Grave Intent by Alexander Hartung

Author:Alexander Hartung [Hartung, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, World Literature, European, German, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, International Mystery & Crime, Police Procedurals, Thrillers & Suspense, Crime, Murder, Thrillers
ISBN: 9781503950658
Amazon: B00ZX8CM6E
Publisher: AmazonCrossing
Published: 2016-01-05T06:00:00+00:00

Jan couldn’t have imagined that things could get any worse for the Berlin Police Department since the police chief’s last public statement. But he quickly learned just how bad things could get. Some of his fellow officers were trying to keep the media from storming police headquarters while others directed traffic, which had come to a standstill. The reporters’ loud, urgent demands drowned out clicking of the cameras, and the cops’ instructions were lost amid the chaos. Only the angry honking of the frustrated drivers pierced the din.

Jan detoured around the throng of reporters and tried to enter the building from the back. But it was no better there. Sighing, he threw himself into battle. He propelled himself through the tightly packed mob, trying not to trip over a cable or get struck by a camera. He was jostled and jolted, pushed to the sides, and grabbed by the shoulders. No one wanted to let him through—but he worked his way in to the crowd, which pressed forward toward the barricade like a horde of starving dissidents, as if police headquarters were the only place in Berlin they could find bread.

Five minutes and plenty of insults later, Jan reached the barricade. The uniformed officers behind the metal fencing helped him climb over.

He sat down on the stairs. His heart was racing and his T-shirt was soaked through with sweat. He was just about ready to order tear gas and water cannons himself.

“How did they find out so fast?” he asked a cop.

“There had to be an anonymous tip, minutes after the body was found.”

Jan shook his head. The media would make investigating even tougher. Every person with a smartphone was going to follow along in the hope of shooting a photo they could sell to a tabloid.

“This is insane.”

“The insanity’s still to come,” another cop said while pushing back an eager photographer who was trying to climb over the barricade. “Bergman ordered all our vacations canceled and shifts extended.”

“My God. How many is that?”

“Over two hundred. Not counting the surrounding suburbs.”

A reporter interrupted them. “Is this how the police update us? You’re subverting freedom of the press. We have a right to more information.”

Jan’s training had prepared him for such situations. He had to remain calm, either not respond to the man or simply ignore him. No violence. Don’t provoke.

But this was not a day for diplomacy.

He stood, showed the reporter both middle fingers, and underlined the gesture with a broad sneer. Bergman would freak out when he heard about it, but Jan’s personnel file was beyond redemption anyway. Besides, it just felt good.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.