Read Until the Debt Is Paid for Free Online

and enter. Jan was still in the jeans and leather jacket he’d put on when he’d gone home to shower earlier. It hardly seemed possible it was still the same day he’d woken up in Betty’s bed with no idea that he was about to be charged with murder.
    Betty lived on a typical Kreuzberg block. A one-euro store occupied the street level. The white facade was faded out, the windows busy with advertisements. Plane trees, barely illuminated by streetlights, cast long shadows across the sidewalk.
    Jan sneaked behind a tree and watched the street. Plenty of cars were parked along the curb. Nothing looked unusual at first, but then a lighter flashed inside an Opel.
    Jan smiled. Luckily, not all his fellow cops had given up smoking.
    “The stakeout crew is across the street, in a dark Opel.”
    “What now?”
    “We have to get inside the building next door. From there, we’ll get to the basement window of Betty’s building through the shared courtyard.”
    “Is the entry open?”
    Jan shook his head. “Doors are locked after eight, but it’s an older lock. We can jimmy the door. Hopefully no officers will look in the rearview mirror right about then.”
    “Won’t working on the door be too loud?”
    “Until two, a bus comes through here every thirty minutes. See that traffic light in front of Betty’s building? If we make the noise right when the bus brakes for the red, no one will hear. If the guys just keep focusing on that front door, we’re in.”
    “That’s a lot of ifs.”
    “Child’s play, actually. Just a question of timing.”
    “When does the bus come?”
    Jan looked at his watch. “In the next five minutes. Take the jimmy and get set behind that tree, in front of the building. I’ll keep an eye on my guys.”
    Chandu opened up their bag, pulled out the jimmy. The little crowbar looked like a toy in his big hands. He casually crossed the street and leaned against a tree trunk. Then he took his cell phone out and tapped around on the screen. He kept the jimmy hidden behind his back.
    It was surprisingly quiet. Few cars passed by. Across the street, an older man was taking his dog out. Otherwise, they were alone. Jan pressed up to a tree trunk, keeping his eyes on the stakeout car. He nervously tapped his foot on the pavement. What would Betty say? Would she believe him, that he had nothing to do with the murder, or would she slam the door in his face and call for the cops? Chandu had a point. Four months was not long. And yet he trusted her. She would never leave him high and dry.
    The roar of a bus engine jarred Jan from his thoughts. Chandu put his phone away, held the jimmy ready, and made for the courtyard door. As the bus screeched to a stop at the light, the big man inserted the jimmy, jerked his arm, and popped the door open. Jan watched his fellow officers. All was calm. They hadn’t noticed. Jan grabbed their bag and went over to the pried-open door, where Chandu waited with a broad grin, all cool, the jimmy resting on a shoulder.
    “Some folks should spend a little more on security.”
    “Let’s get in quick before someone notices the lock’s busted.”
    A dark hallway led out to the courtyard. Mailboxes were crammed with heaps of ads. Jan was tiptoeing along when he heard footsteps coming from the courtyard. He signaled Chandu, and they pressed up against the wall. They’d stay concealed unless the person came their way. In the moonlight, Jan saw a slender figure wearing a cap. The person had a bag in hand and was hurrying away in the other direction. After the footsteps faded, Jan counted to five, gave Chandu another signal, and rushed through the courtyard to the basement of the neighboring building.
    Chandu joined him moments later at the basement window. He stowed the jimmy in their bag and took out a little tool that reminded Jan of a potato peeler. It had a wooden grip and a metal attachment shaped like an E , with little wheels at the ends. Chandu placed a suction cup on the