‘And sacrifice no longer plays a part in Asatru?’

‘Oh yes … very much so. The Blot is still a ritual of sacrifice. But in Asatru, the concept of sacrifice is more in the sense of giving. Sometimes we pour the mead onto the ground, to honour the Mother Earth. We give to her in return for what she has given us. Our sacrifices and symbolisms have been subsumed into Christianity. The Roman Catholic Mass, for example, or harvest festivals. And Easter is the theft of the goddess Eostre, who turned herself into a hare and hid golden eggs in the fields. That’s why children still go on egg hunts.’

‘Do women have any role in your religion?’ asked Maria.

‘Indeed they do, Frau Oberkommissarin.’ Janssen’s smile stopped just short of a leer. ‘Women are the creators of life. They are revered in Asatru and often it is the Gythia, or priestess, rather than the Gothi who presides over the Blot.’

Maria looked unimpressed. ‘And what is the special “gift” women are supposed to offer up?’

‘I don’t understand your question …’ answered Janssen, but his expression suggested that he did.

Fabel reached into his inside jacket pocket and produced a copy of the photograph taken at the Stadtkrankenhaus Cuxhaven of Michaela Palmer’s forehead. ‘I believe this to be the rune Gebu …’

Janssen shrugged. ‘It could also just be a cross. An X.’

‘This mark was daubed on the forehead of a victim who was forced to take part in a Norse-type ritual. She was repeatedly raped by men wearing masks of a one-eyed, bearded figure.’

Janssen winced. ‘Wotan … or Odin …’ He thought for a moment. ‘Whoever these people are, Herr Fabel, they are committing not just a terrible crime but an offence against a peaceful, gentle faith. Asatru, unlike other faiths, believes in the freedoms and rights of the individual as being inviolable. I’ll help you in any way I can.’ Janssen looked more closely at the photograph. ‘Yes … yes … that could be the rune Gebu. Gebu has a specific relevance to the Blot. It is the symbol of giving and of sacrifice. As I said, the two concepts are closely related.’

‘You claim none of your devotees would be involved in something like this?’

‘Certainly not! This is a corruption of our faith. Much in the way a Black Mass is a corruption of Catholicism.’ Janssen paused as if weighing something up.

‘What is it, Herr Janssen?’

‘There were rumours … a couple of years ago.’

‘About what?’ The impatience was clear in Maria’s voice. Fabel gave her a quick look.

‘There are a few Asatru groups in and around Hamburg. We all share the same broad beliefs and are opposed to any negative or violent interpretation of them. But like every other religion there can be a darker aspect. A couple of years ago there was talk of some breakaway group. They were supposed to be few in number and I heard that they were very exclusive in their membership.’