AFTER DARK | Johan Liebert

Chapter 40: The monster uncovered

I couldn't help it, I couldn't give in to my curiosity - and that's how I ended up in the archive of one of the biggest newspapers in Germany.

It's been four days since I had last seen Johan - well, actually it's been five, because when I woke up in the morning, he wasn't there anymore. Hopefully, we would be able to meet up in two days again, though I knew he was busy with university. Until then, I hoped to find out more about him, because when I woke up Tuesday morning, I suddenly remembered the words he said that night.

"But still, instead of letting me die, he operated on me and saved my life a second time. But... why? I don't understand. Why did he save my life the second time, when he knew I was a monster?"

Something had come up in my mind. It was only a vague memory, but I remembered Gabi telling me about a crime my father was involved in. I wondered whether she ever mentioned a doctor. But the more I thought, the more I was sure she never mentioned the word 'doctor'. Still, since yesterday, I had the certainty that the familiarity I felt at Johan's words wasn't just an illusion.

'A doctor?'

"Yes", I told Gabi, talking to her on the phone. It was already dark outside and I was glad she was still awake.

"He must be very good at his job because he managed to save someone's life by removing a bullet from his head. That means he probably was a surgeon, right? In that case, maybe a neurosurgeon?"

'Wait, neurosurgeon, you say?' Gabi sounded surprised. 'Could the incident have happened about three years ago?'

"Yeah, probably."

'Have you heard of Doctor Tenma?"

"... Tenma? Maybe. I can't exactly remember."

'I've been quite interested at the time the investigations were still ongoing', Gabi said. 'In the 80s, Tenma worked in a prestigious hospital in Düsseldorf. Suddenly, three of his superiors died, and he was accused, though there was no proof for that. Then, nine years later, he went into hiding because the police still thought he was the murderer - and that he was still murdering middle-aged couples at the time. Tenma claimed there was someone else who did the killing, and that he was chasing him down to stop him, but no one believed him - until the very end.'

"... What happened at the end?", I asked hesitantly.

'His innocence was proven, eventually, after nine years of enduring that terror. But the end happened behind closed doors, and there wasn't much information about the culprit... only that he was in custody and not responsive. That was two years ago.'

The whole case sounded strangely familiar to me. Two years ago... didn't Johan move to Hamburg in 1999?

"Why was Doctor Tenma even accused of killing his superiors?"

'I don't know.' Gabi sighed. 'I guess because he was the only one with a motive, though his patients vehemently denied that Tenma was able to commit such crimes. We're talking about serial murders, after all.' She made a short pause. 'But if I remember it correctly, that night in 1986 was quite turbulent, because a political family from East Germany was murdered after their escape. As far as I remember, they had twins, and the boy barely made it out alive. However, Mr. and Mrs. Liebert were shot, unfortunately.'

That family name she mentioned made me shudder. The phone slipped out of my hand, falling onto the table with a loud noise.

'Klara? Klara!'

I wasn't able to sleep that night.

Thousands of thoughts crossed my mind. I wanted to tell myself that I didn't have the certainty that Johan had been that mysterious serial killer. After all, Liebert wasn't his true surname, right? Also, there were probably more than enough Lieberts in Germany. What were the odds it was actually Johan?

But he could have applied that name to himself and used it ever since. Plus, that son of the Lieberts had a twin. Johan did have a twin, his age would fit, and also the date of his coma...

And now, I was reading countless articles from 1986 to 1998, trying to find out whether my suspicions were true or not. I didn't want to believe it. He wasn't a monster. But the more I read, the more proof I had for my theory. It was like the last puzzle pieces fell into place. It must have been him.

That notorious serial killer is Johan.

With shaking hands, I put down the newspaper, asking myself what to do next. I didn't want to process it. I trusted him, finally being happy with someone, only to find out he was responsible for countless murders across the country? I opened up to him, I let him know everything about me, I introduced him to my family— What I fool I was! Why did I do this? I had brought my own family in grave danger, not knowing whether they'd be safe or not - why? Why did I trust Johan? I should have been more careful...

Were his feelings towards me even genuine? Either they were, or he was just an incredible actor. And I could imagine that I had been blinded by his charismatic nature, not realising what I was getting into. 

Eventually, in the late afternoon, I made my way home. I was still busy realising what I had just found out. Knowing it for certain was terrible. I only had two days to decide what to do. A part of me wanted to hear him out - but who knew what intentions he had towards me? I decided to call Leo, just to make sure he and my mother were safe.

Please pick up... please!

"The number you dialled is currently unavailable. Please-"

"Crap!" My eyes were tearing up as I tossed my phone into my bag. My breathing was unsteady and my legs were shaking as I reached my street. Just as I was about to cross the road, I saw someone a few cars farther. It sent shivers down my spine. Surprisingly, Johan walked there, holding a flower bouquet in his hands, about to wave to me with a smile. But he must have seen my face, because his smile faded right away, and the flowers slipped out of his hand as he looked at me in shock.