time later, Max and Lina sat facing the suspect in one of the interrogation rooms. Jensen was wearing the shirt, pants, and jacket.
Max had lent him a pair of his socks. He always kept an extra pair in his desk drawer. Jensen now resembled a regular human being and held on to the coffee cup that Lina had handed him. In front of him on the table was a plate with a roll that was sliced in half. He was eyeing it as if he didn’t know what it was. When he reached for the first half, bit off a little bit, and slowly started to chew, Max got up and turned on the light. It had started to rain and the interrogation rooms faced north.
He switched on the tape recorder and said his and Lina’s names
and the date.
“Herr Jensen, we’re questioning you today as a witness in the mur-
der case of Philip Birkner. I hereby inform you that you don’t have to say anything that might incriminate you. Are you going to use your
right to refuse giving evidence?”
Jensen shook his head.
“Herr Jensen, please speak into the microphone. We cannot record
gestures.” Max sounded relaxed and polite as always.
“No, I have nothing to hide,” he responded.
60
Dead Woods
“Did you know Philip Birkner?” Max slid a photo of the dead man
across the table. Jensen just glanced at it briefly.
“Yes. He was once my boss.”
“When?”
“For five years, from 2004 to 2009.”
“What happened then?”
“His company Inoware had to declare bankruptcy and he had to
let go of all the employees.”
“When we questioned you in your house, you said that Philip
Birkner ruined your life. Do you stand by that statement?”
Jensen nodded. “Yes.”
“Please explain your assessment,” Max said, matter-of-factly.
Frank Jensen took a deep breath. “Philip Birkner hired me right
after he started his business. I’m a programmer, and so was he. Initially we wrote the software together, but later he was concentrating on clients and customer acquisition. He was . . . He just knew how to wrap people around his little finger.” He continued by stating that the company grew, Philip hired more people, and orders came rolling in, and the business became larger. About a year before the bankruptcy, he
landed a huge order. Wesseling & Kröger, a midsize metal processing company with more than five hundred employees and branches
in India and Ireland, wanted Inoware to develop a new, customized
software package for internal communication and data management.
It had to be absolutely safe from outside attacks. “Of course,” Jensen explained, “there’s no such thing as absolute security. Even the best software becomes outdated in no time at all; hackers don’t sleep, you know. But that’s not something Philip told those people. He pretended there was no problem with their request at all.” Frank Jensen went on to say that he not only came up with the concept, but also did most
of the programming. Finally the new software was installed and run-
ning. It ran very well. The client was enthusiastic and so was Philip Birkner. Jensen got a bonus and his salary was increased substantially 61
Maria C. Poets
after he told Birkner that headhunters were after him with offers for more lucrative employment. He let Birkner persuade him to stay with
his company for the time being.
Jensen put down the empty coffee cup and rubbed his forehead.
“Could I please have some water and an aspirin?” he asked. Lina got
a bottle of water from the machine in the hallway and rummaged
around for a tablet in her desk drawer. When she came back, Jensen
had finished the second half of the roll.
“Thank you,” he said, after swallowing the pill. His eyes were no
longer bloodshot, only small and tired. A lock of hair fell over his forehead and his skin was blotchy.
“So how did Philip Birkner bamboozle you?” Max finally asked, to
get Jensen back on topic.
Jensen shrugged. “A hacker got in the software for Wesseling &
Kröger, and Philip blamed me for that. But I hadn’t done anything
wrong. I swear I had no idea who got involved. It all started after the five-year anniversary of the firm. I remember it exactly. Large reception at the Steigenberger Hotel, more than a hundred guests, enormous
buffet, free cocktails . . . The president of the Chamber of Commerce said a few words. Rumor had it that Philip was going to be honored as the most successful young entrepreneur in the city.” Jensen drank some water out of the bottle. “Philip ran around in a super mood for days.
Those were a beautiful few days.” He took another sip and then wiped