Damocles - Chapter 2 - The Blonde

00:00:00: Heinke Digital presents

00:00:07: Damocles

00:00:15: An audiobook podcast by Christian Heinke

00:00:19: chapter two

00:00:21: the blonde

00:00:24: I hopped on one of the self-driving CityBuses

00:00:27: This type of transport was free for state employees.

00:00:30: Otherwise I would have had to endure various advertisements on numerous screens in the

00:00:35: cabin.

00:00:36: After 30 minutes I arrived at my office in the Bochum police station together with Sam.

00:00:41: In the last 20 years the work of the police had changed a lot due to digitalisation.

00:00:47: Now offices serve as a safe retreat from hacker attacks to make undisturbed investigations

00:00:52: and researches by implant.

00:00:54: was virtually no longer in use at the police force. All official procedures took place

00:00:59: in the augmented reality of the implants. My office was therefore not my own. I shared

00:01:05: it with two colleagues on shift duty. There were pictures of my colleagues' children

00:01:10: on the desk and drawings of children on the otherwise empty walls. My contribution to

00:01:15: individualization was a large basket with a blanket in which Sam immediately made himself

00:01:20: comfortable. The office chair had recognized me and already adjusted to my measurements

00:01:25: when I entered. I hung up my coat and left the silver box in its pocket. Then I fell

00:01:31: into the office chair and put my feet up on the desk. If my colleagues noticed, I would

00:01:36: probably get in trouble, but this was the most comfortable position for me to think.

00:01:40: And after all, I was the most senior and could therefore take a few liberties. I closed my

00:01:45: eyes and activated my implant by activating the switch under my temple.

00:01:51: Modern implants already reacted to mental commands.

00:01:54: The implant manufacturer had a framework agreement with the city of Bakkum, so I would probably

00:01:59: be entitled to an upgrade.

00:02:01: But I shied away from being butchered for just a few firmware updates.

00:02:05: Therefore, I had only a standard model that had been made available to me at a lower price

00:02:09: through my employer.

00:02:11: Wearing implants had been mandatory for police officers for seven years.

00:02:16: I had been able to resist this order a few months, but six and a half years ago I had

00:02:20: to undergo the operation at St. Augusta Hospital.

00:02:24: It was now obligatory for a civil servant to wear an implant, but its use was still

00:02:28: optional.

00:02:30: Except for some basic functions, such as a navigation, calendar, telephone directory,

00:02:35: the news, and the internal police information system, I hardly ever used my implant.

00:02:40: colleagues never turned it off. It was powered by electrodes in the brain and the body's

00:02:46: kinetic energy, allowing it to operate almost indefinitely.

00:02:50: Brave new world. I sighed and started to work. In front of me, about a meter away, a large

00:02:56: screen appeared. »Show me the satellite records of the West Park incident this morning.«

00:03:01: »The investigator in charge is Hubert Syska.« Immediately, the satellite's records appeared

00:03:07: before my eyes. The system intuitively understood what I wanted to see. The recording started

00:03:13: at the moment when the cargo drones released the rear retaining clips. I saw everything

00:03:17: from a godlike bird's eye view. The dense cloud cover had already been calculated out

00:03:22: of the images. Everything was clearly visible. A little closer on quadrant C6, the image

00:03:29: immediately zoomed in on said quadrant. The man stood at the edge of the ponds and stared

00:03:34: at the drone in horror. Then the remaining retaining clamps loosened. The man started

00:03:39: to move, but it was too late. With relentless force, he was struck by the container. "Stop.

00:03:46: Back up and then stop again. Then mark all persons registered in the immediate vicinity."

00:03:52: The recording backed up and then stopped. Red circles surrounded the pinheads of the

00:03:56: man and Sam and me standing on the bridge. Even Sam's implant was registered by the

00:04:02: satellite. The man was Immanuel Goldschmidt, 44 years old, living in Essen, married, two

00:04:09: teenage daughters, occupation software engineer. Is there any evidence of other people in the

00:04:15: immediate vicinity at the time of the incident? Negative. The artificial police assistant

00:04:21: replied in a soft voice. I rubbed the bridge of my nose thoughtfully. From the perspective

00:04:27: of Syska and the APA, everything was crystal clear.

00:04:31: A tragic accident.

00:04:33: Sad for Goldschmidt's two daughters and his wife.

00:04:35: That's life.

00:04:37: Shit happens.

00:04:38: Who said that?

00:04:40: I couldn't remember.

00:04:41: But I knew that I had seen this Immanuel Goldschmidt arguing with a woman shortly before his death.

00:04:48: Perhaps his mistress?

00:04:49: Possibly.

00:04:51: The woman had seemed younger.

00:04:53: But the two had not seemed familiar with each other in that way.

00:04:56: Nevertheless, I made a mental note to talk to Mr. Goldschmidt's wife about a possible

00:05:01: affair her husband was having.

00:05:03: Now there was only one thing left to clarify.

00:05:07: Show me five minutes around the time Goldschmidt talks to me.

00:05:11: Magnify 300%.

00:05:13: Immediately the recording started.

00:05:15: You could clearly see me struggling to get to Goldschmidt, kneeling down to him and taking

00:05:19: his hand.

00:05:21: But Goldschmidt's hand was empty.

00:05:23: It looked exactly as Syska had interpreted it.

00:05:27: A badly injured man reaches out for help and dies.

00:05:30: The old policeman is with him in the last seconds, watching helplessly.

00:05:35: I looked at my coat with the silver box.

00:05:37: No one at the police department knew it existed and no one connected the silver box with Goldschmidt.

00:05:43: The only people who probably knew of the existence of the box were the unknown woman and myself.

00:05:49: And of course, someone else.

00:05:52: The one who had killed Emanuel Goldschmidt.

00:05:55: After all, how likely was it that the owner of this invaluable silver box had died in

00:06:00: such a tragic and accidental way?

00:06:03: Not very high.

00:06:04: I cut the connection to the APA.

00:06:06: Suddenly, I didn't feel very comfortable here in the office.

00:06:11: I stood up.

00:06:12: "Come on, Sam.

00:06:13: We're going home."

00:06:19: Sam and I caught another self-driving city bus that took us to my apartment on Hildegard

00:06:23: Street.

00:06:25: Once there, we took the elevator to the top floor.

00:06:28: My apartment was actually too big for Sam and me.

00:06:32: But when I had rented it decades ago, I didn't live there alone.

00:06:36: And now, 30 years later, the rent was unbeatably cheap for such a prestigious district as Bochum

00:06:41: Hamme.

00:06:43: Sam trotted from the apartment door straight into the kitchen to her bowl and sipped a

00:06:46: little water.

00:06:48: I was a bit more civilized, went to the stove and put a small pot of espresso on the induction

00:06:53: stove.

00:06:54: When the pot boiled after a few seconds, I poured a sip of it into a small cup and toasted

00:06:59: Sam with it.

00:07:00: "Here's to you, Sam," I said.

00:07:04: Sam paused for a moment, looked at me, and then continued sipping his water.

00:07:09: I poured myself another cup of espresso and walked with it from the kitchen to my small

00:07:13: study.

00:07:14: Actually, it was just a small den next to the bedroom.

00:07:18: But this was the room of my apartment where I spent the most time.

00:07:22: There was only an old television armchair, a reading lamp, a side table, and a bookshelf

00:07:26: in it, which contained a lot of worn out detective novels.

00:07:30: My bookshelf housed the most extensive collection of crime novels printed on paper in all of

00:07:35: Bochum.

00:07:36: Nobody but an old fart like me read real books anymore, let alone detective novels.

00:07:42: No one seemed to have time for longer stories these days unless you could chop them up into

00:07:46: easily digestible pieces and upload it to YouTube.

00:07:50: I placed my small cup of espresso on a narrow order table next to the armchair, went to

00:07:55: the coat rack and retrieved the silver box from my coat pocket.

00:07:59: Then I went back to my cubbyhole, sat down in the TV chair, turned on the floor lamp

00:08:04: and finally examined the mysterious box.

00:08:07: There was a pattern engraved on the lid.

00:08:10: It was a circular ornament that remotely resembled a flower.

00:08:14: Around the ornament was a Latin phrase.

00:08:16: »Divitis et potentes.«

00:08:18: My Latin was more than rusty.

00:08:21: I had only managed to get to beginner's level at school.

00:08:24: »Computer, please translate ›Divitis et 'potentes‹.«

00:08:28: The soft voice of my implant obeyed immediately.

00:08:31: »Divitis et potentes, is Latin and means ›the rich and the powerful.‹«

00:08:36: »The rich and the powerful.«

00:08:39: I muttered the translation to myself.

00:08:42: With a clearing of my throat, my implant's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

00:08:46: You haven't used my research function for quite some time.

00:08:50: Since then, there have been some urgent security updates.

00:08:54: Would you like me to install them now?

00:08:57: No.

00:08:58: Are you okay with me installing these updates while you sleep?

00:09:01: Hell no.

00:09:03: Remind me next month.

00:09:04: Alright.

00:09:05: I'll remind you next month, Joseph.

00:09:09: Nothing was alright.

00:09:10: Where was I?

00:09:12: The rich and the powerful.

00:09:14: The terahertz scan of Bob the Robot had shown that the hole was of great age.

00:09:19: What had been Bob's estimate?

00:09:21: Over 4,000 years?

00:09:22: Well, Latin had been spoken since about 500 years before Christ.

00:09:28: So the engraving had to have been added later.

00:09:30: Now it was time to look at the inside of the box.

00:09:33: There was a small depression on the rim of the lid of the box.

00:09:37: I reached under it with my thumbnail and opened the box.

00:09:41: If the contents contained complicated electronics, they were well hidden.

00:09:45: The box was not empty.

00:09:47: The inside consisted of a smooth, polished surface interrupted only by a red, round button

00:09:52: in the center.

00:09:54: There were no other engravings inside the box.

00:09:57: The red button was not labeled.

00:09:59: Apparently, it was assumed that the owner of the silver box knew what it was for.

00:10:04: I carefully stroked my finger over the surface of the knob.

00:10:07: The material appeared to be plastic at first glance, but felt colder, so I suspected it

00:10:12: was a gemstone.

00:10:14: Perhaps the button was made of zircon.

00:10:16: What had Bob said?

00:10:18: This silver box seemed to be a kind of amplifier for certain frequency ranges, which is used

00:10:23: in commercial brain implants for the use of network services.

00:10:27: It could be used to unlock many new and unknown functions in implants.

00:10:32: So caution was called for.

00:10:34: This inconspicuous thing could influence the functions of implants.

00:10:38: It was not to be trifled with.

00:10:40: In the early days of implant technology, a few brave hackers themselves had tried to

00:10:45: add functions to their implants and only succeeded in having themselves lobotomized.

00:10:50: I really didn't want to end up like Jack Nicholson at the end of One Flew Over the

00:10:54: Cuckoo's Nest.

00:10:55: But on the other hand, I desperately wanted to find out why someone in Bochum’s

00:10:59: West Park wanted to kill an inconspicuous software engineer from Essen with a cargo container.

00:11:05: Ah, screw it, I pressed the red button in the silver box.

00:11:12: Nothing happened.

00:11:13: For about two seconds.

00:11:15: Then nothing was the same anymore.

00:11:23: From one breath to the next, I was no longer in my little cubbyhole in my apartment in

00:11:27: Hildegard Street, but sitting on a comfortable chair in a sparsely lit room whose walls I

00:11:31: could not make out at first.

00:11:34: The ceiling of the room had indirect lighting, the brightness of which was barely noticeably

00:11:38: increased.

00:11:39: It was made of concrete.

00:11:41: The walls of the room were as well.

00:11:43: As in the ceiling, there was indirect lighting at the level of the baseboards.

00:11:47: I sat at a plain wooden table with light brown drain, probably oak.

00:11:52: On the opposite side of the table was another chair.

00:11:55: On it sat a tall, blonde woman with blue eyes and high cheekbones.

00:12:00: She wore an updo and a grey costume that seemed to match the bare concrete walls of the room.

00:12:05: She smiled kindly at me.

00:12:07: "Hello.

00:12:08: It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Inspector."

00:12:11: "I think we need to talk."

00:12:13: I said to the unknown blonde.

00:12:15: "That's why we're here."

00:12:16: "And where is here?"

00:12:18: The blonde hesitated to answer.

00:12:20: "It's a safe place."

00:12:22: It sounded honest, but also a little mocking, the way she said it.

00:12:26: I wasn't satisfied with that.

00:12:28: I looked around.

00:12:29: And where exactly is this safe place?

00:12:32: This place, the blonde made a sweeping gesture with her hand, is called the stream.

00:12:39: It's a virtual reality that was developed 20 years ago by sweeper.net under the direction

00:12:44: of Katherine Williams.

00:12:46: I had heard of sweeper.net, of course.

00:12:48: I had also heard of Katherine Williams.

00:12:51: Suddenly the term stream was new to me.

00:12:53: Is this something like augmented reality?

00:12:56: These two technologies are very similar.

00:12:59: However, the virtual reality of the stream is more of a parallel world than just a layer

00:13:04: of additional information like the augmented reality of implants provides.

00:13:09: She abruptly grabbed my hand.

00:13:11: It felt warm, dry and soft.

00:13:14: But what you feel here is not a real sensation.

00:13:17: I cleared my throat.

00:13:18: It feels pretty real to me.

00:13:20: The blonde smiled.

00:13:21: "Your brain is given exactly that impression with the help of your implant."

00:13:25: "Since we are already holding hands, can you tell me who you are?"

00:13:30: "Of course.

00:13:32: My name is Siv.«

00:13:33: "Just Siv?«

00:13:35: The blonde nodded.

00:13:36: I gently but firmly withdrew my hand.

00:13:38: "What were you arguing about with Immanuel Goldschmidt in the park this morning, Siv?«

00:13:43: I asked, looking her in the eye.

00:13:45: She held my gaze.

00:13:47: "Mr. Goldschmidt and I had a little disagreement."

00:13:49: About what?

00:13:50: About the ownership of the little silver box you just activated, Chief Inspector.

00:13:55: Is it really that old?

00:13:57: Probably even older.

00:13:59: It came from a manufacturer in the city of Nu Or’leen, which has been gone for thousands of years.

00:14:04: And what does this silver box do?

00:14:07: Well, first of all, it allows us to talk in private, but that is not all it offers.

00:14:12: Such as?

00:14:13: Did you read the inscription on the lid?

00:14:16: The rich and the powerful.

00:14:18: This is the motto of a secret society that calls itself the Eternals.

00:14:23: Like these old Marvel superheroes?

00:14:25: What kind of secret society are they?

00:14:28: Now that you have caught the eye of the Eternals, you will find out soon enough.

00:14:32: How so?

00:14:33: You are in possession of the Silver Box.

00:14:36: You have opened it and activated it with your thumbprint.

00:14:39: This Silver Box will only work one time.

00:14:43: Once activated, the mechanism it contains cannot be used again.

00:14:47: And because of the activation, you are now in for some big changes.

00:14:51: I wake up in a hospital because I overloaded my implant with this thing and fried my brain?

00:14:56: Siv laughed. It was a friendly and happy laugh.

00:15:00: No, my dear Chief Inspector.

00:15:02: You now have abilities that only an illustrious fraction of the population of this planet possesses.

00:15:08: You've got to be kidding me.

00:15:10: No, not at all. I want to help you with your investigation.

00:15:15: I didn't believe her. Did you kill Emanuel Goldschmidt?

00:15:19: No.

00:15:20: It was impossible for me to tell if Siv was lying.

00:15:23: If she was playing poker, she was probably unbeatable at it.

00:15:26: Did you have something to do with his death? I asked.

00:15:30: Her answer followed after a slight hesitation.

00:15:33: No. I didn't.

00:15:36: She rose.

00:15:37: But that's exactly why we're having this conversation, Chief Inspector.

00:15:42: I want you to investigate. I want you to find the murderer of Emanuel Goldschmidt.

00:15:47: Why?

00:15:48: It's personal.

00:15:50: And you think it's murder?

00:15:51: Your intuition didn't fool you. The cargo drone didn't accidentally lose that container in the wrong place at exactly the wrong time.

00:15:59: Someone caused the drone to malfunction.

00:16:02: Do you have proof of that?

00:16:04: No, I don't. If I did, I wouldn't need your help, Chief Inspector.

00:16:09: What are these personal reasons you speak of?

00:16:12: Well, first of all, I have a strong survival instinct, Chief Inspector.

00:16:17: I've managed to stay alive for quite some time as a result.

00:16:21: What do you mean by that?

00:16:23: This Immanuel Goldschmidt won't be the only body if his killer has his way.

00:16:27: Do you have any suspicions about who the killers might be?

00:16:31: I do, but I don't want to influence your professional opinion.

00:16:35: But haven't you already?

00:16:37: By letting me use the silver box, Siv shook her head.

00:16:41: All I have done is to give you a better hand for the game.

00:16:44: How you play it now is entirely up to you.

00:16:47: I don't like other people deciding my fate.

00:16:50: Siv shook her head.

00:16:51: On the contrary, Chief Inspector.

00:16:54: For the first time in your life, you have been given the opportunity to do as you please.

00:16:59: Make good use of this privilege.

00:17:01: If I have judged you correctly, you will.

00:17:04: If not, then...

00:17:05: Then what?

00:17:06: Are you threatening me?

00:17:08: No, of course not.

00:17:10: You've been on the side of the law all your life.

00:17:13: We'll see how well you do in the big leagues."

00:17:15: And if I don't want to, Siv leaned back in her chair.

00:17:18: "Then you're not the man I thought you were, Joseph.

00:17:22: But as I said, it is all up to you now."

00:17:25: With a smooth movement, she stepped away from the table and slid her chair under it.

00:17:29: Then she nodded.

00:17:30: "I wish you good luck.

00:17:32: You'll need it."

00:17:34: And at the same moment,

00:17:38: I was back in my little cubbyhole.

00:17:41: Sam lay at my feet and looked at me questioningly.

00:17:44: Obviously he hadn't noticed my little trip into the stream.

00:17:47: He rubbed his head against my leg, as if to say that as such an old man, I shouldn't

00:17:52: behave like this.

00:17:53: "You're right, Sam.

00:17:54: You're right."

00:17:56: I reached for the espresso cup and noticed my hands shaking.

00:17:59: Maybe espresso wasn't the right drink in this situation.

00:18:03: I rose with difficulty, took a few steps, and then realized my knees were weak.

00:18:08: Sam gave another questioning bark. "What's the matter with you old man?"

00:18:12: "It's alright Sam, just a little wobbly on my feet."

00:18:16: I went to the bathroom and washed my face with cold water at the sink. My reflection

00:18:21: in the mirror showed me my age. My face was pale and exhausted. I closed my eyes. There

00:18:28: was no need to look at misery all the time. The stream trip had been remarkable. Everything

00:18:34: had felt eerily real. I could still feel Siv's hand. Had this really been an illusion?

00:18:41: Then I heard some noise in the kitchen. I opened my eyes. Gun. That was my first thought.

00:18:48: But I kept my service weapon in a small safe in my bedroom. I hadn't carried it for years.

00:18:54: Every now and then I would take it out, take it apart, clean it, and put it back together

00:18:58: again. Of course it wasn't loaded. I only fired it during marksmanship tests and never

00:19:04: had to use it during my entire service.

00:19:07: The best I could find was a scrubber sitting in the hall because I was too lazy to put

00:19:10: it away.

00:19:12: I took it and quietly snuck it into the kitchen.

00:19:14: Strangely, Sam didn't jump at the sound.

00:19:17: I took a deep breath.

00:19:19: My heart was in my throat.

00:19:21: I gripped the scrubber handle tighter.

00:19:23: Then I jumped into the kitchen.

00:19:25: "Good God!"

00:19:26: There was a woman in my kitchen.

00:19:28: She was wearing a dark suit and holding an old-fashioned clipboard.

00:19:32: When she saw me, she dropped it.

00:19:34: The leaves on it came loose and swirled through the air like pale autumn leaves.

00:19:39: The woman was brunette with pearl earrings and an old-fashioned water wave.

00:19:43: You scared me.

00:19:44: "What are you doing in my kitchen?"

00:19:46: I snapped at the woman.

00:19:47: "I'm listing your possessions."

00:19:49: "What for?"

00:19:50: I asked, puzzled.

00:19:52: "As your personal assistant, this is one of my first duties after my activation."

00:19:56: "Activation?

00:19:58: Who activated you?"

00:19:59: "Well, you, of course, sir.

00:20:02: Your implant is now state-of-the-art with an updated assistant.

00:20:05: She pointed to herself.

00:20:07: Suddenly I realized I knew the woman's voice in my kitchen.

00:20:11: It sounded more natural, but it was the voice of the assistant to my standard implant.

00:20:15: Again, what are you doing in my kitchen?

00:20:18: She pointed to the leaves lying all around.

00:20:21: Just a moment.

00:20:22: She flicked her finger and the sheets disappeared.

00:20:25: Then they reappeared, neatly stacked on a clipboard that the assistant had taken from the kitchen counter.

00:20:31: I took a quick look at your assets.

00:20:33: I see.

00:20:35: At first glance, they seem very modest.

00:20:38: But by making a few investments with your retirement savings and optimizing your current

00:20:42: expenses, insurances, and subscriptions, you'll have about a million euros available in about

00:20:48: three minutes.

00:20:49: What?

00:20:50: I asked.

00:20:51: Since I can operate in the markets worldwide, I have been able to bring your assets to a

00:20:55: million euros.

00:20:57: Who authorized this?

00:20:58: I found a message from a certain Siv about this in my data storage.

00:21:02: The message is...

00:21:04: Don't spend it all at once.

00:21:05: Think of it as an expense account for your investigation.

00:21:09: Siv, was she trying to bribe me?

00:21:12: You can't do that.

00:21:14: That kind of money can't just go into my account.

00:21:16: It's illegal.

00:21:18: Do not worry about it.

00:21:19: The money is available to you, but it is not traceable by the Treasury or any other government

00:21:24: organization.

00:21:25: I don't want any of that dirty money.

00:21:28: The money is not dirty at all. I have only made investments that are within your moral

00:21:32: parameters, according to your personal profile. With your money you have helped about 37,534

00:21:39: people.

00:21:40: How so?

00:21:42: Microcredits, renewable energies, generic medicines that people in Africa would otherwise

00:21:47: not be able to afford. Thanks to you, around 100 children in Bangladesh no longer have

00:21:53: to weld apart old tankers, but are looked after and can go to school.

00:21:57: I made a million?" The assistant smiled. "To those who have, more shall be given. I only

00:22:03: needed 10,000 euros in seed capital to generate enough in three minutes to get a million euros

00:22:09: in dividends." "If it's so easy, why doesn't everyone do it that way?" "Not everyone can

00:22:14: do it. Only a limited number of clients have the necessary equipment. Do you want me to

00:22:20: stop optimizing your finances. No, it's okay. I leaned against the fridge. Sam came trotting in.

00:22:28: She didn't pay any attention to the assistant, just strode through. Her legs flickered slightly

00:22:34: as Sam passed her. You're not real. I said to the woman. Of course not, sir. I'm just a digital

00:22:42: representation. You look plenty real though. That's part of the upgrade package. I see.

00:22:48: Would you like to have sex, sir?

00:22:50: The assistant asked abruptly.

00:22:52: Excuse me?

00:22:54: Now that your financial situation is stabilized,

00:22:57: my advice is sexual activity as a form of relaxation.

00:23:01: In about 10 minutes a lady can be there.

00:23:03: I opened my mouth, then closed it again.

00:23:06: I rubbed my face.

00:23:08: Was this all really happening?

00:23:10: Then I shook my head.

00:23:11: No thanks.

00:23:13: I don't want sex right now.

00:23:14: I didn't even know the last time I had had sex in my life.

00:23:18: Then I remembered, and more importantly, with whom, which made me a little sad.

00:23:23: Jesus!

00:23:24: Had it been that long?

00:23:27: Are you sure?

00:23:28: Physical closeness is a basic human need and shouldn't be suppressed for too long.

00:23:33: I am not suppressing anything.

00:23:35: I don't want any more company right now.

00:23:37: One woman in my mind is enough for me now.

00:23:40: I see.

00:23:41: Shall I withdraw, sir?

00:23:43: You can call me Joseph.

00:23:45: I understand, Joseph.

00:23:48: I withdraw? Yes. Then I reconsidered. No. Not at all. What's your name, anyway?

00:23:55: You haven't chosen a name for me yet, Joseph. What kind of name would you like?

00:24:00: The assistant tilted her head. I get to choose my own name?

00:24:05: She seemed completely stunned by this possibility. Well, I guess that's your right.

00:24:11: "Ah, then, then I'd like to choose the name. Madeline."

00:24:15: "Madeline. Okay. Nice to meet you, Madeline."

00:24:19: "Likewise, Joseph. Would you like me to leave you alone now?"

00:24:24: "If you don't mind. I have some things to think about."

00:24:27: Madeline nodded silently and disappeared before my eyes.

00:24:31: The kitchen suddenly seemed empty and abandoned. It seemed that the presence of another human being

00:24:37: had been missing from this place. Sam nudged me with her nose.

00:24:41: "Yes, big girl." I knew what she wanted. But first I went into

00:24:46: my cubbyhole and got the silver box back. Then I went into the hall, took my coat off

00:24:51: the hook, put it on and put the silver box in my coat pocket. Then I grabbed the lead.

00:24:57: Sam gave a satisfied ›woof.‹ »Come on. I have to go to Amazon anyway.«

00:25:02: I went with Sam to the Amazon store on Zechen Street.

00:25:09: It had once been an Edeka supermarket, but Amazon had bought up almost all of the German

00:25:14: chains of retail stores.

00:25:16: I pondered the events of that crazy November day while Sam left various scent marks on

00:25:21: different trees along the way to get the latest gossip from the Hammy dog pack.

00:25:26: Siv had explained that the update to my implant had opened up unprecedented possibilities

00:25:30: for solving Immanuel Goldschmidt's death. The question now was how to proceed. I looked

00:25:36: at my Apple Watch. I had flexible hours. Perhaps I could pay a visit to Immanuel Goldschmidt's

00:25:43: widow before returning to the station. "I can do more for you, Joseph," Madeline

00:25:48: said. She was not speaking to me, but I could hear her thoughts in my head. "Let me guess.

00:25:55: That's part of the upgrade, too." "But of course."

00:25:58: Well then... what can you do for me?

00:26:01: I've already handled the cases on your desk. So you have no further duties at the station.

00:26:07: Why did you do that?

00:26:08: It's part of my assignment that Siv gave me.

00:26:11: I am supposed to help you as much as I can with any difficulties that interfere with your investigation of the case.

00:26:18: Okay. Thank you.

00:26:20: You're welcome.

00:26:22: So instead of going to Amazon, I called the city bus, again with Madeline's help,

00:26:27: and told them to take me to Emanuel Goldschmidt's address. I wanted a word with Mrs. Goldschmidt.

00:26:34: (dramatic music)

00:26:36: (dramatic music)

00:26:39: (upbeat music)

00:26:42: (dramatic music)

00:26:45: (explosion)