On the morning of August 7th, 1986, Michael Boden, a public prosecutor who had been involved in several high profile convictions, was shot in the shoulder while driving in the parking lot of the Landesgericht courthouse in Wiesbaden. After he was shot, Boden’s car rolled into a tree and initial reports were that he had perished. During the confusion, the Red Army Faction released a statement claiming they had killed Boden due to his far-right wing ideology and his association with the ultranationalist Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD.) In the minutes that followed the shooting, Boden was rushed by ambulance to the hospital for surgery. He survived and later reports stated that his condition was never considered critical.
A security guard at the Landesgericht courthouse was accused of providing a false tip to a Frankfurt-based television reporter about Boden’s alleged death. In a rush to be first with the news, the reporter didn’t confirm the death and was ultimately responsible for breaking the inaccurate news. Her television station issued a retraction several hours later and the incident was largely forgotten—although the false claim of responsibility was frequently used to mock the Red Army Faction. Exactly one year later, the security guard who had issued the false tip was killed as a result of an explosive attached to the starter of his car. The Red Army Faction claimed responsibility for his killing:
After the murder of the security guard, the Red Army Faction again cited Boden’s connection to multiple NPD party members. Boden denied ever having knowingly associated with anyone from the NPD and eventually the issue faded from the public eye.
Two years later, the well-known Michael Boden capitalized on his regional fame when he launched a career in German politics. He held several local offices before ascending to his current office as Ministerpräsident of the State of Hessen. During his first state election, he denied ever having far-right positions and is currently a member of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union of Germany, the same party as Chancellor Angela Merkel. The German legislative scorecard group Freedom of People has consistently rated Boden as a moderate or centrist.
Gage reread the passage several times.
So, Michael Boden had been shot by someone claiming to be with the uber-left Red Army Faction? The Red Army Faction was also allegedly responsible for killing the former head of the Treuhandanstalt, thereby paving the way for Rainer Schulz to take control of the agency and make many, many millions of euros in the process.
Speaking of Rainer Schulz, was it the Red Army Faction who killed the former head of the Treuhandanstalt, or did Schulz himself orchestrate the shooting that netted him his high position? And had he tried to kill young prosecutor Michael Boden, also?
Or did this all go much deeper?
Gage massaged his temples, struggling to comprehend the murkiness of the situation. He stood and began to pace.
In the end, very little of this mattered. Katja had already confirmed it for Gage—Boden had tried to kill her. All this background proved was further evidence that Michael Boden was dirty. He’d been dirty 30 years before; the Red Army Faction knew it—and he was dirty now, mixed up in something far more sinister than backroom German politics.
Gage’s phone rang. He eyed the screen—Boris.
“Yeah, Boris?”
“Where are you?”
“The Vogel estate, why?”
“Turn on the news.”
“Dammit! Did word get out about Katja?” Gage asked, grasping the kitchen remote.
“No. That’s not why I’m calling.”
“What then?”
“Just turn it on.”
Gage pressed the red power button. He turned to DW-News and placed his phone on speaker mode. In the news feed, a female reporter was interviewing a middle-aged gentleman in a bad suit. The twosome were harshly lit, standing in what appeared to be a parking deck as heavy rain fell just behind them. Gage didn’t see or hear enough to get the gist.
“What is it?” he asked Boris.
“I’m on the same channel. Just keep watching.”
The reporter threw the narrative back to the comely anchor who smartly shuffled her papers as she gave a concerned look to her camera.
“To recap this morning’s top story, Rainer Schulz, the former head of the Treuhandanstalt, who had been scheduled to stand today for arraignment in Berlin federal court, was found dead this morning in his holding cell. As you just heard from the administrator of the federal holding facility, authorities have not yet released a cause of death. But sources tell our news network that Schulz was found hanged. Schulz’s attorney hasn’t confirmed this, but she did emphasize her client would never harm himself under any circumstance and vowed for a complete investigation.”
The camera changed angle, displaying both the pretty anchor and her sober-looking male co-host. The female wrapped up the segment:
“Rainer Schulz, controversial former head of the Treuhandanstalt and wealthy business magnate, dead at the age of seventy. More on this breaking story along with reaction from the business and government communities as it becomes available.”
“Holy shit. Hang on,” Gage mumbled. He rewound the story and watched it again, paying close attention to the parking garage snippet with the man in the bad suit.
“—during a routine check this
