Ralf had driven through a red light and abruptly changed direction a few times in an attempt to lose Mikey, but the BMW continued to pop up in his rearview mirror. By the time Ralf turned onto Jeffrey’s street, there were only two cars between them.

He thought about the can of pepper spray in his glove compartment. Very effective, but he didn’t dare use it on Mikey. Brian’s dealer knew where he lived and would at the very least break his arm or leg in revenge. Ralf could think of only two ways to get rid of him, aside from killing him: talking to him and hoping that he would listen, or paying him what Brian owed.

He drove slowly past the apartment where Jeffrey lived with his girlfriend, Denise, and their infant twins. The curtains were open, and he could see movement inside. Jeffrey was usually at home in the morning, and he was also quick-tempered and strong—maybe he could get him involved in this?

Hunting for a parking space, he drove to a small shopping area at the end of the street. It was quiet here. The fast-food place was still closed at this time of day, and the door to the Turkish shop was shut.

He parked and got out. The BMW’s tires squealed as it hurtled across the parking lot and came to a stop. Mikey leapt out. Before Ralf had a chance to say anything, Mikey grabbed him by the throat and forcefully pushed him back against his car.

4

4

“Can I help you at all?” A boy with a freckled face approached Werner and Helen. “Jan-Willem,” said his name tag.

“Um, well . . .”

Jan-Willem pointed to the wall display of electric saws. “There’s a twenty percent discount on all Black and Decker products this week. It’s a great offer, and on a good brand too. We don’t get many complaints.” His eyes met Werner’s. Jan-Willem’s eyebrows and eyelashes were so light, they seemed almost transparent. “As long as you don’t have any really big jobs on your to-do list.”

“Well, I—” Werner clenched his fist and started coughing, turning his back on the boy.

Helen forced a smile. “We’re looking for a really good one, actually. One that doesn’t overheat too quickly, you know? So you can work with it for an hour or so without stopping.”

“They’re all capable of that, but it depends on what you use them for. What will you be cutting?”

Helen looked to Werner for help, but he was still coughing.

“Ma’am?”

“It’s for meat. Meat and bones,” she said quickly.

“Excuse me?”

Werner had stopped coughing and was staring at her with a bewildered expression. His eyes watered.

“We feed our Rottweilers frozen meat and bones. We want to saw it into smaller portions, but it takes much too long with a handsaw.”

Werner had scarcely moved.