A Boston Blickbild Exclusive
The Swedish Ski team kidnapped the German Ski Team's witch doctor during the World Championships in February. Or did they? Today's witness for the prosecution is Hermann Mayer, the Schladming police chief. As in our previous report, the names of the Mongolian lawyers will not be used due to them being too difficult to spell and pronounce. The prosecutor will be referred to as "Germany" and the defense attorney as "Sweden." We are again printing the court transcript instead of using our normal interview format.
Germany: Please state your name and occupation for the record.
Mayer: Hermann Mayer, Schladming, Austria police chief.
Germany: Aren't you really Hermann Maier the famous skier?
Mayer: No. People mix us up all the time. My last name is spelled M-A-Y-E-R and the skier spells his surname M-A-I-E-R. But he did give me some of his autograph cards to hand out to everyone.
Germany: Tell the court when you first heard about Dr. Mabongo being kidnapped.
Sweden: Objection! The prosecutor is assuming facts not in evidence.
Judge: Sustained.
Germany: When did you first find out that Dr. Mabongo was missing?
Mayer: It was on Sunday the 10th of February after the women's downhill race.
Germany: How did you find out that Dr. Mabongo was missing?
Mayer: Herr Schwaiger came into the police station and told me that Dr. Mabongo was missing. He also gave me the ransom note.
Sweden: Objection! We don't know that it was really a ransom note.
Judge: Sustained. Herr Mayer, please answer the questions directly and don't provide extra information unless you are asked for it.
Mayer: Herr Schwaiger gave me the note that he found on Dr. Mabongo's door.
Germany: What did you do after Mr. Schwaiger gave you the note?
Mayer: I had him fill out a standard police report. Since Dr. Mabongo had been missing for over 24 hours, I also contacted Interpol and the Austrian bloodhound squad.
Germany: You felt that this was a kidnapping?
Mayer: Yes.
Germany: How much experience do you have as a policeman?
Mayer: Thirty-two years. I have been the Schladming police chief for ten years.
Germany: So you have a lot of experience solving crimes. (slight pause) You were the one who found Dr. Mabongo. Tell the court the circumstances under which you found him.
Mayer: I was working at the World Championships providing security for the skiers going up the lift during the team competition along with my police dog Fido. When Andre Myhrer and Matthias Hargin passed by, Fido started barking and growling, then he suddenly bit Herr Hargin in the stomach. He tore a hole in Herr Hargin's speed suit and I saw something black inside it. A few seconds later Dr. Mabongo popped out of the hole in the speed suit.
Germany: What did Dr. Mabongo say or do when he came out of Mr. Hargin's speed suit?
Mayer: He asked to be taken back to the German team because the skiers needed him.
Germany: How soon was Dr. Mabongo returned to Germany?
Mayer: I returned him immediately after I found him.
Germany: That is all I have for this witness.
Judge: There will be a two-hour recess before the defense questions Mr. Mayer.
(two hours later)
Judge: Mr. Mayer, remember that you are under oath. Sweden, your witness.
Sweden: You said that you have over 30 years of police experience. Did you spend all of your years on the Austrian Gendarmarie in Schladming?
Mayer: Almost. I did spend two years in Lermoos.
Sweden: All of your police experience has been in small towns. Did you ever have a real kidnapping case?
Mayer: No.
Sweden: In fact, the last big crime in Schladming was back in the mid-80s, when someone stole a little girl's mittens. How can you be sure that Dr. Mabongo was kidnapped?
Mayer: I have to take courses to stay current on police procedure. I learned about how to tell if someone has been kidnapped or is simply missing.
Sweden: So your only experience with a real kidnapping was in class?
Mayer: That is correct.
Sweden: The note that Mr. Schwaiger gave you was in German. In fact, your initial suspects were Austrian and Switzerland. Isn't that true?
Mayer: Yes, that is correct.
Sweden: Why were Austria and Germany the main suspects?
Mayer: The ransom note was in perfect German. Also, both of those teams had better-than-expected performances in the men's downhill and super-combined races.
Sweden: You said that Dr. Mabongo asked to go back to the German team after you found him. Did he say anything about being kidnapped by the Swedish?
Mayer: No. He just asked me to take him back to the Germans.
Sweden: Could he have simply run away from the Germans to the Swedish but then decided he wanted to go back to the Germans?
Mayer: That's possible, but it doesn't explain the ransom note.
Sweden: Isn't it possible that the ransom note was written to point the police in the wrong direction?
Mayer: It is possible because Sweden was not on our initial list of suspects.
Sweden: How did you know that it was really Matthias Hargin who had Dr. Mabongo under his speed suit?
Mayer: I recognize all of the World Cup skiers because I'm Austrian. All Austrians know the World Cup skiers because ski racing is the only thing on television.
Sweden: But it could have been someone who looked like Mr. Hargin in a replica Swedish speed suit.
Mayer: That is highly unlikely. I was standing close enough to both him and Herr Myhrer to inspect their credentials before letting them onto the lift.
Sweden: How did you know that the person you believed to be Mr. Hargin had a real athlete identification card and not a forged one?
Mayer: He was standing with Andre Myhrer and they were speaking to each other. I checked Herr Myhrer's card first and it looked real. I would think that Herr Myhrer would recognize his teammate. The odds are very slim that two people who look exactly like Andre Myhrer and Matthias Hargin would wear Swedish speed suits, have fake athlete ID cards, and compete in the team event.
Sweden: Just because the odds are very low doesn't mean that something is impossible. That is all I have for this witness, Your Honor.
And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive story.
The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: All the stories that nobody else dares to print despite the odds.
The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook.
Germany: What did Dr. Mabongo say or do when he came out of Mr. Hargin's speed suit?
Mayer: He asked to be taken back to the German team because the skiers needed him.
Germany: How soon was Dr. Mabongo returned to Germany?
Mayer: I returned him immediately after I found him.
Germany: That is all I have for this witness.
Judge: There will be a two-hour recess before the defense questions Mr. Mayer.
(two hours later)
Judge: Mr. Mayer, remember that you are under oath. Sweden, your witness.
Sweden: You said that you have over 30 years of police experience. Did you spend all of your years on the Austrian Gendarmarie in Schladming?
Mayer: Almost. I did spend two years in Lermoos.
Sweden: All of your police experience has been in small towns. Did you ever have a real kidnapping case?
Mayer: No.
Sweden: In fact, the last big crime in Schladming was back in the mid-80s, when someone stole a little girl's mittens. How can you be sure that Dr. Mabongo was kidnapped?
Mayer: I have to take courses to stay current on police procedure. I learned about how to tell if someone has been kidnapped or is simply missing.
Sweden: So your only experience with a real kidnapping was in class?
Mayer: That is correct.
Sweden: The note that Mr. Schwaiger gave you was in German. In fact, your initial suspects were Austrian and Switzerland. Isn't that true?
Mayer: Yes, that is correct.
Sweden: Why were Austria and Germany the main suspects?
Mayer: The ransom note was in perfect German. Also, both of those teams had better-than-expected performances in the men's downhill and super-combined races.
Sweden: You said that Dr. Mabongo asked to go back to the German team after you found him. Did he say anything about being kidnapped by the Swedish?
Mayer: No. He just asked me to take him back to the Germans.
Sweden: Could he have simply run away from the Germans to the Swedish but then decided he wanted to go back to the Germans?
Mayer: That's possible, but it doesn't explain the ransom note.
Sweden: Isn't it possible that the ransom note was written to point the police in the wrong direction?
Mayer: It is possible because Sweden was not on our initial list of suspects.
Sweden: How did you know that it was really Matthias Hargin who had Dr. Mabongo under his speed suit?
Mayer: I recognize all of the World Cup skiers because I'm Austrian. All Austrians know the World Cup skiers because ski racing is the only thing on television.
Sweden: But it could have been someone who looked like Mr. Hargin in a replica Swedish speed suit.
Mayer: That is highly unlikely. I was standing close enough to both him and Herr Myhrer to inspect their credentials before letting them onto the lift.
Sweden: How did you know that the person you believed to be Mr. Hargin had a real athlete identification card and not a forged one?
Mayer: He was standing with Andre Myhrer and they were speaking to each other. I checked Herr Myhrer's card first and it looked real. I would think that Herr Myhrer would recognize his teammate. The odds are very slim that two people who look exactly like Andre Myhrer and Matthias Hargin would wear Swedish speed suits, have fake athlete ID cards, and compete in the team event.
Sweden: Just because the odds are very low doesn't mean that something is impossible. That is all I have for this witness, Your Honor.
And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive story.
The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: All the stories that nobody else dares to print despite the odds.
The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook.
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