Walther P38

The Walther P38 is the weapon identified in the murder investigation, but its importance extends beyond its place in the case file: when Leinen recognizes it in a crime-scene photograph, the image becomes a personal clue that redirects his inquiry.

The Weapon in the Case

During his confession, Collini says he bought the murder weapon at a flea market in Italy. He does not give the police further information about its provenance in the cited account. The weapon enters the reader’s view through the investigation’s record and Collini’s brief statement about where he acquired it.

Recognition in the Photographs

While reviewing the case photographs, Leinen finds a caption on page 26, photograph 52, identifying the weapon as a Walther P38. He examines the image with a magnifying glass and recognizes the pistol. The moment follows a telephone call with his father, who had said he was cleaning shotguns; after hanging up, Leinen has the impression that he can smell gun oil. He immediately calls his father again.

A Clue That Redirects the Inquiry

The P38 changes from a recorded item of evidence into something Leinen recognizes. The passage does not establish who owned this particular pistol or explain the recognition outright, but its placement beside the call to his father makes the connection consequential. The next morning, Leinen travels by rail from Berlin to Ludwigsburg, following a trail he describes as vague but worth pursuing. The photographed weapon thus serves both as evidence of Collini’s confessed crime and as the prompt for Leinen’s next investigative step.