Rex Resolution 53: Der Voyeur

Rex goes Hitchcock as a janitor's titillation from spying on his undressed woman neighbour takes a sinister turn. From undies to undertaker as the woman is strangled to death. About to call for help, the janitor realises the photos he's taken, which clearly show the murderer, could feather his nest quite nicely.

Having found the body, the husband is initially a prime suspect. However, a business trip to Munich at the time of death seems to rule him out.

Brandtner discovers a receipt for a Chinese restaurant and a pile of taxi receipts among the woman's belongings. Interestingly, all the receipts are from the same driver. When it emerges that the woman had been seen arguing with a man in the restaurant, the taxi man becomes chief suspect. When the driver is tracked down, he admits to having an affair with the woman and is arrested under suspicion of murder, a charge he repeatedly denies.

During this time, the janitor has forged ahead with his blackmail plan and managed to extort two million Euros out of the murderer. When he realises that this amount isn't quite enough to buy him the Viennese pad he desires, he's cheeky enough to check with his victim, the woman's husband who, conveniently, is also a real estate agent, how much he really needs. He ends up doubling his demands.

This irks the husband who then sets about finding the likely location of the blackmailer. Unfortunately, the janitor was only minding the apartment from which he took the photos. When the real owner returns from a relaxing break, he is strangled and ends up head first in his acquarium. Welcome home!

In the meantime, Brandtner has revisited earlier suspicions about the husband and finds out that he drove back to Vienna from Munich on the evening of the murder, flying back to avoid detection. Returning to the husband's apartment, he finds a ripped up photo that shows the husband murdering his wife. Note, if you're getting blackmailed, dispose of the evidence more carefully!

Brandtner's quick to put things together and heads to the apartment from which the photo was most likely taken, finding the flat ransacked and the body of the poor unfortunate traveller. Directed to the janitor and finding his flat also ransacked, he realises the janitor is the blackmailer and that his life is at risk.

At work as a night watchman in a store, the janitor is surprised by the husband who ties him up into a carpet rolling machine in an attempt to get him to tell where the negatives are. It's all too late though. Brandtner and team arrive just in time to release the man and capture the husband.

Other players include Robert Meyer, here as Mahler, Robert Hoffman, not listed with IMDB for this episode, Willy Hoeller as Herr Hoffmann, and Heide Stahl, not credited with IMDB for this episode.

A single Recycled Rexer Fritz Karl, not credited with IMDB for this episode, but also appearing in 'Bis zur letzten Kugel' (2002) as Gerhard Kostial and 'Impara l'arte' (2008) as Hugo Starke.

A bit scant on photos today. If I'm not reasonably sure I'm getting an image of the correct person, I'll pass on photos.