The canteen was once again packed full. Dr. Lynne Pruden and Dr. Marsh stood in the corner as Ribb manned the microphone.
"As you can imagine from the crime scene?." The large video screen lit up and showed the inside of the warehouse. The pile of minced flesh could be seen at the bottom of the meat processor.
"So far we have found two different sets of DNA in the meat grinder, both human. One we believe belongs to Mohammed Asha, who was reported missing by his family the next day. We were able to match his DNA with his father. The second is another matter. At first we could only presume it to be Webber, since he was not on any of our DNA records. Fortunately the hospital did have a tissue sample in their laboratories which they were using for research purposes, and this matched up. So you might say -? we got our man."
Wall looked over to the detective who said before the chase in the squad room "we always get our man." He looked pleased with himself, but ignored Wall. Since the end of the operation a week ago he could sense a mixture of feelings and a certain amount of tension in the station. Some were mad at him because he left his partner sleeping while he went out on the search. He had tried to make it clear it was not intentional, since there was an emergency, and he had no idea where Bakker was sleeping in the building. Others resented the fact he found most of the evidence, which was true, but it still did not lead to Webber directly.
His only real achievement was finding nurse Ans.
After a week combing the house there was no evidence to prove Webber actually murdered her. There were no bird prints, or imprints from crampons, or extra fingerprints or any DNA. The building had been wiped clean. The shredded papers were invoices from the Medroep Company, which were still being researched, but so far proved legitimate.
Bakker was not amongst the gathering. Chief Ribb had given him some time off, he was stressed out.
"Overspannen," Ribb told Wall. That's what they called it in Dutch.
Wall couldn't see how that was possible. He had tracked down most of the leads and had been in the chase with the Moroccan and his friends, and Bakker was stressed out? Wall tried to concentrate on Ribb's speech.
"Among the heap of flesh on the floor we found the remains of a couple of glass ampoules we believe Webber used in carrying out the experiments, and we also found the remains of a knapsack and a couple of mangled crampons." The screen showed a photo of the twisted stainless steel with sharp deformed metal teeth.
"We also found something that might be familiar to a few people?' The next photo was that of a rubber Heron's bird foot.
Wall chuckled and looked around to see a few of the officers trying to hold in their laugh. Suddenly Wall realized Ribb was talking about him.
"? and I would like to thank Detective Wall from the New York Police Department for the incredible work he did on the investigation."
"Does that mean I get to carry a weapon?" Wall asked.
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Wall. In any case not on a regular basis."
Harvey Wall's shoulders slumped - everyone laughed.
"But we are looking for a nice apartment for you right now."
"Thank you Sir. The hotel is actually not that bad and I do like the district. But if there is an apartment in the area, that would be just fine."
"We'll see what we can do Mr. Wall. In the meantime Dr. Pruden and Dr. Marsh will be carrying out more tests on the substances used in the attacks."
Wall glanced over at Lynn Pruden, whose stare remained fixed on Ribb and the screen. He thought about asking her out for another coffee, but then he remembered the promised boat trip with the good-looking head of human resources at the hospital.
Within a week chief Ribb found him a one-bedroom apartment with a separate kitchen and living room on the van Eeghenstraat, which overlooked the Vondelpark. He compared it to Central Park in New York, but this was totally different yet again. The atmosphere was livelier, and at times more crowded, with some great places to have a meal or just a beer.
He called Evelien Ruiten and she agreed to take him on a boat trip the coming weekend. His end of the investigation into Webber came to a standstill when Ribb took him off the case. Much of the work, digging through documents written in Dutch, and interviewing anyone connected was left to other detectives.
A week and a half after the events, Bakker was still nowhere to be seen. Ribb did not seem too worried about it, he told him he would be back soon. In the meantime he gave Wall extra days off to move out of the hotel and into his new apartment.
Luckily it was already furnished - the only thing he had to do was stock the kitchen, and get some wine and candles for eventual special visits.
Finally his six-month vacation could begin with full pay in Amsterdam. From now on he was going to enjoy himself, relax and make the most of his time in what the press had finally stopped calling - Def-Con city? as least for now!
The end.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Dick Dekker whose sound knowledge of the Dutch police force helped me enormously. Louis Lucas whose knowledge of Amsterdam and the tram system was also a great help. Nico Swaan whose sharp eye and lightning speed review helped me get everything ready for print and last but not least Nico Beentjes for his extensive editing and remarks that highlighted my dyslexia in greater detail.
About the Author
Brian Christopher was born in Ireland and has worked as a producer for various broadcast companies in Ireland and the Netherlands. He resides near Amsterdam.
Help
If you enjoyed the story I could do with your feedback. This will help me write full time and create more stories like this. Please leave your comments here on Amazon. You can also send me a direct email (I reply to all) at
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