Kommissar Rex (Inspector Rex) (1994) s02e08 Episode Script

INSPECTOR REX DEATH OF A CHlLD Sonja Hey! You know you're not allowed in the bed.
Don't overreact.
What have you done with Sonja? Where is she? I've seen a patient.
A terrier with a complicated Ieg fracture.
- Did you hear my beeper? - No.
I tried not to wake you.
I didn't hear anything, but he did.
Right.
Now out you get.
You too.
I've brought breakfast.
Listen Breakfast has to be earned.
Get some wood from the shed.
You understood.
Wood for the stove.
Moser.
Oh, Stocki.
What? You found her in the swimming pool? I'm on my way.
Breakfast's off.
We have to go.
What's up? Do you have to go out? Yes.
A girl's been found in a pool at the West Baths.
- Hello.
- Hi, Stocki.
A neighbour saw her in the pool half an hour ago.
The police were called at once but it was too late.
The girl had probably been dead for some time.
Any clues to her identity? No, but I've given Höllerer a description.
He's checking the missing person reports.
Why is the pool full at this time of year? Frost protection.
All outdoor pools are kept full in winter.
The manager has just given me a 1 5-minute lecture on it.
Richard the girl appears to have drowned here, possibly from hypothermia or water inhalation.
- Is anyone else involved? - Possibly.
There are strangulation marks on her neck but I don't know if there's a direct link.
- Gentlemen.
- When did the girl die? God, Richard.
You know how hard it is to say.
The low water temperature, the absence of air after death They delay the usual indications.
How long has she been in the water? Now then, that's a much easier question.
From the swelling of her fingers and epidermis, I estimate - Was the girl abused? - No outward signs of abuse.
Right.
I'll be in touch.
Yes, I'm sure you will.
- The water sample.
- Thanks.
And don't forget to get the water temperature.
See you.
Josef - Found anything? - She had an unused bus ticket.
That's all, but searching this huge area will take days.
Exactly.
Come here, Rex.
Have a look around.
If you find something, don't bring it.
Just bark.
If the girl died yesterday afternoon someone up there must have seen something.
True.
I'll find out.
But I don't know if it will help.
It gets dark so early.
People may not have noticed.
Why here, in midwinter? How did she get in? No idea.
Maybe she climbed over the fence.
Then Rex would find a scent from the pool to the fence.
- Doesn't look like it.
- Well? Any luck? He hasn't found anything.
- And if there isn't one? - What? A scent.
If he hasn't found one there may not be one.
How did the girl get in, then? I'd like to know that too.
When did your daughter leave the house? At about 2 yesterday afternoon.
She was going to see her grandmother.
Where does her grandmother live? Not far from us.
It's a 1 0-minute walk.
I gave Sabine a ticket for the trip home so she wouldn't have to walk home in the dark.
She said she'd be back at 6 anyway.
And you reported her missing at 8, did you? Yes, I called my mother just after 6 and found out Sabine hadn't been there.
My mother hadn't called me, because Sabine hadn't told her she was coming.
She often just dropped in.
Excuse me.
May I introduce my colleagues? Mr Moser, Mr Stockinger.
Mrs Just.
Her daughter Sabine went missing yesterday.
She left home at about 2 p.
m.
to visit her grandmother and hasn't been seen since.
Have you called schoolmates, friends and acquaintances? Yes, for half the night.
But she didn't visit any of them.
Could she have got into a stranger's car? Definitely not.
I've always told her not to.
And she did what I told her.
Please I gave her a ticket home too.
Do you have a photo of your daughter? Yes.
Sorry.
I actually have several.
Thanks.
We We're very sorry, Mrs Just Have you found her? Yes.
She appears to have drowned.
Drowned? But she was an excellent swimmer.
How am I going to tell my husband? Where is she? She was in a swimming pool at the West Baths.
Any idea why she would be there? West Baths? That wasn't on her way.
How did she get there? I don't know.
Shall I take you home? No.
I want to go to my daughter.
We'll take you there now.
Could you answer some questions first? Sabine was going to her grandmother's place.
Would you point out her route on the map? Mother doesn't live far from us.
Sabine would definitely have walked along this street, turned left here and gone along this side street.
My mother lives here Have a seat.
Sit down, Mrs Just.
All we found on Sabine was the bus ticket.
Could she have had anything else? A bag? No.
Nothing at all.
Apart from her purse.
Red leather with a gold clasp.
Stockinger here.
Have you found a red leather purse? No.
- But there's still a lot to do.
- It must be there.
- I'll tell the others.
- Thanks.
We'll take you home now.
Can l Can I go to her? Later, Mrs Just.
My offsider will stay with you.
This is interesting.
Very interesting, actually.
I hope you're talking about my case.
Yes.
The girl was strangled with a wide piece of material and then thrown into the water, where she drowned.
So she was murdered.
- Time of death? - I can narrow it down a bit.
Between 4 and 7 p.
m.
But she was still alive when she was thrown in.
Well I don't get it.
Those baths are surrounded by buildings.
- Someone must have seen it.
- That wouldn't help.
You see, she didn't drown at the West Baths - It was somewhere else.
- What? I see.
That's why Rex didn't find anything.
- So that's not the crime scene.
- Definitely not.
The water in her lungs was pure and clear.
The water in the pool where she was found is full of chemicals.
Aluminium salts, chlorine, disinfectant She was killed elsewhere and taken to the baths? - Yes.
- To other baths? Or could she have drowned in a bathtub or a pool? No.
I'm quite sure of that.
In both cases I'd have found bath salts or other chemicals in the water.
But it was pure.
It's probably some kind of flowing water, a brook or something.
- Have you got a map? - Yes.
The girl was going to see her grandmother.
Her mother showed us her usual route.
Along this street, then this side street But there's nothing along the way.
Let's assume the girl went a different way.
- What's nearby? - A couple of brooks.
It must be close.
She'd never get into a stranger's car.
- No clues from family or friends.
- There's nothing further east.
What's that on the other side? The Hubertus Baths.
A natural pool with pure spring water.
No chemicals.
Richard, we should have a look at that water.
Not just the water but the whole baths, Leo.
This is the spring.
The water flows underground into the pool.
We'll take a water sample and send it to Dr Graf.
Sorry, but I don't get the connection.
Someone killed the girl here and took her to the West Baths? Why? They could have left her here.
It seems certain she was just found at the West Baths.
That's no help.
We need the crime scene or we'll get nowhere.
Right.
What now? Yes.
What now? - You take a water sample.
- What with? What? Oh, with this.
Graf gave it to me.
Fantastic.
He's a pretty cluey guy.
Rex! You go that way.
Search.
Have a look around.
I don't know.
If we do confirm she drowned here, what does it prove? We have no other clues.
Or has questioning teachers and friends revealed something? Firstly, the questioning isn't finished.
Secondly, there are no clues so far and the girl's purse hasn't been found.
All we have is a dead girl and a desperate mother.
Let's keep looking, Stocki.
What's up, Rex? Stay, Rex.
Stop.
- The purse.
- The girl was here.
She drowned in that pool.
Call Forensics, Stocki.
Tell them to come.
Well, here's your reward.
Listen can one of you explain why the killer bothered to carry the girl to another pool? Stocki asked that too.
I don't know.
- It's possible that - That what? That the crime scene will give us a clue to the killer.
We'll check out the baths' staff.
It's strange.
Someone tries hard to conceal the location, then forgets a simple purse.
He can't have forgotten it.
He probably didn't notice.
- What? - It's possible.
The girl was strangled.
She tried to resist, and her purse fell out of her pocket.
Luckily for us, or we'd never have realised that she was killed at the Hubertus Baths.
So the whole cover-up attempt was pointless.
- We must let him know.
- So the killer is warned? We'll put out a press release in time for the evening edition.
We'll say the girl was found at the West Baths.
- Not a word about the - Hubertus Baths.
We'll publish a photo of a purse like that one.
- And ask if anyone's found it.
- The killer will come to get it.
Good luck.
He'll realise the girl had a purse.
If he tried so hard to conceal the crime scene he'll definitely come to find it.
We've been hanging around all night.
- I don't think he'll come now.
- Thanks.
I'll see how the others are going.
Any news, Wimmerer? Wimmerer! No.
What about you, Eckmeier? We can't see anything here.
We'll keep waiting.
- He may still come.
- Now it's light? He'd be mad.
Why? There's no one at the baths in winter.
Shh, Rex.
Quiet.
We've seen him.
Yes.
Thanks.
He's coming towards us.
Over.
Eckmeier says he came through the main gate.
He had a key.
A key? - He works here.
- Damn.
If he's walking around, he'll drive our killer away.
- I'll tell him to come tomorrow.
- Wait.
He's going towards the cubicle.
Stand by.
Someone's approaching the cubicle.
- Police.
- You're under arrest.
They should have waited until he took the purse.
- I even said - Relax, we'll make him talk.
Come, Rex.
I'm telling you, I have nothing to do with all this.
- I work at the baths.
- Exactly.
You took the girl's body away so as not to look suspicious.
Once again, where were you two days ago from 4 to 7 p.
m.
? I've already told you.
I was watching TV at home.
I work when I like.
I wasn't even there that day.
I usually go on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
You said in your statement that you were watching TV.
What programs? Nothing special.
I have a satellite dish.
I switch channels all the time.
You have no alibi for the time of the murder.
The TV is your only witness.
Why did you want to get the purse? I had a look because the door was open.
It's my job to make sure everything's in order.
But you said you were going to paint the cubicles so most of them were open.
If so many doors were open, why choose that one? A homeless person could have slept in there.
So a stranger in the baths took the girl.
I won't say another word.
Right, Mr Stanek.
Let's go back to the beginning.
Where were you from 4 to 7 two days ago? Bad news, Richard.
Dr Graf found blue wool fibres on the girl's neck that came from the murder weapon.
Nothing matching has been found in Stanek's flat.
He could have thrown it away.
Or do you think he'd leave it there for us? And the two phone calls he said he had? I checked.
It's true, unfortunately.
We'll have to let Stanek go.
This is a joke.
There's not even enough evidence to keep him in custody.
We need watertight evidence.
A witness who saw the girl or a crim without an alibi Tough call.
The autopsy report says she'd eaten sweets.
- Did you check that out? - I called her mother.
She said there's a sweet shop all the local kids like.
- Got the address? - Of course.
Stay, Rex.
REAL MARZlPAN Hello? Good afternoon Hello.
Sorry, I was in the storeroom.
How can I help you? Crime Squad.
Are you the owner of the shop? - Yes.
What's up? - A question.
Do you know this girl? Yes, she's been a customer for years, Iike all the kids around here.
I read about it in the papers.
It's terrible.
- Who'd do such a thing? - We're asking that too.
Did the girl come to your shop recently? Say, two days ago? No, not for a while.
And I'm almost always here.
Except when you're in the storeroom.
- Do you have any employees? - No, it's not worth it.
These days you have to do it yourself.
If you think of anything about the girl That's unlikely.
The kids all buy sweets here, but I don't know them well.
Hello.
Hi, Martin.
- How was the skating? - The same as usual.
The gentlemen are policemen.
This is my son Martin.
Hello, Martin.
Tell me, have you ever seen this girl? Yes.
She sometimes bought sweets here.
Were you here in the afternoon two days ago? No, I wasn't at the shop.
If you think of something, your father has my number.
- Goodbye, gentlemen.
- Goodbye.
- You gave me a fright.
- You'll get a worse one now.
Well? A witness saw the girl just after 2 on the day she died.
She was coming out of the shop with sweets.
- Lots of girls buy sweets here.
- Oh? The witness was a friend of Sabine's.
Sabine even said she'd been here, and offered her sweets.
Why did you say she hadn't been here? I can't remember her being here.
This isn't about sweets, Mr Oswald.
It's about murder.
We'll continue talking at my office.
- You can't just take me in.
- Yes, I can.
That's unbelievable.
Just because I can't remember if some girl bought sweets.
Not any girl.
One who was murdered shortly afterwards.
Shall we go? May I phone my wife? I can't just close the shop.
Sure.
It's me.
Come to the shop.
I'm going to the police station.
I don't know why either.
You were at the shop on the afternoon of the murder.
Non-stop.
And you don't remember selling the girl sweets? - Who will believe that? - So many kids come in.
I can't remember every single one.
Bad luck, Mr Oswald.
Most of the local schools had classes that afternoon.
So there can't have been too many girls in your shop.
Now I remember.
My wife was there for a while.
Maybe Sabine bought sweets then.
We'll question your wife.
Where were you? Walking near the baths? May I have a glass of water? Hello.
Hello, Mrs Rampitsch.
What would you like? - 1 00 grams of the house mix.
- House mix.
Fine.
Anything else? Where's the boss today? My husband had to go out.
He'll be back soon.
Is it true that a policeman took him away this morning? - Where did you hear that? - Everyone's talking about it.
Has it got something to do with the murdered girl? Of course not.
He probably just has to make a statement.
I see.
Then everything's fine, isn't it? Here.
Thanks.
Regards to your husband.
- Well? - I'm sorry.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
Why would I kill the girl? Can you give me a reason? A sex murder, for example.
The girl resists.
You strangle her, she passes out.
- You throw her in the pool.
- lsn't that what happened? How about a confession? You need a killer, so you grab anyone.
- Just because I sold her sweets.
- You admit she bought sweets? I admit nothing.
What about the suspect in custody? He has an alibi, unlike you.
You said your wife minded the shop for you.
- Where were you? - I want a lawyer.
Fine.
But let's sort out the contradictions first.
First you were at the shop, then you weren't.
- You were home, then out.
- I went for a walk.
A girl's been killed.
And you have no alibi for that time or afterwards.
Afterwards? What happened then? We want you to tell us.
I don't know when he'll be back.
What do you want? I just want to say one thing.
I have a little daughter.
If it turns out that he's linked with the murder you'll have to close your shop.
- No! - We'll trash your place.
We'll search your car.
And we'll find something.
We'll find out everything you did on that day.
The girl may have got into your car.
You have a wife and son.
If you don't confess, we'll question them.
- Won't you spare them that? - What have they to do with it? They're the only ones who can back you up.
If you confess we can leave them out of it.
Okay.
It was me.
I killed the girl.
I didn't mean to.
It was an accident.
What happened then? Then I realised she'd been to our shop and that the baths were nearby.
Then I took her to the other baths.
Which ones? The West Baths.
Mum? What are you doing in the shop? The police were here.
They took Dad with them.
Don't worry.
Dad will be back soon.
They just want to know if the girl bought sweets here.
By the way, I have to go out again.
I promised I'd pick Georg up from school.
Then go straight home, okay? Hello.
Hi, Martin.
- Hello, Mrs Oswald.
- Yes, Mr Noack? Two bars of chocolate.
Where's your husband? - Georg! - What are you doing here? Bye.
I have to talk to you.
- The cops came for my dad.
- What? - You have to help me.
- Now? I have to go home.
- What's more important? - Okay.
What is it? Come with me.
Mrs Oswald? Come with me.
So Mrs Oswald is here.
- My name is Moser.
- Hello.
Please, take your coat off.
Why wouldn't you talk about my husband on the phone? We talked to him, and I wanted to see you personally.
Please sit down.
Where is my husband? With Police Records.
Photos, fingerprints and so on.
- Have you arrested him? - I'm sorry, Mrs Oswald.
He's made a full confession.
He admitted to killing the girl in the afternoon and taking her to the baths in the evening.
We've found relevant traces in his car.
My husband killed the girl? That's impossible.
He was at the shop all day.
- But didn't you mind the shop? - No.
I planned to, but I had a doctor's appointment.
- Why did he ask you to work? - The accountant was coming.
He wanted to talk to him in peace.
The accountant was with him at the shop all afternoon.
Don't you get it? It was the maintenance guy.
What makes you so sure? Haven't you seen him staring at the little girls? He brought one here and took her into a cubicle You mean, he fooled around with her and she screamed? Then he strangled her and threw her in the pool.
What if he denies it? He has a key and he's always here.
It was him.
Damn! I'll have to buy thinner.
Goodbye.
Thanks for your statement, Dr Herrmann.
This is a joke.
Oswald confesses, but his accountant gives him a cast-iron alibi.
- We do have a confession.
- It's useless.
He describes taking the girl from one pool to the other, but has incredible memory gaps about the murder.
It could be repressed memory.
So bad that he forgets all the details? No.
Well Let's take him to the baths.
He can show us how he did it.
We need an examining magistrate, a secretary We don't need anyone.
Come on.
Right.
In which cubicle did you make indecent advances to the girl? It must have been one of the cubicles over there.
Or there? This is getting nowhere.
You must remember which one.
We'll start again.
You came in with the girl through the hole in the fence.
Then I went into one of the cubicles with her.
There are 250 cubicles in these baths.
Keep still.
I'll get an ambulance.
- Who are you? - I'm Richard.
Keep still.
That's Rex.
He got you out of there.
Don't cry, Mum.
I'll make sure Dad gets out again.
There he is.
Let's see what he has to say about Georg's story.
Wait.
Listen, Rex.
Bring the scarf here, okay? Let go.
Good.
Martin? Come on.
The girl was strangled with this.
Right, Martin? Why were you going to burn the scarf? - So Dad wouldn't go to jail.
- He won't.
He did take the girl from one of the baths to the other but he didn't kill her.
Won't you tell me what really happened, Martin? Georg and I went for a walk and ran into Sabine.
We often go to the baths when the caretaker isn't there.
I told Sabine to play with us a bit.
You were in the cubicle with her.
Go on.
We had a bit of a cuddle.
Then Georg went away.
I wanted to play with her a bit.
She didn't want to.
She screamed.
I took the scarf and Then I threw her into the water.
And then you went home and told your dad? Yes.
He said no one was to find out.
Okay.
Come with me to my desk.
I'll take your statement.
Dad said not much can happen to me.
I'm not old enough.
Can you keep going? I have to get out of here.
Okay.
Come on, Rex.
Let's go for a walk.