Then where did you go? -To a restaurant.
Hello. -Hello.
It was discovered by hikers.
They're just signing a statement.
It's Ludwig, the Countess's cousin.
What were hikers doing on von Geyersberg land?
They didn't realize.
There's no fence.
At least it meant we found the body early. -Assuming we ever found it at all.
What have we got? -Exactly the same method.
Decapitated, gutted, organs buried.
It's like someone's taking out all the family heirs.
Jürgen was Kurt's son,
Ludwig is Dieter's, and the dog was sent for Laura.
As for Max, his days may be numbered.
I don't understand why Laura is different.
Maybe because females aren't worthy of Pirsch.
What? I didn't make the rules.
Pirsch hunters only target alpha males.
What did Reuss say?
He agrees there have been no Roetken's here since WWII.
But he knew a story of a Roma girl who was
attacked by one here some years back.
The von Geyersberg took in the Black Hunters after the war.
Maybe they adopted their methods, though Laura denies it.
You saw her again? -Yes. At old Franz's house.
It didn't go very well.
Forensics say the killer turned the soil and leaves
to erase all traces.
Just like last time.
When was the attack on the Roma girl? -About 20 years ago.
Can you check your records, Kleinert?
I guess so. -We also need to locate them.
We'll question them tomorrow.
For now, keep turning the forest and get some eyes on Max.
The killer is clearly after descendants.
Will that be all? -No. We'll need a hotel for the night.
THE CRIMSON RIVERS
THE LAST HUNT: PART 2
That's not much for a night of research.
There's no record of the attack.
They must not have reported it. We had to check all hospital records.
It won't be easy to get them to talk.
It seems the main family's name is Nicolitch.
The kumpania. -What?
The Roma call it the kumpania.
It's an extended family, a clan.
We should have brought backup.
Let me do the talking.
Alright, buddy?
Sar sal.
Drop the formalities.
I'm Raïko, head of the kumpania.
Cops?
What do you want?
We're here about an accident involving a dog some 20 years ago.
An accident? -Yes.
Those bastards set their dogs on my daughter.
Did you know them?
No.
Some scumbags the von Geyersbergs hired to drive us off their land.
Do you have any proof?
Proof is for gadjos.
Was this the type of dog?
Have you seen any dogs like that since?
We never went back into their forests.
And why didn't you report the incident?
That's a good one.
Why all the dumb questions?
There was an attack on the von Geyersberg land
involving the same breed of dog.
Return to sender...
And you never sought revenge?
They're untouchable.
We had a different idea.
We asked a witch to put a curse on them.
She said there was no need, as they were already cursed.
She said that death was among them.
That each generation would lose a son.
I just read
that one of the von Geyersberg sons was murdered.
I guess the old lady was right.
That's Levna...
... my daughter.
We didn't know she'd survived.
Which version is better?
How can you believe a story like that?
It's a rumor, Kleinert.
We need to check if other sons have died in unusual circumstances.
But let's say this Nazi Dirlewanger
hid out at the von Geyersberg's after the war.
They re-appoint the Black Hunters as guards
and they hire poachers, bring back Roetkens.
Something still doesn't add up.
Why would the Black Hunters set the dogs on their own bosses?
What do we have on Franz?
He's in a wheelchair, Niemans! -I couldn't care less!
Check his medical records, activities, funds.
Maybe he hired others to do the job. -OK.
But what's his motive? -He has two. Kurt, his brother,
put him in a wheelchair during a hunt.
Maybe he's taking revenge on his kids.
And the second? -Cash.
Franz says he doesn't want the business,
but soon he'll be the only heir.
Thank you for seeing me, Prof. Wunderlich.
I hope it's not an inconvenience. -Not at all.
I rarely have visitors.
Take a seat.
I hear you're the best genealogist in the region.
Not the best, detective.
The only.
I looked through the von Geyersberg files.
Genealogically, it's very interesting. How can I help?
I assume you know about the murder of Jürgen von Geyersberg.
Yes. And I heard on the radio this morning
that another son has been killed.
Yes. In exactly the same way.
Actually,
this may sound strange, but I'm here to investigate a rumor.
It's said that every generation of the family loses a son prematurely.
That's not a rumor.
It's a simple fact.
Can you explain?
In 1988, for example,
Max and Ludwig's father Dieter
mysteriously disappeared at sea in the Grenadines.
Going back a generation to 1945,
Wilhelm, Karl's brother and head of the VG Group,
disappeared during the German occupation.
Not long before, his cousin, Thomas,
was reported missing during the American landings in Normandy.
They were 34 and 35 years old respectively.
Did you look any further back? -Of course.
Battle of the Somme, 1916,
it's Otto's brother Fritz who vanishes.
Shortly after, one of his cousins meets his end in a river near Liège.
And in all these disappearances and deaths at the front,
were the bodies ever found?
In most cases, no. I don't think so.
So the only official version of events is from the von Geyersbergs?
Yes.
And what's truly bizarre
is the symmetry of the disappearances.
Why?
You've seen a family tree before, I imagine?
So, the von Geyersberg's tree
looks like this.
Did I miss anything?
Sit down and look at this.
"The von Geyersberg Curse."
So,
in each generation, a branch disappears:
Fritz, Wilhelm, Thomas, Dieter.
All aged between 30 and 40.
Now it's Jürgen and Ludwig.
No other bodies were ever found.
You think they were all killed?
There's no proof, but it's likely they were murdered
like Jürgen and Ludwig.
Anything on the dogs? -I talked to a friend
from the Neuilly-sur-Marne dog unit.
He says most Roetkens have a genetic disease related to zinc absorption.
So? -They have to take certain medication.
A supplement only available on prescription.
We'll have to scour the whole region.
No problem.
What about Franz?
He has solid alibis for both murders.
But once again,
what with his wheelchair...
Did you get his medical records? -Yes.
He told the truth.
Injured by a bullet while out hunting when he was seventeen.
His spinal cord was hit,
paralyzing both legs.
And his activities?
Those of a billionaire who prefers forests to factories.
But there was one strange thing.
The Countess told you that her family doesn't practice Pirsch hunting.
Yet Franz runs a foundation called "Black Blood,"
solely dedicated to Pirsch.
The members are responsible for buying up forest
and rearing game for the von Geyersbergs.
It makes sense. Pirsch is seen as the most noble
and most dangerous hunt.
The only kind this family would deem worthy.
OK. Camille, you look into the zinc supplements.
You look for a link between this foundation and the Black Hunters.
Where are you going?
To see the Countess. She's been lying from the start.
What are you doing here?
I was told I could find you here.
You need to learn some respect for the dead, Niemans.
Respect starts with truth and sincerity.
Stop lying, Laura, or you'll be our main suspect.
Why did you tell me all that rubbish about Pirsch?
I don't know what you mean.
Yes you do.
You told me your family doesn't practice that type of hunting.
Times change.
My generation doesn't.
And the "Black Blood"?
Your uncle's foundation, what is it?
An ecological society.
Rearing game just to slaughter it later. Is that ecological?
The forest is your kingdom.
I think it's worth far more to you than your industrial empire.
Why is this relevant?
The murderer replicates Pirsch.
And? You're going round in circles.
What about the disappearances that occur in every generation?
They were accidents, wars.
That's all.
But never any bodies?
And the Black Hunters, the Roetken...
You know nothing about them?
As I already said, Niemans,
these are just legends.
I met some Roma today for whom these legends are very real.
I was young but I know the culprits paid.
We compensated the family and the girl was treated in the best hospital.
That little girl has grown up.
And the scars are not a pretty sight.
I think you're afraid.
Why?
I have nothing more to say to you.
I'll come back here once you're off my property.
"Perform with all your heart your long and heavy task,
treading the path to which fate has called you.
Then as do I, say naught, but suffer and die."
Yes, Camille.
OK. I'll be there right away.
What the hell's going on here?
This guy buys zinc once a month from a pharmacy without prescription.
He has no registered dogs.
Is that all? -No.
He's a gamekeeper for the Black Blood Foundation.
He opened fire when we knocked. He's insane.
So what's the plan now?
We're waiting for the go-ahead from Stuttgart.
For one guy? You have to be kidding me.
Let's go.
Camille, come with me. -Niemans!
Goddammit!
Go the other way. Meet me behind the house.
He's completely mad.
Niemans!
Don't move!
That was a close call, Niemans.
The prosecutor knows.
It's been decided:
You're no longer on the case.
Was anyone hurt? No.
Any damage? No.
I don't see the problem.
Yes.
OK, see you soon.
That was Schüller. He wants to see us.
We'll question this nutcase first.
Are you deaf or what?
You're not going near the suspect.
Who the hell do you think you are?
A cop who's trying to do his job.
You have my permission to sit in on the questioning.
But you're not to say a word.
Yes, Dad.
His real name is Karl Bruch, 43 years of age,
ten spent behind bars
for poaching, theft and violence.
A suspect in two murders but cleared. -Who by?
I don't have details, but it seems there was pressure.
From the von Geyersbergs?
I know what you're getting at.
The story of the Black Hunters.
And Bruch works for Franz's foundation, which is also dedicated to Pirsch.
It's all connected. We need to shake him up.
Don't forget your promise, Niemans. -Yeah, yeah.
When we knocked at your door, you opened fire.
Why?
I don't like strangers turning up.
What have you got to hide? -Nothing.
I'm an honest gamekeeper, I work for an honorable foundation.
And the Roetken? -What Roetken?
The ones you're treating with your zinc.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Two days ago, one of these dogs was set on the Countess.
You think I'm involved?
That's a good one.
We've protected that family for years. -Who is "we"?
Did you and your buddies attack that little Roma girl?
What's your job at the foundation? -Call them if you want to know.
And ask them to come pick me up.
In one hour, I'll be out.
And you'll still have your fingers up your asses.
What did you just say, huh?
What did you say to me, you piece of shit?
Enough! Niemans!
Get out, Niemans!
Get out!
It's late. I hope Schüller's still up.
We're just eating.
Philippe must still be in the lab.
But come and join us afterwards.
You're very welcome.
You know the way from here.
Professor Schüller?
I'll call my guys.
No, first we put the facility on lockdown and question everyone.
I should have come straight away. -Niemans.
Yes?
You can't think like that.
What did he say on the phone? -Something about DNA.
Right, we need to question everyone.
Squeeze every detail out of everyone within these walls, OK?
Maybe he told someone something.
He said he was going to shut himself in the lab
to finish an experiment.
That's really all I know.
We were expecting him at dinner... -Niemans.
Excuse me.
Yes?
I just talked to geneticist Koen Held. He was working on a stem cell program.
Schüller told him something.
He had just received Jürgen's karyotype, his DNA.
He tested Laura's a few years back for an insurance policy,
so he compared the two.
Kleinert's tech guy hacked into Schüller's computer.
He found the documents and the geneticist decoded them.
It's in the form of a diagram, but the result is clear.
You again.
Jürgen was not your brother.
Why does that matter?
I told you, we were like twins.
My mother couldn't have children.
My father decided to adopt in total secrecy.
They refused to leave our share of the empire to my cousins.
As for me...
... I arrived later.
Once Jürgen was adopted, my mother fell pregnant.
A classic case.
Did he know he was adopted?
No.
He never knew.
I found out in my teens, but didn't look into the details.
It changed nothing for me.
Why didn't you say anything?
Jürgen and I were young when our father died.
We had to fight to keep the business.
If the truth had come out,
it would have cast down on our legitimacy.
But,
I don't see the connection to the murders.
And Ludwig? Was he adopted too?
Certainly not.
Why would you ask that?
If he was adopted, someone might be trying to ensure
that each generation's heir to the Group is a "pure" von Geyersberg.
Each generation?
What are you talking about?
You know very well that heirs have disappeared over the years.
Because they were all adopted too?
They sent you from Paris to spout this nonsense?
We just found Schüller murdered in his lab.
Philippe? -Yes.
Probably because he was about to reveal that Jürgen was adopted.
Who knew this information?
Huh? Who else?
I don't know.
I really don't.
Good evening, Count von Geyersberg.
Sorry to bother you so late.
What do you want?
I'm Lieutenant Delaunay. I work with the detective you met the other day.
I shall repeat my question: What do you want?
We're here to ask a few questions about your family.
If you mean the murders, that's a strange way of putting it.
I don't mean the murders.
We've discovered that Laura and Jürgen were not related.
Other tests have shown the same for Max and Ludwig. Can you explain?
Follow me into the lounge.
The von Geyersberg family has always had fertility problems.
Kurt decided to adopt Jürgen.
And Dieter adopted Ludwig.
They then both conceived children of their own.
Laura
and Max.
Why didn't you tell this to the police? -Ludwig was only discovered yesterday.
Two children adopted into your family have been killed
in the same way just days apart. Why?
I don't know.
Other members of your family have met violent ends.
Were they adopted too?
I don't know.
I think you're lying, Mr von Geyersberg.
Forgive my colleague, sir. We're under immense pressure.
That's no excuse.
We'll leave you in peace.
It was already very kind of you to see us under these circumstances.
Do you know Karl Bruch?
I've never heard that name.
He works for one of your foundations.
We employ hundreds of people.
The Black Blood Foundation.
Has this man broken the law?
We have proof he's breeding Roetkens.
What do you know about the Black Hunters?
I shall have to call my friend, the prosecutor.
That won't be necessary, sir.
Goodnight.
You killed Licorice.
You killed Licorice!
You killed him!
You killed Licorice!
Hello. -Yes, Camille.
Where the hell are you, Niemans?
At the Villa de Verre. -Since last night?
Do we have anything?
The last call Schüller made before was killed
was to Laura von Geyersberg.
Looks like you've slept with our primary suspect.
We're on our way. -OK.
Laura?
What the hell is all this, Kleinert?
I have a warrant for her arrest. Let me do my job.
Where's your Countess? -I don't know.
She was gone when I woke up.
There's no one here. I think she fled through the forest.
Why the warrant? -She was the last call Schüller made.
She must know why he's dead.
She's been playing us all along.
She told me about Jürgen.
She has nothing more to hide.
Did she tell you Ludwig was adopted too?
Her uncle Franz told us.
He must be pulling the strings.
It all leads to his foundation.
We need to question Bruch again.
Kleinert won't let you near him.
Whatever, he can do it himself.
Laura's in danger and Bruch can help us save her.
I don't see how Bruch can help if Laura's behind it all.
No. She's next on the list.
Yeah? Then why did she run?
To take revenge. -On who?
Uncle Franz.
The family has fertility problems.
They adopted "backup kids" to prevent the line dying out.
But then the mother would produce a child.
A "pure" von Geyersberg.
But why are they all killed in their 30s?
I don't know. But the Black Hunters do the dirty work.
By order of the family? -Yes.
Whenever a mediator like old Franz decides to eliminate one.
And you think Laura didn't know? -No,
she knew Jürgen would be sacrificed.
But... Watch out!
Niemans? -Yes.
It's OK.
Kleinert?
Kleinert!
Is he alive? -Yes.
Are you OK, Camille?
The hunt has begun, Camille.
Laura's in the forest. She's the prey.
There's no signal.
She'll end up like the others if I don't find her.
Go get help, Camille!
I'm staying with you. -No!
These hunters are dangerous.
Do what I say, goddammit! -Screw you.
I'll be back for you, Kleinert.
Laura!
Drop your weapon.
The Pirsch, Niemans.
It's the only true hunt.
You never understood.
Why do you adopt children?
We adopt children
to kill them.
The hunter's role is to arm the enemy, to make him strong.
That's what our family has done for centuries.
We give them the best education
and teach them to hunt, to make them a worthy adversary.
Until eventually they face the true heir in the forest?
Exactly.
The adopted child becomes our game.
And Pirsch law is the only law in our family.
This is murder, Laura!
It's a duel.
With every generation, we gamble our empire.
If the prey wins, they inherit our fortune.
If my brother had been the strongest,
it would have been my head on the forest floor.
Why did you expose the body?
Sinful pride.
I wanted others to behold my victory.
So Max killed Ludwig?
It's hunting season.
And Schüller?
Was it because he knew?
You are a "well-armed male."
The perfect prey for a Pirsch hunter.
Don't move!
The dogs, Camille!
They're coming! -It's the dog unit.
It's our backup.
The doctors say I'll be on my feet in two weeks.
We're leaving today.
I found out something surprising.
Koen Held, the geneticist at Schüller's facility, did some more research.
Laura was the adopted child.
Uncle Franz organized the duels through
his foundation and the hunters.
Did he confess? -No.
For now, he's hiding behind his lawyers.
But Max, Ludwig's brother,
is locked up along with most of the Black Hunters.
Well...
It pains me to say it, Kleinert,
but you're a good cop.
Thank you.
Don't forget to submit your reports. -Don't start with that bullshit again!
Right.
Come on.
Ready?
So, what's your issue with dogs?
I had an older brother. He was schizophrenic.
It was slow to develop,
but I was the only one who knew how bad it was.
No one in my family was willing to accept it.
What's that got to do with dogs?
My parents had the bright idea of buying him a Beauceron guard dog.
His favorite game was secretly training this dog to kill me.
That was enough to make me paranoid.
Eventually the dog mysteriously died.
Everyone believed I had poisoned him.
That was when my brother became really dangerous.
My parents finally had him institutionalized.
But deep down,
I ended up the genuinely crazy one.
I didn't even know you had a brother.
Because he hanged himself at 27.
Any more questions?
Yes.
Just how fast can this car go?