Stasi Winter by David Young

Author:David Young
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction

23

Jugendwerkhof Prora Ost, Rügen, East Germany

Later on New Year’s Day 1979

Müller went through the motions for the rest of her induction day. Her instinct told her Schettler’s information should be acted on immediately. But what if it came to nothing? What if Richter’s secret house and her sexual inclinations, her takeover of Schettler’s lover, were nothing to do with why she’d been killed? She couldn’t immediately wreck Jäger’s undercover plans – not without something stronger.

Two things changed her mind – both of them telephone calls, conducted from the payphone in the Jugendwerkhof when she was sure no one was eavesdropping.

The first was to Tilsner, who sounded from his whisper like he was having to be equally discreet, although he insisted he was squirrelled away alone in the officers’ quarters.

‘I overheard something Dieter and his crew were talking about.’

‘Irma’s boyfriend?’

‘That’s right. One of them said, “That Markus guy seems to know what we got up to in Sellin.”’

‘Sellin?’ hissed Müller.

‘Yes. And it sounded like something pretty fucking serious.’

‘Can’t we lean on Markus? I thought we’d taken him in for questioning to get him out of the way?’

‘Not we exactly. The People’s Police in Bergen. Do you want me to get over there now? The thing is, the conclusion of their rather heated argument was: “It’ll have to happen tonight.” So they’re up to something all right, and have already been up to something else in Sellin.’

‘OK, that does it,’ said Müller. ‘I’ll get on to the People’s Police in Bergen, and get them to put pressure on Markus, if indeed he does know anything. I’ll also get them to arrange transport for you and Jonas, and for myself. I’ll ring you back in a few moments to let you know when they think they’ll be arriving.’

‘Why? Where are we off to?’

‘To Sellin. To try to find out what those three were up to. If I have to force it out of Irma Behrendt, I will, don’t worry. Also, I’ve discovered Richter had a secret hideaway on the island.’

‘Where?’

‘Where do you think? Sellin, of course, and only a few hundred metres from Irma Behrendt’s grandmother’s campsite.’

*

The ploughs had worked their magic on the roads and limited amounts of non-military traffic were starting to move around the island again. Müller was unsurprised when an unmarked police Wartburg arrived to pick her up outside the Jugendwerkhof. At the wheel, the local murder squad captain, Günther Hummel. She could see Tilsner and Schmidt in the back.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to share everything with Hummel at this stage, but if she wanted the co-operation of the People’s Police, rather than having to rely on Jäger and his cronies, she would have to give him some bits of information.

‘We’ve found another address for the victim. A house she apparently owns in Sellin.’

Hummel creased his face in confusion. ‘Sellin? But we were told she lived in at the Jugendwerkhof. We don’t have any record of her owning or renting property in Sellin.’

‘Well, apparently she did. But she didn’t like it widely advertised, only a select few know.

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