‘It makes some sort of sense, I suppose,’ said Susanne, but she sounded less than convinced.

‘But?’

‘I don’t know. Like I say, it all makes sense. And I think you’re right. At least in the main part. I have no sound professional grounds for doubting your theory. I just feel uneasy because of the scope of participation.’

‘What do you mean, Susanne?’

‘He doesn’t act alone. He may not even act at all. Remember Charles Manson in America? The mass killings in the Tate and LaBianca homes? Manson wasn’t even present at the Tate home and left the LaBianca residence after ordering his followers to murder the tied-up victims, but before the actual killings took place. So Manson didn’t actually commit the crimes personally. But they were his crimes. He manipulated others to commit them for him. He engineered a wider scope of participation that not only involved his so-called family, but excluded himself.’

Fabel thought over what Susanne was saying. He had studied the Manson murders in depth: Manson had cemented the bonds in his ‘family’ by having sex with all of ‘Charlie’s Girls’, the female members of his group. It was the same trick that Svensson had used to ensnare the loyalty of his female acolytes, like Marlies Menzel and Gisela Frohm. Fabel had come to realise that he and Gisela had not stood alone on that pier. Svensson had been there too. Invisible, insidious. His presence evident only to Gisela. Fabel exhaled loudly, as if blowing the ghosts from his skull.

‘I don’t know, Susanne. I see Vitrenko as a hands-on butcher. And, if I’m right, he sees himself as the natural heir of Blot-Sven, the master of the sacrifice …’

Fabel could hear her breath at the other end of the line. ‘Just be careful, Jan. Be very careful.’

Werner came into Fabel’s office just before lunchtime. The Corporate and Financial Crime officers were still with both Wolfgang and Norbert Eitel, two detectives questioning each man separately.

‘Markmann from Corporate Crime reckons we’re on to something with this property deal, but there’s no hard evidence as yet,’ Werner said glumly. ‘He’s setting up teams to raid Galicia Trading and the Eitel Group’s offices but the Staatsanwaltschaft is being a bit coy about granting a warrant on such flimsy evidence.’

Fabel nodded. He’d already had a call from Heiner Goetz, the chief state prosecutor, who had made clear his concerns about bringing in such high-profile personages on suspicion. Fabel had known Goetz for years and there was more than a little mutual respect between the two men, but Fabel knew that Goetz was a cautious and methodical prosecutor who didn’t like short cuts. Fabel also knew that Goetz would see through any hastily spun screen of bluster, so he had had to admit that he was taking a big chance with the Eitels. It all came down to a judgement call, and Goetz was prepared to allow the Hauptkommissar some latitude. Fabel, however, chose not to enlighten Goetz at this stage about his plan to bring MacSwain in for questioning: Fabel hoped that MacSwain would want to make a show of cooperation.