Batic - 45 - Der Finger

In addition to their beer and traditional roast pork, people from Munich really appreciate the upscale gastronomy. The list of ambitious starred chefs in the "cosmopolitan city with a heart" is considerable... Things are really happening in the gourmet restaurant "La Belle Vigne", as master chef Edgar Kaufmann is celebrating his 50th birthday with selected guests. These include prosecutor Dr. Maier-Knecht, restaurant critic Burkhard Faber and his brother Norbert. Edgar thanks his lovely wife Ann, who shares his passion for their "child" together, the "Belle Vigne", and keeps a keen eye on the finances. In the background are the chef de cuisine Jaap van Halen, kitchen helper Simon, the Algerian chef Ali Mourad and the waiters.
To top off the evening, dessert chef Milena Stepanovic rolls the birthday cake with the sparklers into the festive round. A few hours later, the festive mood has changed. Aggression is in the air. When the gourmet critic and longtime friend of the house, Burkhard Faber, told the host that the "Belle Vigne" was no longer on his "list of the ten best restaurants", a scandal erupted. The evening ends in tumult. Shortly thereafter, the critic disappeared from the scene. The next day, while cleaning up the kitchen, Simon finds a severed finger and has a friend take it to Homicide. Chief Inspector Ivo Batic is going on vacation and doesn't want to be disturbed with his DIY ambitions from now on.
But his colleagues, Chief Inspector Franz Leitmayr and Chief Inspector Carlo Menzinger, can't get the severed finger case out of their heads. Is it the missing restaurant critic's finger? Leitmayr and Menzinger forced Batic to take a job as a temporary worker at the "Belle Vigne". They are convinced that this will give them a clearer look behind the scenes of the fine restaurant, whereby Batic, as a dedicated hobby chef, hopes to gain additional insights into the secrets of the exquisite recipes... But the police investigations by Leitmayr and Menzinger also do not bring the missing critic to light. Meanwhile, Batic gets an involuntary glimpse into the lives of the beleaguered restaurant workers. His Croatian compatriot Milena Stepanovic especially grows on him.
He still has no idea of the danger she is in.