‘Thanks.’

The team followed Anna out to the car pool, leaving Fabel and Werner alone in the Mordkommission. The room seemed empty and dull, drained of the electricity that had filled it a few seconds before. Fabel and Werner stood in silence for a minute, then Werner turned to Fabel.

‘Now?’

Fabel nodded. ‘But stay well out of the operational area. Just move with the action and monitor the radio. I don’t want Anna and Paul to think that I don’t trust them to pull this off themselves. If there is any trouble, I’ll have my cell phone on all night.’

‘Sure, Jan.’

‘And Werner …’ said Fabel, ‘I appreciate you doing this. It sets my mind at rest knowing they’ve got your expertise and experience just around the corner.’

Werner shrugged his tree-stump frame and grinned. ‘It’ll be fine,’ he said. He gave his car keys a small toss in his hand, turned and made his way out of the office.

Friday 20 June, 8.00 p.m. St Pauli, Hamburg.

A large dark-blue Mercedes Vario panel van, its sides bearing the company logo of ‘Ernst Thoms Elektriker’ was parked opposite the entrance to the nightclub. Passers-by would have hardly registered its presence: the driver’s and passenger’s seats were empty and there was no sign of life other than the steady, silent spinning of the roof vent. What most people would also have failed to notice was that the second roof vent didn’t spin, but remained open, facing the club.

Anna Wolff smiled to herself as the doorman held open the door, clearly not recognising her as the same woman who had demonstrated so spectacularly the flexibility of his thumb joints. She half turned in the doorway and glanced idly in the direction of the Mercedes van. She tapped her fingers against her chest in an absent-minded gesture then turned and entered the club. She knew that Paul and Maria, sitting in the cavernous rear of the van, watching the image from the roof-vent camera on a monitor, would have seen her tap and should have heard her too. If they hadn’t, someone would have been straight over to pull her out. It was a disconcerting feeling, to be deaf but not dumb. Her watchers in the van could hear all that went on around her, every word that she spoke or that was spoken to her, yet she could not hear them. An earpiece would have been easily and quickly detectable. She knew, however, that there were already two members of the team inside the club, both equipped with earpiece radios, who would track her every move.

Anna took a deep breath and swung the door open into the main dance area of the club. The pulsing beat washed over her, but failed to rinse the feeling of unease from deep within her belly.

Friday 20 June, 8.00 p.m. Alsterpark, Hamburg.

Fabel met Susanne for a drink and something to eat in Pöseldorf. Throughout the meal Fabel had been distracted and he apologised to Susanne.