‘Inside each of us is a little chaos. Some have more than others. I have an orderly life here. I am a good husband and father and my wife knows nothing of my … well, the stranger side of my nature … If I kept that chaos completely bottled up then there’s a chance it would explode. Destroy all the order and stability in my life. So I run a harmless, non-pornographic website relating to vorarephilia and cannibalism.’

Fabel thought of another ordinary businessman with an ordered, stable life who had tried to keep the chaos within bottled up tight. Right up until he had blown his brains out in front of Fabel.

‘Where the hell do you get the idea that anything relating to cannibalism – particularly sexual cannibalism – is harmless?’ Fabel asked.

‘I don’t mean any harm …’ said Schnaus weakly.

‘I’ll tell you why we’re here, Herr Schnaus,’ said Scholz. ‘We have a complete nutter who is running about biting chunks out of women. He may also have murdered several. That, my friend, does not strike me as being a bit of harmless fun. I’ve looked at your website. I’m not surprised that you want to keep all of that filth away from your wife. My guess is that if she were to find out about your little hobby you wouldn’t see her or your kids for dust. Now I am quite prepared to get a warrant and turn this place upside down. It may be your home but your little website is run from here and that puts it right at the heart of a major murder investigation. I promise you that by tomorrow morning this place will be crawling with forensic technicians, uniformed police officers and, if anyone were indiscreet enough to tip them off, with members of the press.’

Schnaus looked as if he was about to be sick. ‘No … please, no … I’ll do anything you want. I’ll give you any information you need. And I promise I’ll shut down the site. Just tell me what you want me to do … I just don’t want my wife and kids to know.’

‘Well, one thing we don’t want you to do, Herr Schnaus,’ said Fabel, ‘is to shut down the site. Not yet, anyway.’

CHAPTER TEN

13–14 February

1.