Nemesis: Innocence Sold Read Online Free PDF

man fired off a shot, but the bullet missed, hitting a pile of boxes. With a blow to the wrist, Dirk knocked the gun out of the man’s hand. Two out of action, and Becker, his eyes wide, was still perplexed and harmless. The question of how Dirk and Lars should behave toward each other remained.
    “Police. No one move. Nice and easy, people.” Two men in black combat gear had stormed into the room, solving the problem. “On the floor. Hands behind your head.”
    “I hope that doesn’t apply to me,” Dirk said and retreated to a pile of boxes so as not to be in the way of his colleagues from the MEK.
    “Given the way you look, actually, it does,” Leo, who had appeared behind his men, said.
    Lars followed orders. Nobody could tell that the officers treated him with significantly more gentleness, not pulling the plastic handcuffs too tight.
    “Do you have a knife, Leo? I believe our loan shark has a side job in the drug trade.”
    Dirk was too late; Sven had already cut open one of the packages and was sniffing a brown substance. “Compressed marijuana. Bull’s-eye. The boys from the drug unit owe us one.”
    Other than those in the know, no one noticed Lars’s irritated expression. They would get an earful from him later regarding the lack of coordination.

CHAPTER 3
    Dirk leaned against the hood of Sven’s BMW and relaxed with a plastic cup of coffee in his hand. He watched the blue lights flashing as the arrested men were driven off toward police headquarters. His task was complete, and the unexpected outcome was more than satisfactory. Once again he had to think about Gottfried Hellwig, the teacher who had to give up his job in his early fifties because of rheumatism. First his passion for betting on the horses had put him in the red; then, when someone he had met at the racetrack had put him in touch with Becker, it had also cost him his health. Hellwig’s refusal to sell his house and car had resulted in a broken arm and a dislocated jaw, but he had nevertheless had enough courage to go to the LKA. Unfortunately he hadn’t been able to present a written document, and his statement alone hadn’t been sufficient, so they had sent Dirk on this undercover mission.
    Matthias Albers brought Dirk back to the present. “Good job, Dirk. That was long overdue.”
    “Tell that to the teacher who had to retire early and showed a damned great deal of courage. Did you know about this ratty little shop? What are you doing here? This doesn’t have much to do with juvenile crime.”
    “It does have something to do with it. The name of this joint routinely comes up in conversation, and I hope to find the names of a few people on their customer list who’ll be able to sleep better at night now. But you’re right—I could have taken care of that later. I wanted to ask you or Sven for a favor.”
    Dirk spread his hands apart in invitation. “Go ahead. What can I help you with?”
    “You got Lars his interview with Stephan back then, right?”
    “That’s right—I knew that Lars wanted to get away from Eckernförde, and Stephan was looking for good people. But Lars convinced him on his own.”
    “I understand that. Can you do that again?”
    Irritated, Dirk took a sip of coffee. “How do you mean? Lars is already with the drug unit. Incidentally, he was after the same people we were, and we unexpectedly ran into each other. But that’s not what you mean, is it?”
    “No, it’s about Sandra.”
    Dirk wrinkled his brow in thought. “Sandra Meinke? What’s up with her?”
    “I’d like her to have the same opportunity as Lars.”
    Dirk, who had become more and more perplexed, drank the rest of his coffee to stall. He liked the young policewoman, who had given him some unbureaucratic assistance on a few occasions. But why didn’t Matthias go directly to Stephan? “I’d say it’s quite likely she’d fit in well with Stephan’s people.” He broke off when he recognized the man approaching them and grinned