Request for Assistance A-31/00
We'll meet at the hotel, then. When are you leaving?
You're on the train? Okay.
Helsingør Police Station 10.30, Saturday October 21
Why not come here? We can go together.
Do you know what you'll do while you're here?
What about exhibitions and so on?
We'll talk when you arrive. Yes, bye.
- Yes? - Ready when you are.
I'm ready now.
- Your wife? - My girlfriend.
Good idea to mix work with pleasure.
It's rarely possible.
You'll love Helsingør.
I'll suggest some good restaurants.
- Should I start... - No, let me.
Morning.
Good morning.
For those who don't know, I'm Thomas LaCour, Homicide.
I work the crime scene.
It will be my pleasure today and again tomorrow,
to recount some of the jolly cases we've had.
"He who fights monsters, beware lest he becomes one."
Nietzsche.
This has led to a persistent myth in our profession
that we need to become as monstrous as the killer,
that we have to be exactly like him in order to capture him.
And I have news for you... we're already like him.
Nine out of ten killers in this country are like us in this room.
The only difference is
that they, for some reason, were pushed to the limit.
And because they're like us, they make basic human mistakes.
Nobody commits murder without leaving a trace.
Our task is to find those traces.
How we do that is what I want to tell you about.
By the way, the last 10 per cent are the psychopaths.
They're hard to read. They have their own logic.
But here's some advice...
Try to avoid such cases, they're baffling.
Hi, are you finished already?
You know what? I'll make my own way.
What's up?
A body was found in the woods. They want me to join them.
Well... should I just go to the hotel?
No. You can come along. We'll both go there later, right?
This is your case.
- Who is it? - A child.
It's a boy... about ten years old.
UNIT ONE
Ingrid Dahl, Unit One.
Crime scene 13.30, Saturday October 21
- Do we know who he is? - No.
No name and empty pockets.
- Who's that? - Boysen's assistant.
I didn't know he had an assistant.
- Hi, Jan. - Hi. This is Dorthe Finsen.
What do you think?
I think he was strangled. We'll know more by tonight.
But I'm sure he's been here a few days, even a week.
- What else? - Fully dressed.
Quite a few scratches. We'll have a closer look at those.
Closer to twelve than ten, I'd say.
Ingrid here. Hi, Gammelgård.
- I'd say more ten than twelve. - She has a son who's twelve.
Sweden, Norway, Germany?
Yes, I fully agree.
Press conference, Helsingør Police Station 15.10, Saturday October 21
Thanks for coming so soon.
I'll hand over to Ingrid Dahl, Unit One.
Thanks.
Four hours ago in Teglstrup Hegn, here,
the body of a young boy was found.
It looks like he's been there for about a week.
We don't know who he is
and nobody's reported him missing.
- Could he be foreign? - We've checked.
No neighbouring countries
report a missing boy matching his description.
There's a description of him in your notes
and a photo of clothes identical to those he had on.
The shirt was made here, so we'll assume he's Danish.
- Who found him? - A jogger.
She's in shock so we've promised her anonymity.
We'd like to hear from people who've been in the woods
in the last ten days.
It's a school holiday so there'll be lots.
We're especially interested in anyone
who can help to identify him.
A Danish boy of that age is gone for a week
without anyone missing him?
You'll be late for the TV interview...
That's all for now. Thanks for coming.
- What was the cause of death? - Is it a sex crime?
- Was he buried? - That's all for now. Thank you.
The boy's 148 centietres tall, of sli build, with blond hair.
He's been in the woods...
IP here... Yes, hi.
Kirsten, it's a bit inconvenient...
If I wait till it's convenient, we'd never talk.
You're going to the theatre?
Yes, I'm sure it will be fantastic. I wish you were here.
Me too.
I'll leave you a ticket, you can come at interval.
Kirsten, I can't!
- You may be done. - We've just started.
You just came back and you're off again.
I'm on stage to a full house and I'm so damn nervous!
But who cares?
Problems?
What? No, no.
Let's begin.
Lovely to see you all on a Saturday night! It's been ages.
- LaCour, would you start? - Yes.
I've got Forensics' photos of the boy. Pass them around.
- What's it like out there? - Pitch dark.
But they're using lights.
It's been raining a lot recently but I hope to find tyre marks.
Who says he came in a car?
You'd need one for the body.
What if he was killed there?
He went into the woods with the killer?
Yes.
Gaby?
- What? - The boy's shirt? Anything?
I've checked it.
It's a common brand. It will be very hard to trace.
Thank you.
A matching report.
A man around 35 with a crew cut.
He left his car dragging a boy who was crying for his mother.
- Same location? - Yes.
The parking lot at Julebæk.
- A white pick-up? - Yes.
Gaby... Can you check how many there are in this area?
On it.
- How many? - Three white Nissan pick-ups.
We're checking if any belong to a 35-year-old with a crew cut.
Thanks.
What kind of parents don't miss their twelve-year-old for a week?
Good question.
- Are you going back later? - What do you mean?
Nothing really. Just small talk.
- Hi, Jan. - Hi, honey.
- Here you are. - Thanks.
That girl's so damn clever.
How old is she?
- What do you mean? - Nothing.
Shall we go in?
Yes, hi. We're at the last address.
It's all locked up and the garage is empty.
Can you find a mobile number for him?
Yes... Call me back when you've got it.
Fine. Bye.
Okay. How's the hotel?
At least that's something. Helene, I have to go.
Yes, hard to tell. It might be quite late.
Yes, okay. Bye.
She's taking it well.
Yes, she is.
- She knows there's no choice. - Yes.
One should have chosen a psychologist... or a cop.
Mille's getting used to you being away?
Yes. She just has a hard time with me being home.
- Any problems? - Yes, there are.
Is it falling apart?
You know what? I think it is.
- Is it because of... - Ida?
- Do you mean Ida? - Yes.
No, no. She's... married and...
It's been like this for ages.
Like I should feel guilty for being away,
I should feel guilty when I'm home and then...
feel guilty when I leave again.
Fischer here.
Wait a second. I think he's coming.
I can't see his hair. He's got a beanie.
We'll go and talk to him.
What the hell are you doing?
You're in a hurry! Your name?
- Sune Møller. - Sune Møller?
- Who's this? - Jannik, my son.
- How old? - Ten.
He lives with you?
At his mother's. Sometimes with me.
- What's this? - Just boxes.
Just boxes, eh?
Do either of you smoke?
- How are things here? - Bloody great!
- Any luck with the pick-up? - Yes, a lot.
- But it's not our case... - Smuggled cigarettes.
It was the guy who was dragging that boy.
But the kid's fine. They went to the woods to find their dog...
- Alice the Rottweiler... - The kid resisted.
- What about our kid? - 21 calls.
Mostly concerning neighbours' sons.
We've checked most of them, all negative.
A few people are away. It's still school holidays.
- What did the autopsy reveal? - Suffocation and sexual assault.
With traces of semen for a DNA profile.
- And the scratches? - Made after he died.
He had a thorn in one wrist from a blackberry bush.
There are no blackberries there.
- Are you sure? - There aren't any in that area.
Supporting your theory he wasn't killed there.
We've found no tyre marks, or have we?
I don't think so. I'm waiting on Forensics.
Okay. Then how did the victim get there?
It's 23.30. Shouldn't we get some sleep?
Good morning.
What time is it?
Just after 8.
Late night?
It was about 4 or 4.30.
- There was a lot to read. - How's it going?
Forensics have found nothing in the woods.
But the boy died somewhere else. I just don't know where.
Do you know who he is?
What?
I dreamt about him.
About the boy?
He had a name.
- What was it? - I can't remember.
There was... there was also something else...
Yes.
It doesn't matter. Why are you up?
I may go back to Holbæk to sort the piles on my desk.
Nice Sunday!
Do you have a better idea?
I was hoping to.
- Look, I'm sorry about this. - It doesn't matter.
At least I can take you to the station.
- No, I'll take a cab. - I must get started anyway.
Stay in bed. You've hardly slept.
No way, I'll take you.
- No, not on that basis. - Come on. You're the expert.
Okay but with every reservation.
- No, without reservations. - Yes, Thomas.
Okay... I think, and I mean think,
that your killer lives alone and probably is quite controlled
but with a short fuse.
He has a limited circle of friends.
- And... - And?
He finds it hard to relate to a mature woman.
- I'm glad about the last part. - You thought I meant you?
What's happening?
Over there.
What?
Thomas, what the hell's going on?
Should I walk to the station, or what?
No, no. Sorry.
It seemed completely real.
The crane was there, the garbage bags
and the cardboard boxes, all of it.
Was where?
In my dream.
- You don't have to say anything. - I haven't.
What did you find in those bags in your dream?
The dead boy's backpack.
- Anything in it? - Yes.
His health card.
Thomas, go back and sleep a bit more.
Yes... No, I have to work.
In those pants?
Good morning.
- Luxury hotel, executive hours... - Work till late?
No. But still no sign of a car in the woods.
What's up?
Something came in. It could be important.
- A backpack? - Yes.
- Where was it? - The harbour.
- Whereabouts? - I'm not sure.
What do we have? Some clothes. And what size?
It seems to fit.
A shirt...
Not the same brand.
Toiletry...
A book...
Harry Potter... without any name in it.
And we have a mobile phone.
"Enter PIN." Of course.
That's it.
We're no wiser now.
- No health card? - Nope.
There must be one somewhere.
Just a thought.
Martin Simonsen...
22 Stockholm St, sterbro.
Eleven and a half. It could be our boy.
- Let's get this to Copenhagen. - I'll do it.
Forensics, Copenhagen 10.15, Sunday October 22
- LaCour. - I miss you.
I shouldn't have left. I want to come back.
You should. I'll keep the room.
Am I interrupting? Are you busy?
No, I'm in Copenhagen. At Forensics.
Know what they found today? A child's backpack.
You're kidding!
- What was in it? - Exactly what I dreamt.
- Has that happened before? - Yes, it has.
Recently, on Funen. What could it be?
Must be a vision. Psychology has lots of examples.
Thomas, we only grasp a tenth of what's going on in our minds.
Look at it this way, you've got a gift.
- I'm not going nuts? - I didn't say that.
It could be a coincidence. It may not even be his backpack.
We're comparing fingerprints.
I'll call you back, okay?
- Good day. - Ulf?
Well?
- A cosy Sunday? - Right.
How's it going?
We've ID'd the boy... Martin Simonsen.
Eleven years old, from Copenhagen.
What's that?
The Lasse case... I suggest you take it into consideration.
- You think it's the same killer? - It's a possibility.
Ulf, I know it haunted you, not solving...
It's been two years. The parents still call me.
- It's not the same MO. - How so?
Lasse was stabbed and Martin was strangled.
Both were sexually assaulted.
Lasse was found in Nyborg and Martin in Helsingør...
Nevertheless, I'll leave it here.
- All right. - Okay, big of you. Thanks.
We've done DNA tests in both cases
so we'll know if it's the same man.
You also have to inform his parents.
- It's happening. - Who's got that cheerful task?
Hi. I'm Thomas LaCour. Anne Mette Simonsen?
Yes.
I'm from the police.
Can I have a word with you?
Oh! Sorry, now I get it.
- Come in. - Thanks.
Yes... I was in bed. I've been travelling all night.
I slept terribly on the plane.
I didn't know you'd be so quick. Did you find it?
- Excuse me? - My car.
You've reported it stolen?
Yes, it wasn't at the airport this morning.
- Isn't that why you came? - Is your husband home?
No. I live alone with my son.
Right now he's with his father up north.
- Is your son's name Martin? - What's happened?
Martin's been in an accident.
An accident?
He was found in a forest yesterday at noon.
What are you saying?
I'm very sorry to tell you that Martin is dead.
You must be mistaken. Martin is with his father...
in Älsgårde.
Pick up the phone!
I'm telling you, you're wrong.
I wish we were, but unfortunately we're not.
Maybe Ingrid's right
with her intuition that it's not the same killer.
Yes.
It's nice here.
- How are things at home? - Fine.
- You've spoken to Kirsten? - You want a report on that too?
Of course not. I wasn't sure if I should tell you...
If it's about my wife, you should.
- That cancelled show... - When someone got sick?
It was Kirsten. She was too drunk to perform.
- Where did you hear that? - She rang me to pick her up.
Pissed in a bar. I've never seen her like that.
- She rang you? Why? - You were in bloody Odense!
Lucky you were close by!
She needs help.
If this continues...
she'll be kicked out and her career finished.
Before you start, I spoke to Kirsten this morning.
- Last night's show was great. - Not great. It was so-so.
I was there. She got through it, but if you know her like I do...
If I know her like you do, then what?
You helped me when I lost my wife.
- I'd do anything to help Kirsten. - Yes, I'm starting to realise.
Don't you get it? She needs you!
Wake up!
Are you sure you're ready for this?
First of all... we have to create a scenario
of what Martin was doing before he met the man.
The Friday before last when the holidays started...
Martin went to Odense to visit Rasmus and his family.
Martin was in the same class as Rasmus... until he moved.
- Did he go by himself? - Yes, he'd done it before.
He used to visit his father.
How long was he staying in Odense?
Until Sunday afternoon.
Rasmus' parents told us that they put Martin on the train
which left Odense on Sunday at 17.47.
Yes, that's what we'd agreed on. And then...
The idea was...
to spend the holiday together, but...
then something came up.
I...
work for the Red Cross.
We can be called on at short notice. Then...
Sunday afternoon...
they asked if I could fly to Geneva.
I tried to call Rasmus' parents
but they must have been on the way to the train.
Then...
I called Martin's mobile but he had...
He'd turned his phone off to save the battery.
Then I...
left a message on his voice mail to say that I had to...
go away for a couple of days
and that I'd spoken to my mother and he could stay there
because I'd only be away for a couple of days.
- Did Martin ring back? - Yes, while I was in the shower.
He left a message on my machine...
saying that he'd spoken to his father
and that it was lucky Steen was in Copenhagen
so he could take him to his place.
He said to tell my mother he wasn't coming.
- Why didn't you call to check? - Because I believed him.
I was about to leave, the taxi was waiting...
- Don't you have a mobile? - Yes, I do.
So why didn't you call me?
- It's always inconvenient. - What the hell do you mean?
Steen, I'm not up to this.
And Martin hated being mollycoddled.
All kids that age do.
Were you home that Sunday?
We were in Sweden from Saturday onwards.
But my mobile was on all the time.
- And Martin knew the number? - Of course.
But he didn't ring?
No.
What did you do when you got Martin's message?
I cancelled the arrangement with my mother.
Then I called from Geneva and again I got his...
his voice mail.
Do you remember when you rang?
Sunday...
I don't know.
Is it important?
Yes. Martin never heard that message.
It could give us an idea of when he met the man.
I don't know...
Would it help to hear your message?
Yes, maybe.
- Have you got it? - Yes, we found Martin's mobile.
We managed to access it.
- Yes... Should we hear it? - Yes.
Hi, Martin. It's Mu.
Hope you're having a nice tie with your dad.
I have to fly on to Soalia. I won't be back before Sunday.
I've spoken to Granda.
Call her if you can't stay with your father.
I' sorry, but it's a stupid world we live in.
Take care, sweetie. Can't wait to see you.
Kiss, kiss.
Bloody incredible!
You go away for a week and only talk to an answering machine.
- Why didn't you ring to check? - Don't you think I tried?
I don't bloody think so! You're too busy saving the world!
How about a break?
Why didn't Martin call you first? Why did he want to surprise you?
I wouldn't have a clue.
The last three times you've let him down.
He thought you didn't care about him.
That's a bloody lie!
Why do you think he'd go off with a stranger?
What does an eleven-year-old miss most in the world?
Police Headquarters 14.07, Sunday October 22
Yes, it's me.
I just got the DNA result.
Same perpetrator. You there?
Yes, yes, I'm here. I must say...
You were right. I was wrong.
Excuse me... What was that?
- I said I was wrong. - I'll put a mark in my diary.
I know Martin got on the train at Odense.
Have you looked into the Lasse case?
- I must admit, no. - Then it's about time.
Yes, you're probably right. Yes, bye.
Bye.
Okay, we have a double murder case.
The DNA matches Lasse's murderer.
Ulf pointed out that both boys got on the train at Odense.
That's actually right.
So... Fischer, you're going to Funen.
Ask railway staff about regular travellers on the route.
The question is, how far he got.
It seems he was dead by 22.10 on Sunday
without hearing his mother's message.
So we have an interval from 17.47 when he got on the train
to 22.10 when his mother rang in vain.
To get to his father's,
he had to change trains at Copenhagen
and again at Helsingør.
How far did he get? Did he meet his killer on the train or...
while he was waiting to change trains?
You look wasted!
Yes. It's best you get a bit of sleep. I'll do it.
No, no. Forget it, IP. It's not a problem.
- Klaus Munk Andersen? - Yes.
Thomas LaCour, Homicide. Have you got a minute?
Yes, of course.
You were driving the train last Sunday night?
- Yes, that's correct. - Right.
Do you remember if... this boy was on the train?
- The one found in the woods? - Yes. His name was Martin.
No.
He got the 17.47 train to Älsgårde.
17.47? He'd have had to change at Copenhagen.
It gets to Central at 19.18.
The train to Helsingør departs three minutes later
and arrives at 20.12.
That means he should have left here at 21.00?
Yes.
You say last Sunday night at 21.00?
This boy.
No. There was nobody.
Nobody? No one at all?
It's not unusual on a Sunday evening.
Some young people got on at Hellebæk at 21.13
but they were the first ones.
- When do you depart? - On Sundays, on the hour.
- What about a ticket? - You get it on the train.
Well, thanks.
Toilet locked for health reasons
Blackberries!
LOCATION OF CORPSE
- Thrown off the train? - Yes.
The killer throws the body out. It ends up in the blackberries.
Later he walks back, picks it up
and carries it 200 metres to the stream.
That answers our three questions.
Why there were no tyre marks, the boy's bruises
and the blackberry thorn.
Is that possible?
Do the doors even open while the train's moving?
- I don't think so. - Unless it had stopped.
- Is that possible? - No...
- Unless the driver was involved. - In front of the passengers?
He told me there were no passengers before Hellebæk.
But there could have been one... Martin.
- What's the driver's name? - Klaus Munk Andersen.
No, there's nothing on him.
- It seems a bit flimsy. - Let's get him in for a chat.
Odense Police Station 15.40, Sunday October 22
Hi!
Hi, Ida.
- Thanks for the last time. - My pleasure.
A married woman! How did it go?
Unforgettable.
Aren't you working on the Helsingør case?
Yes, but the boy got on the train here so...
I'm seeing a rail employee
about supervised trips for kids travelling alone.
The "divorce train"?
- Well... - Yes.
- Bye. - Yes, bye. Say hi to Flemming.
I may not see him.
Could you run that by me again?
When I got back to Silkeborg after...
He'd been waiting and asked why I'd stayed over.
- You told him? - Yes.
Can't start marriage with a lie.
- That's really stupid, Ida. - He took it quite well.
But?
- He didn't turn up at the church. - You're kidding!
We were stuck with 200 guests and rooms at various hotels.
Okay. Sorry, it's not funny.
- It's a good story. - I agree. My father wouldn't.
He'd borrowed 125,000 for the do.
No. Listen...
I'm sorry... Although I'm not the one who told him.
- Are you going back tonight? - I think I have to.
Thanks for coming in.
My shift just finished so it's okay.
Interrogation of Klaus Munk Andersen.
Sunday, October 22. The time is 20.19.
DI Thomas LaCour
and Chief of Homicide Ingrid Dahl present.
We think Martin was thrown off the train after he was killed.
Thrown off the train? That's horrible!
Which train?
Yours... The Hornbæk Line.
I don't understand.
The boy you showed me
wasn't on the train last Sunday at 21.00.
- You're completely sure? - Yes.
But the train stops for a while at Helsingør.
What do you do?
Well, I usually read the paper,
have a bite to eat and so on.
Could he get on unnoticed?
And if so, could someone else get on too?
Yes, I... I can't rule it out entirely.
Are you suggesting the boy was killed and thrown off my train?
That's horrible.
Poor boy.
- Do you have kids? - Sadly, no.
- Are you married? - No.
- A girlfriend? - Not at the moment.
- But previously? - Yes, of course.
Can we talk to her?
Why?
Can a door open on a moving train without you noticing?
No, that's right. You can't do that.
So Martin couldn't have been thrown off?
No. I must admit...
Unless you did it yourself?
I beg your pardon?
If there were no other passengers you could have thrown him off.
Did you?
- Did you throw him off? - What?
I'm asking if you killed Martin and threw him off the train.
You ask me to come and help and now I have to listen to this.
It's 20.23. Interrogation suspended.
Fischer rang. A train driver saw Martin at Odense.
That's all?
No. Fischer asked her if she'd had Lasse on her train.
She hadn't. It was a male driver whose name she's forgotten.
But she remembered that he'd moved up north.
He was questioned in the Lasse case
because he was a train driver.
His name is... Klaus Munk Andersen.
It's 20.23. Interrogation resumed.
You used to work the Odense-Copenhagen line?
Correct.
You drove the train Lasse was on.
Remember the boy who was killed two years ago?
Yes, of course.
Now you've driven a train where another boy's been killed.
Martin wasn't on my train. I've already said that.
- But Klaus, the Lasse... - Hold on! Hold on!
Know what I think, Klaus?
Martin's waiting when you pull up.
- I didn't see him. - Right.
How long is the train there?
- 21 minutes. - 21 minutes?
A long time. Long enough to start chatting with a young boy.
Is it easy? You ask if he wants to see the driver's cabin?
That's usually exciting for boys that age.
He has to sit on your lap to see the instruments?
- I don't know what you mean. - I'll help you.
I'm talking about this boy... Martin Simonsen.
Just eleven and a half. That's who.
Does he have to pee, Klaus? Well?
- It happened in the toilet? - I didn't see him.
What goes wrong? Does he scream or cry?
How does he react?
Huh?
And afterwards, you leave him on the floor and lock the door.
You never quit?
You stop the train, throw him out. Did you do that?
If he'd come from Copenhagen,
he'd have been at the station for 26 minutes.
- He could have met... - Let's stop.
- Wait! You're not answering... - We're stopping.
We just need a blood sample.
A blood sample? Why?
So we don't bother you again. Do you mind?
- No. - Okay. Wait here for a doctor.
It's 20.29. Interrogation terminated.
Damn! The phone's been running hot
since it was announced on TV
that both Martin and Lasse were killed by the same man.
We've got him.
- Well? - Maybe.
The driver on the Hornbæk line.
Several people saw the boy get off the train at Espergærde.
- Yes. But we are arresting him? - Hang on.
Not one call suggested the boy made it to Helsingør.
- We must check the calls first. - Why waste time on that?
He won't disappear.
If you'd follow me.
Get his DNA and release him. LaCour, go home and sleep.
Let's start. I must get home.
Good night.
- What's this? - It should be obvious.
You're joking!
No.
Antabuse is for alcoholics!
I spoke to Ulf.
You'd rather take it in front of the theatre director?
He'd never do that to me.
Jens, I can't.
I'm performing tonight.
It's... it's only a small glass.
Yes, that's what you call it.
We both know why you're no longer at the People's Theatre.
That has nothing to do with this.
I've had enough!
We should have done this a long time ago.
Jens... Jens...
If you don't take that pill... I'll leave you.
Briefing, Helsingør 07.55, Monday October 23
Why can't I reach Tobias? He promised he'd call.
Did he leave a message?
- Good morning. - Ingrid here.
- Was she happy to see you? - Yes, she was. Where's LaCour?
Someone's happy to see him too.
Late again? Two days in a row?
He hasn't been sick in five years.
Thanks.
The DNA confirms it's Klaus.
Then let's go.
Why are you lying there?
- What time is it? - 1.30.
Are you sick?
I felt a bit strange...
after I took Helene to the train.
You were right.
It was Klaus.
Okay.
He's dead.
It looked like suicide
but he was dead when he was strung up.
Thomas... where did you get that bruise?
What did you do after you dropped Helene off?
I can't remember... I... can't remember.
I remember thinking that maybe Klaus had run off.
Have you ever been to Klaus's place?
No.
Your fingerprints are there.
To be continued...