Die Donau ist tief. Ein Krimi aus Passau (2020)

Private detective Ferdinand Zankl is under suspicion of murder and is arrested by the Passau Criminal Police. He is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Nunzia Rossi, who ran an animal shelter. At least, that is what veterinarian Dr. Jan Heckmann claims. Zankl insists he is innocent, and Frederike Bader is supposed to find the real killer for him. A shovel is found in the trunk of Zankl’s car, and investigating Chief Inspector Grill and her colleague Piontek suspect he intended to use it to bury Nunzia’s body. What’s more, Nunzia’s voicemail contains numerous desperate messages from Zankl. From Jochen Mohn, her handler in the witness protection program, Frederike learns that Mia’s grandmother, Giesela Schenk, died in Berlin nine months ago, on her 78th birthday. According to Mohn, she suffered a fatal head injury in a fall, but Frederike is skeptical. Mia finds the silhouette of Passau on one of the pastry boxes from the bakery. One of those boxes had also held the birthday cake for her grandmother. She suspects the Bahdari clan was responsible for her grandmother’s death and blames herself in part. Giesela left her house to Mia and Frederike. Frederike wants to sell it and use the proceeds to make a fresh start. Zankl puts pressure on Frederike because he urgently needs to get out of prison. The previous winter, he killed Ahmed Bahdari, the contract killer sent after Frederike and Mia, and buried him in the Bavarian Forest. And, as it happens, at a spot where archaeologists are now searching for Roman-era relics. Zankl fears that Bahdari’s body could soon be discovered. Although Frederike had wanted nothing more to do with Zankl after what happened back then, she has little choice but to help him, also to protect her daughter Mia. So she begins investigating and poses as a dog lover at the animal shelter. There, Heckmann and Frau Bielmeier tell her about a Czech puppy smuggler whose puppies ended up at the shelter. The smuggler, however, escaped the police. By the shelter fence, Frederike finds a bolt cutter from the Wissmann auto repair shop, a beer bottle from a Czech brewery, and a cigarette pack with Czech writing on it. Frederike then visits Elmar “Elwis” Wissmann’s auto repair shop. He tells her that his van, bolt cutters, and Elvis jacket were stolen on the night Zankl’s ex-girlfriend was murdered. Frederike suspects that the smuggler tried to get his puppies back from the shelter, was discovered by Nunzia, and then beat her to death. The puppy smuggler, Jaroslav Kaiser, is arrested by the police, but says he saw Zankl at the crime scene at the time of the murder. Zankl therefore remains in custody. Chief Inspector Grill and her colleague Piontek are pleased, because Grill would like to convict Zankl. She has only just taken up the position and wants to be able to show quick results. Zankl tells Frederike that although he was at the animal shelter on the night of the murder, he did not see Nunzia there, before she was later killed. Frederike learns from Frau Bielmeier that Nunzia was close friends with pop singer Ilka Unseld. Nunzia looked after the animals on Ilka’s farm whenever Ilka was on tour. Two months before Nunzia’s death, two young men harassed her in downtown Passau, and one of them injured her. Ilka then offered a reward and hired Zankl to find the perpetrator. His investigation, however, came to nothing. At Ilka’s farm, Frederike finds Sascha Kruse and his pregnant girlfriend, Selena. The two have brought the wanted man to Ilka’s farm to collect the reward. The man stabs Sascha in the stomach with a pitchfork and flees. According to Chief Inspector Grill, Nunzia surprised the kidnappers, Sascha and Selena, at Ilka’s farm, and Nunzia wanted to call the police. The kidnappers tried to stop her, an argument broke out, and Nunzia suffered a fatal head injury. She died only after she had been taken to the animal shelter. Zankl is now cleared and released. Meanwhile, archaeologists from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation are nearing the spot where Zankl buried Ahmed Bahdari, beside the skeleton of a Roman legionary. To prevent Ahmed’s body from being discovered, Ferdinand and Frederike exhume his remains and throw them into the river. The radio reports that the State Office has filed a complaint against persons unknown over the opening of the legionary’s grave.