Close to Home: Murder in the Coalfield (2022) s01e05 Episode Script

Seilschaften

[ominous music playing]
[Martin] We have suffered,
this land and its people.
The Teutons used up the forests.
Then came the Slavs.
The German colonists.
Locusts made of steel
swooped down on our homeland
and plundered its treasures.
The new lords are without shame.
[man on tv] Shortly before 11:00 a.m.
[Martin] Fathers betray sons.
They do not see who we are.
Our time will come.
CLOSE TO HOME - MURDER IN THE COALFIELD
[man on radio] It's another scorching
hot day in Lusatia,
with temperatures reaching
up to 104 degrees.
No one here longs to go to Spain anymore.
Rainfall, so urgently needed,
is nowhere in sight.
In response, climate activists
have announced further demonstrations.
Police are expecting
several thousand participants,
some of whom will likely be
primed for violence.
JACKIE: YEAH, THEY'RE REALLY FREAKING OU
JANOSZ: YOU'LL BE THERE ON THE WEEKEND?
is sweeping around
the whole world
JACKIE: THEY CAN'T KEEP ME
FROM DOING ANYTHING
You're in homicide, I drive a patrol.
You do your job, I do mine.
You think I murdered Ramona?
That's totally absurd.
She was like a daughter to me!
I've known Ramona since primary school.
I drove her to her dance class for years.
And then supplied Ramona
with crystal from police stock.
What if she threatened to spill the beans,
Pötschke? Huh?
That people in this precinct are making
money on traffic.
And that the dealers at 20 Peace have
nothing to fear, at least not from you!
I need you. Accident on L 4 23.
- Not now, damn it!
- I'm in charge here.
I decide what my people do.
And I've decided that André is handling
the accident, okay?
[phone vibrating]
This is Wolff, hello?
Yeah, what is it about?
One sec.
Hey. State police in Leipzig.
Some kids found human remains
in an old strip mine.
Okay, we're coming.
[scoffing] Fucker.
- They wanna pin something on me.
- I don't know anything.
And I don't want to.
I retire with honor four months,
so don't drag me into your shit,
you understand?
What do you think?
He's lying.
[phone beeping, vibrating]
Shit.
Hm?
Wollschläger is in charge
of the Espenhain case.
My old superior.
I hoped I'd never see her again.
- Then Molle will be there.
- Who?
My ex-partner, Torsten Molle.
You're the one who replaced him.
But he says she's awesome.
Meticulous, smart. Very professional.
Yeah, and a socially impaired freak.
She's a robot when it comes to rules.
Smart-alecky, glued to her phone,
pedantic.
And devoid of empathy.
Serious?
Yeah.
[soft music playing]
Jenny.
You have regular visiting hours.
They're not now.
I have to see him, please.
Have you checked the time?
He's where he should be, at school.
Please, Diana. Please.
I can't stand it without him. Please.
He's not here, Jenny. He's out.
I'll wait. Please. Half an hour.
Five minutes. Diana!
Diana! Come on,
don't close the door on me!
I was young, I was healthy, I had Ramona,
I had my work, everything was good!
And who do you think got me
into all this shit?
It was André, he gave me that shit!
It was your son!
[wailing] And now I've given you mine.
Please! Diana, just open the door!
- It's not true.
- I'm not lying.
My André doesn't do things like that.
Give me my son.
Have you seen yourself lately?
You look like death warmed over!
You're a mother.
You can't let yourself go like that.
And you?
Have you looked at yourself?
Can you even walk?
You look like a giant whale.
Is that really better?
No.
It's not better.
You're right.
- Bye, Dustin.
- Bye.
Bye, see you tomorrow.
Dustin!
[sighing, sobbing] My baby.
Hello, my bunny. Oh, I'm so happy.
I'm so happy to see you, my bunny.
I've missed you so much.
[ominous music playing]
No way.
I don't believe it!
- Molle.
- Maik! Well?
Hey. How are you?
How are Christine and the children?
[groaning] All good.
Got another bun in the oven.
- You're kidding me. [laughing]
- Number four.
- Are you cold, or what?
- Yeah, it's a bit chilly here in Saxony.
- Ms. Gottknecht. It's a small world.
- I have a cold.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- So have you settled-in in Cottbus?
- Yeah, we have a lot to do.
- Uh-huh. May I?
- No.
You're trampling all over clues. Please.
Everything we know so far
is in here.
- Good. Can you send it to me?
- Difficult.
Our case processing
systems are incompatible.
- Since when?
- Since you transferred to Brandenburg.
Andrea Schuster went missing in 2004.
She was 18 at the time.
From Leipzig. She was a soldier.
We're not sure it's her yet, but if it is,
we'll be seeing more of each other.
Go back to that one.
Thirty-five by 55 millimeters.
Round leather strap, made in China.
The wolf motif is simple.
Tens of thousands sold.
I need to know if it belonged
to the victim.
- We're asking the mother.
- I'll need the whole case file.
Then request the file.
[phone ringing, vibrating]
[coughing]
Yeah, Max? Hold on a second.
Anything new?
We've analyzed the data
from the victim's cellphone.
Finally. And?
We have two calls from her house
on the night she died.
One at 8.16 p.m., the other at 9.30 p.m.
Her little brother.
Who else did she talk to?
I'll send you the document as soon as
we're done with the analysis.
André Pötschke?
[ominous music playing]
Put the camera away!
[groaning, panting]
Um, give me a little more time, all right?
[groaning, panting] You fucker.
District attorney Seifert, please.
Max Oelkers.
[phone ringing]
Seifert, hello?
Mr. Oelkers, it's you.
Briegand?
What?
[Maik] [groaning, panting] You fucker.
Ramona Schinschke was strangled
with a leather strap with a wolf's tooth,
and now another wolf shows up.
With the young soldier.
If it is her.
You can buy those things for seven fifty
in any souvenir shop.
Maybe this guy thinks he's a wolf.
Or himself and his world as threatened
by wolves.
- Homo homini lupus.
- What?
Thomas Hobbes. A misanthropist
and human hater. Like our killer.
A single wolf, they say,
blind and limping,
is the forbear of all packs living in
this region today.
A she-wolf.
[phone ringing, vibrating]
Jannik?
Hey. A woman taking a walk
found Ramona Schinschke's right shoe.
Where?
About two kilometers outside Lauchhammer.
- And the jeans.
- Fuck!
It's probably the scene of the crime,
too.
Kessler told us the truth.
Who?
The junkie. The one at the garages.
We're on our way. Let everyone know.
[ominous music playing]
[man] Hello. Just one moment.
It's 07:30 p.m. when she
has a fight with her boyfriend,
Juri from the Doorstep Brigade.
The relationship is over.
From 20 Peace street to the garage,
it's 9,820 steps,
which, walking fast,
takes about 40 minutes.
Ramona knows she can't trust
her boyfriend anymore.
If he's using again, she has to reckon
with being robbed by him.
Same as at home, by her mother.
That's why she hides everything valuable
here at the garage.
At 20:16 she receives the first call
from her brother.
[phone vibrating]
Dusti, honey. What's wrong.
It's not gone, it's here at the garage.
If you want to ride it,
just tell me, okay?
Have you eaten yet?
[sighing] Of course not.
I'll be home soon, Dusti.
Yes, real, really.
Okay. See you soon. Bye.
From the garage to her home
on Sophie-Scholl street,
it's 8,430 steps,
which, at a fast pace,
takes about 35 minutes.
And by 09:26 p.m.
when Dustin's second call comes,
she must have already gotten
him something to eat. And that was at
Doner Ali.
Ali's Doner. We have that confirmed.
The food was ordered that night
at exactly 9:07 p.m.
Along this route, between the takeout
and her home,
she must have met her killer.
She knew her killer.
- Not necessarily.
- But probably.
The killer changed her clothes, Briegand.
He dressed her in this skirt.
And we overlooked it. That and
Jennifer Schinschke says that she's
never seen Ramona wear this necklace.
That doesn't have to mean anything,
she probably knows her daughter
less than we do, but
I need the address of Sofija Czerny's
parents from Bautzen.
[man] Okay, I'm on it.
There has to be some kind of connection.
[ominous music playing]
Sofija Czerny was wearing this shirt
when she was found strangled.
She was found raped but no sperm residue.
Same as with Ramona.
The perpetrator sees himself
as a lone wolf.
Andrea Schuster disappeared 20 years ago,
and Sofija Czerny
has been dead since 2012.
His third victim just might be Ramona.
Or his fourth, fifth, sixth.
What is it?
[giggling]
It was such a beautiful day with you.
[laughing]
- Come here.
- Hey.
Come on!
What?
[screaming]
What is it?
- I have to go somewhere.
- Now?
Where are you going?
Briegand, you need to stay here!
Something's happening for a change.
Fuck.
[woman on tv] You've won ten thousand,
ten thousand euros.
[man on tv] By the year 2035,
nearly all electricity is set to be
produced via renewable energies
Dad, we need to talk.
[laughing] Climate turnaround,
energy turnaround,
agricultural turnaround.
Don't make me laugh. Whenever they call
something a "turnaround",
it amounts to a pile of shit.
- I need to talk t you about Katti.
- About who?
You know who.
Don't play drunker than you are.
Look at me, now!
- Is this how you talk to your father?
- I want to know how she died back then.
You're asking me, now?
A special commission was assigned
to the case. What could I do?
Was it an accident?
I did my job, Maik. The best I could.
I did it very well.
Maybe too well, all right.
- I was an inconvenience to them.
- Dad, was it an accident or not?
It wasn't my idea to keep the case
under wraps!
But you were there; you saw it!
You saw her yourself!
You handled the case file!
And you handed the file over
to the special commission!
Yeah, and what was the result
of all of it?
Yeah, that's what I'm asking you.
What was the outcome?
It's better forgotten, Maik.
Gentlemen, this way, please.
That's how it was back then.
Did you forget that we had no choice?
That the special commission
didn't want to negotiate
with someone who was an honest,
loyal public servant?
Ask Walter.
He had contacts, that I didn't.
Open the cabinet.
And then he gets involved with lowlifes.
And I get thrown out on my ass!
How's my little Wally?
Ronny.
I almost thought you wouldn't show.
So, where we at?
I can get 40,000. Even splits.
The door steppers are pissed off
because we evicted them.
What's going on here? What are you doing?
That pile of junk needs to burn.
Vandalism is covered by insurance.
Someone just has to make it happen.
Uh-huh.
Andjey.
Andjey.
Andjey.
[woman speaking in Sorbian]
[speaking in Sorbian]
[woman speaking Sorbian]
- Are you with the state police?
- Annalena Gottknecht.
[woman speaking in Sorbian]
I'm Sofija's brother.
My mother is in the house.
[speaking in Sorbian]
[speaking in Sorbian]
What's she saying?
She thinks that the giant grabbed Sofija
and dragged her under the earth.
The giant?
Come on.
[speaking in Sorbian]
[speaking in Sorbian]
[speaking in Sorbian]
[speaking in Sorbian]
Sofija was wearing a white shirt
with blue stripes, V-neck, size 12.
Under the armpit, there was a small hole
at the seam.
And there was a nearly washed-out
egg stain on the chest.
That's what she was wearing
when she left us,
and she went out on her bike.
And that t-shirt was put on her by him.
Her murderer.
I told the police so many times.
I told your two colleagues from homicide,
who came here every day,
I told the coroners.
And months later, I told the two
new detectives from homicide
about everything I know, again and again,
and now you're here,
asking me the exact same thing?
I'm sorry, Mrs. Czerny,
but a certain level of redundancy
is part of our
Redun-what?
My daughter is dead.
My marriage is destroyed.
Sofija's sister lives in New Zealand,
very far away, so she doesn't have to
experience all of this.
So do me the favor
of being straight with me.
Okay, I'll cut to the chase.
We have reason to believe that Sofija
is not the only victim,
and that the perpetrator
That doesn't surprise me.
I already told the police that.
I told them to look into it.
What?
That piece of shit, he leaves a signature.
Like an artist on his painting.
Do any of these objects
look familiar to you?
You can buy those anywhere.
- So, no?
- No.
What else did she do?
Didn't she work at a diner and
Yeah, and what?
Hobbies, clubs, sports, anything.
[sighing]
Please, Mrs. Czerny.
[sighing]
Sofija.
Sofija was quiet and diligent.
[stuttering] Sh-she could sew.
She sewed the costumes
for the theatre at school.
[sobbing] They were beautiful.
The school theater.
And what else?
[sighing] Can you please leave now?
[dramatic music playing]
Thank you.
[whimpering]
[laughing] It's been a real pleasure,
boys.
- Yeah, I bet it has.
- See you soon.
- You sure will.
- Have a good evening.
- We'll get you back next time.
- [muttering] Twenty.
Fifty.
[clears throat]
[groaning]
What happened to Katti back then?
Well, how about saying good evening first?
Take your hands off me.
That was so God damn long ago.
Walter? Is everything all right?
Yeah.
Her death was no accident,
and you all knew it.
- But you made it look like it was.
- You all who?
[man] Cheers!
Possibly. We didn't want to scare
the public more than we had to,
back in those days.
It's possible that the authorities
at the time had no real interest
in revealing to our class enemy
that we had a pervert in our midst.
That was our sacred duty, Maik.
To defend socialism. Both inside and out.
Maiki. I don't know.
I mean, how does it help anyone
to ask stupid questions
so many years after the fact?
Maybe a few girls would still be alive?
Don't be a fool, Maiki.
Don't make this into something
even bigger.
Yeah, yeah, anyway.
You're not like your brother, after all.
Ronny is smart.
He draws the right conclusions, you don't.
You take after your drunk of a father.
[sighing]
[ominous music playing]
[phone beeping, vibrating]
Hello, dear colleague.
You are watching my video blog
"Life in Lusatia for the Undecided".
Very important: wear waterproof clothing.
In case you get drooled on.
Furthermore: carry weapons.
To protect yourself from dogs,
wolves and two-legged beasts.
Come on. Pay us a visit.
The invitation stands.
Come here, come here. Come on.
Come here. That's a good dog, yes you are.
[ominous music playing]
[dogs barking]
I'm looking for Jannik.
Jannik?
Jannik?
[growling]
Get that fucking dog away from me.
Jannik.
[laughing, coughing]
- The big bad wolf.
- Yeah, very funny.
Mortadella, come on.
Out, out, out. Out. Come on.
- [laughing] Mortadella?
- What? Mortadella, sure.
Well, it's got nothing to fear from me.
I'm vegetarian.
Oh, yeah.
I
Also made eggplant casserole. [laughing]
And a san salad with candied walnuts.
All vegetables, all green, I mean.
Veggie. Just for you.
And, uh
And a crème caramel,
that's not green.
And
A glass of wine? Bordeaux? Homemade juice?
Herbal tea? Water?
Or, maybe sex?
- What?
- Sex I would be interested in.
Okay.
Yeah.
[soft music playing]
- Why are you home so early?
- Because.
What is this? Why is she here? Mom!
Come on. Jenny, you can't be here.
Get out.
Come on, get up.
Dustin, let go of mommy.
Say goodbye to mommy. She has to go.
- Come on, please.
- André, please.
- Jenny.
- Let me sleep here.
- Let go of mommy, Dustin; come on!
- Please.
Mommy, stay here.
Mom! What are you doing?
Why would you let her in?
She's nothing but a fucken junkie.
Oh, is that a fact?
And how did she become one?
And who's been lying to his mother
for years about the drugs in the safe,
and those shitty people who call here
and want to talk to you?
That's not how I raised you! [panting]
I didn't do anything.
Just hush! That child comes with a mother,
can't you see?
You're going to make this right,
understand? You owe it to her.
You owe it to the little boy!
- The boys all right.
- Do you understand? [panting]
[indistinct singing, sobbing]
It's okay, everything is okay.
Huh?
[sobbing] Everything is going to be okay.
[indistinct muttering]
[ominous music playing]
[sighing]
Who drops down a shaft
after taking off one shoe?
You know how it was back then.
Sexual offenders. Sadists. Pedophiles.
Only the class enemy had them.
If something did happen,
it was the Russians.
The problem was dumped
in front of their garrison.
It didn't matter how many reports
someone like me wrote.
So, I immediately called Cottbus homicide.
I knew that something wasn't right.
It was no accident.
[ominous music playing]
But homicide didn't come.
It was the state security
special commission.
They took everything with them.
We never saw Katti's body again.
They put me under a gag order.
Marianne.
The others, too, of course.
But I couldn't let it go,
I just on kept asking questions.
The worker who secured that shaft
swore to high heaven
that no one could have fallen down there.
Not in a thousand years.
[indistinct chattering]
Of course, they noticed
that I kept investigating in secret.
But I just couldn't let it go.
One of them turned me in.
Walter.
And then?
- Then nothing.
- And you knew, all these years?
Then why did you never set
the record straight for us, Dad?
Because of you.
Because of me?
[sighing]
You two were a pair.
In love.
You and Katti, you were together
just an hour before.
- I thought
- What?
That I had something to do with it?
[sighing]
I wanted to protect you, okay.
I was afraid they'd pin it on you.
[sighing]
[music continues]
[police sirens wailing]
Ronny? You can throw in another 100.
Yeah, I ruined my jacket.
Yeah. Right, sure.
[sighing]
Was Bello your favorite dog?
[laughing] Hmmm. Exactly.
A wolf.
My name is Wolff.
You know this has nothing to do
with feelings.
No. No, no.
No innuendo or funny looks
at the precinct, okay?
Do you want a drink now?
You didn't answer me.
Okay.
- Okay?
- Okay.
I have to go.
[soft music playing]
[ominous music playing]
Briegand. Briegand. Yeah.
The old man was here the other day.
Briegand's in charge of the Schinschke
murder investigation.
Maik. Yeah.
You know each other?
We did, once.
We both got started at the same precinct.
What about him?
We have a problem.
I just sent it to you.
[Maik] [groaning, panting] You fucker.
We've authenticated the video.
[groaning]
What do we do?
Just go down the corridor.
Very good, Mr. Bartko.
Don't be afraid, Mr. Bartko. You are safe.
Just keep going straight ahead.
Step by step.
[muttering] Safe. Safe.
Very good.
[ominous music playing]
Can you see the ladder over there?
Just take one step.
Very good.
[echoing screaming] No!
[panting]
[music continues]
Leica. [smacking lips]
Hello, my darling. Hello, my dear.
[sighing] Hm.
[sighing]
Scrambled eggs for breakfast today.
With chives.
Hmm, better not.
I should probably lie down.
Then you go rest up, my boy.
I waited for you yesterday.
There was a young policeman.
He'll be back today.
I had to go to the eye doctor.
What did he want?
To take a look at the car.
Were you speeding again?
You know I haven't even been driving.
I don't even know where the car is parked.
[both laughing]
[ominous music playing]
PLEASE ENTER YOUR PASSWORD
[phone vibrating]
Shit. Fuck!
Hey, Doctor Hamadi?
I'll call you back. Yeah.
Shit, shit, shit!
- Morning.
- Morning.
- Morning.
- Morning.
Where is Ms. Gottknecht?
- Haven't seen her yet.
- Not here.
[dramatic music playing]
All right, go ahead.
[Leyla] There's a parallel,
Ms. Gottknecht.
Both victims show potential traces
of having been raped.
But in both cases, the quick test
for sperm came back negative.
The perpetrator may have used a condom.
He may have ejaculated outside the body.
Or he may be sterilized.
In that case, we could only detect
prostatic fluid.
Which does not show up on quick tests.
[Annalena breathing heavily]
Ms. Gottknecht? Is everything okay?
Your breathing is erratic.
Thank you.
I'll be in touch later, all right?
Oh, and when you see Briegand.
We have nothing on Katharina Kemmrich,
either.
It seems in 1991, after the turnaround
they put everything in a cellar,
and it got waterlogged.
Katharina Kemmrich?
Katti Kemmrich, 1982.
Maik apparently knew her.
How is he doing, anyway?
How should he be doing? I don't know.
Why do you ask?
You don't know?
What don't I know?
[Maik] [groaning, panting] You fucker.
[sighing]
That's a private matter.
That bum sold drugs to my daughter.
So you decided to rough him up?
Unfortunately, that's not all.
You misappropriated the saxophone
belonging to Oliver Bartko,
a suspect at the time,
and only handed it over
to the forensic science laboratory
days afterward.
That is not correct.
The fact that your brother,
has decided to lease to drug dealers at
the Peace Street property,
doesn't improve matters.
- I can not control what he does.
- No
But as for Ramona Schinschke,
I must say Maik,
you're not the one to lead the case.
What does that mean?
This is no longer your case. That's what.
[ominous music playing]
You can't do that, Helen.
I have to.
[sighing]
[breathing heavily]
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