Chantal van Mierlo - Julia Menken

“Come with me.”

“I don’t understand why we’re getting involved with this one. Isn’t it slightly over the top to involve a behavioural expert with a case whilst rigor mortis hasn’t even had a chance to set in yet?”

“This has just been scaled up to a large-scale investigation. The Public Prosecutor has asked for you especially. He feels it’s important for a profile sketcher to be involved with the case up front. And I tend to agree with him.”

“Why?”

“Wait till you see the victim.”

She walked towards the tent and felt a shiver travel down her spine. She had been in the job long enough to see plenty of fresh corpses. Children had always been the worst. That feeling had only been intensified now she had two little ones of her own at home. Her instinct told her she would be better off not going into the tent, but her mind forced her to continue. She used the protective covers handed to her to cover her shoes and her hair.

She pushed aside the flap of the tent and took a moment to take in the scene in front of her. Three forensic detectives were busy securing the crime scene, they were knelt down next to the victim and their concentration had reached such levels that they hadn’t even noticed her coming in. The victim was a teenager, his face was flawless, there wasn’t yet any sign of facial hair. A lad of no more than fourteen, she guessed. He looked like an angel, the way he was lying there, providing you didn’t look down any further. His throat had been cut and his genitalia had been removed.

“Jesus Christ,” she whispered.

“Right, exactly what I meant,” Karel said, who had followed her in and was stood right behind her.

“Were those shoes already like that?” she asked, pointing to a pair of trainers which had been left on the victim’s stomach.

“Yes, just like the clothing. He was only wearing his shirt, but the rest appears to have been left in a neat little pile.”

Julia frowned. She walked across to the boy and kneeled down. The cut in his throat had been made with one single movement.

“Has the weapon been found yet?”

The detective closest to her shook his head.

“It looks like this is where he was murdered.”

“At least that’s what we’re assuming for the time being.”

She tried to take in everything she could see around her. The perpetrator had definitely gotten to work in a very organised manner. The way in which the clothes had been left was a sufficient indication this hadn’t been an impulsive act.

“Did this happen this afternoon?” she asked, without looking up.

“In broad daylight, yes,” Karel said, who had remained stood at the entrance to the tent.

“So the perpetrator was very fast. Incredibly precise.” She noticed the cogs in her head had started moving. Distancing herself now would be impossible. She simply had to know what had happened here and what the perpetrator had been thinking when he had killed this child. Why during the day, did the high chance of getting caught give him an extra kick? And why this child? Was this boy a random victim, or did he perhaps know his killer? She looked around, looking for other clues, things which would help tell the story of today’s events. The boy was lying half hidden behind an electricity substation which was positioned against a concrete wall.

“What kind of building is this?” She nodded at the wall.

“It’s where the fire service is housed.”

“And this here is a cycle path, a junction with the Rietgrachtstraat. He certainly wasn’t shy and during broad daylight hours too. Nobody saw anything?”

“Door to door enquiries are currently in full swing,” Karel said.

She got back up and followed Karel out of the tent, where the bystanders were staring at her like vultures, hoping for a tiny little piece of sensation.

“I have to get going,” he said and started moving towards his car.

“Hang on. What do you think?”

“I think it’s a good idea to immediately involve ourselves with the investigation.”

“Without a doubt. This is the work of a professional, he’s done this before, that I’m sure of.” She cast her eyes down. “Can’t you take on this case?”

Karel turned around and shrugged his shoulders. “The thing is, the Public Prosecutor specifically asked for you, Julia. Just let me know if you need me though, OK?” He winked at her. “You’ve got this.”

“Who’s in charge of the crime scene?” she asked.

Karel gestured towards a man with short dark hair, who stood talking to someone with his back towards them. He then disappeared into the crowds. She was on her own. Normally this didn’t present her with any problems whatsoever. But normal for her was working on old cases, where she’d generally only see the crime scene and the victim on photographs and there was no particular time pressure.

Her thoughts unwillingly took her back years, to a fatal case where her errors had resulted in a loss of life.

Don’t do it, Julia!

She wasn’t in charge of this investigation and she knew she was good at what she did. The cases which had been solved as a result of her profile sketches had exceeded expectations. But those were all cases which had hit a deadlock. This was a brand new case and any mistake on her part could have instant consequences for the ongoing case. This forced her into a position she had resolutely walked away from years ago.

She straightened up her back. She had to get on with it. The first hurdle was getting to know the team and the Public Prosecutor in charge of the investigation. She was about to join a very tight unit and she would need to convince them of the value of her opinions. This would be no easy task. The detectives involved with the old cases were always glad of a new insight. But this time she would have to fight for her place within the team with her arguments and she knew this would be no mean feat.

She walked over to the Public Prosecutor, who turned around the very moment she was about to tap him on the shoulder. She recognised him instantly. An awareness which felt like a slap in the face. Maarten Brouwer. Just for a moment she had no idea what to say. This was the absolute last thing she had expected. She hadn’t seen him for five years and three months, but he hadn’t changed one single bit. Still that same arrogant look and the fake little laugh which sounded somewhat nervous when he greeted her.

“Julia. Glad you’re here.”

So he had been the one who had specifically asked for her. That’s all she needed. She looked around, hoping for a glimpse of Karel, but he was nowhere to be seen. She couldn’t do this. She was about to walk away, but then changed her mind. How unprofessional would that look? So she stayed where she was, jaws firmly clenched.

“Have you seen him yet? Poor bugger,” Maarten said whilst moving a little closer towards her.

“What’s this all about, Maarten?”

He held up his hands in defence, but she didn’t give him the opportunity to say anything.

“I’m not working for you, so you can forget about that. What on earth possessed you to call me in for this case?”

“I see, Mrs Menken, as sharp a tongue as ever. Welcome to the team. I will introduce you to Diego Kortzorg in a moment, he is in charge of the police investigation.”

“No, I’m going home. You can use Karel for this one, he’s an expert in this field.”

“I have every confidence in you pushing us in the right direction. Karel is very aware of that too. So if we could just get going now ...”

She crossed her arms and stared off into the distance.

“Julia, for God’s sake, a child has been murdered here. I really don’t have time for this haughtiness of yours. Just get to work.”