The Legend of The “Grau Kiefer” Inn Read online

night.”

  “Maybe the murderer had become overconfident?”

  “I doubt it. He lacks confidence, so he starts with children, brings them when it’s dark. But when he finally snatches the adults, he becomes so full of himself that he dumps them in the middle of the day? The leap is too drastic. Something must’ve happened, that made him take that risk.”

  “Physical strength and size? They might have tried to put up a resistance.”

  “No. As you know, he drugs people. I think it must’ve been too dangerous, or impossible, to keep them locked in any longer. Were emergency services dispatched in Tukums during these two hours?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t looked into that.”

  “Then, when you scamper away today, keep in mind to check. Otherwise, you will have nothing to show when you visit me after half a year or so.” I taunted her.

  “Oh, come on! I already said I’m sorry for that, but many things came up. Things that became more urgent than this stalled case.”

  “Right, more urgent. Obviously.”

  “What’s up with you? Is it about my remarks on having a life to live? ”

  All the nagging bits that had been piling up since Rebecca and I began discussing the case had finally burst and I had no interest in containing them any longer.

  “No, you can have all the life in the world, but I do have a problem with you building it at my expense.” I stated.

  “What are you talking about?” She stretched her neck forwards and slightly tilted her head.

  “The first case, when you sent me the letter with Boris munching a carrot. I thought that you actually wanted to restore some form of genuine companionship. But instead? You bring another case, play a bit of a friend. Then you disappear for months, without a single word. Only to return, when there’s another case you need me to solve for you. If my role is to be merely an investigation theory dispenser – pop in a clue, see what ideas come out – I’d actually rather rot here in solitude.” I was seething.

  “Are you fucking kidding me? Oh, mighty detective, solve me this: When I visited you all those weeks ago, who cut me short, when I asked about your life? Who wouldn’t even care to ask about his beloved dog, only to jump in one of my cases? I entertained you with the case not because I’m out of my own ideas. Not even close. I did it because it looked like you were hopelessly effete and that it’s the only thing you care about anymore.” She sighted. “I felt awful about not being in contact with you for ages, so, when I came for a visit, my intention was to ‘restore some form of genuine companionship’ as you just called it. Now, however, I hardly see any point in that since I can’t possibly hope to comfort your delusional reality, which, it seems, has been circulating around your head this entire time.”

  “Let me get this straight. You want me to believe that, after months of ignoring, you suddenly decided to check up on me just as you’re solving a major case?”

  “Yes,” her voice seemingly tried to convey that the dummy finally gets it. “Although, when you put it like that, it does sound like bad timing. I’ll admit that.”

  “That’s the thing. I know that I can’t trust your words regarding us without serious critical assessment of the facts that I have in front of me.”

  “Now, that’s unfair!”

  “Is it?”

  “Of course. I’ve never purposefully deceived you.”

  “Nor have you ever tried being explicit.”

  For a moment both of us started deep into each other’s eyes without uttering a word.

  “I think I’ll go. There are a few other places I need to visit today.” Rebecca finally said.

  “Bye, Rebecca.” I watched her getting up, packing her things and leaving the room without looking back. As the guard closed the door behind her, my head was still throbbing.

  I believed that I had solved the case a while ago, by the way. Yet, any satisfaction in bringing justice upon the culprit had dissipated together with the woman, who had left my containment facility. Frankly, then and there I saw no point in attempting to get another individual behind bars if I do not get what I want out of it.

  Still, two hours after the argument, I was feeling down, but convinced I did the right thing. However, when three hours had passed, I was feeling down because I had realised I might have made a wee misjudgement, which had catastrophic consequences. In that hour, I got in my bed and went through the conversations I had had with Rebecca. Eventually, it got to me that it was I, who had already made a conjecture before she ever got a chance to speak. Amusingly, the situation echoed something I have always said to anyone, who cares to listen: It is so much simpler to find and filter facts that prove a pre-existing conclusion than to let data suggest an interpretation. Every decent culprit as well as detective knows it, and both always try to use that for their advantage. Yet, I had fallen for it on a matter that hardly interlaces with reason. It was a disappointment, really!

  For the next couple of days I tried to figure out how I should be proceeding. Considering my restrictions, there were only two options. Either wait for Rebecca to attempt to contact me again, or write her an email. Since the first option would require her to develop a groundless sense of guilt, the chances of it ever happening were slim. Therefore, I chose the latter.

  Hi,

  I don’t think I have ever made a serious apology, so I’m not sure what to write. Nobody’s ever brave enough to stand up to a hitman (and, as you know, I started before I was twenty). That world simply doesn’t prepare for nice, indeterminate gestures. However, I do sincerely regret the claims I made in our last conversation. It was a lame deduction I had made before you even decided to visit me. I won’t deny that during the course of our two conversations, my resentment kept growing until it went over the board. If anything, I was being utterly unprofessional, and such description to me – a person, who is proud of his impartial professionalism - is already a severe penalty.

  As for the case we discussed, I’m sure it was Uldis Bergs, the Christian bloke. If he’s a hunter with twenty years under his belt, surely he knows that from the second Saturday of August until the fifteenth of September teals can only be hunted on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. I know it because I was once hired to kill an avid hunter and I scouted him and his hobbies. Yet, August 28th, 2015 was on Friday. I doubt Uldis Bergs would have sent that picture to a hunting magazine if he had deliberately broken the hunting law of the Republic of Latvia. It is very likely that the picture was taken a day or two later, but he used an older newspaper on purpose. I suggest that your computer gurus check the image’s data for when it was taken. Also, I would go and chat with the editor about it. Furthermore, a maniac of this magnitude must be secretly dying to tell everyone why he did it. Therefore, I assume his confession will come easily.

  I forgot so sign it before sending it, but I doubt that mattered much anyway. As I write these lines, I am still waiting for Rebecca’s reply. However, that does not mean that the case had been stuck in the no man’s land between me and her as well. It was roughly two weeks after I sent Rebecca the email, when the world’s major news networks reported on the caught Grau Kiefer killer. Even though, the case involved children, pressure by international community made the trials open to public. The exception was made on basis that throughout investigation, the story had already been so popular and widely reported that all possibly sensitive information had already been printed. Therefore, everyone could access the resolution of the Grau Kiefer case.

  The police had surprised everyone by suddenly beginning to investigate a fire on the 28th of August in one of the garage cooperatives in Tukums. There, two garages left of the garage, where the incendiary fire had started, they found a white Ford Transit van. DNA samples taken from the van and the garage matched all the victims and none other than Uldis Bergs, who was arrested immediately after the results came in.

  Legally, both the place and the car were owned by an IT company, which belonged to a man from Uldis’ church. Six months befo
re the first kidnapping, both men had agreed that Bergs would use the old van in his volunteer work for a local Non-governmental organization.

  ‘The Tranquil Star’ – the NGO, which used Bergs’ help, focused on single mothers on the brink of poverty. His job was to drive across country to both collect and later deliver donated items to mothers-in-need. The reason why this partnership was never documented or talked about is because Bergs worked on a free-time volunteer basis, and insisted to not be bind by official contracts. The NGO agreed because the offer was too generous to pass up, but after learning about the Grau Kiefer murders, their representative (and director) claimed he could not imagine connecting them with Mr. Bergs. Furthermore, the kidnappings occurred as much as weeks after Uldis Bergs had initially visited each mother. That was also the reason these moms cited, when asked how come they had not recognized the van.

  In the light of the overwhelming evidence, Uldis Bergs wholeheartedly confessed and gave a speech on live TV. The video has since been posted, retweeted, shared and cited so much that people can remember it by heart without trying to. At least, I can.

  The media titled it as ‘They weren’t supposed to come out...’ I still vividly remember Bergs’ perfectly combed hair, proud stance, wide eyes, sinisterly satisfied grin and frantic