. Plus, it’s probably a huge money-maker – several birds with one stone, as it were.’

  ‘OK, so they must need a regular supply of new children – not so easy in this day and age. The only way would be to travel abroad or—’

  ‘—Or to transport the children over here,’ Johann said, finishing her thought. ‘Put them on the market for a while and then get rid of them again. Similar to forced prostitution.’

  ‘That’s right. These gentlemen are far too posh to travel to Thailand, to put themselves in perpetual danger of ending up in a prison they can’t simply buy themselves out of. So they need fresh “stock”. Bergendorf might just have come across a new supplier.’

  ‘Purely by coincidence and right at this precise moment? They’ll never buy it. Those guys must be jumpy as hell.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Lena said. ‘Bergendorf needs to explain how exactly he met this new contact.’

  ‘Bohlen! What about Bohlen? He was under a lot of pressure to pay back the money. Maybe it was his contact? He must have been in on it not too long ago.’

  ‘Yes, that might work. He could’ve tried to buy his way out of it with a contact.’ Lena tried to think how the story might have unfolded. ‘Bergendorf kept a low profile while we were on the island, but now we’re gone he can finally talk about this new associate from . . .’

  ‘Romania?’ suggested Johann.

  ‘Yes. The contact from Romania is getting impatient and wants to seal the deal. But he also wants to speak with the lot of them because he doesn’t trust Bergendorf.’

  ‘But isn’t the whole idea to deal with as few real contacts as possible? And to conduct business through middlemen who ideally don’t even know who the real players are?’

  ‘Probably. So why might the Romanian be wanting to meet them all?’ asked Lena.

  ‘It’s too big for Bergendorf to handle.’

  ‘Right,’ Lena said, thinking it over. ‘He doesn’t feel he can decide on his own whether the contact is serious. The deal is huge and there’s a lot of money at stake. Bergendorf needs their support during negotiations.’

  ‘But I doubt the whole lot will show. We’ll be lucky if even one of them turns up – two would be hitting the jackpot.’

  ‘I guess you’re right. If I ask for too much they’ll get suspicious. OK, let’s think up a name for this Romanian.’

  ‘How about Ionescu? I used to know someone from Romania by that name. Sounds authentic enough.’

  Lena agreed. They kept working on the story until she felt sufficiently comfortable with the web of lies they had created. When she noticed Johann’s look of utter exhaustion, she suggested they take a break and he went off to his room.

  Meanwhile, Warnke had been granted the search warrant and had emailed it through to Lena. The constable from Husum called to say that Isabel Müller’s surgery had gone well and Bergendorf’s condition had stabilised once he’d been put in an induced coma.

  Lena reached for her phone and rang Leon.

  ‘Nervous?’ he asked.

  ‘A little. Let’s see how I do “over on the dark side”.’

  ‘You’ll be even better than usual.’

  ‘Wow! Was that a compliment? I’m flattered.’

  Leon laughed. Lena realised she’d never heard him laugh before. ‘You should be. It won’t be happening again.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it. Right, can you help me set up the meeting then?’

  They spent the next half-hour in the mysterious world of the Dark Web. Leon wished her good luck before hanging up.

  Lena closed the laptop and called Warnke. ‘Bergendorf has been a very active chap on the Dark Web, and in one secret chatroom in particular. I was able to recover his last conversation. I’ve called in a meeting for tonight.’

  ‘Right. Well, I won’t ask how you managed all that so quickly, but congratulations. You’re going to set a trap?’

  ‘I won’t manage to get them all to come to Amrum.’

  ‘You’re thinking about a principal witness deal?’

  ‘We’ll see who shows up and go from there.’

  ‘Let me know straight away how it goes, won’t you? I wish you luck, Lena – you’re going to need it.’

  ‘Luck?’ Lena muttered after she’d hung up. ‘I don’t think that’ll be enough to pull this thing off . . .’

  Her phone buzzed. A text. Lena read it and couldn’t help but smile at Erck’s message:

  I’m available if you need a break from chasing criminals? X

  She typed a reply and pressed send:

  Criminals never rest. Call you later x

  She looked at the clock. One hour to go until they found out if the case was closed or if Hein Bohlen’s death had brought about some measure of good. Perhaps it was a way for him to posthumously atone for a small part of his guilt. Lena got up and opened the kitchen window to let in the fresh, salty breeze. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

  Johann and Lena sat side by side. They’d entered the Dark Web shortly before eight and logged into the chatroom. It was a waiting game now.

  One after the other, the names lit up until ‘Schwarz’ arrived and started typing.

  Schwarz: Looks like most of us could make it in spite of the short notice. Let’s wait another 5 minutes in case Weiss turns up.

  Weiss: Apologies. I’m here now. Had appointments.

  Schwarz: I declare the meeting open. Over to you, Berg.

  Berg: I’m sorry we had to meet again so soon, but we have an important decision to make. The good news first: the CID has left the island. And I also have it on good authority that the death is no longer regarded as suspicious.

  Schwarz: Interesting. I hadn’t heard yet. Very well – that’s one less thing to worry about. But that’s not why you called th
e meeting. Why are we here?

  Berg: At my last meeting with HB, he offered an alternative means of repayment: a promising contact from Romania. I didn’t think much of it, to be honest, but then yesterday the man turns up on my doorstep.

  Rose: Get to the point. What’s this all about?

  Berg: Steady on! I wouldn’t have bothered you if it wasn’t important.

  Beil: We’re waiting!!

  Berg: He’s offering excellent stock from Romania and Belarus at a highly competitive price.

  Schwarz: How can you tell?

  Berg: He had photos. Good photos. He’d organise freight both ways. We’d pick and choose from a catalogue, delivery within the week.

  Rose: Cost?

  Berg: As I said, highly competitive. If the boys are only half as good as in the pictures . . .

  Schwarz: Chatroom protocol, please.

  Berg: Sorry. The stock looks excellent. Though I wouldn’t want to stick my neck out for this Romanian.

  Weiss: I think it sounds good. How are we supposed to close the deal, Berg?

  Schwarz: We need to be absolutely certain. How do we know who’s behind this guy?

  Weiss: Berg would’ve already checked him out?

  Berg: As far as I could at short notice. Looks clean.

  Weiss: Told you it sounds good.

  Schwarz: Since when are you so happy to take a risk?

  Weiss: I’m not, but I trust Berg. Don’t you?

  Beil: Of course we do. That’s one of our founding principles. Well, Berg, what’s the next step?

  Berg: We’re talking a rather large sum. I don’t want to decide on my own.

  Schwarz: Let him make us an offer, the usual way. Then we’ll see.

  Berg: That’s just the problem. He’s only here for two more days and wants the deal done and dusted. He’s coming back tomorrow at 7 p.m.

  Schwarz: Strange way of conducting business.

  Weiss: Snap out of it, Schwarz. What do you need, Berg?

  Berg: I need on-site support. Can anyone get here tomorrow and help me check it out?

  Weiss: Would if I could, but I’m in Barcelona with meetings I can’t cancel. What about you, Schwarz? And Beil? You’ve got plenty of spare time, haven’t you?

  Schwarz: This is happening way too fast. We need to slow things down.

  Berg: That’s what I told the Romanian, but he wasn’t interested. I think he’s got other interested parties besides us.

  Weiss: Beil, are you in?

  Beil: If I must. But not on my own.

  Weiss: Schwarz?

  Schwarz: Do we have all the facts in place?

  Berg: Yes, as far as I can tell. We could close the deal tomorrow. The Romanian is definitely a professional. I could tell.

  Schwarz: Fair enough, but I only hope you’re right. It’s quite a hassle to organise.

  Berg: Trust me! I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t think it was worth it.

  Rose: So that’s it for now? Report back to the rest of us ASAP. You three have full authority to close the deal. Anyone not in favour?

  Schwarz: Looks like we’re agreed. I’m calling the meeting closed.

  Lena breathed a sigh of relief as the last user logged off. She hadn’t thought it would be this easy. Luckily, ‘Weiss’ had supported her. Her phone buzzed and she checked the display. Leon.

  You were good. Congratulations. I wasn’t too bad either, was I?

  Lena grinned. Evidently, ‘Weiss’ hadn’t been able to make it and Leon had taken his place.

  22

  Erck knocked against the side of the beach chair. ‘Room for a little one?’

  Lena moved to the side and lifted her blanket. ‘Don’t take up all the space, will you?’

  Erck leaned down to kiss her. ‘I’ve never needed a lot of room.’

  Lena pulled him down beside her. ‘How was your day?’

  ‘Probably not as interesting as yours.’

  Aside from managing holiday homes, Erck also set up websites for his clients and, where necessary, fixed leaky pipes or broken heaters.

  ‘You might well be right about today, but I also spend plenty of time at my desk writing reports and researching boring stuff.’

  ‘So you caught the crooks then? I heard the air ambulance come twice.’

  Lena held her index finger to her lips. ‘Let’s keep that for another time.’ She pulled a bottle of white wine from a pocket in the beach chair and handed Erck a glass.

  ‘What are we toasting?’ he asked once their glasses were filled.

  ‘To the fact that I feel so wonderfully comfortable around you,’ Lena said with a smile.

  ‘Sounds marvellous! And ditto.’

  She raised her glass and chinked it against his. ‘We’re in agreement then.’

  He took a sip. ‘Haven’t we always been – most of the time?’

  ‘Sometimes ninety-nine per cent is just not enough.’

  ‘I hate that one per cent with all my heart.’

  Lena kissed his lips. ‘My hero. Let’s forget everything for tonight. Promise?’

  He nodded. ‘For the rest of our lives is fine by me too.’

  Dawn was breaking outside. Lena had woken a few minutes earlier and stood gazing at the sky out of Erck’s bedroom window.

  ‘Was that our last night together?’ Erck asked quietly behind her.

  ‘I thought you were still asleep.’

  ‘Is that your reply?’

  Lena turned to him. ‘Would you want a long-distance relationship?’

  ‘I don’t work much in winter. I could come over to Kiel.’

  ‘And the other eight months?’

  ‘Don’t you have a branch in Husum or something?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘Is Kiel that important to you?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘Can’t you become a fisherwoman or a doctor or something? God, I don’t know . . .’ Erck swallowed. ‘Who on earth would think of doing such a crazy job?’

  ‘I like it and it suits me. You know that.’

  ‘Will I see you again?’

  ‘Do you want to?’

  ‘Would I ask if I didn’t?’

  ‘Can you give me some time?’

  ‘More time?’

  Lena said nothing. Why was she here, in fact? Hadn’t she known there’d be no simple hello and goodbye with Erck? He wasn’t the type for a one-night stand. He’d been her first true love. True love – hadn’t she always hated that kind of sentimental bullshit? Pure imagination, an absolute pack of lies.

  ‘You’d soon hate me and curse me and—’

  ‘Why don’t you let that be my problem? You’re an adult, I’m an adult. Nothing else matters.’

  ‘Can you please just hold me?’

  Erck pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  ‘Morning,’ Johann said when Lena walked into the kitchen. ‘I hope you didn’t fall asleep in that beach chair?’

  ‘Morning! Nope, I’m about twenty years too old for that. Any news?’

  ‘I rang the hospital. Isabel Müller is stable. The DNA result from the clothing is in. As we thought: Bergendorf. He and Bohlen must’ve had an argument on the day Bohlen died. A pretty bad argument, I’d say – at least a scuffle, if not more. I’m guessing Bergendorf came off second best. Hein Bohlen was at least a head taller than him, not to mention stronger.’

  ‘Maybe that explains Bohlen’s desperation. If he really went for Bergendorf, he must have known the banker would land him in deep trouble – that’s why he hardly showed his face at the children’s home that day and quickly went out on his usual night-time walk.’

  ‘Bergendorf’s still in an induced coma. They don’t know if he’ll make it.’

  ‘Can Isabel Müller be interviewed yet?’

  ‘Yes, the doctor said that would be fine.’

  Lena grabbed the ferry timetable. ‘Next ferry goes in twenty minutes. We can be back this afternoon in time to meet the special unit.’

&nbs
p; Johann stood up and grinned. ‘Bugger. I was hoping for the helicopter.’

  ‘Hello, Frau Müller,’ Lena said.

  ‘Don’t waste your breath. I’m not talking to you.’

  Isabel Müller lay in a single-bed room with a policeman standing guard outside her door and a policewoman inside with her. Her right shoulder was heavily bandaged and her face looked drawn, with dark shadows under her eyes.

  Lena asked the young policewoman to leave them for a while. At Lena’s signal, Johann also left the room.

  ‘It’s important you understand that I’m only going to say this once. If you don’t talk, you’ve missed your chance.’ Lena waited until Isabel gave an almost imperceptible nod. ‘I’m a policewoman and it was my duty to try to save Bergendorf’s life. Believe me when I say it wasn’t easy. Everything I told you was more or less the truth. We’re on to those men and I’m doing everything in my power to catch them. Do you follow?’ Isabel Müller nodded again. ‘Bergendorf’s in a coma and we don’t know if he’ll make it. I’m not supposed to tell you this, but I’m making an exception. If we can’t get at those men through Bergendorf we have to find another way. I know you swapped Bohlen’s medication and we can prove it. You were hoping he’d have a heart attack. You’ll be questioned on the matter and on your attack on Bergendorf at a later stage. Right now I’m interested in anything you might know about these men. Do you have any idea as to their identities? How did you find out about Bergendorf? What happened to your brother? Did he give you any names?’

  At last Isabel Müller began to talk, haltingly. Her brother had first tried to kill himself at fourteen and was repeatedly placed in psychiatric-care settings. His feelings of guilt and shame had prevented him from opening up. Not even the psychologists had managed to get through to him. Florian only started disclosing details from the past to his sister shortly before his suicide in Oldenburg. She’d started her research once she’d recovered from the initial shock. Hein Bohlen was the first man she’d identified, but according to her brother he hadn’t taken part in the sexual abuse itself. Apparently, he was responsible for picking out the boys and keeping them in check. She didn’t find out anything else until after Florian’s death, when she’d found the diaries he’d kept during his time at the different children’s homes. From Florian’s detailed descriptions of the men who raped him, she’d identified five different individuals.