Wolfgang Muller (Mr. Wolf)
Wolfgang was born in Salzburg, Austria, to Maximilian and Emma Muller. He had two brothers and one sister. Wolfgang was the oldest. His father was a vice president of Schoellerbank, an old and prestigious bank in Salzburg. His mother was an accountant for a major arts dealer. They had great plans for their children, all of whom went on to achieve admirable success in their chosen fields. The brothers chose finance. The daughter chose accounting. Wolfgang chose crime.
He was a congenial child. Slow to anger, quick to compromise. He became very good at mediating disputes with his siblings. He was not a bully. He never used his age or size to influence his decisions. He evaluated an argument the two brothers might have and came up with a solution that satisfied everyone. It was quite a talent. One that would serve him well in the coming years.
In high school, he lobbied with the school administration to include a class for young entrepreneurs. It was wildly popular. Wolfgang joined the club and created a pseudo-company that specialized in corporate mediation. His philosophy was “You can get anything you want in life if you help enough people get what they want in life.” It was a simple idea with profound implications. He got an A in the course.
In college, at the London School of Economics, he continued his entrepreneurial ways. With an eye for helping others plus making some extra cash, he created a clandestine organization of bright students who took tests for less-than-bright students to ensure they received passing grades. It was a big hit. In his spare time, he actually attended school. Or at least he showed up for classes. His father wanted him to become a financier, so he took finance classes. He thought them boring. He tried economics. Even more boring. Next was international banking. Worst of all. Wolfgang changed his major five times before finally graduating. He received a degree in philosophy and ethics, with an emphasis on collaboration and critical thinking. Far from what his father envisioned, but better than no degree at all.
Through family connections, Wolfgang took a job as a Cultural Affairs Officer at the Austrian Embassy in Berlin. He enjoyed it for a while because it allowed him to use his natural talents in dealing with delicate political issues and people. But the pay left something to be desired. He began searching for a job that would utilize his unique ability to help people help themselves. As important as that goal was, there weren’t many options. In fact, there were none. Then out of the blue, a friend from college called with a unique request. Could Wolfgang mediate a settlement in a business dispute? Wolfgang explained that he wasn’t an attorney. His friend said that was exactly why he called him. He didn’t want the law involved. The job was simple: convince the opposing businessman to accept a less-than-equitable offer. Then his friend threw in the magic phrase: By any means necessary. That changed everything. Wolfgang went to work.
In short order, Wolfgang discovered the opposing businessman was having an affair with the Governor of Salzburg’s wife. Photos appeared in his mailbox with the suggestion that he settle the business dispute or else. The businessman threw in the towel.
This bit of persuasive mediation led to similar activities. Blackmail evolved into extortion. Extortion gave way to physical intimidation. Physical intimidation led to Kidnapping. Ultimately, kidnapping spawned murder. And once the threshold of murder had been crossed, there was no coming back. Mr. Wolf became the “Fixer.” If there was a problem to be solved, any problem, place one call to him, and the problem disappeared without a trace. Not once did he ever directly commit a crime. He found people who would commit the crime for him. He considered himself a mediator, not a criminal.
The first time he received a contract for murder, he was hesitant. Up until now, his activities were white-collar in nature. And though the contract he received was to murder a white-collar victim, he felt it was different. But it paid so much more than his other activities. Where he might earn $50,000 for a simple kidnapping, he was promised $200,000 for murder. It was a matter of economics. His father would have been proud of him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t share any details with his family. As far as they knew, he was a successful consultant, solving corporate issues with wealthy executives around the world. He even had cards made up that said exactly that. From time to time, if the money was good enough, he performed those duties, too. He wasn’t picky.
His least favorite client was an argumentative woman from Cologne, named Claudia Laurent. The first time she contacted him was to dispatch her father. Apparently, he was standing between her and a substantial inheritance. Within six months, her father died of a stroke. One bought on by a mixture of methyl iodide slipped into his nightly sniffer of brandy. Claudia was pleased but complained about the mess her father created when dying. He turned over a table and spilled red wine on the carpet. The next time Claudia called, it was a strange case of a woman who stole a family heirloom: a diary. Mr. Wolf had no clue why the diary was worth killing for, but he had learned not to ask questions. He called Kaiser, his preferred sicario. Unfortunately, Kaiser was busy with another assignment in Cairo. One that would not be concluded for several months.
His second call was to a man known only as Dietrich. Dietrich accepted the assignment and went about his duties. As it turns out, the assignment didn’t go as planned, and Dietrich died. Something about an absurd car crash where he was hurtled through the front windshield of a car: it was quite bizarre. Mr. Wolf was in the process of calling his third choice when Kaiser called him. The assignment in Cairo ended quicker than expected, and he was now available.
So that was that. Kaiser left Cairo directly for Paris. His intended target, according to Claudia, was a tramp who had stolen a valuable keepsake. Her name was Lisette Bellamy. Kaiser was instructed to find her, kill her, and return the keepsake to the rightful owner. Sounded easy enough.
It did not go as planned.