Rex Resolution 70: Eiskalt

A little aside before the next episode. I went to buy the Inspector Rex soundtrack from a Borders store. Stepped into the lift and got stuck for one hour. After all that, they didn't even have a copy. Pah. Back to the SBS online shop for me.

Okay. Back to Rex....

This episode centres around an ice hockey team. When a player collapses and dies on the ice, an intriguing murder plot is revealed. A mysterious scratch on the body prompts a search of the player's equipments and an ampoule of fast-acting insulin is found secreted in the player's shoulder pad. When pressure was put on the pad, the insulin was injected into the player's skin, causing a fatal hypoglycaemic event.

When the team become aware that the death was murder, all sorts of tension are unleashed within the team. A star player, Seiz, is earmarked as a likely suspect. Highly competitive, Seitz was seen to be jealous when the murder victim was selected over him to play ice hockey in the US. Questioned by Brandtner and team, Seiz acknowledges he was jealous but denies that it would lead him to murder. The president of the club, Altmann, also confirms Seitz would be unlikely to commit murder but suggests that Brandter talks to his wife, who knows the players a lot better.

A whole lot better in fact. Unknown to most, Mrs. Altmann, who acts as team manager, has been having an affair with Seiz, meeting regularly at a seedy hotel.

When the cleaning woman (I'm sure this actress must be a fellow Brit from her tortured German but IMDB is not forthcoming) remembers that she knocked the players equipment down while cleaning and may have put it back in the first place, Brandtner begins to suspect that maybe the insulin was intended for someone else.

The team trainer discovers that Seiz has a very large insurance policy taken out on his life and approaches Mrs. Altmann in order to blackmail her. This enrages Seiz and he goes after him with a gun (which later turns out to be fake). Brandtner is following Seiz and so the pair are taken back to headquarters for questions. It turns out Seiz had discovered he has a brain tumour and had decided to keep playing regardless of the risk. The larger insurance policy was to provide his daughter in case anything happened to him.

Brandtner and team continue to tail Seiz and thereby discover his affair with Mrs. Altmann. She's certain her husband, who's away in hospital, doesn't know. Brandtner, Boeck and Rex decide to go and tell him. Of course, he's not at the hospital, he's over at the ice rink, attacking Seiz with a hockey stick. The team arrive, as always, in time to prevent any severe injuries and Rex scores an almighty goal by rounding up Altmann between the goal posts.

Other players include Birge Schade, above, as Lisa Altmann, Marc Richter, above, as Harald Seiz, Suzy Spitz as the cleaning woman and Robert Viktor Minich, not credited with IMDB for this episode.

Recycled Rexers in Wolfram Berger, uncredited with IMDB for this episode but appearing as Kurt Nemec in 'Ein toedliches Match' and Johannes Terne , as Johannes Altmann here and in 'Toedliche Leidenschaft'.