Der Metzger und der Tote im Haifischbecken (2015)

Restorer Willibald Adrian Metzger is cycling to the Hackenberger Guesthouse, where he is supposed to restore an antique wooden figurine. The guesthouse is very remote, and he also has to visit the caretaker, who is currently working at the Sonnenhof health clinic, even higher up in the mountains. On the rather strenuous ride there, Willibald falls off his bicycle and finds a severed ring finger. The young Danjela Djurkovic happens to witness the whole thing; she is up there taking a dip in a mountain lake. When Danjela takes a closer look at the ring, she sees the engraved name August and a date. Then, oddly enough, an eagle swoops down, grabs the finger, and flies off with it. In conversation, Willibald learns that Danjela lives at the Sonnenhof, so the two of them set off there together. When they finally arrive, they find a large police presence because a guest has drowned in the pool. Willibald, who finds Danjela very appealing, stays by her side and discovers that she has a knack for detective work and is therefore very interested in the fate of the dead spa guest, August Friedmann. She tirelessly looks for clues and is convinced that the man must have been murdered. Willibald asks her to inform the police of her suspicions, but they do not seem interested and continue to assume it was an accident. After contacting the caretaker, Ferdinand Anzböck, Willibald sets off again for the Hackenberger Guesthouse. On the way, a driver calls out to him and offers him a ride, saying that he is staying with the Hackenbergers too. They load the bicycle into the van, and Willibald is grateful not to have to pedal any farther. During their conversation, he learns that the young man is August Friedmann’s son. His father had been at the health clinic for rehabilitation after falling off a ladder, and the young man had just gone there to collect his belongings. That evening, Danjela calls Willibald and says that the severed finger might belong to Mrs. Friedmann, and that there may have been a family tragedy. Although Willibald is busy restoring the wooden figurine and wants to finish it, he arranges to meet Danjela the next day. As they discuss how to proceed at the health clinic, a freshly severed hand is suddenly discovered in the shark tank installed in the entrance hall as an exhibit. It very likely belonged to the caretaker, the rest of whose body the shark has already eaten. Danjela is immediately convinced that the man did not fall into the tank by accident, but was murdered too. For now, however, Willibald has had enough and heads back to continue working on the figurine. At the small Alpine guesthouse, he gets talking with Sascha Friedmann and learns that Sascha did not have a good relationship with his father. His family situation is very sad overall: his grandfather tyrannizes the whole family, which weighs on them all. Willibald happens to meet Sascha’s mother and sees that she is missing neither a finger nor the ring on it. According to Sascha, he was not the only one to leave the Hirzinger farm: his older brother Xaver had left much earlier, and now his father had left too, intending to start a new life. Willibald has finally caught Danjela’s investigative enthusiasm after accidentally finding old photographs of Sascha’s family. He wants to ask the priest about them, since he must know the family well, but first he runs into the talkative Zellmoserin. She tells him that, when he was young, caretaker Anzböck had worked as a farmhand at the Hirzinger farm and had been in love with the daughter, Luise, as had August Friedmann, who later married Luise. Luise’s sister Paula was 15 at the time and died unexpectedly of a mysterious illness. As Willibald tries to piece together the relationships and family circumstances, and discusses them with Danjela over the phone, Sascha’s younger brother Benedikt suddenly threatens him with a hunting rifle and forces him to go with him. Benedikt had seen Willibald with Sascha at their grandfather’s farm and wants to know why he is so interested in his family. After a brief scuffle, hotheaded Benedikt drives off, still with Willibald’s phone in his car. When Danjela calls, Benedikt answers, and Danjela chatters away cheerfully, unaware that Willibald is not on the line. Benedikt thus learns that she has found August’s missing third son, who works as a physiotherapist at the health clinic. Benedikt immediately drives there to confront his brother. Since Xaver works at the clinic where their father has just been killed, Benedikt assumes that Xaver is his father’s murderer too. For that reason, and because he cannot forgive Xaver for leaving him behind with their terrible grandfather, Benedikt stabs him. Benedikt is then arrested, and Xaver is taken to the hospital. But the case is still not solved for Danjela and Willibald. They piece together what they believe happened: August Friedmann had once been in love with Luise’s sister Paula, who had his child at just 15 and was driven off the farm because of the disgrace. August was forced to marry Luise, who raised Paula’s child, Xaver, as her own. When Ferdinand Anzböck unexpectedly encountered his old rival at the health clinic, he drowned him in a fit of rage. Paula had arranged to meet August so they could start a new life together, but when he did not come, she cut off her finger in grief. She could not have known that August was already dead. Later, when Danjela goes to see Xaver, she meets a nun at the hospital whose hand is bandaged. Seeing how affectionately the nun turns to Xaver, Danjela suspects that her theory is right and that the woman is Paula. At first, the two amateur detectives suspect that Xaver witnessed August’s murder and, in revenge, pushed the caretaker into the shark tank while he was feeding the fish. But Willibald does not think that is a sufficient motive. He is right: before long, he learns the whole terrible truth, which August Friedmann revealed in a letter to Sascha. A great lie ran through their entire family: Xaver had to grow up as his aunt’s son, and Sascha is not August’s son either. Luise’s father had abused his own daughter and fathered Sascha. After Willibald uncovers Sascha’s secret, Sascha tries to kill both him and his grandfather. He locks them in the barn and sets it on fire. At the last moment, the two manage to free themselves and escape the fire, but an ungrateful Hirzinger is struck by a piece of metal falling from the barn. Sascha also dies: as he flees in his car, he crashes into a neon cross, which falls on him and kills him.