Rex Resolution 31: Tod im Museum

This episode is probably one of my favourites. Is it the fascination with stuffed, dead animals or the creepy guy who loiters in the museum, wanting to preserve their peace? Hello? They're dead. Can you get any more peaceful? Or is it the fact that I can use this as a training video for my cats......kind of 'behave or you'll end up like this'? Whatever, this one definitely holds up to repeat viewing.

Most of the action takes place inside the Natural History Museum where a photographer is taking photos for a book. When she moves to smooth the ruffled fur of a bear for a photograph, she stumbles across hidden diamonds and can't resist removing a few for herself. Well, they are a girl's best friend, gell?

There's certain a lot of strange men hanging around and when one catches her touching the bear, he warns her that doing so could be 'dangerous' and makes some vague comment about her 'wanting a long life?' He probably should have noted his loaded comments himself because less than a minute late, he's laying face down in the museum foyer, having overlooked the lift and taken a shorter route over the balcony.

Enter Moser and Boeck. Suicide or murder? Moser is convinced the man was pushed and sets out to prove so by having Boeck repeatedly toss a nicely dressed mannequin from the top floor until they can determine how exactly the man went over the balcony. As usual, Moser is proved correct.

When a second man is found dead in the grounds, a discarded bloody tissue provides Moser with just what he needs for super-nose Rex to sniff out a trail. Leading Moser to the bear, the remaining diamonds are discovered and a trap is set. When a third man turns up to collect them, the boys pounce. Hidden booty from a heist years earlier, the two dead men were accomplices also looking to collect the loot.

And the photographer? Moser kindly lets her hand back the other diamonds scot-free and even stops off for a cup of tea. Lucky girl.

Other players include Eugen Stark, not credited with IMDB for this episode, Michael Rast, above, not credited with IMDB for this episode, and Eva Neubauer, above, not credited with IMDB for this episode.

Recycled Rexers Hanna Clementi, not listed with IMDB for this episode but also appearing as a prostitute in 'Ueber den Daechern von Wien' (1996) and as Gaby Schmoelzer in 'Gafaehrliche Jagd' (1995), Harald Posch, above, not credited with IMDB for this episode, as Horst Bacher in 'Kinder auf der Flucht' (2000) and as Fritz Urban in 'Wofuer Kinder leiden muessen' (2003), Klaus Ofczarek, above, not credited for this episode but also appearing as Hubert Kolar in 'Das Maechen und der Moerder' (2001) and as Klaus Dworschak in 'Wofuer Kinder leiden muessen' (2003), Hannes Fretzer, here as Hubmann but also appearing in 'Stockis letzter Fall' but uncredited for that.