The special task force in the Berghoff case is working flat out, yet Barbara Kramer can provide the public prosecutor with only a few results. Although the forensic team succeeds in securing male DNA from the body, the databases do not provide a match. Thomas Riedle, himself from Buchingen, is confronted with the fears of the villagers, who long for the perpetrator to be found – and hope that he turns out to be a stranger. A second murder of a young woman just 30 km away shakes the region. The Josefine Schora case may be connected to the Berghoff case, so it is also being assigned to Barbara and Thomas's team. New leads must be secured, and the radius of the data query is being expanded. The mountain of work seems insurmountable to the special task force and requires a great deal of perseverance. Nevertheless, it is tackled.

The investigation has now lasted over 100 days. Fatigue and determination alternate within the team, as progress is slow. When Barbara Kramer learns that the special task force is about to be disbanded, work on the toll data and the origin of the iron bar, the murder weapon used in the murder in Steinach, Austria, becomes even more urgent. They finally succeed in linking the bar to a truck brand and narrowing down the circle of potential perpetrators. This helps Barbara Kramer and Thomas Riedle maintain their motivation, even as the special task force shrinks to a smaller investigative team. And it pays off, because after months of hard work, they have a suspect.