Killer Stories - 5 Thrillers For The Beach

By Alfred Bekker

Killer Stories - 5 Thrillers For The Beach

By Alfred Bekker

 

 

This book contains the following mystery novels:

 

Alfred Bekker: Kubinke and the Memoirs

Alfred Bekker: City of the Pig Dogs

Alfred Bekker: The next victim

Alfred Bekker: An attentive newspaper reader

Alfred Bekker: A case for the north

 

 

A man wanted to publish an explosive book and had been killed beforehand. Now the commissioners Harry Kubinke and Rudi Meier had to find his murderer. And the man on whose explosive life story the book was to be based had also been killed.

Two murders, one book and many unanswered questions...

 

 

Alfred Bekker is a well-known author of fantasy novels, thrillers and books for young people. In addition to his major book successes, he has written numerous novels for suspense series such as Ren Dhark, Jerry Cotton, Cotton reloaded, Kommissar X, John Sinclair, and Jessica Bannister. He has also published under the names Neal Chadwick, Henry Rohmer, Conny Walden, Sidney Gardner, Jonas Herlin, Adrian Leschek, Jack Raymond, John Devlin, Brian Carisi, Robert Gruber, and Janet Farell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alfred Bekker
• Release date: Apr 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393462231

Alfred Bekker

Alfred Bekker wurde am 27.9.1964 in Borghorst (heute Steinfurt) geboren und wuchs in den münsterländischen Gemeinden Ladbergen und Lengerich auf. 1984 machte er Abitur, leistete danach Zivildienst auf der Pflegestation eines Altenheims und studierte an der Universität Osnabrück für das Lehramt an Grund- und Hauptschulen. Insgesamt 13 Jahre war er danach im Schuldienst tätig, bevor er sich ausschließlich der Schriftstellerei widmete. Schon als Student veröffentlichte Bekker zahlreiche Romane und Kurzgeschichten. Er war Mitautor zugkräftiger Romanserien wie Kommissar X, Jerry Cotton, Rhen Dhark, Bad Earth und Sternenfaust und schrieb eine Reihe von Kriminalromanen. Angeregt durch seine Tätigkeit als Lehrer wandte er sich schließlich auch dem Kinder- und Jugendbuch zu, wo er Buchserien wie 'Tatort Mittelalter', 'Da Vincis Fälle', 'Elbenkinder' und 'Die wilden Orks' entwickelte. Seine Fantasy-Romane um 'Das Reich der Elben', die 'DrachenErde-Saga' und die 'Gorian'-Trilogie machten ihn einem großen Publikum bekannt. Darüber hinaus schreibt er weiterhin Krimis und gemeinsam mit seiner Frau unter dem Pseudonym Conny Walden historische Romane. Einige Gruselromane für Teenager verfasste er unter dem Namen John Devlin. Für Krimis verwendete er auch das Pseudonym Neal Chadwick. Seine Romane erschienen u.a. bei Blanvalet, BVK, Goldmann, Lyx, Schneiderbuch, Arena, dtv, Ueberreuter und Bastei Lübbe und wurden in zahlreiche Sprachen übersetzt.

Book preview

Killer Stories - 5 Thrillers For The Beach

By Alfred Bekker

––––––––

This book contains the following mystery novels:

Alfred Bekker: Kubinke and the Memoirs

Alfred Bekker: City of the Pig Dogs

Alfred Bekker: The next victim

Alfred Bekker: An attentive newspaper reader

Alfred Bekker: A case for the north

––––––––

A man wanted to publish an explosive book and had been killed beforehand. Now the commissioners Harry Kubinke and Rudi Meier had to find his murderer. And the man on whose explosive life story the book was to be based had also been killed.

Two murders, one book and many unanswered questions...

––––––––

Alfred Bekker is a well-known author of fantasy novels, thrillers and books for young people. In addition to his major book successes, he has written numerous novels for suspense series such as Ren Dhark, Jerry Cotton, Cotton reloaded, Kommissar X, John Sinclair, and Jessica Bannister. He has also published under the names Neal Chadwick, Henry Rohmer, Conny Walden, Sidney Gardner, Jonas Herlin, Adrian Leschek, Jack Raymond, John Devlin, Brian Carisi, Robert Gruber, and Janet Farell.

Copyright

A CassiopeiaPress book: CASSIOPEIAPRESS, UKSAK E-Books and BEKKERpublishing are imprints of Alfred Bekker

© by Author/ COVER STEVE MAYER

© of this edition 2020 by AlfredBekker/CassiopeiaPress, Lengerich/Westphalia in arrangement with Edition Bärenklau, edited by Jörg Martin Munsonius.

The invented persons have nothing to do with actual living persons. Similarities in names are coincidental and not intended.

All rights reserved.

www.AlfredBekker.de

[e-mail]

Kubinke and the memoirs

A Harry Kubinke crime novel

by Alfred Bekker

The size of this book is equivalent to 71 paperback pages.

A man wanted to publish an explosive book and had been killed beforehand. Now the commissioners Harry Kubinke and Rudi Meier had to find his murderer. And the man on whose explosive life story the book was to be based had also been killed.

Two murders, one book and many unanswered questions...

––––––––

Alfred Bekker is a well-known author of fantasy novels, thrillers and books for young people. In addition to his major book successes, he has written numerous novels for suspense series such as Ren Dhark, Jerry Cotton, Cotton reloaded, Kommissar X, John Sinclair, and Jessica Bannister. He has also published under the names Neal Chadwick, Henry Rohmer, Conny Walden, Sidney Gardner, Jonas Herlin, Adrian Leschek, Jack Raymond, John Devlin, Brian Carisi, Robert Gruber, and Janet Farell.

Copyright

A CassiopeiaPress book: CASSIOPEIAPRESS, UKSAK E-Books and BEKKERpublishing are imprints of Alfred Bekker

© by Author

© of this issue 2018 by AlfredBekker/CassiopeiaPress, Lengerich/Westphalia.

The invented persons have nothing to do with actual living persons. Similarities in names are coincidental and not intended.

All rights reserved.

www.AlfredBekker.de

[e-mail]

1

A man wanted to publish an explosive book and had been killed beforehand. Now my colleague Inspector Rudi Meier and I had the problem of finding his killer.

And the man on whose explosive life story the book was to be based had also been killed.

Two murders, one book and many unanswered questions.

And the murderer in both cases was an old acquaintance.

An old acquaintance with a clear signature.

We called him, the 'killer with the dent'.

Not because he himself had a dent. There was, to our knowledge, no physical deformity that could have been called that, although we actually knew nothing about his appearance.

But his appearance had nothing to do with the name by which this killer was known.

This referred to something else.

All we had from him were the projectiles he had used. Projectiles that had been found at crime scenes and had been stuck in corpses.

And these projectiles had a very special, characteristic 'dent', which was caused by some special feature of the murder weapon. So our ballisticians had called the unknown man the 'killer with the dent' and since we didn't know his name until today, we used just that.

The killer with the dent was most likely a contract killer who had presumably carried out contract killings for various clients from the criminal milieu.

And now there were just two more names on his list of victims.

It was about time he was taken out of circulation.

But we had to get him first.

The other thing that was on our minds was who might have hired the hitman with the dent.

2

The killer with the dent had previously killed two neighborhood celebrities: Jimmy Talabani and Rasul Abu-Khalil, leaders of two Lebanese gangs. Jimmy, by the way, got his first name from his native German mother, who had left her mark on the Talabani family saga in this way.

Now, of course, we were looking for connections.

Were the murders with these criminal gang leaders connected with those of Felmy and perhaps two other cases we had to investigate at the moment? With the murders of the shady private detective Amadeo Felmy and the sensational reporter Arthur Malkowski, namely?

That it was the same killer was certain.

Whether it was the same client, we did not know.

It was obvious, but we didn't know it.

At the moment, there was a lot to be said for a certain Alex Jermakov as the person who ordered the murders. Jermakov was a member of the Berlin Russian Mafia and people like the Abu Khalils or the Talabanis were competitors and enemies for him in the shadow business of the German capital.

The only surprising thing was that the killer with the dent apparently had no qualms about killing his former clients, Talabani and Abu-Khalil.

Actually, one did not do such a thing.

Even these swine still had something like a code of honor.

But apparently not all members of the wage killer guild judged this one in the same way.

Okay I thought.

3

There were probably some who were quite happy that the memoirs of private detective Amadeo Felmy, jazzed up into book form by professional writer and sensational reporter Arthur Malkowski would probably never appear, because the manuscript file was untraceable.

Disappeared.

Rudi and I had an appointment with an agency employee who wanted to get Malkowski's book to a publisher.

Malkowski dug so deep into all kinds of quagmires that you don't have to be surprised that someone didn't like it, my colleague Rudi said during the car ride. And with the explosive life story of this snoop Amadeo Felmy, he had chosen just the right thing to put his foot in a thousand mouths.

Amadeo Felmy must be one of the most enigmatic figures to have existed in Berlin in the last thirty years, I opined.

And that was no understatement. A private investigator with dubious contacts in the Berlin underworld, celebrities and politics. He had arranged for the arrest of a Lebanese clan leader, but one was not sure whether he was not in fact on the payroll of his worst competitor. Dubious arms deals, recovery of looted art objects by unlawful means, and a blackmailer of celebrities who was beaten to death - all this and much more was loosely connected to Felmy.

In the end, he had become vain and had thought that it was a pity if nothing remained of this exciting, dazzling life but a full bank account. So he had willingly given Malkowski information so that he could write a book about him.

Whoever had a book written about them had made it.

Those who write will remain, it was said. But it was even truer for those who were written about.

4

Given the traffic jam in Berlin Mitte, car ride was perhaps not the right expression. Strictly speaking, we were standing most of the time.

But let's not be quibbles.

At least not on this point. 

We drove to our appointment.

Lydia Jaspersen was already waiting for us there. She drank a cappuccino and looked questioningly in our direction after we had entered.

We showed her our IDs and Rudi briefly introduced us before we joined her at the table.

Lydia Jaspersen then took the copy of the Börsenblatt des deutschen Buchhandels that had been lying on the table by appointment and rolled it up. You're late!

I'm sorry, but the traffic..., Rudi began, but she cut him off right away.

Don't tell me it's your first day working in Berlin, Mr...

Commissioner Meier.

Let's get to the point, I intervened. You have contacted our office.

"She looked at me.

Kubinke was your name, wasn't it?

Yes.

Do you have a first name, too?

Commissioner would be fine with me.

I understand. Distant guy.

It's best to just say what you wanted to tell us.

Sure.

We're excited.

They like to get to the point quickly!

That's right.

Lydia Jaspersen nodded, finished her cappuccino, and then leaned forward a bit. Her voice sounded muffled. Arthur Malkowski wanted to make a book out of Amadeo Felmy's spicy memoirs, she began.

You say that as if this book hadn't even been written yet!, I objected.

To be honest, I don't know how far Arthur had progressed with his work. I was his contact within the agency and he had assured me that the work would be completed in a few days. Arthur didn't want to let a line of it out of his hand beforehand, which I can understand. There are always leaks, even in agencies and publishing houses. And, of course, Arthur wanted to prevent anyone from taking a legal shot at him in advance to stop the whole project.

But there was already a publisher?, I asked.

We were able to sell the project based on an exposé.

We assume that the murders of Arthur Malkowski and Amadeo Felmy may have something to do with the contents of the manuscript!

Yes, your assumption may be correct. Even though I can't provide you with anything in writing, I did talk to Arthur regularly about the progress of the work. And one name came up that is particularly explosive.

And there is?

Johann Feldmann.

She almost only whispered this name and at first I thought I had misheard.

You're talking about the prospective member of the Bundestag?, I echoed.

Congressman or not, I think voters will answer that question pretty clearly if the manuscript file does turn up somewhere and the book can be published!

Why?

Amadeo Felmy apparently had some rather explosive details to report about Feldmann, for whom, by the way, he also worked as a bodyguard for a while. Feldmann is actually a lawyer. Just a few years ago, he was regularly supplied with cocaine and call girls by some mafia bigwigs and helped them launder their drug money in the most legally unassailable way possible. That was years ago, today Feldmann is a bland family man and I could imagine that he doesn't like to be talked about his wild times anymore.

What are you saying?

Feldmann would never get his hands dirty himself, but he would still have the contacts to get something like that done.

It's not more than a guess now, though, Rudi noted.

Amadeo Felmy got a blackmailer off Feldmann's back a few years ago, when the latter's second, clean career had just begun, and that's exactly the story that would have found its way into the book, along with all the other escapades. Arthur mentioned that. There certainly would have been a preprint in a major newspaper and Feldmann would have been out of the picture.

If what Lydia Jaspersen just told us was true, then perhaps the case took a completely different turn.

The only catch was that there was no tangible evidence to support this theory.

Who is this blackmailer supposed to have been and how did Amadeo Felmy silence him?, I asked.

Lydia Jaspersen looked nervously at her watch. There must be a little work left for you, don't you think? she returned, somewhat mockingly. Arthur didn't give me any details, but from what I can gather, it was probably a mixture of intimidation and violence.

Lydia rose, picked up her handbag and put the rolled copy of the Börsenblatt des DEutschen Buchhandels in it. Her lunch break seemed to be over. Let's get this straight: I don't want to get involved in this, and if you make any noise at the agency...

And that we also understand each other correctly: That can hardly be avoided, Mrs. Jaspersen!, I interrupted her.

She looked at me for a moment while a wrinkle formed on her forehead, impressively documenting her annoyance. You'll probably put my cappuccino on your expense account, won't you?

5

Rudi and I treated ourselves to a bagel at a stand-up café and then drove back to the office.

In the corridor we met our colleague Karlheinz Brakowski. He had just come out of Kriminaldirektor Hoch's office and greeted us curtly. I hear that your investigation is making good progress, he said.

As you take it, I said. But as far as I know, your department no longer has an official role in this case.

I don't see it quite that way, Brakowski replied. After all, most tips from the public are received by us and not by the BKA.

Clues?, I echoed.

I just thought: It's nice that we get to hear about that, too.

But it's just one of those things with the cooperation of different police agencies and departments.

It is the exception rather than the rule that this works to some extent.

Brakowski said, Of course, most of it is just useless pomposity, and it takes a lot of effort to separate the wheat from the chaff. But sometimes a crucial clue is found that way. He nodded in an almost military, jagged way. You'll excuse me now.

When we entered Kriminaldirektor Hoch's office moments later, our boss was on the phone. However, he had still said Come in! and made it clear to us with a hand signal that we should stay.

I noticed a picture of a freckled woman lying on the conference table.

Detective Director Hoch ended his telephone conversation.

He looked at us.

Strict as always.

That was the way he was.

A pillar of the rule of law.

Sit down, said Kriminaldirektor Hoch. You can see the drawing. We've put the young woman on the wanted list. Walter is sitting down right now to match some external characteristics with the data of arrestees and suspects who have some connection to Talabani or Abu-Khalil. But it's not that easy.

Talabani and Abu-Khalil - two Lebanese clans from Wedding whose members had their fingers deep in criminal business. Both had Felmy's memoirs to fear. And both were suspected of having hired the 'killer with the dent' one or the other time in the past.

Unfortunately, they were not able to prove this in a court of law.

Unfortunately.

But the principle of 'when in doubt, give the accused the benefit of the doubt' applies.

In terms of type, she doesn't look much like the women Abu-Khalil otherwise employs in the clubs he controls, Rudi opined.

But we have it on good authority that, first, she was employed at various Abu Khalil clubs, and second, that she had contact with Malkowski, said Detective Director Hoch.

His informant in the scene, I guessed.

And she knew Felmy! Mr. Hoch pointed out. Only, unfortunately, she can't be found at the moment.

It should actually be to be found! Because that there must be a connection is completely out of the question for me! And what do you have new?

Rudi briefly summarized to him what new clues our investigations had yielded.

Our boss buried his hands in the pockets of his flannel pants and made a rather thoughtful face. We now know that Amadeo Felmy once worked for Muhammad Abu-Khalil and kept a blackmailer away from Johann Feldmann.... That's really interesting! But this also adds another dimension to the case.

Because of Abu-Khalil - or because of the fact that a candidate for the Bundestag is involved in this?

Because of both! But to be honest, I was thinking primarily of Feldmann. A small-time lawyer who made it to the top, that's how he likes to portray himself. But he has excellent connections.

Is it true that he used to have Mafia connections and had his underworld friends supply him with cocaine and call girls?

There was probably nothing there that was admissible in court. But suppose someone could prove that the lawyer of the little people was in fact held out by the Mafia, that would certainly be the end of his political career.

We might just pay him a visit.

No, not at this stage of the investigation! objected Kriminaldirektor Hoch. That would raise too much dust. I suggest something else.

Rudi and I exchanged a brief, surprised glance.

What is your suggestion? asked Rudi.

Let me make some phone calls. We'll question him here.

Whatever you say, Mr. Hoch, I said. Oh, there's one more question I'd like to ask. What was Karlheinz Brakowski doing here?

Is it so unusual for the deputy chief of the Berlin CID to meet with the head of a BKA department?

No - but if he did question you about the progress of the investigation into our case, that shows an unusual amount of interest, I would say.

Kriminaldirektor Hoch smiled mildly. First, I won't be questioned, and second, you're right. He asked about the status of our investigation.

And why?

Kriminaldirektor Hoch looked at me in confusion.

Why not? He's assisting our investigation.

Well, that's one way of looking at it, of course.

Do you see it differently? asked Kriminaldirektor Hoch, and a very special frown appeared on his forehead. A frown that was very specific and that I had never noticed in this form before in any other person.

My skepticism about the oh-so-interested colleague Karlheinz Brakowski was not lost on him.

Hoch and I had known each other for half an eternity.

That's how long he had been my supervisor here in Berlin.

And that meant he was pretty good at sizing me up.

But I also liked him, although my boss always took great pains to hide everything that was going on inside him from the outside world as much as possible.

I may have gotten a little too suspicious, I said.

Yes, perhaps, nodded Mr. Hoch.

It's kind of an occupational disease. You start to hear the grass grow.

As long as you only hear the grass grow and don't start seeing white mice, too, I have no objection to that, Herr Kubinke.

Well, then.

Still, keep your eyes open and follow your instincts.

You don't have to ask me to do that.

I know.

It's just that special interest has to have a special reason. At least that's what I think, Mr. Hoch. My instinct tells me that. And they're seldom wrong.

6

Two hours later, Johann Feldmann was sitting in one of our interrogation rooms. He had not come alone, however, but had brought a total of three lawyers with him. Actually, he was a lawyer himself and certainly experienced enough to get through an interrogation without any help and without showing any legal nakedness. This appendix obviously served to intimidate us from the outset.

In addition to Feldmann, his lawyers and Kriminaldirektor Hoch, Rudi and I were also present at this interrogation.

We have a few questions for you concerning Amadeo Felmy, who was recently murdered, I began. You will probably remember him.

I would first like to remind you that I am here voluntarily and that I reserve the right not to repeat anything that has been said here in court, Feldmann replied.

You are being questioned as a witness - not as an accused, that is correct. But that does not release you from the duty to testify, nor from the duty to tell the truth. You may remain silent if there is a risk that you will incriminate yourself. But that's all.

Babble, babble!

No, that's not babbling.

Oh, no?

Those are the legal bases of our conversation.

I'm glad you summarized that again now.

Then fire away.

An informal discussion - that's all I agreed to! insisted Feldmann.

Kriminaldirektor Hoch nodded at me.

So, how is it with Mr. Felmy?, I asked.

He actually used to work for me, that's right. But that was years ago.

We have learned from a rather authentic source that in the book Felmy wrote together with the reporter Arthur Malkowski, there was also a chapter devoted to you.

Like this? asked Johann Feldmann, his face contorted. He was wearing a dark jacket with a white shirt and tie.

Our client demands that he be shown the text of the book before he can comment on it, one of the lawyers spoke up. It was a small, compact-looking man with a thin fringe of hair.

Unfortunately, that is not possible for us, I had to confess.

Then this conversation should be over, because we have nothing more to discuss in this case, if I see it correctly.

You're wrong about that! intervened Kriminaldirektor Hoch. We have so far treated your involvement in the Felmy case with the greatest possible discretion. If you cause a scandal here and now, it will not be possible to keep it under wraps, if only because we would have to issue a statement to that effect... Kriminaldirektor Hoch, who had been standing so far, walked over to the table, propped himself up with his hands and leaned forward a little, while his gaze fixed on Feldmann. I thought it would have been clear after our telephone conversation that you wanted to be cooperative in all our interests!

The lawyer with the fringe of hair was about to speak again, when Feldmann raised a hand and told him to be silent.

It's okay, I don't need your support right now, Mr. Wilder.

The lawyer shrugged his shoulders. Whatever you say, Mr. Feldmann.

The lawyer rolled his eyes.

Me too.

Sometimes things happen in parallel.

I found that exhilarating. So did my colleague Rudi.

But both Mr. Feldmann and his lawyer seemed to have a different concept of humor.

That's just the way it is.

To each little animal its own plaisir - or not.

Next question, please! Feldmann muttered, leaning back. I didn't like the arrogant nonchalance he displayed at all. He loosened his shirt collar a bit more. Apparently, the situation was getting a little too hot for him in the truest sense of the word.

He struggled to catch his breath.

He puffed like an old steam engine.

Amadeo Felmy wanted to write some unflattering things about you, I said.

My goodness, I'm not made of sugar!

It was about drugs, call girls and the like.

Yeah, so?

Yeah, well, how about you tell us something about that!, I said.

He looked at me like a car.

Then he suddenly made a violent, throwing away hand movement. A movement that probably expressed that he would have liked to make this whole matter disappear with a wipe.

But it wasn't that simple.

The past was now catching up with him. And he didn't like that. I could even understand that to a certain extent.

The cocaine thing was a long time ago, Feldmann said. I was young and worked a lot. So I'm not the only one who once took a noseful - but that's over! I'm off the stuff! My goodness, I'm donating a lot of money to drug rehabilitation centers and advocating for drug education in our schools, what more do you want?

And what about the call girls?, Rudi inquired.

Prostitution is legal in Germany, after all.

It does.

There you go! Then how could I have been blackmailed with it?

Yes, the question is whether voters will be as relaxed about it.

There is no evidence for what you say! declared Feldmann. And if anyone should publish even one word in this direction, he will most certainly have to spend every spare minute in some court of law in the next few years!

Then what was the blackmail about that Felmy helped you out of?

This question obviously hit a really sore spot with him. I could see that in the way his face changed. It became completely rigid and his gaze seemed to really pierce me at that moment.

All that was a long time ago. You see, I already told you, I was young and no child of sadness, if you know what I mean!

Maybe explain it to us in a little more detail!

I don't even think about it!

Mr. Feldmann, it's all about us trying to catch the murderer of Amadeo Felmy and Arthur Malkowski! If the book of revelations that the two of them wrote contained a chapter about you, then it certainly also reported on this blackmail. No one knows who else learned about it - and no one can guarantee you that a copy of the manuscript file won't come out of the woodwork somewhere. For someone in your position, that's a time bomb, and if you still want to defuse it, then maybe now is the time to come clean!

Feldmann smiled. You don't have to worry about me or my career, Mr...

Kubinke, I reminded him of my name, which he had been told but had not remembered. Or had wanted to remember.

I don't hold grudges there.

He leaned forward a bit again, seemed to think for a moment, and then said, All right, I'll tell you what it was about. A madman has threatened to dress up my then-girlfriend so that she won't recognize herself if I don't pay him a certain sum of money...

And Felmy arranged that for you? inquired Kriminaldirektor Hoch.

Yes.

And how?

I didn't ask him. To be honest, I didn't really want to know that specifically. He paused, then finally continued. "I suppose Felmy gave him a good beating. That's what he was known for at the time. But other than that, he gathered some information on the guy that would have