The Northern Cross (A Baltic Sea Crime Novel Book 2)

by Hendrik Falkenberg

  “Did Mrs. Schweiger ever claim you were having an affair with Alexander?” asked Isabelle.

  “No, I would have let her have it. Why?”

  Hannes cleared his throat and related what Rebecca Köhler had shared. Melissa Vogt’s eyes widened, but she didn’t seem to harbor any resentment against her.

  “That pig,” she said about Bach. “He treated her like shit and was only using her for information. It’s true, I sleep with other men. I’ve never made a secret of it. But not with Alex. My husband and I have an open relationship, so it’s not like I’m sneaking around.”

  Isabelle hesitantly pointed out that not everyone agreed with open relationships, especially not the murderer. Although Isabelle was careful to conceal the fact that there had yet to be a victim for the Sixth Commandment, Mrs. Vogt recognized the scope of the situation.

  “So you think I’m in danger?” Mrs. Vogt ran her hands through her hair. “I can’t believe I’d become the target of a madman, but it’s possible. I keep feeling like someone’s following me.”

  “What makes you say that?” Hannes asked.

  “At first, I thought I was just imagining things. But recently, I’ve been getting the impression that a man’s been following me on a bicycle. It’s always in the evening when I leave the studio. Yesterday, I thought he photographed me when I got home. But maybe he was just taking a picture of the building. I live in a beautiful old apartment building.”

  “Do you remember what the man looked like?”

  “No, it was already dark. I’m not even sure if it was the same man.”

  “Have you had any problems with the Church of the Creator?” Hannes asked.

  “Antje told me there had been incidents from time to time. I never experienced anything myself, but I only joined the group last spring. Supposedly there had been a confrontation at the summer festival, but I wasn’t there. And I’m done going to New Way now. As much as I’m interested in the group, I wouldn’t risk my life for it.”

  “That’s understandable,” Hannes said. It was clear Melissa Vogt had to be placed under police protection. The evidence was alarming.

  “I can’t imagine that someone from the Church of the Creator would be behind the killings,” Mrs. Vogt said. “Antje told me they hold some pretty radical views, but the tensions seemed to have died down recently.”

  “What makes you say that?” Isabelle asked.

  “Both sides were anxious to put the incidents of the summer behind them. I’ve seen Mr. Schweiger speaking with someone from the church several times, and it didn’t look like they were about to rip each other’s heads off.”

  Federsen was no longer at the station by the time Isabelle and Hannes had returned. Marcel was on his way out. It was his eldest son’s seventh birthday the next day, and he still had some errands to run for the party. His Sunday was going to be particularly stressful, since he would be stuck entertaining eleven children all afternoon, and bad weather had been predicted. Against his wife’s wishes, he had bought a children’s movie just in case.

  “The Little Ghost,” Isabelle read with a grin.

  “Do you think it’s an appropriate film for seven-year-olds?” Per asked. “Your kids will joke about it for weeks if you put it on.”

  “You think?” Marcel asked. “Are they too old for this?”

  “Your wife’s probably right. You spend too little time at home,” Isabelle teased.

  “Whatever. It’s not like I can put on a movie starring Alexander Kramer. Where are those DVDs anyway?”

  “Why do you ask?” Clarissa smirked. “Do you need to entertain your wife at the party as well?”

  Marcel gave her a withering look.

  Per coughed in embarrassment. “Uh . . . well, they might be lying around my place. I couldn’t bring myself to watch them here, so I took them home.”

  For a brief moment, there was dead silence, then the whole room shook with laughter. The confession had a cathartic effect. It had been too long since they had joked together.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Per muttered. His face was red, but he couldn’t help but grin. “I just wanted to see if there were any . . . clues.”

  “And? Were there?” Isabelle wiped tears from her eyes. “Besides the fact that this Alex was a real stallion?”

  “I paid more attention to his costar,” Per said. “But seriously, the second film takes place in a church, and good luck finding a religious person who wouldn’t be upset by it. Not only is Kramer tied to a cross while his colleague . . . Well, you get the point. I’m just surprised they found a church that let them film it on their premises.”

  “It definitely wasn’t the Church of the Creator,” Marcel joked, putting an end to the conversation. “Mrs. Vogt is now under police protection. She’s the perfect victim for the perp. And it seems he’s already had her in his sights.”

  Per was already thinking ahead. “What if he turns his attention to someone else? Suppose David Bach’s following her. When he realizes she’s under protection, he might look for someone new. His ex-girlfriend is also under protection, but who knows who else did something reprehensible in his eyes.”

  Marcel stared at him. “What do you want me to say? We’re not able to provide police protection to everyone. We need reasonable suspicion.”

  There was a moment of frustrated silence until Isabelle spoke. “I think everyone’s in danger. Hopefully anyone would contact us the moment they notice something suspicious. But as we saw today with Mrs. Vogt, sometimes you need to press the issue.”

  “Then we have to keep in close touch with all the members,” Marcel said. “Per and Clarissa, that’ll be your job.”

  “Agreed,” Clarissa said. “I can also warn the three former members of New Way. A woman moved back to Regensburg last winter to take care of her parents, and a couple moved to San Francisco. He’s been working for a consulting company there since May, and his wife takes care of their newborn.”

  “Thanks,” Marcel said. “Carlos di Santo, on the other hand, is one odd duck according to you. It’s no surprise he keeps calling us to complain about his neighbors. He has pictures of Benjamin Lück in his apartment and left New Way on bad terms. We can’t rule out revenge. However, we haven’t been able to find any connections between him and David Bach or the Church of the Creator.”

  “I spoke with members who’ve been around longer,” Clarissa said. “It seems there are differing opinions about him. Some felt sorry for him because when he’s not depressed, he seems to be a nice guy. Mr. Beck was concerned and asked what kind of impression we had of him. He blames himself for taking away the last thing Mr. di Santo had to hold on to. I tried to ease his conscience, but it sounds like di Santo didn’t give you the impression of being too stable. Others had a more negative opinion of him. The Schweigers and Grafs had wanted to get rid of him for a long time, but couldn’t get their way. It seems Benjamin Lück had always defended him.”

  “Were there any rumors that di Santo and Lück were a couple?”

  “Well, I couldn’t be that blunt. I hinted at it. Some thought maybe. Mrs. Schweiger immediately screamed, ‘I figured!’ Mr. Beck also guessed where I was going, but couldn’t imagine it.”

  “He just doesn’t have the excellent observation skills that Mrs. Schweiger has,” Per joked. “I asked around at the theater and spoke with Lück’s friends,” he continued. “Carlos didn’t ring any bells with them, but a colleague from the theater said it was possible.”

  “There’s still a chance. Sometimes we’re more likely to tell strangers certain things instead of our loved ones. Maybe Hannes will have more luck with the bouncer tonight,” Marcel said optimistically.

  Hannes was annoyed that he let Ben talk him into going bowling. The week had been exhausting enough, and he would have loved a quiet evening with Anna. Everything was still fresh, and they spent way too little time together to make the most of things. On the other hand, he didn’t want to forget about his friends and looked fo
rward to seeing Ines, Kalle, and Elke again.

  Anna had been skeptical at first. She barely knew Hannes’s friends, and she was certain that as Hannes’s new girlfriend, all eyes would be on her. But as usual, Ben could be counted on to defuse awkward situations.

  “So a hot brunette snatched our athlete!” he shouted with a grin as he turned the corner on his rusty bike and saw the pair waiting. They quickly let go of each other, and Anna wiped some lipstick off Hannes’s neck.

  “Rub all you want at the hickey, it’s not going anywhere,” Ben joked and tugged at the red wool cap covering his dreadlocks.

  They had arranged to meet at a bowling alley on the outskirts of town and would head into the city for drinks afterward. That gave Hannes the chance to make a quick detour and see the bouncer at La Bella Vita.

  The others showed up shortly after Ben. Ines and Kalle had returned a week ago from their trip to the Seychelles—both very tanned. As always, Hannes had to suppress a smile as they walked over. Ines was stronger and a good deal taller than her spindly boyfriend. He looked a little bit like Harry Potter, despite his large nose. They formed a very odd couple, but a couple that was usually of one heart and one mind. Kalle was somewhat reserved, while Ines could strike up a conversation with anyone. She had turned thirty the previous summer, which made her the youngest in the group. That evening, however, the air seemed thick between them.

  “Things aren’t looking too rosy today, are they?” Ben whispered into Hannes’s ear. “How was paradise?” he shouted to the newcomers.

  “The Seychelles were amazing,” said Ines. Her makeup was understated, but her pageboy haircut had been livened up with blonde highlights. “But we learned that all-inclusive vacations really aren’t our thing.”

  Kalle concurred. “The first week was okay, but we started getting bored at the resort. Island hopping probably would have been better.”

  “Why didn’t you take a few side trips then?” Elke asked.

  “You get so used to the luxurious resort accommodations, you just become listless. We couldn’t get ourselves to do anything,” he said.

  Ines excused herself from the group and pulled Anna inside the bowling alley.

  “What have you been up to?” Ben asked Kalle, who stood with slumped shoulders.

  “Christmas. She insists we go to her parents’ and then to mine. You know how incredibly stressful her mother can be. I suggested we celebrate alone this year, and we’ve been arguing about it for days. I let it slip that she sounds just like her mother. She really let me have it.”

  “Well, that was stupid,” Elke said and laughed. “You never tell a woman she’s like her mother.”

  The group followed Anna and Ines into the building. Hannes hadn’t considered Christmas—it’d be the last thing on anyone’s mind when dealing with dead bodies. Anna’s mother had died two years ago after a serious illness. She and her father had a somewhat ambivalent relationship, but she loved her younger brother dearly. Should he drag her to see his family for Christmas? It would be a three-hour train ride. And three days could be very long, especially since his mother had a habit of interrogating new girlfriends. He pushed the thought aside for the time being and was pleased to see that Ines and Anna were getting along. Ines was almost back to her old self. She sniffed her rental shoes.

  “If we get into the habit of bowling, I’m buying my own shoes,” she said. “Yuck.”

  “You could always play barefoot,” Kalle joked.

  They played three rounds, with Kalle placing dead last every time. But things seemed back on track with his girlfriend, so he didn’t care. Hannes realized that Anna had regularly beat him.

  After bowling, they headed to a bar downtown. Hannes figured it wouldn’t be the last stop of the night, and excused himself for an hour around ten o’clock. Since Anna had just begun discussing job opportunities with Ines, he could leave her alone for a while. He wanted to get to La Bella Vita before it got too crowded.

  The bouncer at the club recognized Hannes right away.

  “Mr. Lück mentioned having a problematic relationship with his boyfriend,” Hannes said. “Does that ring a bell?”

  “Possibly. He had issues.”

  “Depression?” Hannes asked.

  “Yeah. He took drugs, but wouldn’t see a therapist. Benny said his depression was due to something else. His friend wasn’t out and would always hide the relationship in public. That bothered him—he didn’t want a secret relationship.”

  Hannes nodded. The description fit Carlos di Santo. He thanked the doorman and wished him a quiet evening. He had only taken a few steps when the bouncer called after him.

  “You know, I think his boyfriend was from South America. Brazil or something.”

  CHAPTER 21

  The party had raged all night. After stopping at various bars, the group had wound up at a club around two o’clock in the morning. Ben had met a petite exchange student from Vietnam and probably hadn’t gone home alone.

  Anna and Hannes spent Sunday afternoon by the sea. The strong wind from the north helped to clear their heads. Still, the walk didn’t last long. They peeled off their thick jackets in a small café and made plans for Anna’s future. Ines, who worked for the Red Cross as an aid worker, had inspired her the night before.

  “It would be great if I could do something meaningful,” said Anna as she rubbed her nose. She often did this whenever she was lost in thought.

  “I’m sure there are companies that make meaningful products,” Hannes said. “Maybe a solar panel manufacturer? Or wind power? That might be a better fit for the weather here.”

  “Yeah, I could see that. But I’d rather work with people.”

  They didn’t get very far, but at least Anna seemed more motivated. That evening, she scoured the Internet for potential employers, and Hannes hoped she didn’t discover her dream job in some far-off place.

  Hannes gave Marcel a call. He sounded exhausted—a children’s birthday party was no picnic.

  “You should see what it looks like over here,” Marcel moaned. “Think long and hard whether you really want to do this to yourself.”

  After venting his frustration, Marcel summed up recent progress. Isabelle and Per had paid another visit to Carlos di Santo, who had flat-out denied being gay and had flown into a rage at the very suggestion of his having had an intimate relationship with Benjamin Lück. It seemed like New Way’s former treasurer was stonewalling. Hannes thought Clarissa might be better at breaching his defenses. He had portrayed himself as a victim of bullying and felt cut off from the rest of the world. The curtains in his apartment were drawn, and he only left to go grocery shopping.

  After the chaos of the children’s birthday party, Marcel had gone to see the Schweigers. He had wanted to form his own opinion of them, but following a memorable performance by Sabine Schweiger, he had to agree with his colleagues. But whether her judgmental ways made her a person of interest was a different matter. Asked about his relationship with the Church of the Creator, Mr. Schweiger said he had tried to mediate between the two groups. It was of mutual interest for the fighting to stop.

  Hannes asked, “Who did Schweiger contact in his attempts at mediation?”

  “Mr. Ahrendt and Frank Meister, who seems to be the pastor’s right-hand man.”

  “So, ironically, two of the more hard-core members. That doesn’t make sense.”

  “It does according to Mr. Schweiger. They’re the opinion makers. If you want to change something, you have to go through them.”

  “Then let’s hope that his efforts bear fruit. I don’t want to have to visit another crime scene.”

  On Monday, Frank Meister’s seized and encrypted laptop was evaluated. The results were devastating. They had already found a disturbing amount of information on the members of New Way at David Bach’s apartment, but it dwarfed in comparison to what they found on Meister’s hard drive. He had a separate folder with general information on the group, plus pictures and an Excel
document listing nearly all the members and their addresses, license plates, phone numbers, and occupations. There was also a column in which an X was marked next to fifteen names, including the four victims.

  The other eleven members were offered police protection, and only a few declined. Among them were the Becks and Grafs, who refused to be intimidated. Hartmann, the department store owner, and an elderly lady also refused. But even those who refused agreed to have an officer check in periodically.

  E-mails between David Bach and Frank Meister confirmed the presumption that Bach wasn’t acting alone. While Bach used an anonymous e-mail address, Meister used Outlook. The two of them had agreed to spy on New Way members, and Bach had passed on all the information he had obtained from Rebecca Köhler. It also emerged that the altercation during the summer festival and the destruction of the sculpture had been planned. And Meister had sent the picture of the Devil found in Mr. Beck’s mailbox to Bach. The anonymous complaint filed against Mr. Beck accusing him of working as a psychiatrist was also found on the hard drive.

  “Take a look at these pamphlets,” Clarissa said and passed around the printouts. “We know he’s very religious, but these suggest he’s a fanatic. We already found religious literature at his place, but there were videos of some hair-raising sermons on his laptop. His web-browser history’s also interesting.”

  Frank Meister was interested in militant antiabortionists and had scoured message boards that dealt with religious crimes. He had shown particular interest in the recent string of murders.

  “But the same could be said for many people,” said Per.

  “True,” Clarissa said and rolled her eyes. “But few people would have information on how to produce Rohypnol and what effect it has. Frank Meister did. But he only started looking two weeks ago, which doesn’t quite fit our time frame. The drug was used about five weeks earlier in the death of Alexander Kramer.”