Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
Kommissar (Inspector) Rex
The Pages

The Rex Page

Case by Case

Rex Fan Fiction

Rex Links

Back to the Beanbag

Praeludium and Allegro
by Justina Lui

Standard Disclaimers : Unfortunately, I don’t own Rex or any of the other characters and the story is fully the fruits of my hyperactive imagination. This won’t earn me a cent but I hope it enriches you for the 5 minutes you’re reading it!
Still, some things don’t work as well in writing as on camera so you’ll have to use your imagination too!
Read & Review, comments, plot lines, your own unfinished business send away I’d love to hear from you!
Justina: bluegrass_devil at hotmail.com

XXX

Karl ushered his last student out and locked to door of the now empty auditorium. He pulled the case out from under the grand piano and proceeded to fiddle with the lock. It took a few minutes to undo all the clasps - his hand was shaking with anticipation as he picked up the fragile instrument from its bed of maroon velvet. He ran a seasoned eye over the body - which when it left Antonio Stradivarius' work shop would have been fine grain wood covered in a light brown almost orange varnish. Indeed it was a genuine Stradivarius, loaned to him by the Vienna Conservatorium of Music. He was to play a series of concerts performing all of Bach's solo cantatas.

He turned it over. Centuries had marked the wood, giving it a time worn appeal. He traced the grains of wood with his finger before lifting the instrument to his chin and drawing the bow across the strings. Clear, sweet notes echoed around the room. He tried Kreisler's Praeludium and Allegro then Massenet's Mediation from Thais. The instrument responded to both beautifully, from the strong, challenging tone of the first to the dreamy, soft melody of the second. A polite knock was ignored, but a sharper rap moments later caught his attention. Putting the instrument back in its case gently, he unlocked the door and came face to face with a small, wiry man - Herman Rudolph, his desk partner in the Vienna Philharmonic.

"Schmit old man, still practicing," he remarked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Er, ofcourse! What can I do for you?"
Technically, Karl was better than his contemporary but there was something unnerving about Herman that made Karl rather uncomfortable in his presence.
"Look at the time, it’s almost 6 the concert starts at 7:30pm. The soloist can’t be late now can he? We'd better get going." Herman continued smoothly.
"Yes, yes" Karl mumbled. He felt himself turn red as he packed his things and he followed Rudolph out of the auditorium.

XXX

The concert was a great success, with the sell out crowd demanding an encore. Herman had led the orchestra and the conductor had come up to both of them afterwards in the rehearsal room to congratulate them.

Back home, Karl was shrugging out of his jacket when he heard the back gate slam. He went out to investigate but the yard was dark. He could sense a figure in the shadows but it wasn't sure until it stepped forward that the detector light turned itself on.
"Herman! What are you doing here?" A shiver ran up Karl's spine.
"Schmit old man, you played so well tonight, brilliant!" Herman spoke softly.
"The soloist has cancelled; oh we don't need a soloist, we have Karl Schmit." He taunted.
"Herman..."he began unsteadily, for now his whole body shaking with fear.

"WHAT?!" something in him had snapped.
His dark hawk like eyes flashed menacingly. The next movement happened very quickly. Herman picked up a shovel that was leaning against the wall and swung it, catching Karl in the head. The big man fell, the breath knocked clean out of him.
"Now you know what it feels like, to be knocked back when you're almost there"
"Wha...?" Karl wrestled with the throbbing at the back of his head, trying to regain his breath.
"You know what I mean. When the Chamber orchestra collapsed, you moved right in to the Philharmonic and gained leadership...MY LEADERSHIP! I worked years to get to the 1st desk, to the top job. Then some unknown unemployed comes along and boom! They land it! How do you call that fair?" he was shouting now.
"I...I..."
"Swoosh" the shovel came down, smashing Karl's face. He tried to scream but blood running down his throat choked him, and instead only a gargle came out.
"Now I will make sure you never play again, so you can never steal what is mine, old man" he leered and raised the shovel once more.

XXX

Midmorning sunlight was steadily streaming through the window of Alex Brandtner's bedroom when Rex decided it was time to get up.
"Woof!"
"Argh! Get off!" Alex made to push Rex off as he landed bodily on him and with some effort glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 10:45am.
“It's Sunday, go away" he muttered, pulling the pillow over his head.
Rex whined and nosed his way under to lick Brandtner's face. This made Alex smile and he lovingly ruffled the thick fur on Rex's head. They lay there for a moment in silence enjoying each other’s company.

"What do you say we go to that new cafe on the corner for brunch? They think you’re cute so you’ll get your sausage.” He grinned wickedly, “But they don’t have to live with you!”
Rex barked and stood up as if to say “You’re no angel either!”
“I agree though, we should do this more often” he lay back on his pillow as Rex jumped off the bed to get breakfast. “We should do weekends more often.” But just as he was getting comfortable with the idea of a day off, the shrill ringing of the phone interrupted.
"Woof!" he heard Rex skitter across the floorboards as he went to get the offending object.

Alex dearly hoped it wasn't Christian or Fritz. Not that he didn't like them in fact those long hours at the office had made them the best of friends. They omplimented each other well - Christian's logical thinking, Fritz's methodical mind and his own creative but sometimes erratic ideas. Alex often thought he had the best job in the world – part of a successful team who were also best mates. Unfortunately this wasn’t one of those moments.

Rex now entered taking his time, with the still ringing phone in his mouth. Alex reached for it with a sense of dread. Damn it, he thought, only work would hold on for this long. And indeed it was Christian's voice that told him to get out of bed - there was work to be done.
"Murphy's law" he grumbled to himself as he saw his nicely thought out plans for this beautiful day quickly disappearing. Who knew when the next day off would be?

XXX

Half an hour later Alex and Rex pulled up on the bank of the Danube River. The forensic team were already there, combing the scene for samples and clues.
"Morning sleepy head" Christian greeted them.
Kunz managed a curt nod with a phone stuck to his shoulder.
“Hey, new threads?” Alex did a double take.
Instead of his usual leather jacket Christian sported a knee length navy overcoat.
“Why yes” he looked pleased “The salesman said navy was the new black this winter”
“Nah, nothing beats black” Alex grinned and looked down at his own black trench.

Kunz had now detached himself from his phone wandered over to fill Alex in on the details.
"Found this morning by some joggers, no papers, and no idea of identity…ah here’s Dr. Graf"
"Woof!" Rex barked as the plump coroner came into view.
He was a little pink in the face and slightly out of breath.
"Sorry folks, bit of a hike coming through there." he gestured at the trees along the riverbank.
“Hello there Rex”
"Hey Leo." Alex grinned, "Over here."

Dr. Graf snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and bent over to examine the corpse. It was no pretty sight for so early in the morning. The face was a mess of clotted blood and could hardly be described as human. Suspicious dark stains covered the slashed shirt.
"Hasn't been in the water long, definitely killed by the chest wounds. Oh look at this!" he held up one of the corpse’s hands. The fingers were sliced off at the knuckles. "About ten to twelve hours I would say. Will tell you more after the autopsy" he straightened up and tipped his hat at Alex and Rex.
Alex walked over to Kunz who was now scribbling furiously on his notepad. Rex had wandered off for his usual sniff around.
“Woof Woof!” In the think bushes surrounding the scene it took Alex a little time to work out exactly where his canine companion was.
“What is it boy?” he bent down to examine the find. It was a leather bound diary. He picked it up with a handkerchief and put it in a little plastic bag.
“Oi Kunz, come here.” He showed him the notebook "Search the bushes round here and get the divers to have a look won't you? I'll see you back at the office."

XXX

Alex climbed the stairs of the Vienna Police department's headquarters to their 3rd floor office in a bit of a glum mood. So much for having the day off. Who would know when the next one would be? This case could take weeks, months even to solve – if ever. Rex bounded ahead with a bag of ham rolls, no such worries for him.
"Lunch is served!" he announced as Rex jumped onto Kunz's desk.
"Do I have to tip the waiter?" Kunz asked nervously as Rex eyed his ham roll greedily.
"Rex, you've got your own! Come here."

Taking the bag off the hungry dog Alex dealt out the remaining rolls.
"Catch!" He tossed Christian's like a frisbee, hitting him in the back of the head.
"Oi!" Rex moved in the clean up while Christian shot him a look of death. "Just you wait till someone steals your lunch!"
"Here, share mine" Alex ripped his in half "I just had breakfast.” he added sourly.
“Beep Beep,” the fax machine sounded but everyone was too absorbed in their ham rolls (or lack of in Christian’s case) to notice. Rex picked it up and deposited it on Brandtner's desk.

"Hey what's this? Copy of notes from the diary...still no ID...tuxedo shirt?" Alex scanned the report from forensics.
“Being murdered in a tuxedo shirt…he must’ve been coming home from function or something…any alcohol?”
“um…nup”
“Hey, if that book was like a diary wouldn’t it have the guy’s name and address?”
“Well not this guy’s. But he’s got a couple of phone numbers. Here, give them a ring” Alex handed the sheet to Kunz who made a face.
“Later”
"Oh by the way Dr. Graf wants to see you about the autopsy" Christian mumbled, looking bored.
“I’ll go pick up the diary from forensics” Kunz quickly added – he didn’t want to be left alone with a hungry Christian Bock and a smug German Shepard.

"All right" Brandtner set off with a spring in his step - the medical side of things had always fascinated him.
"Ah Alex, good to see you. Very interesting case we have here" Dr. Graf put down scalpel.

Curious, Alex walked over to take a closer look. Even cleaned up the sight of the corpse was an odd one. It was a middle-aged man but the face had been bashed beyond recognition and all the fingers from both hands were missing. Wide stab marks were carved across the chest.
"He died from the chest wounds which were inflicted by a blunt wide object with a lot a force, a blunt butcher's knife or spade perhaps. The man was lying down when he received these” he waved a hand over the chest wounds, “His ribs are broken. The same weapon probably cut off the fingers. The cuts are not clean as it would be with a knife or sharp blade. That was done while the man was still alive."

Alex raised both eyebrows "Torture?"
"Perhaps, but when I was a student in medical school, it was quite common. We had no DNA testing, none of this modern technology. All we had to quickly identify bodies with were their fingerprints. When the corpse had no fingers or face, it most certainly took a lot longer to work out who it was." He paused to light a cigar "I was right before, time of death around 11:00pm last night. However he was only in the water a little while, no more than 4 hours."
"So he was bashed up, had his fingers cut off, then was stabbed to death..."
"Correct."
Alex suppressed a shudder. There was a maniac on the loose out there.

XXX

"The body was mutated intentionally - I think we have some psychopath here" Bock grimaced. "But he must have thought it out rather well..."
"Or he could have experience" Fritz suggested. “He could also do it again”
“You must really hate the person to do that to them though”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was some underworld figure, or there’s something big connected to the whole thing. The stakes must be suitcases of money, or he knew some huge secret. It can’t be…how do I say this…normal!” he finished lamely.
“I know what you mean, it’s a rather unpleasant way to die”
“Dying in general is unpleasant, being brutally murdered more so” the serious, perverse aspect of their duty was surfacing, something they didn’t like to readily acknowledge.
Brandtner looked up from the computer screen "No matches on missing persons"
Fritz glanced up at the clock on the opposite wall. "Not likely to be missed yet, he's only been dead 12 hours."
Kunz put away the photos of the victim Dr. Graf had given Alex while Christian returned to his desk. They were pretty used to seeing corpses but it still disturbed them, what humans could do to each other. They fell into a lapsed silence, each nursing their own thought, grasping at the details, trying to form ideas. The only sound was the steady ticking of the office clock.

XXX

“Bring bring” The shrill ringing of the phone broke into Brandtner's train of thought. He picked it up on the 2nd ring, eager for information. He was getting no where just sitting.
"Hi, Leo here. I found traces of rosin and gold in the man's hair..."
"Rosin" Alex wondered out loud, trying to place what it was.
"They type used on string instruments" Dr. Graf continued.
"Ah yes..." he grinned as childhood memories of violin lessons flitted through his mind.
“Will fax through all the details”
"Alright, thanks Leo" Alex scribbled it down and hung up.

"Well," leaning back on his chair he looked across at Christian. "He could have been a musician"
Bock shot him a withering glance. "This is Vienna, city of Mozart. We are famous for our musicians. 9 out of 10 people out there are musicians or go to music concerts or know musicians. That doesn't make life any easier."
"Touchy" Alex raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Kunz for an explanation.
"Rex took his new jacket and won't give it back because he wouldn't play with him." He explained, suppressing a smirk
"Ahh I see" Alex turned to look at Rex who was calmly sitting with his paws folded over Christian's jacket.
“Just thrown him a ball or something! You’re not the only one being driven crazy by sitting in an office!”
“No! He’s got to learn he can’t have everything his way all the time!” Now even Christian could tell he was acting like a four year old. But at this point he really didn’t care.
Brandter put his hands up with a hint of a smile.
"Alright then, you two sort it out! And mind you keep checking that missing person's list."

XXX

The phone numbers from the diary had mostly proved to be musicians or violin repair shops which confirmed Dr. Graf’s theory that the victim had been a violinist. It also proved Christian’s – there were many orchestras in Vienna, most who had 30 or so violinists. Alex had decided to check out some of the contacts…just to get out of the office.

The little shop was dingily lit and smelt of varnish and dust. Rex sneezed as they wandered to the back where the counter was set. Violins, violas, cellos and even a few double basses were scattered around, a few even hung from the ceiling. Most looked old and valuable although there were a few newer ones sprinkled amongst the collection.
“Woof!”
“Hey, what have you found?” Alex walked over to the stand Rex was sniffing.
He sneezed again before trotting off leaving Alex in front of a shelf piled high with cakes of rosin. He studied the boxes carefully before deciding he needed help.

"Hello...Anyone there?" Brandtner inquired.
A wrinkled old man came out, wiping his hands on his apron.
"Do you have any rosin with gold powder?"
He paused. "We'll have to order that especially for you from Germany...it'll be here by tomorrow"

“Don’t you usually have it in stock?”
“Er no, don’t have much demand for it.”
“So you have to order it in for everyone who asks?”
“Why yes…”
“Brandtner, Homicide Investigation” he flashed his police badge “Could I have a look at the records for this please?”
Looking confused, the man handed over a leather-bound black record book.

XXX

“Than-“ but the door was already shut.
“Hmm” Kunz furrowed his eyebrows and flipped open his notebook.
Ah, finally he was finished. Rounds weren’t his favourite part of an investigation but it took him out of the office and that was welcome any day. Reaching for his phone he rang Alex to report back.
“Hi, I’m done with my lot. You still going? Alright, I’ll be back at the office.”
He then rang Christian, who had already finished and back at the office. Damn, he thought to himself, alone with Christian…

XXX

The Vienna Conservatorium was an intimidating Baroque building, its old world style too stiff and formal for Alex's liking. Rex didn't notice, bounding up the stairs 3 at a time.
"Does it look like an ornate dog kennel to him?" Alex mused before following his canine companion.
The entrance foyer was even more impressive. The plaster detail on the ceiling was picked out in gold leaf. Marble busts of former head masters stared stolidly as Alex walked through to the reception are. The furnishings were also baroque – colourful and over the top.

"Hello, Is Dr. Rudolph in?"
"No, he isn't in yet but will be any moment now. 2nd office on the 4th floor, stairs on the right" the receptionist replied, giving Rex a stern glance.
"Thank you" he nodded and swept up the staircase with Rex close behind.
Muffled strains of music floated through, orchestral sounds mixed with the hum of mid morning traffic outside.
"Woof!" Rex stopped outside a door.
"Ah, Dr. Herman Rudolph" Alex read off the gold name card.

He knocked smartly but remembered no one was there so gently pushed the heavy oak door open. Once inside the office it was like stepping into a vacuum. All the noise had suddenly disappeared leaving the air heavy and unsettling. Alex took a moment to take in the book-lined shelves before wandering over to the ornate mahogany desk in the centre of the room. He glanced down at the papers - mostly rehearsal schedules for the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra and lesson timetables. He let out a whistle - the Vienna Philharmonic was one of the best if not the best classical orchestra in Europe. All the 1st violin rehearsals were highlighted. He picked up the sheet and turned it over. “Pick up Karl 7:00pm all concert nights” was scrawled hurriedly across the back.

“Grrrrrrr” Alex turned around to see Rex eyeing off a bust of Mozart.
As he picked it up he was surprised by how little it weighed. Turning it over, he noticed an opening in the base. Reaching into it, he pulled out three little plastic bags of white powder. Suddenly the door opened and Dr. Herman Rudoph entered. Holding up the packets of crystal meth Brandtner remarked “I’d like to ask you a couple of questions, I think you’d better come with me, Dr Rudolph.”

XXX

Herman Rudolph was a little nervous when he walked into rehearsal - his trip to the police station had unsettled him somewhat. Although only fined for possession, being so close to the arm of the law had had its effect. As he sat down at the front desk he was acutely aware of the empty chair to his right. The orchestra was slowly trickling in – after a long day’s work it always took a little while for everyone to get settled. He flipped open the 1st desk folder and a note in Karl’s writing fluttered out.
“See Schteiner about cadenza.”
Rolf Schteiner was their guest conductor from the Berlin Philharmonic. Normally Herman wouldn’t have cared but now it made him feel the vacant space beside him even more.

“Where’s Karl?” a voice behind him inquired.
Herman almost jumped out of his seat. He turned to see Piet, who occupied the desk behind him.
“Since when did you care?”
A hurt expression flickered across the man’s face, but it was only momentarily, they were all used to Herman’s snide remarks. Being popular was one thing a musician didn’t have to be, as long as you were good.
“It’s just, Karl’s always here early.”
He shrugged and turned to talk to the desk behind him. Indeed it was so unlike their leader to be late there was quite a stir when he didn’t show up at all, and nobody knew why. In a way his dreams were realised – he did get to play the solo albeit with a few stumbles during the rehearsal as everyone was still confident Karl would be there for the concert on Sunday.

However by the end of the rehearsal Herman was feeling quite uncomfortable. He would be found out - it was just a matter of time. And the thought scared him more than he cared to admit.

XXX

There was quite a sensation when Karl Schmit didn’t turn up for the concert on Sunday. It had to be cancelled, forcing hundreds of concert goers dressed in full evening attire (as was still the tradition in Austria) to find some other pastime for the evening. It even got front page mention in one of the leading Arts papers.
“Look at this!” Christian waved his copy around.
“Hey where’d you get that? Only 60 year old loaded opera goers get that” Kunz eyed him warily
“Mmm because I look so much like one of those” Christian brushed him off sarcastically.
“Hey, let me have a look” Alex leaned over to skim the accompanying paragraph.

“Acclaimed soloist and leader of the Vienna Philharmonic Dr. Karl Schmit has mysteriously disappeared, failing to appear in last night’s latest instalment of the Winter Masterpieces concert.”

“Well, looks like we found our dead man”
“We should have been able to work out who he was from the diary and the records from the repair shop! Damn, now we have public scandal!”
“Whoo hoo, one down, murderer to go.” Fritz muttered
“Wait, look at this! It goes on to say he was playing a loaned Stradivarius for these concerts!” Christian exclaimed
“Stradi what?” Kunz screwed up his face as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d heard all day .
“A real Stradivarius violin – they’re like national treasures!” Bock continued, excited now.

”So what the hell was he doing with a national treasure then? And since when were you so cultured?” the grimace was now replaced by a disbelieving stare
Christian chuckled “My aunt is a patron of the Vienna Opera. I’m house sitting for her and she gets these” he held up the paper, “delivered weekly! And as for the rest, you should never doubt a well educated a cultured gentleman” he finished with a flourish.
Alex’s laughter almost made him choke on his coffee “If you, Christian, are a cultured gentleman? I’m the Prince of England!”
At this remark they all burst out laughing, with even Rex joining in. When they finally regained composure Kunz had already gotten Dr. Schmit’s address.
“Let’s go check out his place, coming Rex? Christian?”
Kunz got up to follow them but his progress was halted
“Sit, stay…good boy Fritz!” Alex flashed him a cheeky smile, “You’re manning the fort. Also warn forensics, we might need them”

XXX

Dr. Karl Schmit’s house was a squat single storey bungalow with an overgrown front lawn.
“Seems like all musos care about is their music!” Christian remarked, wading through the grass.
Inside, the story was similar, the papers were spread over the dining room table complete with half drunken coffee cups. Photos were tacked haphazardly on the walls alongside rehearsal schedules and shopping lists.

“Look! It’s Sophie Anne Mutter!! Oh and that’s Gidon Kremer!” Christian exclaimed, eagerly staring at a collection of photos on the wall. “Wow, he knew all these people!”
“Who are they?” Alex was a bit puzzled as to the cause of Christian’s excitement.
“They’re all like violin virtuoso GODS!! You can’t say you haven’t heard of them. There’re absolutely amazing!” Now it was his turn to be shocked.
“Didn’t know you were so into classical violin music” Alex finished meekly.
“Wasted you are. You, living in Vienna and having zero culture. It pains me to no end.” He hid a smile.
“Me, cultureless? I prefer to call my cultural tastes undeveloped.”
“I call you a lost cause”

Before Alex could think of a come back Rex started barking. Alex followed the sound out to the backyard where Rex was standing stock still, his head bent down, nose just touching the grass.
“He died here” Alex muttered glancing around.
A shovel leaning up against the back wall caught his eye. Pulling on some gloves, he picked it up and examined it. There were suspicious clumps at on the blade. Christian stuck his head out to see what the fuss was about.
“Call Forensics will you, I think we have a crime scene”

XXX

Back at the office Alex and Christian were sifting through a box of items they had taken from the house. Kunz and Rex were down at Forensics collecting another. Thankfully the Stradivarius violin was there, safe and was being returned by courier to the Conservatorium.
“Looks like this Karl guy was a bit of an Einstein” Alex peered at a photo of big man in a tuxedo with untamed hair playing the violin. He turned it over. “Me, Vienna Masters Series ‘96”
“Ohh someone’s a sourpuss” Christian pointed to a picture of the violins section of an orchestra where everyone looked happy except a man scowling in the front desk. “1st Violins, ‘96” was scribbled on the back.
“Hey that’s Dr. Herman Rudolph!”
“And you know him how?”
“I arrested him for drug possession a couple of days ago!”
“Oh, that guy. No wonder he looks unhappy.”
“Well Karl certainly had friends-” Alex flicked through another stack of photos.

“Yeah, including some pretty famous ones” Christian interjected.
“-yes so I was saying if he has so many friends I find it hard to think he made somebody hate him so much to brutally cut him up.”
“So maybe it wasn’t Karl who had the problem, it was the murderer. Somebody must have created a reason, held something against him that nobody else did.”
“We’ll have to ask his friends, did he have a phone book?”
“Err, haven’t seen it yet but we have this” Alex pulled out the Vienna Philharmonic’s rehearsal schedule.
“Hey!” he glanced up at clock, “There’s one on now at the Opera House! Let’s go pay them a visit.”
“Can I bring my autograph book?”
“You’re joking right?”
“um…no…”
Rex trotted in with a piece of paper he placed on Alex’s desk.
“What’s this boy?” he scanned the report and his eyes got wider. “No time for autographs Christian. The fingerprints on the shovel are those of Dr. Herman Rudolph, that guy I brought in for drug possession. Looks like he dabbled in murder as well.”

XXX

The Opera House in the heart of Vienna has seen some of the best operas, soloists and orchestras of the world. Tonight it would also see an arrest. Alex pulled up at the entrance marked “Performers, only” and got out.
“Christian, stay here in case he tries to run. I’m taking Rex.”
Hearing his name, Rex jumped out of the car. Rehearsal had finished moments earlier and people were passing Alex in the corridor on their way out. He quickened his pace but caught sight of Herman having a chat with the conductor.
“Stay here and make sure he doesn’t get past.”
Rex sat down next to the doorway while Alex approached them. Herman turned and a look of panic flashed across his face. Without waiting for Alex to say a word he started running up the centre isle of the theatre.

“Rex!”
Alex took off after him leaving the conductor staring after them open mouthed. Herman ran straight through the double doors and through the entrance foyer with Rex in hot pursuit. Down stairs they barrelled onto the ground floor where Herman now had a bit of a lead. Alex landed just in time to catch Herman disappearing into a cloak room and slamming the door. Rex pawed at the door, unable to get past the lock. Alex rattle the doorknob but it was locked from the inside.

“Stand back Rex”
He used hip and shoulder to force open the door. Rex immediately leapt through the doorway and out the open window into the street. Alex followed but the street was empty save a bewildered group of orchestra members.
“That way” one of them pointed.
Alex muttered a quick thank you and took off again. He heard barking and sprinted the last remaining yards, the adrenalin pumping. Herman was backed against wall eyeing Rex warily. Alex paused a moment to catch his breath. Rex bared his teeth and growled aggressively as Herman shrank against the wall.
“Ok boy, I got it” he snapped on handcuffs and began leading Herman away.
“So I did it but he deserved it. Old man, he took what was mine! Bloody thief” Herman shouted to nobody in particular.
Rex snapped at him and he immediately stiffened up.
“Just come this way sir.”

XXX

Alex, Christian and Rex returned to the office with the air of a bunch of happy schoolboys.
“All done” they shot a charming smile at Kunz.
“Run it through for me will you, this way I can say you helped fill in the report”
“Hey I always do!”
“Then why does it seem I’m the one left at the office typing up the bloody things?”
“Ok ok, calm it. I’ll start. It’s not uncommon for musos to take something to calm themselves down before a performance. And there’s no drug testing to get on an orchestra.”
“So you’re paying to watch a bunch of druggies Christian!” Alex couldn’t help himself.

“Well at least they’ve got skill! If I got you on drugs you wouldn’t be a better cop”
“Ouch” Kunz shot a sympathetic look at Alex wisely moved on.
“Dr. Rudolph started taking various substances to calm down his nerves before concerts. Gradually the doses got bigger and an addiction developed.”
“Hey that crystal meth we took off him, with prolonged use, it can cause violent outbursts!”
“Since when did you know so much about illegal substances?” Kunz looked bewildered.
“I had a stint in the drug squad before I joined you ungrateful people!” Christian retorted.
“Well so did Alex over there and he didn’t seem to pick up much” Kunz slid a sly glance at Alex who shot him an offended look.
“Ah, yes well let’s say that was practical application of useless knowledge”

Now it was Kunz’s turn to look offended “No knowledge is useless!”
”What about when you add up my bill for the dinner you owe me”
“Well you’ve never met my maths teacher now have you?”
Laughing, they finished the report together.
“By the way, did you ever get your jacket back Christian?”
“Rex…come here” but Rex had already taken off Christian took off in pursuit. Fritz and Alex exchanged bemused looks before following their colleagues out for a well deserved afternoon off.

The End

Disclaimer : Kommissar Rex is owned by Mungo film, Tauris film, SAT.1 and ORF and was created by Peter Hajek and Peter Moser. None of the characters, actors or photographs belong to me, unfortunately. I'm just borrowing them, having a bit of fun and then returning them more or less unharmed.