Page 7 of Views
“Not us,” Michael pleads again when Yasira is already standing in the doorway. “Please, not us.”
These were once known in Germany as Mohrenkuss (literally “Moor’s kiss,” historically translated as “Negro kiss”), and while the term is now widely considered offensive, some people still use it. —Trans.
A far-right conspiracy movement. —Trans.
THE BOSS
The case is politically sensitive, Yasira thinks as she heads to her superior’s office. Making her the lead investigator is a logical choice. A good choice. The fact that her parents are from the Middle East and not Africa... who cares? That she herself was born in Germany and has spent her entire life here... Whatever. She is the model migrant. Chief inspector at the BKA. But maybe this is about something else entirely. Maybe she’s lucky and the boss just wants to wish her a belated happy forty-third birthday. As if.
Her superior’s office is slightly bigger than her own, but not exactly luxurious. It mainly differs from hers in that he has it to himself.
The boss is not the head honcho, not the president of the BKA, not even the head of the Berlin branch. Criminal Director Steven Gebhardt is actually just Yasira’s head of department. But everyone calls him“the boss.”He’s a burly guy in his early sixties and just very boss-like. Gebhardt supports his people, he protects them, but if you mess up, he throws a tantrum, for which the ancient Greeks invented the word “choleric.”
Every Monday and Thursday morning, he shaves off the stubble on his half bald head. Evidently he lives alone and has to perform the maneuver himself, because sometimes a small tuft of hair remains at the back of his head. But so far, no one has ever had the courage to tell him. Today, the shaving went smoothly. Yasira can make a good assessment, as the boss has his back to her and is looking out of the window. It’s like in a movie. How long has he been staring outside to be able to make this dramatic turn now? The boss turns to her.
“I assume you’ve seen the video,” he says.
Yasira nods. So she guessed right.
“I won’t beat around the bush,” says Gebhardt. “The interior minister personally suggested that the investigation be led by a ‘non-German.’”
The boss accompanies the compound “non-German” with air quotes. Yasira doesn’t say anything. She wonders whether it is a sign of social progress that she is now only a non-German in quotation marks.
“By handing you the case,” Gebhardt continues, “my boss and the attorney general and the interior minister want to show how liberal and progressive they are. How untainted by prejudices.”
“I see,” says Yasira. The executive floor is trying to preemptively take the wind out of the sails of the predictable criticism from the left, accusing the police of racist tendencies.
“And if you consider how our department started,” says Gebhardt, “it is actually a positive development.”
Yasira nods. Given how many ex-Nazis populated the BKA at the beginning of the Federal Republic, is probably what the boss means, but he doesn’t say it. Of course Yasira knows about the brown origins of her agency. Back in the 1960s, Paul Dickopf, a former SS-second lieutenant, was president of the BKA. Paul Dickopf. What a name. As it later turned out, Dickopf had also been working as an informant for the CIA at the same time. One of those guys who always managed to stay afloat. The branch office in Meckenheim had been on Paul-Dickopf-Street. Upon request from the BKA, the street was renamed in 2011. Late, but still. And the boss, Yasira’s boss, was one of the driving forces behind the renaming at the time. He’s all right.
“I would like to add,” says Gebhardt and smiles, “that I would have refused to comply with this request if I hadn’t been able to hand the case over to one of my most capable and competent officers at the same time.”
Aren’t capable and competent the same thing, Yasira wonders, but nods politely. You shouldn’t pick apart a compliment from your boss.
“Thank you.”
Capable and competent, then. The boss is really all right. And he probably does want to do the right thing by putting her in charge of the case.
Still, Yasira has a healthy amount of respect for the task ahead. Gebhardt apparently smells that.
“See it this way,” he says. “The case is also a great opportunity. And I promise you the necessary resources and personnel. And I promise you the necessary resources, the staff you need... Of course, through the fast track.”
“Becker and I are still dealing with the aftermath of this Reichsbürger incident...” Yasira replies tentatively, more to have at least tried for her colleague than really hoping for success.
“Nonsense,” the boss cuts her off. “Tell Becker to get his fat ass moving.”
“May I ask why the case didn’t go to Wiesbaden...”
“We’re closer,” Gebhardt interrupts her question. “Besides, the higher-ups want to keep an eye on us. So catch those bastards. Find the girl. And do it quickly.”
Yasira nods, gets up and heads for the door.
“And Ms. Saad...” Gebhardt says.
Yasira turns around.
“... the case is explosive. Make sure it doesn’t blow up in our faces.”
