DeKok and the Death of a Clown

by A. C. Baantjer

  There was another long silence. Everybody nibbled something and DeKok refilled the glasses once again. Mrs. DeKok left for the kitchen to make coffee. Vledder eventually broke the companionable silence.

  “But I still don’t understand the how and why of those murders.”

  DeKok was ready to answer.

  “A policeman,” he began slowly, “sometimes comes to hasty conclusions. We found the clown with the knife in his back. Later we discovered the knife belonged to Fantinelli. It smacked of a planned, premeditated, murder. It seemed to me the killer had stolen the knives to commit murder with them.”

  “And that wasn’t so?” asked Vledder, surprised.

  “No, the case with knives was stolen by a drug addict. The junkie took them to a fence and got a pittance. The fence took a good look at the case and discovered Fantinelli’s name on the inside of the lid. He quickly realized the knives would be worth a lot more to the knife thrower than to anyone else. He tried to contact Fantinelli. That’s how he reached the impresario, Dongen, who immediately bought back the knives.”

  “In order to use them in a murder,” opined Keizer.

  “No, that’s the tragic part. Dongen was not a killer … not at first. He just wanted the best for everybody. That’s why I hope he makes it.”

  “You cannot be serious. He committed two murders!”

  “Yes, Dick. Think about what happened? This was his group, one in which he participated as a hypnotist. It went broke and quickly went under because of Pierrot’s gambling. The debts mounted, engagements dried up, and people were beginning to disband. Over the years, these people supported each other, personally and professionally. They were a family. A number of them wanted to keep the cohesiveness of the group … wait for better times. For their survival, Peter Dongen offered to use his hypnotic gifts for criminal activities. To hide his nefarious activities, he settled in as impresario at Willem Park Way. The others agreed with the plan and promised to cooperate, whenever necessary.”

  “That’s how a variety troupe turned into a criminal gang,” said Keizer, smirking.

  “You could say that,” smiled DeKok. “Peter Dongen, who knew something about jewelry, started to visit auctions, charity events, and estate sales. When he identified a likely prospect, he would hypnotize the person. The rest was simplicity itself. He persuaded the individual to open his own safe to show off his jewelry collection. All the victims opened their safes under hypnosis. Peter Dongen then appropriated the jewelry, cash, and other valuables.”

  “Cash and other valuables?” asked Vledder.

  “Yes.”

  “I thought only jewelry was stolen. I did not see anything about cash and other valuables … what valuables?”

  DeKok grinned.

  “There are quite a number of people in our beloved country who keep undeclared cash, stocks, and bonds in their safe. The tax man knows nothing about it.”

  “Aha, assets kept under the table?”

  “Precisely. The stolen jewelry, which is almost always insured, is reported. But the money, on which no tax has been paid, is another matter. It’s cheaper to write off the loss than risk getting a late assessment from Inland Revenue.”

  “What did Dongen do with the cash?”

  “He maintained the group. Every one received a generous share.”

  “And the jewelry?”

  “He kept it in his safe at Willem Park Way. The group voted not to liquefy it, yet. They were just waiting for Dongen to stop his activities. They felt it would be safer once the press and rumors about the thefts subsided.”

  Vledder was upset.

  “So they all knew about the jewels!?”

  “Certainly, but it was in their collective interests to keep silent.”

  “I’m starting to understand … the trouble started when Pierrot offered the jewelry as payment for his gambling debts.”

  DeKok sighed.

  “Yes, Pierrot was at his wit’s end when he offered the jewelry to Freddie Wezel. He tried to convince Dongen to release a portion of the loot, but Dongen refused. He discussed it with Butterfly and they decided Pierrot had to disappear for a while. Dongen has a summer cottage in the country, a perfect hiding place. To avoid complications and mislead Freddie, they decided Butterfly would take over Pierrot’s act. Friday night before the performance in Groningen, Dongen stole Pierrot’s costume from his car. On Monday, Butterfly took off for Groningen.”

  “And what about Dongen?”

  “Dongen went to Pierrot’s houseboat. He had the knives with him. He intended to give them to Charlotte, so she could return them to Fantinelli. Then he was to take Pierrot to the cottage. But Pierrot wouldn’t hear of it. He refused to disappear, did not want to go to the cottage. He promised a scandal should Butterfly dare to perform in his place. Worse, he threatened to go the police, unless Dongen immediately turned over the jewels so he could pay his gambling debts.”

  Mrs. DeKok entered with a tray, laden with a coffeepot and the usual accompaniments. Vledder and Keizer both jumped up to help her.

  “Just make some room on the coffee table,” she said. “Then you can help yourselves.”

  After they were again settled, DeKok resumed.

  “During the argument, Pierrot tried on the new costume Charlotte had made for him. Dongen felt betrayed. He had done everything to preserve the group, committed crimes. Now this clown, who was responsible for their troubles, was making demands. Something snapped. In a sudden rage, he grabbed a knife out of the case and pushed it into Pierrot’s back.”

  DeKok closed his eyes for a moment. In his mind he reviewed the interview with the impresario.

  “Pierrot,” he said, “bled to death while Dongen watched, horrified. Rage had driven him to this desperate act. He decided to put the corpse on Freddie Wezel’s doorstep. He was attempting to throw us off the scent. As soon as it got dark, he hoisted the corpse into Pierrot’s speedboat and steered it to Gelder Quay. But what could he do—he found the canal walls were too high. There was no place in the immediate surroundings to unload the corpse.”

  “So he placed Pierrot on the little dock at the foot of Criers’ Tower,” said Vledder, once again exercising his tendency to say the obvious.

  DeKok paused. He remembered his impressions as the case started. He could still see busy Gelder Quay, the bars of the fence, the knife in the back of the clown. But Vledder wanted to know more.

  “Did he really place Butterfly in a praying attitude?” he asked.

  “Yes, he confessed it. When Butterfly demanded the Vlaanderen jewelry, he found himself betrayed once again. Nevertheless he promised to deliver the jewels to her.”

  “And killed her.”

  DeKok poured a cup of coffee. Suddenly he had lost his appetite for cognac.

  “Butterfly was the only one of the group with much religious background. She would attend church services occasionally. After he stabbed her, Peter placed her in the position we found. ‘Pray,’ he screamed, ‘pray for my sins.’ Then he left her.”

  “A strange man,” commented Mrs. DeKok.

  DeKok looked at his wife.

  “Strange?” he questioned. “How does one judge a person strange? In my estimation, Peter Dongen is an intelligent, talented man. Granted he is temperamental; a man with an innate sense of the theater and the dramatic. He possesses a unique soul and a mind in which good and evil are too closely related. He lost his ability to separate one from the other.”

  They remained silent for a long time. By now everybody had switched to coffee. Slowly the impressions of the impresario and his crimes were replaced by other thoughts. The conversation became more general. It was already late when the two young inspectors left.

  After they left, Mrs. DeKok pushed a hassock closer to her husband’s chair.

  “All night I have been waiting to hear just one thing,” she said.

  “And what is that?”

  “Did Butterfly take part in the robberies?”

  DeKok shoo
k his head.

  “Never.”

  “Then how was it possible for all those people to remember a Butterfly?”

  DeKok reached over and retrieved his jacket from a nearby chair. He felt in one of the pockets and produced a pendant. It was an exquisite onyx, in the shape of a butterfly, set in a gold casing, studded with about two-dozen small, sparkling diamonds.

  “A present from Butterfly to Peter Dongen while they were still in love. Peter used it in his act to hypnotize his subjects. Later he used it to hypnotize his victims.”

  The gray sleuth held the sparkling butterfly by the chain and slowly rocked it in front of his wife’s eyes.

  Mrs. DeKok looked at it, fascinated. Suddenly she looked into his eyes.

  “Jurriaan … Jurriaan DeKok. You don’t have to try and hypnotize me. You already did that … years ago, when we first met.”

  About the Author

  A. C. Baantjer is the most widely read author in the Netherlands. A former detective inspector of the Amsterdam police, his fictional characters reflect the depth and personality of individuals encountered during his near forty-year-career in law enforcement.

  Baantjer was honored with the first-ever Master Prize of the Society of Dutch-language Crime Writers. He was also recently knighted by the Dutch monarchy for his lifetime achievements.

  The sixty crime novels featuring Inspector Detective DeKok written by Baantjer have achieved a large following among readers in the Netherlands. A television series, based on these novels, reaches an even wider Dutch audience. Launched nearly a decade ago, the 100th episode of “Baantjer” series recently aired on Dutch channel RTL4.

  In large part due to the popularity of the televised “Baantjer” series, sales of Baantjer’s novels have increased significantly over the past several years. In 2001, the five millionth copy of his books was sold—a number never before reached by a Dutch author.

  Known as the “Dutch Conan Doyle,” Baantjer’s following continues to grow and conquer new territory. According to the Netherlands Library Information Service, a single copy of a Baanjter title is checked out of a library more than 700,000 times a year.

  The DeKok series has been published in China, Russia, Korea, and throughout Europe. Speck Press is pleased to bring you clear and invigorating translations to the English language.

  Inspector DeKok Investigates

  by Baantjer

  DeKok and the Geese of Death

  Renowned Amsterdam mystery author Baantjer brings to life Inspector DeKok in another stirring potboiler full of suspenseful twists and unusual conclusions.

  ISBN: 0-9725776-6-1, ISBN13: 978-0-9725776-6-3

  DeKok and Murder by Melody

  “Death is entitled to our respect,” says Inspector DeKok who finds himself once again amidst dark dealings. A triple murder in the Amsterdam Concert Gebouw has him unveiling the truth behind two dead ex-junkies and their housekeeper.

  ISBN: 0-9725776-9-6, ISBN13: 978-0-9725776-9-4

  DeKok and Murder by Installment

  Although at first it seemed to be a case for the narcotics division, it soon evolves into a series of sinister and almost impossible murders. Never before have DeKok and Vledder been so involved in a case whereby murder, drug smuggling, and child prostitution are almost daily occurences.

  ISBN: 1-933108-07-X, ISBN13: 978-1-933108-07-0

  Praise for the Inspector DeKok Series

  “Along with such peers as Ed McBain and Georges Simenon, [Baantjer] has created a long-running and uniformly engaging police series. They are smart, suspenseful, and better-crafted than most in the field.”

  —Mystery Scene

  “… an excellent and entertaining mystery from a skillful writer and profound thinker.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Baantjer’s laconic, rapid-fire storytelling has spun out a surprisingly complex web of mysteries.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “This series is the answer to an insomniac’s worst fears.”

  —The Boston Globe

  “DeKok’s maverick personality certainly makes him a compassionate judge of other outsiders and an astute analyst of antisocial behavior.”

  —The New York Times Book Review

  “It’s easy to understand the appeal of Amsterdam police detective DeKok; he hides his intelligence behind a phlegmatic demeanor, like an old dog that lazes by the fireplace and only shows his teeth when the house is threatened.”

  —The Los Angeles Times

  “Shrewd, compassionate and dedicated, DeKok makes a formidable opponent for criminals and a worthwhile competitor for the attention of Simenon’s Maigret fans.”

  —Library Journal

  Boost

  by Steve Brewer

  Sam Hill steals cars. Not just any cars, but collectible cars, rare works of automotive artistry. Sam’s a specialist, and he’s made a good life for himself.

  But things change after he steals a primo 1965 Thunderbird. In the trunk, Sam finds a corpse, a police informant with a bullet hole between his eyes. Somebody set Sam up. Played a trick on him. And Sam, a prankster himself, can’t let it go. He must get his revenge with an even bigger practical joke, one that soon has gangsters gunning for him and police on his tail.

  “… entertaining, amusing … . This tightly plotted crime novel packs in a lot of action as it briskly moves along.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Brewer earns four stars for a clever plot, totally engaging characters, and a pay-back ending … .”

  —Mystery Scene

  ISBN: 1-933108-02-9 | ISBN13: 978-1-933108-02-5

  Killing Neptune’s Daughter

  by Randall Peffer

  Returning to his hometown was something Billy Bagwell always dreaded. But he felt he owed it to Tina, the object of his childhood sexual obsession, to see her off properly. Even in death she could seduce him to her. Upon his return to Wood’s Hole on Cape Cod, Billy’s past with his old friends—especially his best friend, present day Catholic priest Zal—floods his mind with classic machismo and rite-of-passage boyhood events. But some of their moments were a bit darker, and all seemed to revolve around or involve Tina … moments that Billy didn’t want to remember.

  This psycho-thriller carries Billy deeper and deeper into long-repressed memories of thirty-five-year-old crimes. As the days grow darker, Billy finds himself caught in a turbulent tide of past homoerotic encounters, lost innocence, rage, religion, and lust.

  “… the perfect book for those who fancy the darker, grittier side of mystery. A hit-you-in-the-guts psychothriller, this is a compelling story of one man’s search for truth and inner peace.”

  —Mystery Scene

  ISBN: 0-9725776-5-3 | ISBN13: 978-1-933108-05-6

  Nick Madrid Mysteries

  by Peter Guttridge

  No Laughing Matter

  Tom Sharpe meets Raymond Chandler in this humorous and brilliant debut. Meet Nick Madrid and the “Bitch of the Broadsheets,” Bridget Frost, as they trail a killer from Montreal to Edinburgh to the ghastly lights of Hollywood.

  ISBN: 0-9725776-4-5, ISBN13: 978-0-9725776-4-9

  A Ghost of a Chance

  New Age meets the Old Religion as Nick is bothered and bewildered by pagans, satanists, and metaphysicians. Seances, sabbats, a horse-ride from hell, and a kick-boxing zebra all come Nick’s way as he tracks a treasure once in the possession of Aleister Crowley.

  ISBN: 0-9725776-8-8, ISBN13: 978-0-9725776-8-7

  Two to Tango

  On a trip down the Amazon, journalist Nick Madrid survives kidnapping, piranhas, and urine-loving fish that lodge where a man least wants one lodged. After those heroics, Nick joins up with a Rock Against Drugs tour where he finds himself tracking down the would-be killer of the tour’s pain-in-the-posterior headliner.

  ISBN: 1-933108-00-2, ISBN13: 978-1-933108-00-1

  The Once and Future Con

  Avalon theme parks and medieval Excaliburger banquets are the last things journalis
t Nick Madrid expects to find when he arrives at what is supposedly the grave of the legendary King Arthur. As Nick starts to dig around for an understanding, it isn’t Arthurian relics, but murder victims that he uncovers.

  ISBN: 1-933108-06-1, ISBN13: 978-1-933108-06-3

  Peter Guttridge is the Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at Southampton University and teaches creative writing. Between 1998 and 2002 he was the director of the Brighton Literature Festival. As a freelance journalist he has written about literature, film, and comedy for a range of British newspapers and magazines. Since 1998 he has been the mystery reviewer for The Observer, one of Britain’s most prestigious Sunday newspapers. He also writes about—and doggedly practices—astanga vinyasa yoga.

  Praise for the Nick Madrid Mysteries

  “Highly recommended.”

  —Library Journal, starred review

  “… I couldn’t put it down. This is classic Guttridge, with all the humor I’ve come to expect from the series. Nick is a treasure, and Bridget a good foil to his good nature.”

  —Deadly Pleasures

  “Guttridge’s series is among the funniest and sharpest in the genre, with a level of intelligence often lacking in better-known fare.”

  —Baltimore Sun