Messerscharf - Tödliche Wege der Liebe (2002)

Frankfurt BKA profiler Michelle Eisner made a mistake on her last assignment that ultimately cost a five-year-old boy his life. Now she feels not only guilty but also burned out, and takes leave from work. During her time off, she travels to Berlin, where she meets Doris, a homeless woman who seems interested in her troubles. In the end, however, Doris had only wanted to gain Eisner’s trust before robbing her. Feeling helpless, the inspector meets Thomas Hielmann, an introverted writer who takes her in and with whom she falls in love. But when Eisner learns that a woman killer is on the loose again—and that Doris has now also become a victim—Hielmann begins to make her uneasy. Even so, she stays with him and accepts his invitation to dinner, where she meets Hielmann’s rather unpleasant brother, Wolfram. The murders continue to prey on Eisner’s mind, so she contacts the Berlin criminal police. She wants to help investigate the case and therefore works with Inspector Stephan Strauch. Thomas Hielmann has already come to the attention of Strauch’s department, and he is arrested on the basis of several clues. Eisner considers this premature, however. She wants to research the victims further and, in the process, meets a woman who survived an attack. According to her description of the perpetrator, Thomas Hielmann could not have been the killer, so he is released. Eisner remains privately interested in the writer, who has experienced a great deal in East Germany and has many stories to tell. Since he does not know she is a police officer, she can continue investigating undercover. Based on a remark by Hielmann, she thinks it is possible that his brother is the wanted killer. According to police records, Wolfram Hielmann has come to their attention several times for rape and attempted rape, but he was never convicted for lack of evidence. From Eisner’s research, it seems Thomas probably helped him with bribes. He has always protected his little brother, but given the current evidence, he can no longer help him. Eisner now tells Thomas Hielmann that she works for the BKA, but that her feelings for him are genuine. After a fifth victim is found, and neither Thomas nor Wolfram Hielmann has a reliable alibi, both remain under investigation. Wolfram Hielmann is released from pretrial detention on bail and shoots himself in his apartment. His brother is then arrested again. But while Thomas is being interrogated, Eisner falls into the hands of the real woman killer. It is the courier driver René Rottländer, who worked for the Hielmann brothers every other day and was thus able to plant the evidence found at their homes. Inspector Stephan Strauch arrives just in time to save her life.