01x01 - Old Ghosts

[bunniefuu]

[Wind, rustling of grasses]

[bird crows]

[Ominous music swells up]

[Electronic music,
whispering voices in the background]

[Quiet ticking of a wall clock]

[Vibrating of a cell phone]

Hey.

[She's asleep again.

Nice. Did you give her
the drops again?

Yes.

I'm sorry.

That's okay. What's going on?

I have no idea. I'm still waiting.

Try,
to sleep a little longer.

Roland Voit?

Commissioner Voit.

Close the door
and please sit down.

[You come from Krewlow

and were KKA in Seelow,
three years of training.

Do you still have a connection to the place,
Krewlow?

Kre-lo. My father still lives there.
I visit him regularly.

Do you know your way around there?
Country, people...

Well, not much has actually
not changed much.

So yes, I know my way around.

Why don't you tell us
a little about Krewlow.

Small village.
Something under a hundred inhabitants.

Rather fewer than more.
Lots of old people.

So I don't know now,
what you want to hear.

Located in the Oderbruch.
So on the Polish border.

So the Oder is the border.

Is the most sparsely populated region
in Germany.

Why do you think that is?

Well, w*r, reunification crisis.
Two flood disasters.

Almost only agriculture,
then rural exodus. Dying farms.

It's not easy there.

It's a forgotten village.

Two anglers did it early this morning

on a fallow field
in Krewlow.

This is the property
of Magdalena Kring's father.

We do not know,

who could have done this,
or why.

Thanks to your local knowledge
you would be the man for us

for the surveys of the inhabitants
in Krewlow and the surrounding area.

Your knowledge would be of great importance.
-I apologize for the interruption,

but I think I'm just
not the right person for it...

You go to Krewlow.
Either with an order

or we will send you
there as a witness because of 97'.

[man] How involved
were you involved in the case at the time?

Well, I was in training,
so I was involved...

With your colleague at the time.
Magdalena Kring.

All you have to do is exclude them,

that the case
had something to do with '97.

Then you can go home again.

[cow mooing]

[shot]

[cow falls]

Yes?

Why do you want to know that?

She doesn't want to talk to you.

She doesn't want to talk to anyone.

Yes, I'm still here.

You can ask me all that
ask me all that here.

No. That is not necessary.

You said,
you burned it all.

It was the right thing to say,
that I said that.

And it's also right
that you look at it now.

When you go back,
take the box with you.

I'm too old,
to do that again.

It's only for one day.

[airplane noise gets louder]

[Aircraft noise becomes weaker]

Roland Voit?

Zajak. CID Warsaw.
-I was supposed to meet someone else.

Short-term change.

At least one victim comes from Poland.
So we will work together.

It's an hour's drive.

Can we
get to know each other a little.

Are you also from the area?

I am here,
because I can speak German well.

Hmmm.

I'm only here,
because that's where I'm from. -Hmm.

We can also say "you".
Stanislaw.

Roland.

Let's talk about 1997, shall we?

You've read everything.

Have you been instructed to question me?

So what happened back then?

Oder flood, July '97.

Three missing persons in the Oderbruch.

Two weeks later, only the body
the body of a missing person was found.

Death by drowning.

The other two, the Seidel couple,

remained missing,
are considered flood victims.

That's the official version.
What is yours?

I don't have another one.

What about your colleague
from back then? Magdalena Kring?

I've never seen them since.

The person who was
was found was called Kai Kring.

Seventeen years old.

Related to Magdalena Kring?

Your brother.

ID, please.

[sniff]

[Wait here.

[door opens]

[Is that blood?

Um...

Yes.
-From whom?

I can tell you that,
but you won't like it.

From the cow I slaughtered this morning.
slaughtered this morning.

And why did you do that?

What are you eating?

Sausage.

And where does the meat come from?

Every time you eat meat,
I k*ll an animal.

Comm.

[Shouts from emergency services
barely audible]

Voit! Powder Paul, hey?
-Go home, Olaf.

Stanislaw Zajak.

Roland Voit.

[Loudspeaker] If you are a resident
and have relevant information,

please contact
to our colleagues

outside the barrier.

This way.

Thank you.

[Ominous music swells up]

It looks like
we're going to stay here.

Your further instruction will be
by the respective group leader.

The most important are the owners
of the neighboring properties.

Create profiles of all neighbors,
then of all residents.

We also get support
from someone who knows the area. Already there?

Please report directly to container 2
with colleague Kochel.

Hmmm. Yes.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes, good.
Thank you very much.

Who are you
and what can you do for me?

Stanislaw Zajak.
I am investigating for the Polish side.

Voit, the local expert.

I am to carry out the survey
of the locals.

Well, assisting perhaps.

But while you're here...

We are currently investigating
- or trying to -

the owners of these properties.

Well, actually there are only

the Krings and the Conradys
landowners.

The remaining farms belong to
Olaf Lehnard,

Doris and Rüdiger Schenk...

...Edith Trebur's pension
and Paul Möbius.

The land around it
belongs to Sativum AG.

An agricultural group.

Hmm.

[Loudspeaker]
Entering the area...

Okay. Everything is still
a bit improvised here.

Inside are
Haskel and Wieczek... something.

Wieczorek.
-Exactly, the two anglers.

And here in container 1
is Frank Seeger.

Also known? -Hmm.

Good. You listen in a minute
and then I'll see to it,

that you can still talk to the two
anglers afterwards.

And, um, Arthur Kring?

Yes... he's still in his house.

With his wife
and a shotgun.

Maybe there are
more people in there.

Does not come out.
Won't let anyone in.

SEK is on its way.

SEK? The man is over 90.
The last time I saw him,

he could hardly walk.

There is a pile of corpses in his field
and he threatens to sh**t.

He can be 150 for all I care.

Unless,
you can bring him to his senses.

I'm not going to be any help there.

[policeman] Why were you called
to the place where the bodies were found?

I'm always fetched when
mortal remains are found here.

[door knocking]

How do you do?

Dr. Seeger, does that happen often?
that bodies are found here?

[Dr. Seeger]
In April '45 in the Oderbruch

the bloodiest battle
on German soil.

The last bulwark of the Wehrmacht
in front of Berlin against the Red Army.

Over a hundred thousand
have lost their lives here.

Every year
we still find dozens of fallen.

The soil in the Oderbruch...

...is soaked in blood.

I work on a voluntary basis

for the association
for the recovery of w*r victims.

I recover soldiers,
trying to identify them...

...and give them
a worthy burial place.

This was initially assumed,

that the find
are fallen bodies.

I am always on standby
and came immediately.

So you have access
to mortal remains?

Roland, can you explain to the gentlemen here
who I am?

Just answer the question.

Out there...

They are not the fallen.

But with me
you are wasting your time.

I know who did this.

Paul Möbius.

He owns the property next door.
He's a known lunatic.

Have constant trouble with that.

Collects w*r material,
weapons, expl*sives...

Hence the name: Pulver Paul.

I have one more question,
if I may, please.

You are a pathologist, right?

Also responsible for criminal cases?
-Yes, but that's rare here.

In 1997 you performed the autopsy
of Kai Kring,

the son of Arthur Kring, right?

This was not a criminal case.

The boy drowned in the flood.

And your investigations
have confirmed this? -Yes.

Thank you.

[Loudspeaker announcements
barely audible]

I could have told you
could have told you all that.

I know.

[helicopter noise]

[helicopter noise louder]

[Ominous music and hissing voices]

[loudspeaker]
...may have important traces.

We went night fishing on Lake Kiez.

[Roland] And then out at Kring?

A short detour through the forest?
Past Paul?

Hmm.

Why didn't you
not along the Richtgraben?

We had another smoke.

We always walk through the forest.
-Hmm.

Forbidden to walk through the forest?

Nope.
I just want to know,

why you were in the middle of the night
in the middle of the night.

We've told you now
like all the other cops.

One of them even co-wrote it.
And you have it on video.

Do you still want it
as a picture story?

Aside from the bodies, did you--
-No!

We have seen
seen anything out of the ordinary,

felt, smelled, tasted.

We shat ourselves
and called the cops.

And Seeger. He was here first.

And it was foggy.
I would say 15°C.

Mild wind from the southeast.

And I had
a slight scratchy feeling in my throat.

Caught something?
-No, nothing.

No luck at all.

All night at Lake Kiez
and you didn't catch anything?

New lures. Were not so good.
What do you want to do?

[shots from outside]

What happened?

Kring has fired two warning shots.
SEK is going in now.

His daughter is here,
I want her to talk to him.

She refuses. Not a chance.

[radio] position one occupied.

Team two go.
-Understood.

Wolf in A position.

Position two occupied.

His daughter will talk to him.

Give me five minutes... Please.

Cancel. No access.

[Radio] Waiting for instruction.

Understood. Freeze.

Hold position.

[door opens]

Do you work here?

Hmm.

I'm not going to talk to him.

Then they go in.

I have no idea,
what your father does then.

[Maggie.]
I'm not here by choice.

I do what I have to do,
then I'm off again. -Hmm.

Me too.

Come along.

[Roland] You've always said,

that something is happening here,
that nobody wants to talk about...

...that your father and Kai's death
have something to do with it.

I said that our fathers
have something to do with it.

Whatever happened here...

Perhaps
we could have prevented it.

If it goes wrong with your father,
we'll never know.

Do you want to know?

[radio] Team 1 ready.
-Team 2 ready.

KOK and daughter to position 1.

[Maggie, be careful.

[feedback]

Arthur. Your daughter is here.

She's coming in now.

[sheep mowing]

You shouldn't be here.

[Old woman] [Sighs]

[Arthur] ...police contingent.
They're going to storm my house.

I can't hold out forever.
I know that.

I stick to the plan.

My daughter is here.
I have to hang up.

[Attention. Person is approaching
the exit. The daughter comes out.

My parents are coming out now.

To all emergency services:
People are coming out now.

Maggie.

What did you tell him?

Nothing.

He just said on his own,
that he was coming out.

Perhaps he wanted to
buy himself some time.

Time? For what?

He was on the phone with someone.

You know
that I have to ask you that.

I have no explanation for this.

I haven't been home for 20 years,

hadn't seen my parents
since then.

I'll make my statement,
then I'm gone.

The animal carcasses remind me
of Kai and the cave.

Are you speaking as a commissioner now?

I'm just doing my job.

Twenty years too late.

[Woman, Polish]
You'll make friends quickly here.

Everyone here is like you.

Everyone is an orphan.
Your loneliness is over.

You are now part of
of a big family.

This is the start of a new life.

Former students who are now studying
studying or working all over the world.

One day
your photo can hang there.

If you stick to the rules.

You will have to change.
Not just on the outside.

Your phone.

Comm.

Good morning.
-Good morning.

Your new home. Welcome.

[Polish mumbling]

Good morning.

You share this room with Luba.

She'll show you everything tomorrow.
Get some rest.

These are your clothes,
your uniform.

You will wear them every day.

Go on.

The Kring house is clean.

No traces,
no other persons.

There is nothing on the entire property.

There are also no matches for his weapon
no matches.

DNA analyses are still ongoing, but so far
nothing matches our bodies.

The old Kring
still says nothing.

His wife only says
that she knows nothing.

We can no longer
keep him here any longer.

He soon tips us off our chairs.

Let them go.

House is guarded around the clock.

And what about her?

We can't force them
to help us.

Send them home.

I could try something again.

They don't want to let you go.

They think
you want to protect your father.

As long as he doesn't cooperate,

they will find reasons
to keep you here.

Maggie, if you want to go home,
get Arthur to talk.

What is she doing here?

I don't want her to be here.

I'm not going to say anything.

You can say nothing,
if you want to.

But then you'll be sitting here forever.
Tomorrow again.

The day after tomorrow again.
Until... -I have time.

[They all think
that you're hiding something.

That you have something to do with it.

I look
like I care,

what anyone here
thinks about me?

And Minna?

Leave your mother out of it.

Leave them out of it.

She's sitting one box away,

has been answering the same
the same questions for hours.

You drag them into it.
You t*rture them.

When this is over...

...you leave the Oderbruch immediately...

...and never come back.

The field has been fallow since '99.

That's when our farm went bankrupt.

And I've never
never set foot in it again.

My eyes are broken.

Even with my glasses
see further than ten meters.

My ears are fine, but...

...we heard nothing
that night.

We were asleep.

Everyone here knows that my land
is no longer cultivated

and anyone can enter it...

...without me noticing.

Just before you
you left the house,

Who were you talking to on the phone?

I didn't use the phone.

My daughter has always had
a vivid imagination.

Are you still taking your tablets?

Mr. Kring, in 1997 three people disappeared
three people disappeared.

One of them, her son Kai, was
found dead two weeks later.

Mr. and Mrs. Seidel
remained missing.

I know the facts.

And also my daughter's theories.

What are the facts
and the theories?

My son drowned.

What happened to the other two
only the tide knows.

My daughter was right to blame herself
blamed herself for Kai's death.

That's what broke her.

I think that's where their...
conspiracy theories.

Why was her daughter to blame?

She had the task of a
t watch over Kai.

What exactly do you mean by
conspiracy theories, Mr. Kring?

That Kai and the other two
did not drown in the flood...

...but were m*rder*d.

But they found Kai and she gave up
the police force.

I assume that you too...

...drug abuse
played a role in this.

Mr. Kring, 1947...

...more than fifty years ago...

are in the Oderbruch after
a flood

two bodies were washed ashore.

Do you also remember
the facts and the theories?

Take your time.
It's been a long time.

You were 22 years old at the time.

This is a police document
from Poland from that time.

May I translate for you?

[Stanislaw]
Two missing field workers

found dead.

According to the autopsy
the official cause of death:

Drowning.

History repeats itself,
Mr. Kring.

However, it was previously
assumed to be m*rder.

And there were
also two suspects.

One of the two
is mentioned in this document.

I know her eyes are bad,

but please take the trouble
and read the name.

It is my name.

It was purely routine that I
was on the list of suspects.

The missing people
worked on my land.

That was
quickly, but...

...you probably already know that.

All I want to know from you
from you, Mr. Kring, is,

whether you remember the name
of the other suspect.

No.

[policeman]
Mr. Kring, you can go now.

They are
under house arrest for the time being.

Do you want someone to bring you?

I don't need any help.

Your wife is already back
at home again.

[Groans]

Leave me alone!

Help me up.

Then I'll go on alone.

Let me go!

[Please go.
And never come back.

Arthur was a suspect in a m*rder case in '47.
in a m*rder case. Did you know that?

If you know anything
about these dead...

You're leaving now!

And if you don't do
what I said,

you will regret it.

Get out of here.

We apologize for the inconvenience,

I should bring this
directly to you.

Rainer Seidel.

I was looking for you for a long time back then.

I found you too.

On your new farm.

Then I wanted to go to you, but...

...just couldn't
found the right words.

For what you did to me.

Now you've found them.

You still have to stay here.
They want to question you again.

There's a match
with a missing person from '97.

Rainer Seidel
was found among the bodies.

I hope you are looking for
what you find here.

Quay.

You have to stop doing that.

I can't stand it anymore.

I have to get out of here.

Where do you want to go?

No matter.

The main thing is to get away.

I will protect you.

Forever.

[Goldhofer] We do not yet have
an exact figure,

but they are the mortal remains
of over a hundred people.

The timing of the murders

are distributed
over at least the last 50 years.

The same applies to the animals,
that were also k*lled.

The world will be watching Krewlow from today.

Keep your distance from journalists

and don't talk to anyone here,
you don't need to talk to.

It is up to us

and smooth
German-Polish cooperation,

this exceptional case
as quickly as possible.

Some of the victims have already been
assigned to missing persons

and identified.

They could be ritual murders
of some kind of sect

or intergenerational
community.

We have not yet been able to
recognize a modus operandi.

Arthur Kring could play a role in the
perpetrator group

or have played,

but due to age
and physical condition

it is unlikely,

that he was involved in the recent murders,

transportation and construction of the
of the pile of bodies.

The fact that animals were also k*lled
makes investigations into a motive

and narrowing down to one type of offender
is particularly difficult.

The only thing they have in common,

that we have been able to determine in the
victims we have been able to determine is...

...that apparently
blood was taken from them.

In some cases almost completely.

[Ominous music]

[Maggie.]
I will protect you. [Echo]

Forever.

[echoing groan]