The Amsterdam Connection:
CHAPTER 1: AT THE PUB
Kate and Max were at the pub called the Queen’s head. They were talking about their lives while
they were drinking beer. Max said to Kate that she needed a holiday or a rest but of London. He
said that her boss Balzano wouldn’t have a problem but Kate didn’t think so. Max, Balzano and
Kate knew each other from the Manchester Evening news, a newspaper were Max was the editor.
Max was the first person to give a job to Kate and Balzano was the one in charge for the foreign
news. Max decided to leave the Manchester Evening and went back to Holland (her mother was
Dutch and he was born there). Max didn’t go to often to London, only to visit his friends or to try
to found a new footballer for the club. Kate decided to ask about the football club. The brother of
Max, Tom, was the owner of the Rotterdam City Football Club and Max receive over the 20% of
the shares. But max didn’t want to be asked about that. So they changed the subject and Kate
talked about her last report, the one that made her felt that tired. Max came again with the urge
that Kate needed a break. So, he offered her to go to Holland with him and make a reporter about
his football club. The idea sound quite interesting to Kate. But she knew nothing about sports (she
only knew about karate because she trained ten years and about boxing because when his father
was young he was a boxer), but she was a crime reporter, not a sports reporter. The Rotterdam
City Football Club was one of the most important clubs in Europe. So, Max left because he had a
dinner with a friend and promised Kate to ring her to tell her about the details. But he never called
because two days after he was found dead at an Amsterdam street with twenty knife wounds in
his body.
CHAPTER 2: THE PAST
Kate was very upset and worried about Max’s death; she was talking about that with his friend and
co-worker Rick. Rick tried to calm her down telling her that maybe the cause of the death was only
a mugger, and Max tried to fight back but the unknown person had a knife. But Kate didn’t believe
that because Amsterdam was one of the safest cities. Max died in a part of Amsterdam called Pijp,
and he didn’t even lived there. So, she was wondering what was he doing there in the middle of
the night, he lived in Holland Kate knew a Dutch policewoman, that she made the last time she
travelled there. Rick added that maybe he was trying to find a prostitute. But Kate doubted
because she didn’t think that about Max. But did she really know him like she thought? Max saved
her life, because when she started in the Manchester Evening News, she was only doing reporters
about babies or marriages. But she wanted a big crime story, so she tried to catch it by herself. So
Max gave her a story about a gang trying to enter in a stranger house, and stealing the things, they
were burglars. The owner of the house fought back and he was killed because of the wounds of
the fight. They catch the gang, but they said nothing because their boss was Johnny McGraw (a
Mafioso who killed anyone without regrets). She tried to make them talk so McGraw was angry
and he sold her head. 25000 pounds, so she needed police help 24 hours per day during a month.
After the thing was calmed, she stopped with the supervision and one day the men of Johnny
McGraw captured her. But Max knew where she was going and he put in danger his own life and
got in an agreement with McGraw and saved Kate. So she needed to go to Amsterdam and find
out more things about his hard to believe death and she needed permission from the editor
Balzano. At first Balzano was quite angry but then (knowing how much Max meant to Kate) she let
, her go. He even asked about bringing Rick with her. But she said that it wasn’t necessary. She was
going to Amsterdam like Max wanted, but not to write a story about the Rotterdam City Football
Club, she was going to find his killer.
CHAPTER 3: AMSTERDAM SPRING
Kate arrived to Amsterdam and decided to meet with the policewoman Elly that she met a few
years ago during a case of stolen paintings. Kate stayed in a hotel of bad quality that the Echo
offered her, because they couldn’t afford anything better because it was the highest season in
Amsterdam (Spring). So, she left the suitcase there and went to the coffee to meet Elly. Elly was a
walking stereotype. Elly ordered a strong black coffee and Kate, wrong coffee (coffee with milk),
and they started to talk about the case. Elly thought that it was only a mugger that went crazy. But
Kate was trying to find something else. They did the autopsy but it didn’t reveal anything new. And
Kate was wondering why Max was there if he lived in The Hague. But Elly told her that maybe he
was having a meeting the next morning because he was staying in a hotel that he used to choose.
There was a policeman in charge of the case called Joop de Vries, but Elly didn’t like him. Elly was
going back to work but she remembered that they didn’t found Max’s wallet but they found a
piece of paper with a name and a direction. The paper said: Jos van Essen, Oude Schans 141, Kate
knew that he was one of the most famous footballers of all time.
CHAPTER 4: TALK WITH A STRIKER
After Elly left, Kate decided to follow the address and met Jos. He retired from the football with
only twenty-eight years old so people were uncomfortable at this fact. He was dark, with a
beautiful smile and good body. He always had a lot of girlfriends that were models or actresses.
She went to his apartment and he let her in. So she took a look at the apartment, it had four locks.
It was small but decorated with expensive furniture. He played for Holland and for the Rotterdam
City Club. She saw a picture of the club with Max, his brother and the own Jos. Kate exposed her
insecurity about Max’s death. She didn’t think that it was because a mugger. Jos was going to say
something about it, but he shut up. Kate asked about his relationship with max. They knew each
other very well, and Jos was very happy when Tom found him and gave him everything to become
a good footballer. Tom and Max had a great relationship but they had a few arguments lately. And
Max had a piece of paper with Jos address because this was his new apartment and they meet at a
bar to have a talk and a very good beer. They met the same day that Max died Thursday at the
evening around seven o’clock. That day Max left saying that he was going to get a taxi and meet
someone. He was going to take a taxi (even he was at the centre) because four years ago had a
heart attack and he sometimes took pills. Kate asked Jos why he quit from professional football
only at twenty-eight. And he said that he wanted to try new things. Then Kate said to Jos the hotel
where she was staying and left.
CHAPTER 5: DINNER AT SLUIZER’S
Kate decided to go to the part of the city where Max was killed. But before that she passed
through the markets and the streets. De Pijp was a street where one part ended up on a bigger
street and the other part ended up on a park. Everyone thought that this place of the city was
getting worse and more dangerous. Kate saw the rope that separates the part where ax was killed.
She felt cold and decided to take a tea at the coffee shop. The place was almost alone, the waiter
was very friendly and they started talking. Kate asked about a murder and the man said that the
place was getting worse each day. The, a guy with dark skin and only two teeth entered the
CHAPTER 1: AT THE PUB
Kate and Max were at the pub called the Queen’s head. They were talking about their lives while
they were drinking beer. Max said to Kate that she needed a holiday or a rest but of London. He
said that her boss Balzano wouldn’t have a problem but Kate didn’t think so. Max, Balzano and
Kate knew each other from the Manchester Evening news, a newspaper were Max was the editor.
Max was the first person to give a job to Kate and Balzano was the one in charge for the foreign
news. Max decided to leave the Manchester Evening and went back to Holland (her mother was
Dutch and he was born there). Max didn’t go to often to London, only to visit his friends or to try
to found a new footballer for the club. Kate decided to ask about the football club. The brother of
Max, Tom, was the owner of the Rotterdam City Football Club and Max receive over the 20% of
the shares. But max didn’t want to be asked about that. So they changed the subject and Kate
talked about her last report, the one that made her felt that tired. Max came again with the urge
that Kate needed a break. So, he offered her to go to Holland with him and make a reporter about
his football club. The idea sound quite interesting to Kate. But she knew nothing about sports (she
only knew about karate because she trained ten years and about boxing because when his father
was young he was a boxer), but she was a crime reporter, not a sports reporter. The Rotterdam
City Football Club was one of the most important clubs in Europe. So, Max left because he had a
dinner with a friend and promised Kate to ring her to tell her about the details. But he never called
because two days after he was found dead at an Amsterdam street with twenty knife wounds in
his body.
CHAPTER 2: THE PAST
Kate was very upset and worried about Max’s death; she was talking about that with his friend and
co-worker Rick. Rick tried to calm her down telling her that maybe the cause of the death was only
a mugger, and Max tried to fight back but the unknown person had a knife. But Kate didn’t believe
that because Amsterdam was one of the safest cities. Max died in a part of Amsterdam called Pijp,
and he didn’t even lived there. So, she was wondering what was he doing there in the middle of
the night, he lived in Holland Kate knew a Dutch policewoman, that she made the last time she
travelled there. Rick added that maybe he was trying to find a prostitute. But Kate doubted
because she didn’t think that about Max. But did she really know him like she thought? Max saved
her life, because when she started in the Manchester Evening News, she was only doing reporters
about babies or marriages. But she wanted a big crime story, so she tried to catch it by herself. So
Max gave her a story about a gang trying to enter in a stranger house, and stealing the things, they
were burglars. The owner of the house fought back and he was killed because of the wounds of
the fight. They catch the gang, but they said nothing because their boss was Johnny McGraw (a
Mafioso who killed anyone without regrets). She tried to make them talk so McGraw was angry
and he sold her head. 25000 pounds, so she needed police help 24 hours per day during a month.
After the thing was calmed, she stopped with the supervision and one day the men of Johnny
McGraw captured her. But Max knew where she was going and he put in danger his own life and
got in an agreement with McGraw and saved Kate. So she needed to go to Amsterdam and find
out more things about his hard to believe death and she needed permission from the editor
Balzano. At first Balzano was quite angry but then (knowing how much Max meant to Kate) she let
, her go. He even asked about bringing Rick with her. But she said that it wasn’t necessary. She was
going to Amsterdam like Max wanted, but not to write a story about the Rotterdam City Football
Club, she was going to find his killer.
CHAPTER 3: AMSTERDAM SPRING
Kate arrived to Amsterdam and decided to meet with the policewoman Elly that she met a few
years ago during a case of stolen paintings. Kate stayed in a hotel of bad quality that the Echo
offered her, because they couldn’t afford anything better because it was the highest season in
Amsterdam (Spring). So, she left the suitcase there and went to the coffee to meet Elly. Elly was a
walking stereotype. Elly ordered a strong black coffee and Kate, wrong coffee (coffee with milk),
and they started to talk about the case. Elly thought that it was only a mugger that went crazy. But
Kate was trying to find something else. They did the autopsy but it didn’t reveal anything new. And
Kate was wondering why Max was there if he lived in The Hague. But Elly told her that maybe he
was having a meeting the next morning because he was staying in a hotel that he used to choose.
There was a policeman in charge of the case called Joop de Vries, but Elly didn’t like him. Elly was
going back to work but she remembered that they didn’t found Max’s wallet but they found a
piece of paper with a name and a direction. The paper said: Jos van Essen, Oude Schans 141, Kate
knew that he was one of the most famous footballers of all time.
CHAPTER 4: TALK WITH A STRIKER
After Elly left, Kate decided to follow the address and met Jos. He retired from the football with
only twenty-eight years old so people were uncomfortable at this fact. He was dark, with a
beautiful smile and good body. He always had a lot of girlfriends that were models or actresses.
She went to his apartment and he let her in. So she took a look at the apartment, it had four locks.
It was small but decorated with expensive furniture. He played for Holland and for the Rotterdam
City Club. She saw a picture of the club with Max, his brother and the own Jos. Kate exposed her
insecurity about Max’s death. She didn’t think that it was because a mugger. Jos was going to say
something about it, but he shut up. Kate asked about his relationship with max. They knew each
other very well, and Jos was very happy when Tom found him and gave him everything to become
a good footballer. Tom and Max had a great relationship but they had a few arguments lately. And
Max had a piece of paper with Jos address because this was his new apartment and they meet at a
bar to have a talk and a very good beer. They met the same day that Max died Thursday at the
evening around seven o’clock. That day Max left saying that he was going to get a taxi and meet
someone. He was going to take a taxi (even he was at the centre) because four years ago had a
heart attack and he sometimes took pills. Kate asked Jos why he quit from professional football
only at twenty-eight. And he said that he wanted to try new things. Then Kate said to Jos the hotel
where she was staying and left.
CHAPTER 5: DINNER AT SLUIZER’S
Kate decided to go to the part of the city where Max was killed. But before that she passed
through the markets and the streets. De Pijp was a street where one part ended up on a bigger
street and the other part ended up on a park. Everyone thought that this place of the city was
getting worse and more dangerous. Kate saw the rope that separates the part where ax was killed.
She felt cold and decided to take a tea at the coffee shop. The place was almost alone, the waiter
was very friendly and they started talking. Kate asked about a murder and the man said that the
place was getting worse each day. The, a guy with dark skin and only two teeth entered the
