I shook my head and heard myself sigh. How did it ever get to be this bad? How was it that a sadistic monster like Streicher got to a position of virtually absolute power? And how many others like him were there? But perhaps the most surprising thing was that I still had the capacity to be surprised at what was happening in Germany.

‘What about Streicher’s associates?’ I said. ‘The writers on Der Stürmer. His personal staff. If Streicher is trying to hang one on the Jews he could be using someone else to do the dirty work.’

General Martin frowned. ‘Yes, but why do it in Berlin? Why not do it here?’

‘I can think of a couple of good reasons,’ I said. ‘Who are Streicher’s main enemies in Berlin?’

‘With the exception of Hitler, and possibly Goebbels, you can take your pick.’ He shrugged. ‘Goering most of all. Then Himmler, and Heydrich.’

‘That’s what I thought you’d say. There’s your first reason. Five unsolved murders in Berlin would cause maximum embarrassment to at least two of his worst enemies.’

He nodded. ‘And your second reason?’

‘Nuremberg has a history of Jew-baiting,’ I said. ‘Pogroms are common enough here. But Berlin is still comparatively liberal in its treatment of Jews. So if Streicher were to bring down the blame for these murders on to the heads of Berlin’s Jewish community, then that would make things even harder for them as well. Perhaps for Jews all over Germany.’

‘There might be something in that,’ he admitted, picking another cigarette and screwing it into his curious little holder. ‘But it’s going to take time to organize this kind of investigation. Naturally I assume that Heydrich will ensure the full cooperation of the Gestapo. I think that the highest level of surveillance is warranted, don’t you, Kommissar?’

‘That’s certainly what I’ll be writing in my report, sir.’

The telephone rang. Martin answered it and then handed me the receiver.

‘Berlin,’ he said. ‘For you.’

It was Deubel.

‘There’s another girl missing,’ he said.

‘When?’

‘Around nine last night. Blonde, blue-eyed, same age as the others.’

‘No witnesses?’

‘Not so far.’

‘We’ll catch the afternoon train back.’ I handed the receiver to Martin.

‘It looks as if our killer was busy again last night,’ I explained. ‘Another girl disappeared around the time that Korsch and myself were sitting in the café at the Deutscher Hof giving Streicher an alibi.’

Martin shook his head. ‘It would have been too much to hope that Streicher could have been absent from Nuremberg on all your dates,’ he said. ‘But don’t give up. We may even yet manage to establish some sort of coincidence affecting Streicher and his associates which satisfies you, and me, not to mention this fellow Jung.’

12

Saturday, 24 September