‘Well … I’ve been doing some digging through my connection there, and so far it seems they aren’t. Whoever clean-swept the original case did a good job. Their system didn’t alert them to the similarities. And it turns out, of the three cops on the initial investigation one is in a coma, and one has disappeared from the face of the earth.’

‘You said three, what about the third?’

‘He’s alive, but he’s no longer a serving officer. He had some kind of psychotic breakdown last year. Thing is, because the details of how Kleine died haven’t been released to the press he wouldn’t have any way of connecting the dots, even if he reads about her death.’

‘Still, he’s the biggest threat in all this.’

‘Are you saying what I think –’

‘What I’m saying is this, you keep monitoring the situation for now. I’ll want reports every day and I’ll text you a new number to get me on.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘One last thing, the cop that had the breakdown, what’s his name?’

‘Uhh … Rykel. Inspector Jaap Rykel. Or ex-inspector I should say.’

Sour Hound

I hear it as I turn the corner, dazzled by the canal blazing gold in the setting sun. At first I think it’s the shriek of brakes and I take a pull on my vape, savouring the taste, the little head rush, and look around, searching for the source. It comes again, only louder, clearer, a long soprano note swooping through the air before sliding down to a choked-off finish. This time I work out what it is. It’s a scream.

I’d been out at the lock-up working on the Mustang and decided to get off the train two stops earlier, walk back to my houseboat through the canal district. Sure, it’ll take me twenty minutes or so longer, and I’ll have to contend with all the tourists, many of them in Halloween gear, but I could do with the walk. And anyway, I’ve been an Amsterdammer all my life, I don’t even see tourists any more. Except when they wind up dead and it’s my job to step in and sort it out.

Was, I remind myself. Was my job.

And now this, a man, less than thirty metres away, with his hand round a woman’s throat. She tries to scream again, though this time it’s quickly muffled as his grip tightens. I start forward, taking another hit from the vape before sliding it into my pocket.