Page 6 of Nothing Watching

He shook his head ruefully. “Food’s still a big stumbling block. I can’t make myself love a lot of the items on any of these menus. Maybe the problem is I’m just not a fan of seafood. Those mussel dishes make my stomach churn. And as for the bouillabaisse, it’s like a seafood lucky draw, but you know you won’t be lucky.” He grimaced, and Juliette suppressed a grin.

“How’s your boyfriend?” he asked her. She’d told him recently she was dating Lucien, whom Wyatt had met on the first case.

“There’s a possibility he might have to move down south to Marseilles,” she said. “There’s a transfer that he may not be able to say no to. So we might be trying the long-distance thing.”

He frowned. “I think doing that’s a risky idea,” he warned her.

Taken aback, Juliette felt herself bristle defensively. That wasn’t very supportive of him! Just as she was about to interrogate him on his reasons, Sierra arrived, breathless from her sprint through the airport, and slipped into the aisle seat, hurriedly fastening her seatbelt.

“So sorry! What nightmare traffic!” she said.

With her cloud of dark hair, her sharp eyes, her delicate features, and her top-level tech know-how, the young IT graduate was a valuable addition to their team. She might not have ability in languages—yet—but her research and tracking ability had given them a lead on the bad guys in a couple of their cases so far.

“Glad you got here,” Juliette said, as the flight crew rushed to secure the exits and taxi to the runway.

“This sounds like a very serious case. I just read through the notes now. Two American women found dead, late at night, and one’s a Master’s student. That’s freaking me out, because I have a few student friends in Berlin right now.” Sierra sounded worried.

Juliette nodded, her own thoughts darkening as she quickly opened her phone and read the briefing, which had just been sent through. “It’s definitely a concerning case. Both the deaths seem to have happened late at night. I guess, if that’s his pattern, at least it means we have the whole day to get a lead.”

As the plane took off, she studied the sketchy details closely, needing to know every possible piece of information on how this killer was working.

The first victim, two nights ago, had been Iris Davies from Arizona, a Master’s student in literature who was doing a year of study in Berlin. The second one, murdered last night, was Hannah Murray, who was staying at a youth hostel and appeared to have been in Berlin on a long vacation. Juliette knew that it would be important to find out more details on both their backgrounds.

Cause of death was strangulation. Quick, brutal, and deadly. But again, no full details as yet, no forensic report. That meant a visit to the coroner would be a priority.

Juliette saw that after reading once more through the case report, Wyatt had put on his earphones and was mouthing French words silently and with great concentration. Sierra was typing on her iPad, and Juliette guessed, from her focused expression, that she was messaging her friends in Berlin and warning them to stay safe.

There was nothing else Juliette could do, except read the information and theorize.

While she did so, Juliette jotted down some notes, so that by the time they landed, they would have a clear plan of action. There were a few things that they needed to do urgently, and these, she underlined in red.

And then, quicker than she’d expected, they were preparing for their descent into Berlin Brandenburg Airport, and it was time to pack her phone and notepad away.

At least they were now here, she thought, as they hurried through the airplane, given priority in disembarking.

“Thank you, thank you,” Juliette said as they strode down the plane’s aisle, conscious of the looks of the fellow passengers—most curious, some approving, and a few critical.

Then they were out, in the modern, spacious terminal building, and heading for the exit, where she immediately saw the two police officers who had been assigned to meet them, the one in front holding up a neatly printed placard with their names on it.

A capable woman with short, light brown hair, looking fit and determined and in her late thirties, was in the lead. Behind her stood a younger police officer, a tall, lean man with neatly cut blond hair and an excited expression that told Juliette that he was relatively new to the world of law enforcement. Neither wore a uniform. The woman was in a navy business suit, while the man wore a shirt and tie under a brown jacket.

“Good morning.” The woman introduced herself formally. “I am Detective Fischer, and this is Detective Lehmann, from the Kriminalpolizei. We will be working with you on this case.”

Her very formal and professional manner as she spoke the introductions didn’t allow for Juliette to see if she approved of the American contingent or not. Detective Lehmann was easier to read. He gave them a quick smile and a firm, if slightly damp, handshake.

“Do you want to go to the second crime scene?” Fischer asked them. “It is still open.”

“Yes,” Juliette said, after a quick glance at the others. Undoubtedly, the most recent crime scene would provide the best starting point.

They followed Detective Fischer out of the airport and to the car that had been parked in a yellow line zone, with a police sticker displayed. She climbed in, and Lehmann got in beside her, with the three Americans taking the back of the car.

“This is a spare vehicle, so if you require it, you may use this car while you are here,” Fischer said formally. “Of course, you will probably require us to ride with you to make the initial introductions.”

“Thank you,” Juliette said in a polite tone. She guessed that beneath her highly regulated exterior, Fischer did seem glad to have them here, and didn’t resent the task force team. That was a relief.

Fischer began driving in a controlled and precise way, taking them into central Berlin.

Juliette loved Berlin. It had such a history, and she’d always found the presence of the Berlin Wall to be a fascinating and poignant part of the city. It was a reminder of the past, but also a testament to the resilience of a city that had been through so much.

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