“This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that,” the young man said with a grin. “BARF, they call it, right? Bones and”—he thought for a second—“raw food.”

Helen nodded gratefully.

“My sister feeds her Labradors that way too,” he continued. “It’s more natural. Kibble was just invented by manufacturers to make money, of course.”

Werner joined the conversation. “What kind of equipment does your sister use?”

“For frozen meat? The one at the top.” He pointed to an electric saw costing around one hundred euros. “But it isn’t part of the special offer, I’m afraid.”

“We’ll take it anyway,” said Werner.

“An excellent choice.” Jan-Willem bent down and searched through a pile of boxes for the right model. “If you’ve been messing around with inadequate equipment, then you’ll know it’s worth the investment. Having the right tools is half the battle.”

5

5

“I don’t know where he is!” Ralf pushed his chin down toward his chest to relieve the pressure on his neck.

Mikey’s fingers encircled his throat like iron hooks. He was smaller and thinner than Ralf, but quick and unexpectedly strong. His other hand was also pressing a butterfly knife into Ralf’s side. “I see you at Brian’s place all the time, and now you turn up on Jeffrey’s street. What does he know about this? What are you all up to?”

“Nothing, man. Jeffrey is just a friend of mine. Can’t I visit my friends?”

Mikey moved his face up close to Ralf’s, narrowing his crossed eyes into slits. “OK. One more time . . .”

“I’m looking for him just as much as you are!”

Maybe Mikey believed him, or maybe he had just made him uncertain. Either way, he let go of his throat.

“How much does he owe you?” Ralf’s voice was high and hoarse.

“Three grand. He took over a batch of blow from me that he’d found some customers for, and he was supposed to bring me the money the same evening.”

Ralf’s jaw dropped. Had Brian been planning to start dealing? “When was that?”

“Friday.”

Something started to dawn on Ralf. Brian had assumed he would be at least five thousand euros richer on Friday night after paying a visit to Werner Möhring.

“I’ll tell you what.” Mikey waved the knife at him. “I’ll give you until Sunday. Twelve o’clock, Brian’s room. If neither you nor that dirty thief shows up, then you’ll have a serious problem on your hands. Both of you.” He brought his lips up to Ralf’s ear and whispered, “I wouldn’t get too attached to that bitch of his either. She’s first on my list.”

6

6