“Where are you?” Her voice was high-pitched, the words firing out like bullets from a machine gun. “I’ve called you so many times already. Why do you even bother carrying that thing with you if you’re not going to check it?”

“Slow down,” Olaf said. “Is everything okay?”

“Nothing is okay, and you promised me you’ll stop by. When are you coming?”

Mayer raised three fingers. Tina was talking so loudly, that Mayer could hear every word they exchanged.

“We need at least three more hours here.”

“I’m feeling really bad tonight. Can you please come sooner than that? Please, please, please.”

And that was exactly the issue with Tina. No matter how hard he tried, whatever words he chose, a period of tranquility would invariably turn into a thunderstorm. There were words that he would have to bear. Insults. Threats. Months after their separation, Olaf remained her occasional punching bag, enduring her emotional blows.

“Have you been taking your medication in the past few days?” he asked.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“Tina?”

“I hate this shit!” She shouted so loudly that he moved the phone away from his ear. “These things make me numb. They suck my energy, leaving me unable to do anything meaningful. I can’t create anymore. Is this who you wanted me to be? A numb puppet?”

“I wanted you to be yourself. But without your meds, it’s not really you who’s behind the steering wheel, and we both know that.”

“I hate you!” she screamed. “I hate you so much!”

Normally, he would have told her that he loved her, but he found that the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth. There was a limit to every pain, a line he had vowed to himself to never cross again.

“I’ll hurt myself,” Tina said, her voice now lower, less hysterical. “I’ll hurt myself tonight, and it’s going to be your fault.”

She hung up before he had a chance to answer.

The words, the insults, the threats.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he massaged his temples from a headache that had come to stay for good.

“Problems at home?” Mayer asked.

“That’s one way to put it.”

She shrugged. “There are plenty of good reasons why I’ve never been married.”

“So, what you’re suggesting is that this sort of logical thinking is possible?”

“What I’m suggesting is that you should consider going back to your woman. She sounded like she’s in a terrible state.”

She did sound that way, but Tina’s state was nothing new to Olaf.

Tina had been acting like this ever since he had met her. Her state would occasionally get different labels, depending on the current therapist or Tina’s own mood. After starting and abruptly ending around a dozen therapies, she had eventually refused any professional help.

Their relationship had suffered too. Recognizing Tina’s need for mental support, Olaf had decided to stay and help her. A conscious decision he hadn’t regretted. But when everything spiraled out of control, with Tina subjecting him to verbal and physical attacks practically every day, there was no alternative for him than to walk away. He still recalled that one occasion where she had screamed at him, threatening to leave him for someone else, someone who could understand her, someone better. Shattering half of their tableware, she had declared that she would end their marriage for good.

Tina thrived on drama, while Olaf wanted none of that.

“She’ll be fine,” he said. “Besides, you mentioned that our guy’s going to show up any minute, didn’t you?”

“Your call, Bauer. Just don’t tell me I didn’t warn you later.”

A surge of anxiety washed over him at her words. His gut feeling told him to rush to Tina, hold her into his arms and console her, but his mind had reached its limit. He had been down this road before, had played this role countless times.

Facing him, Mayer said: “I’m serious. If you value your marriage, don’t let it wither away.”

The word itself sounded both funny and sad. Technically, until the divorce papers were finalized, they were still married. “You can’t kill something that’s already dead. Plus, I seem to have missed the part of you being a marriage counselor. Weren’t you preaching about a hundred and one reasons not to get married a moment ago?”

“You’re a funny guy, Bauer. I’ll lay it all out for you over a beer or two, okay? Maybe after you’ve left your wife—or she’s left you first—we’ll get us into a cozy pub booth, get wasted, and share our inner worlds. How does this sound?”

“It sounds like a plan, but this time, I get to pick up the spot.”

Mayer chuckled. “So, you didn’t enjoy being the only man at the bar last time? I always thought that was the ultimate male fantasy.”

“I’m okay being your wingman, but a heads up won’t hurt next time.”

The police radio kicked in. “PD 5-11, do you copy?”

Pressing the button, Mayer spoke into the radio. “Control, this is PD 5-11. What’s the status?”

“PD 5-86 just reported movement at the southeast side of the building. An individual arrived by bike, hiding it in the bushes behind the Alte Nationalgalerie. Suspect is likely male, tall, slender, dressed in black, and carries a rucksack. Potentially armed, approach with caution.”

“Copy that, Control. We’re on our way.”

She cracked a smile. “You owe me twenty.”

“Next rounds are on me, then. Now let’s go get the son of a bitch.”

Chapter 2

EXITING THE CAR AS SOON AS their target entered the museum, they headed for the entrance.

The plan was simple: first, set up the fake art exhibition as a bait and trap operation. Rather than trying to capture him at the entrance, risking a chase in an open space with civilians around, they had opted for a secure setup inside the museum.

Holding the door open, the guard at the entrance let them inside.

They walked along the newly constructed corridor, flanked by plaster building boards on both sides. Upon reaching the end of the corridor, which led into the secure area, they came to a halt.

Mayer signaled him to unholster his gun. Peeking around the corner, she motioned him to cover her. With a raised fist in the air, she began to count to five, raising a finger with each passing second.

On her mark, Olaf left his position, his gun trained on the open space ahead.

Ducking, Mayer stepped into the room. “Polizei!” she shouted, her gun sweeping in every direction around her.