“Judge and his executioner” Dürrenmatt in brief summary
On the morning of November 3, 1948, Alphonse Klenen, a police officer from Twann, stumbles upon a blue Mercedes standing on the roadside in the direction of Aambuen. In the car he discovers the corpse of a man killed the night before by a shot in the temple from the revolver of the lieutenant of the police of Bern, Ulrich Schmid. He delivers the victim to the police department, where he worked.
To conduct an investigation is entrusted to the elderly commissar Berlach, who takes as his assistants a certain Tshanets, an employee of the same administration. Before long Berlach lived abroad, he was one of the leading criminologists in Constantinople, and then in Germany, but back in 1933 returned to his homeland.
First of all, Berlach orders to keep the story of murder secret, despite the disagreement of his chief Lutz. The same morning he goes to the apartment to Schmid. There he discovers the folder of the murdered man with documents, but so far no one has spoken about it.
From Frau Shenler, from whom Schmid rented a room, Tzants finds out that on days marked in the calendar with the letter “G”, in the evenings her tenant wore a tailcoat and left the house. Tshants and Berlach go to the crime scene. Tzantz stops the car before turning on the road from Tvanna to Lambuin and turns off the lights. He hopes that where Schmid was on Wednesday, and today a reception is arranged, and expects to go after the cars that will be sent to this reception. This is what happens.
Both policemen go out near the house of a certain Gastman, rich, surrounded by a respected citizen. They decide to go around the house from different sides and for this they share. In the very place where Berlach should meet his colleague, a huge dog attacks him. However, arrived in time in time, Tzantz
Tshants goes to get information from local policemen about Gastman. Berlach, who always has a stomach ache, goes to the nearest restaurant. After talking with colleagues, Tzantz goes to meet Berlach, but in the restaurant the commissioner does not find, sits in the car and leaves. On the spot where the crime occurred, a shadow of the man separates from the rock and waves his hand, asking to stop the car. Tzantz involuntarily brakes, but in the next instant horror pierces him: in fact, probably the same thing happened with Schmid on the night of his murder. In the approaching figure, he recognizes Berlach, but his excitement does not go away. Both look into each other’s eyes, then Berlach gets into the car and asks to go on.
At home, Berlach, left alone, takes a revolver out of his pocket, although before that he told Tshantsu that he does not carry weapons, and, taking off his coat, unwinds several layers of cloth with which his hand is wrapped-as usually done when training service dogs. The next morning to Lutz, Berlach’s chief, is Gastman’s lawyer, Colonel von Shandy. He intimidates Lutz, who owes the colonel his promotion. He informs Lutz that Schmid, in all probability, was a spy, because he appeared at the evenings under an assumed name. He asserts that in no case it is impossible to link the murder to the name of Gastman, since it threatens with an international scandal, for in the evening of Gastman the big industrialists of Switzerland meet with high-flying diplomats of a certain power and conduct business negotiations there, which should not become the subject of publicity.
Returning from the funeral of Schmid, Berlach finds in his house a leafing stick of Schmid, a certain person, calm, withdrawn, with deeply sunken eyes on his broad cheekbone face. Berlach finds out in him an old friend of his, who now lives under the surname Gastman. Forty years ago they made a bet in Turkey. Gastman promised that in the presence of Berlach he would commit a crime, and he would not be able to convict him. Three days later it happened. Gastman dropped the man from the bridge, and then gave his death for suicide. Berlach could not prove his guilt. Their competition lasts for forty years and, despite the criminalistic talent of Berlach, each time ends not in his favor. Before leaving, Gastman takes with him a stick Schmid, which, as it turns out, was sent by Berlach to watch over Gastman. This folder contains Gastman’s compromising documents, without which the commissar again turns out to be powerless against his opponent. Before leaving, he asked Berlach not to get involved in this matter.
After the departure of the guest Berlach, a gastric attack occurs, but he soon goes to the office, and from there, together with Tshanets – to a writer, one of Gastman’s acquaintances. Berlach is building a conversation with the writer in such a way that Tzants is losing his temper. Tshants with his whole appearance shows that he is confident in Gastman’s fault, but Berlach does not react to his statements. On the way back, the speech between the two policemen comes about Schmid. Berlach has to listen to the full outrage of Thanshan’s attacks against Schmid, who bypassed him in everything. Now Tshantsu decisively needs to find the killer, because, in his opinion, this is his only chance to attract the attention of the authorities. He persuades Berlach to ask Lutz to let him meet with Gastman. The Commissioner, however, assures that he can do nothing, for Lutz is not inclined to intervene Gastman in the murder case.
After the trip Berlach goes to his doctor, who tells him that no later than three days later he needs to have surgery.
The same night someone in brown gloves, entering the house to Berlakh, tries to kill him, but he can not do it, and the criminal disappears. In half an hour Berlach calls to himself Tshanets. He tells him that he is going to the mountains for several days.
In the morning, near the entrance, a taxi stops. When the car leaves, Berlach discovers that he is not alone. Gastman sits next to him in brown gloves. He once again demands that Berlach stop the investigation. He, however, responds that this time he is going to prove Gastman’s guilt in a crime he did not commit, and that in the evening an executioner will come to him.
In the evening in the estate to Gastman is Tzants and kills the master together with his two servants. Lutz is even glad that now he will not have to intervene in diplomatic trouble. He is sure that Gastman was the killer of Schmid, and Tshantsa intends to raise in office.
Berlach invites Tshans to his dinner and informs him that Tshants is the true killer of Schmid. He forces himself to admit it. The bullets found near the murdered Schmid and in the body of the dog are identical. Tzantz knew that Schmid was engaged in Gastman, but did not know why. He even found a folder with documents and decided to deal with this matter himself, and Schmid killed, so that success would go to him alone. It was he who at night wanted to kill Berlach and kidnap the folder, but he did not know that Gastman had taken her back in the morning. Tzantz thought that it would not be difficult for him to convict Gastman in the murder of Schmid, and he was right. And now he got everything he wanted: Schmid’s success, his position, his car and even his girlfriend. Berlach promises that he will not give it to the police, provided that Tzantz disappears forever from his field of vision.
That same night Tzantz breaks up in his car. Berlach is going to an operation, after which he lives only a year.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)