(Not) a perfect crime E-Book

Stephan Funke

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 262

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Is Rainer Hofmann a murderer or is the retired detective superintendent just a pawn in a murderous game? This is the question that Jasmin Franke, senior investigator at the Hamburg Homicide Division, has to ask herself when a woman's body is found, horribly disfigured beyond recognition. The only lead for the police is a business card belonging to Rainer Hofmann that was found on the dead woman's chest. But it's not just Rainer and Jasmin who are interested in this sensational case. Successful crime writer Nina Strahl, who has recently suffered a series of failures, also sees great potential in the case for a new book, and journalist Rick van Dyck, who dreams of becoming an influencer, now sees his chance. Will the case give him the big opportunity he's been waiting for?

Leseprobe

Summary

Is Rainer Hofmann a murderer or is the retired detective inspector just a pawn in a murderous game? This is the question Jasmin Franke, lead investigator of the Hamburg homicide squad, has to ask herself when a woman's body is found, disfigured beyond recognition. The only clue the police have is a business card from Rainer Hofmann on the dead woman's chest. But Rainer and Jasmin are not the only ones interested in the sensational case. Successful crime writer Nina Strahl, who has had to cope with recent failures, also sees great potential in the case for a new book, and journalist Rick van Dyck, who dreams of making it as an influencer, now sees his chance. Does the case offer him a great opportunity?

Chapter 1

"When are we on air?" the blonde reporter asked her cameraman as she checked herself again in a small hand mirror and powdered her nose.

"Ten seconds," was the short answer from the cameraman, who panned the camera to the courthouse. Then he silently counted down the last five seconds, stopped on the large building, panned over the many onlookers and then stopped as a close-up on the reporter.

"Good morning, my name is Yvonne Graf and I'm reporting live from Hamburg, where one of the most spectacular criminal cases in recent years will begin today. Rarely has a series of murders attracted as much public interest as this case. Was it because of the people involved? Was it the special circumstances of the crime scenes or was it simply the media that made this case so popular in the first place? The number of onlookers and press representatives from all over the world is unparalleled in the recent past."

The cameraman zoomed out of the close-up into the long shot and followed the reporter, who approached a woman in her mid-thirties who was standing right next to her.

"May I speak to you briefly? Why did you come here this morning?"

"Well, that's clear. I'm glad that the monster has finally been caught and now I'm hoping for a fair sentence."

"At last the city streets are safe again," another woman right next to her joined in the conversation.

"It could have happened to anyone. Maybe I would have been next."

"Thank you very much," said the reporter, turning to an elderly man who was holding his little dachshund in his arms.

"What brings you here to court this morning or did you just happen to be here because you were out for a walk?"

"No. I'm certainly not here by chance. I've only seen this kind of thing on TV. All the media hype, it's quite an event. I don't want to miss out on it."

Without asking a question, the reporter held the microphone up to a group of young people.

"That's some fucked up shit. I've seen photos of one of the victims. Totally intense. Especially because you know it was all real blood."

"Don't you have to be at school?" asked an older lady who was standing right next to them.

"Take it easy, Grandma. Our teacher even sent us here specially. We're supposed to report on it in class tomorrow. Are we live on TV now? Hello, Mrs. Wagner. It's really cool here. You'll get a bombshell report from us tomorrow. Swear." The microphone was panned to a woman in her early forties.

"I'm totally excited. I think I've just seen a very well-known film director from Hollywood. I can't think of the name, but I read on the internet the other day that the big film studios and streaming service providers are already fighting over who gets to film the material first."

"I think there will also be a book about these atrocities. A lot of people will make a lot of money from it," said a man standing next to the woman.

"And what do you think?" asked the reporter.

"That's totally reprehensible ethically. You have to think about the victims, they are already suffering enough. And then money is made out of their misery."

"And will they buy the movie or the books?"

"Well, of course. This is where it all went down — right here in Hamburg. How cool is that?"

Chapter 2

Approximately one year before

Rainer took one last deep drag from his cigarette and threw the remaining stub into the puddle in front of him. He folded up the collar of his ageing coat and looked up at the rainy Hamburg sky. How he loved this city and how much he hated the rain. On days like this, he liked to think back to his youth in Catalonia. The sun shone there almost all year round. He had now lived in Hamburg for over fifty years and should have gotten used to Hamburg's dirty weather. Hamburg and Barcelona had a lot in common. Both cities were on the water and were the second largest cities in their respective countries. Both cities had a big traditional soccer club. Even if the days when Hamburg Sportverein was one of Europe’s biggest clubs are long past. Rainer was nevertheless a fan of both clubs and had been a member of both for over forty years. When he spent his annual vacation in the Catalan capital, he always tried to go to at least one game at Camp Nou, the home ground of FC Barcelona. He would soon have the opportunity to do so more often, as his long-awaited retirement was about to begin. After his father passed away last year, he owned his small two-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Barcelona. But before he retired, he wanted to solve this last case. He had been on the trail of the serial killer for too long. He had been accused of at least three murders and, after months of research, they finally had a suspect. Rainer looked at his wristwatch. It was just after five in the morning and, as usual, he was the first on the scene. Another ten minutes,then the SWAT Team would arrive at the agreed meeting point. Time enough to treat himself to a second cigarette. He dug the pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket and cupped his hand around the lighter to protect it from the wind and rain. The pack was almost empty. Rainer saw a kiosk on the other side of the street. It was still closed at this early hour, but he decided to stock up there if the arrest went smoothly. Although his doctor had already told him several times that his heart rate was alarming and that he urgently needed to cut back, he easily smoked a pack a day. We all have to die of something. At the end of the street, Rainer saw a dark VW Passat turn into the road. Although he couldn't make out the license plate, he knew it was Jasmin. She was a good thirty years younger than him and could have been his daughter. Jasmin parked her company car fifty meters away, got out and waved to him from a distance.

You couldn't tell that Jasmin Franke was thirty-seven. This was partly due to her perfectly trained body and partly due to her absolutely healthy lifestyle. Rainer knew that since her father's accidental death a few years ago, which occurred under the influence of alcohol, she had a great aversion to alcohol and all drugs. Rainer had quit smoking in her presence to avoid stirring up unnecessary discussions. He returned her greeting, threw his cigarette on the floor and stubbed it out.

"Always the first. Don't you ever sleep? I don't think I'll ever get used to getting up early."

"Good morning to you too. From next week, I'll be able to sleep all day. Crime never sleeps and that's why I have to be awake. But as I said, from next week you can take care of the bad men. Then I'm out."

"You've earned it, but we will miss you very much."

Rainer looked anxiously at his wristwatch and then nervously towards the end of the street.

"Take it easy," said Jasmin and put her hand on Rainer's arm reassuringly. "The SWAT team will be here soon, you were here too early, as usual. Our man won't run away. It's not even six o'clock."

"We can't know that. From my point of view, we should have stormed the apartment at four o'clock. We're leaving in five minutes, regardless of whether the others are there or not."

"I honor your commitment, but we have clear guidelines, we are not supposed to enter the apartment without support. The man is extremely dangerous and violent. Remember, you're supposed to retire next week and you should do so in good health."

"But I don't want this guy to run away from us."

"If he's not there, we'll come back."

"But I have..." Rainer didn't finish the sentence.

"... you're saying you don't have any more time? Is that it? Rainer. You're the officer with the highest clearance rate in the Hamburg Criminal Investigation Department, if not in the whole country. And this arrest won't change that. It doesn't matter whether you're the inspector who snaps the handcuffs or someone else."

"You don't understand me."

"Yes, believe me! I understand that. But at some point you have to learn to let go. YOU have to learn to let go."

Rainer looked deep into her eyes and tried to smile. Jasmin sensed that he wanted to agree with her, but deep down he was a policeman. A policeman through and through, who couldn't let go, who, once he got stuck into a case, wanted to solve it at all costs. He looked at his watch again and glanced searchingly at the end of the street.

"We're going now. Are you my partner and are you coming with me or are you staying here and waiting for childcare?"

Rainer turned around, took his gun from his shoulder holster, disengaged the safety, and walked resolutely towards the apartment building that he had been watching the whole time.

At that moment, a black SWATteam bus drove around the corner. Jasmin tried to grab hold of Rainer, but he was already a few meters away.

"Rainer," said Jasmin, not wanting to shout too loudly. When she sensed that he wasn't going to turn around, she ran after him.

"Rainer, the SWAT team is here. Stop," she said when she had caught up with him.

Rainer stopped, looked first at Jasmin, then at the approaching van, which was followed by a second van.

"They will now set up a command center and take up various observation positions. That will take at least another half to three quarters of an hour before we can strike. I'm going in there now. Are you coming with me now?"

Jasmin hesitated.

"This will fall at my feet, but I can't leave my partner alone either, so let's go."

Without another glance back at the arriving special forces, Jasmin followed her aging colleague to the red, six-storey brick building. Light was only visible on the top floor on the left-hand side. All the other windows were dark. Although the sun was slowly beginning its day's work, it remained hidden behind the dark rain clouds and had not yet managed to provide enough natural light. Rainer waited by the hedge that bordered the roadside until Jasmin had caught up with him, then he said in a low voice:

"Our suspect lives on the second floor on the right-hand side. The apartment faces an inner courtyard at the back, enclosed by the surrounding houses. From there, you can only access the cellars of the neighboring buildings. I had the janitor give me a master key so that we don't have to break down the front door or the apartment doorand should therefore have the element of surprise on our side."

"How did you manage to get the master key from the janitor?" asked Jasmin.

"I once helped him out of a tough spot, and he owed me one."

"I'd rather not ask any more questions now, but you can tell me more about that another time."

"If we go straight into the apartment, the kitchen and bathroom are on the left from the hallway and the living room and bedroom are on the right."

"Well, if you're so well prepared, then we really could have waited for our colleagues. You do know that I'm going to get into a lot of trouble because of you, don't you?"

"Don't worry, I'll take the blame. I'll say that I forced you. What are they going to do? Retire me two days early?"

"Well, your word in God's ear. But you still owe me a meal at the Italian restaurant, you realize that, right?"

"So, quiet now. We're going in. I'll go first and you cover the perimeter, got it? And remember, the man has several people on his conscience, if push comes to shove, you shoot first, got it?"

Instead of answering, Jasmin nodded intently.

Stooped, they both walked quickly to the front door. Rainer checked the doorbell arrangement again to make sure he hadn't made a mistake with the front door or the floor. He hadn't. The name and floor matched. As soon as they had opened the front door, they both slipped inside and carefully closed the door behind them so as not to make any noise. The house did not yet have a motion detector, so they stood in the dark for a short time until Rainer pressed the light switch to the right of the front door. The light came on with a crackle. Rainer cursed the old buildings of the seventies. Despite his heart problems, he was still good on his feet andso he walked briskly up to the first floor without making any unnecessary noise. Jasmin followed him, holding her gun in her right hand, the safety now also off. On the second floor, Rainer paused briefly and gestured to Jasmin that the apartment was now directly above them and that he would open the apartment door with the master key. Jasmin nodded to him to signal that she had understood.

Carefully and wordlessly, they both went up to the second floor and paused for a moment in front of the apartment door. Rainer listened to see if he could hear any noises coming from the apartment. With a shake of his head, he indicated that it was quiet.

He carefully inserted the key into the front door and tentatively turned it. The lock opened with a soft click and Rainer carefully pushed the door open. The hallway was dark. A glimmer of light entered the apartment through the open door. Rainer let out a soft curse, but knew that there was no turning back now. He indicated to Jasmin that she should stay outside the front door and took a step into the hallway. The door on his right was ajar, and through the dim, scattered light, he made out the vague outlines of what seemed to be the living room. He nodded briefly to Jasmin and then indicated with his hand that he would go on to the next room. The door to the second room was open. Rainer checked once again that the safety was off on the gun in his right hand and carefully pushed the door open with his left hand.

The room behind the door was pitch black. He suspected there were opaque curtains or pleated blinds in front of the windows. Gun in hand and highly focused, he fumbled with his left hand on the wall for the light switch. Then suddenly his cell phone rang. In the stairwell, the door to the apartment opposite opened, a child started screaming and the bathroom door behind him was ripped open. Everything happened at the same time and Rainer was momentarily overwhelmed. A bright light blinded him as he turned towards the bathroom door. With his left hand, he fumbled to pull his cell phone out of his coat pocket to turn it off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jasmin spin around, frantically signaling the woman with her baby to return to her apartment. As he glanced towards the bathroom, he saw a man in his underwear, a gun in hand, pointing it at him and grinning. Without hesitation, he turned and jumped into the dark bedroom. Not a second too late, because while Rainer was still leaping into the unknown, he heard the shot and thought he could feel the air from the bullet next to his ear. A pane of glass shattered next to him with a loud clang. It was probably a mirror standing next to the door to the room. That was close, thought Rainer and landed roughly on a bed. He grazed a bedside table with his left leg and cleared away various objects. His right knee bumped roughly against the bed frame and made him groan. The gun almost fell out of his hand as he fell, but he managed to hold on to it. Despite the pain in his knee, he turned onto his back, raised his own gun and fired three quick shots in the direction of the door. Rainer heard Jasmin excitedly trying to push the woman with the baby back into the apartment. The baby was screaming and the woman was talking frantically to Jasmin. Rainer couldn't understand the words, but hoped that Jasmin could quickly and forcefully persuade the woman to return to her own apartment. She was in the perpetrator's direct line of fire and if he decided to take the woman and the baby hostage, the arrest would end in disaster. Rainer hoped that he could force the man back into the bathroom with his three shots first. He had no time, he had to act quickly. Despite the pain in his knee, he crawled off the bed and bent over.

"Jasmin, get the woman and the child out of here," he shouted from the room.

Then he heard two shots from the stairwell. Jasmin seemed to want to keep the man in the bathroom. Theresult, however, was that the baby screamed even louder and the woman became even more hysterical. She wanted to leave the stairwell.

Rainer moved close to the door and peered around the corner. He could see the door to the bathroom. It was only ajar.

"I'll keep him in check. He's not getting out of here! Get the woman and the baby to safety!" he shouted to his colleague.

"I won't leave you alone!"

"No discussion."

Rainer heard footsteps in the stairwell.

"You have no chance. Give up! Put the gun on the floor and push it out of the bathroom with your foot, then come out with your hands up and lie on the floor."

Silence.

"This is the last warning. If I enter the bathroom, I will make use of the firearm!"

Silence.

"Jasmine?" he called into the darkness.

The light in the stairwell seemed to have gone out and the light in the bathroom had also gone out. Damn. There was no answer from Jasmin. She seemed to accompany the woman downstairs with her baby. Rainer listened into the darkness, but he couldn't hear anything. Then he felt a change and it took him a second to realize what it was. It was a breeze that hadn't been there before. It was coming from the bathroom. Before he could react, he knew what had happened and then he heard a scream that seemed to come from outside.

With one smooth movement, he had risen and was in the bathroom in two steps. He yanked the door open, gun at the ready, and felt for the light switch with his left hand. But even without the light, he could already see that the bathroom window was open. Within asecond, he was at the open window and looking down at the path. The fugitive seemed to have climbed or jumped down the gutter. He had seized Jasmin, held her protectively in front of him and threatened her with his gun. The neighbor and her baby cowered at his feet in front of the garbage cans, not daring to move. The baby was screaming. Several SWAT emergency vehicles had pulled up in the street and the emergency services were standing behind the vehicles, protected, with their weapons at the ready. The situation had taken a turn that Rainer wanted to prevent at all costs. If only he had waited for the cavalry and not gone off on his own. That would get him into a lot of trouble.

But now he had to take care of his threatened colleague. Jumping out of the window was out of the question, so he dashed from the apartment into the stairwell, pushing through the oain in his bruised knee.

While Rainer ran down the stairwell as fast as he could, he heard his colleague Jasmin being pulled back into the stairwell by the man, together with the neighbor and her baby. He used the woman with the baby as cover from the police officers. Rainer stopped on the last landing and waited until the front door had locked, then he stepped out from his cover and took aim at the man who had his back turned.

"The game is over! Put your hands up and turn around very slowly. I want to see your weapon. Grip it with two fingers and don't do anything stupid. I've got you in my sights and I'm not afraid to pull the trigger. Jasmin, are you all right?"

"Everything's fine," replied Jasmin and pulled the neighbor with her baby into the corner.

The man was still standing with his back to Rainer and very slowly raised both arms. He continued to hold the gunin his right hand. He made no effort to turn around.

"I said turn around, you bastard! And only touch the gun with your thumb and forefinger on the handle."

A drop of sweat ran down Rainer's forehead and his heart was pounding. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his colleague, who continued to stand protectively in front of the woman and her child. For the first time, he took a closer look at the woman. He estimated her to be in her early thirties. Her hair was tied back in a plait. She wore a ribbon around her neck with a hospital employee badge. That was why she had left the house so early. She was obviously on her way to work. The baby was less than a year old. He only watched all this out of the corner of his eye, because he didn't want to take his eyes off the man with the gun. Very slowly, as if in slow motion, he began to turn around. Contrary to Rainer's instructions, he kept a firm grip on the gun.

Rainer sensed what was about to happen and braced himself to have to use his firearm. The evidence against the man was overwhelming and he was facing a life sentence. If he wanted to die rather than go to prison, then he would face a gunfight calmly. But Rainer would not do him that favor. Rainer had had to use his service weapon often enough in his career and, despite his experience, went to regular shooting training right up to the end. He would shoot him in quick succession in the top left and top right of both shoulders. This would put him out of action without fatally injuring him. He would not avoid his just punishment.

The man had almost completed his turn and now he would finally face the man he had been hunting for months.

He could still see the man's grin and noticed how the arm with the gun in his hand lowered, when suddenlythe light in the stairwell went out. Rainer was distracted for a split second, which the man used to fire a shot at him. Even as Rainer saw the muzzle flash, he also fired two shots into the darkness. As he fired, he felt himself being hit by a bullet. A sharp pain shot through his stomach. He tried to dodge to the side when he saw two more shots come out of the man's gun. But both missed their target and he heard the sound of them hitting metal. Rainer slowly toppled to the side. As he fell, he realized the shot wasn’t just a graze — he had been seriously injured. Then his eyes went black!

Chapter 3

Podcast from RickTheKick

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Ratings & Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars

5 stars Martin...

What a great podcast. The last episode was absolutely awesome. RickTheKick is the coolest ever.

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The stories are amazing. I just sometimes don't know whether everything he says is really true. Or whether some of it is made up.

5 stars Checker99...

The interview with the police officer was really great. No other podcast gives you such a close-up insight into the Hamburg criminal investigation department. Please keep it up. I can't wait to see if they find the perpetrator.

"Good morning Hamburg. The city is still asleep, but crime never sleeps. In the early hours of this morning, the police pulled off a spectacular coup that almost ended in disaster. Find out more in the latest episode of:

RICK THE KICK ---- the most spectacular, the most up-to-date, the most Hanseatic podcast in town.

Chapter 4

The robin stared him straight in the eye. If it hadn't been for the window pane, Rainer would only have had to stretch out his arm and he could have touched the little bird with its brownish-red breast mascara and stroked it. The little creature was watching the old man very closely and didn't seem to feel any fear, but rather curiosity. Rainer was fascinated to see how this small, innocent creature was examining him. He was briefly tempted to open the window to see if the little bird would fly in to him. Rainer would provide it with a cozy home. But then he dismissed the idea. Even if the curious bird accepted the invitation, it would be against its nature. The bird was free, could and should fly. It should explore the world, reproduce and lead a carefree life. A tear ran down Rainer's cheek that he had even entertained the idea of snatching such an innocent creature from its natural environment and imprisoning it.

Rainer flinched when the doorbell rang. Startled, he looked at the door and then turned to his little friend, who was no longer sitting on the windowsill. Rainer could just see his little friend fly onto a branch on the tree opposite. When the doorbell rang again, Rainer was sure that he hadn't just imagined it the first time. Who could it be? Rainer couldn't even remember the sound of his doorbell. When was the last time he had received a visitor at home? It rang a third time, this time more forcefully. With a courageous turn, he swung the wheelchair around and drove towards the front door.

When the doorbell rang a fourth time and there was an additional knock on the door from outside, he shouted towards the door:

"Yes, I'm already coming. After all, I'm not a D train."

He fiddled with the key a little awkwardly at first and then opened the front door. His former partner Jasmin and a man he didn't know were standing outside.

"Why are you locking up when you're at home?" she asked him.

"That's my business," he replied irritably. Then he looked at the man standing next to his former partner. As he didn't know him, Rainer assumed that he was also a policeman and that this wasn't a friendly visit from former colleagues. The man next to her was over one meter ninety tall and Rainer had to tilt his head back to look the man in the face. He had the body of a bear and the face of a baby. Did this guy even have hair on his sack yet? he asked himself. Jasmin saw the scrutinizing look and explained:

"This is Torben Graf, my new partner. May we come in for a moment?"

Without making any effort to roll out of the way and invite the two visitors in, he said:

"You haven't visited me once since I got out of hospital. Not a phone call, not even a card." It wasn't a question, but a factual statement.

"..." she searched for words, avoided direct eye contact and looked around uncertainly. Then her gaze lingered on the wheelchair. When she lifted her gaze, their eyes met and he saw that her eyes were glazed over.

With a jerk, he rolled back half a meter and allowed the two officers to enter.

"Over there on the right. Please. Forgive me for not tidying up. I wasn't expecting guests and the cleaning lady won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

Jasmin and her partner walked ahead and Rainer saw from behind how they both looked around his fifty square meter apartment professionally. When Jasmin turned to him, he thought he saw something like pity in her gaze. It hit him harder than he had expected. He hastily reached down to the floor and picked up a used undershirt and stuffed it behind his back.

"Please take a seat. Shall I make you a coffee? As I said, I'm not prepared for guests."

"That's all right, thank you. Please don't go to any trouble. We only have one very quick question, then we'll leave you alone again."

"What about in peace?" Rainer asked a little too spitefully and was sorry the moment he said it. It wasn't their fault that he had to spend his retirement without a hobby and in a wheelchair instead.

"Well," Jasmin began sheepishly, looking around the living room for help.

"With the one we just interrupted you with."

"I was on the verge of talking to a robin."

"What are your plans to move to Barcelona to your father's apartment? You've always talked about that."

"The apartment is on the fourth floor and the building doesn't have an elevator," Rainer replied dryly.

"But...", Jasmin began, but Rainer just pointed to his wheelchair, whereupon Jasmin looked to the side, embarrassed.

Torben Graf cleared his throat loudly, reached into the inside pocket of his dark jacket and placed a photo on the parlor table.Rainer looked at the giant with a questioning look and when he sensed that no further explanation would follow, he scooted closer to the table and looked at the photo. Grasping the photo, he noticed that it was a series of photos. Two of the photos slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor. Torben Graf immediately bent down and tried to pick up the two photos, but Rainer raised his hand firmly and froze the young man in his tracks.

"I can manage that myself." With great difficulty and only after adjusting the position of the wheelchair twice did he manage to pick up the two photos. He looked at the photos in silence.