“I’m afraid that this still must stay between the two of us,” he said. “But how you deal with it later is none of my concern.”
A senile old man who’s trying to make himself interesting, thought Waltin with irritation as he sat in the car, trying to read the evening paper he had bought in a tobacco shop directly across the street.
It took over half an hour before Berg came out. Without asking, Waltin started the car and set a course back toward Kungsholmen, but when they got stuck in the thickening traffic over by Odenplan he couldn’t contain himself any longer.
“Okay, chief,” said Waltin. “Tell a simple fellow laborer in the vineyard.”
Berg shook his head thoughtfully.
“I hope this doesn’t upset you,” said Berg, “but I have to think this through myself first. What I can give you for now is a general orientation.”
Waltin nodded with his eyes fixed on the traffic lights.
“The person from whom Krassner had greetings is an old acquaintance of Forselius from the time after the Second World War. Same generation as our esteemed professor, by the way, and when he and Forselius knew one another the acquaintance was working at the American embassy here in Stockholm. If you understand what I mean.”
CIA, thought Waltin nodding.
“According to Krassner this was his mother’s older brother, now deceased. Supposed to have died last spring.”
“Although clearly chipper enough to convey a greeting,” said Waltin, smiling wryly.
“Clearly,” said Berg. “It’s also possibly so bad that he let the cat out of the bag.”
Whoops, thought Waltin. This must be the first time in world history that that’s happened.
“What do you want me to do?” asked Waltin.
“Find out what Krassner is up to here at home in our dear fatherland,” said Berg, smiling faintly. “Plus the usual background, of course.”
“Without contacting the Germans,” said Waltin rhetorically. Who could ask the guys over there directly, which would have saved me a heckuva lot of time, he thought.
“Until we know where this is heading, it stays in-house,” said Berg, nodding with a certain emphasis. “We’re making no contacts whatsoever outside the building.” The part about the Americans especially was sensitive as hell; the Russians were like a hungover bear about that sort of thing, thought Berg.
“Can I borrow some people from your surveillance group?” asked Waltin.
“Sure,” said Berg. “Take what you need.”
Jeanette, age seventeen, thought Waltin, and smiled just like a wolf whose fantasies are only getting better and better.
“Umm, there was another matter,” said Berg when they had parked the car in the garage under the police building.
“I’m listening,” said Waltin. Why is he smiling like that? he thought.
“Forselius noticed your watch.” Berg nodded toward Waltin’s gold Rolex.
“I see,” said Waltin and sighed. “I suppose he assumed that I got it from the Russians?”
“More or less,” said Berg and smiled. “I explained to him that you were already wearing it the first time I met you, long before you started at the bureau.”
“Was he impressed?” asked Waltin.
“I don’t believe he’s become senile,” answered Berg. “There I believe you’re wrong, but his eccentricity has not exactly declined with the years.”
So that’s what he is, thought Waltin, eccentric, like all elitist bastards.
“I told him that the watch was a present from your old mother.”
Was that what I said? thought Waltin. He was content to nod.
What do I do now? thought Berg a while later when he was sitting safely behind his large desk.
If Forselius is correct in his assumptions, there must be tremendous openings, he thought. Among other things a proper chance to put a hammerlock on that younger Forselius copy down in Rosenbad. He had already forgotten Waltin and his fancy watch. It was many years since he had stopped being irritated by it, and nowadays, since Waltin had taken over the external operation, it was to be viewed as more of an advantage.
…
Waltin had immediately sought out Assistant Detective Jeanette Eriksson and informed her of three things. First, that she was now working for him and only for him. Second, that it was only Krassner this concerned, and third-a not unessential practical question-that the surveillance file on Krassner should be upgraded so that only he and she had access to what was in it. A good basis for continued fellowship of a more boundary-crossing nature, thought Waltin, smiling at her.
“Would you be able to do a few rounds out in the field?” asked Waltin.
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “That’s no problem. I’ve never met a guy in my whole life who thought that I was a police officer.”
Well now, well now, thought Waltin, for his fantasies were fragile things.
“Find out as much as possible, then we’ll talk after the weekend.” He smiled again and nodded. A little paternally, as one should smile at young girls like her. Build up trust before proceeding on to the essentials.
Assistant Detective Jeanette Eriksson was not seventeen but rather twenty-seven. When she was younger her appearance had been her main problem. Nowadays it was both an advantage and a disadvantage, and as for Waltin she was completely clear about how he saw the matter. It wasn’t the first time she had encountered this reaction from men like Waltin. More important still in the context within which she operated was that she was also a very capable police officer and certainly worthy of a better fate than the one Waltin was preparing for her. After their meeting she had gone directly into her new office; now assigned to a so-called special project, she had her own so-called project room with a key of her own and her own access codes and all the formal trappings. Once there she made a list of the various things she wanted to know about Jonathan Paul Krassner, who went by John, born in 1953 in Albany, New York, USA.
First she had called a colleague with the police out at Arlanda to see if any particular notes had been made when Krassner had entered the country a little less than a week earlier. None had been made. Because he was from the United States, not even the reply to the obligatory question of whether he was here as a tourist or for work or for some other reason had been noted. Pity you’re not an ordinary gook, thought Eriksson reflexively.
After that, she had spoken with a colleague who was in charge of their informant at Swedish Television and asked him, on behalf of the boss and for reasons that she didn’t need to go into, to get hold of all the observations the informant had made when he met Krassner, as quickly as possible and in detail. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that she could do that herself. If she needed to get physically closer to Krassner she didn’t want to risk any reactions from his new acquaintances over whom she couldn’t have any control, and showing her identity and her face for such a notoriously unreliable informant as was the case here was obviously unthinkable.
Already on Sunday evening, after having worked diligently the whole weekend, she knew a great deal about the person who was currently a project with a secret budget. For that reason she had also phoned Waltin to report. Waltin sounded satisfied. He wanted to meet with her the next morning already and for reasons he couldn’t go into, this must take place outside the building. A company with an address on Norr Mälarstrand only five minutes’ walk from the building; it was a little exciting considering what she had heard whispered in the corridors about the so-called external operation.
Daddy’s clever girl, thought Assistant Detective Eriksson when she put down the phone, but at the same time the thought was not completely disagreeable. A little tingling.
Uncle Claes’s clever girl, thought Waltin, and it was a very appealing thought.
Berg had spent the weekend pondering what Forselius had related to him. As always when he dealt with complicated security questions, he had closed himself up in his study at home in the villa in Bromma and made use of pen and paper. Paper that he was always careful to destroy when he was through thinking. Secret police history is very instructive in that regard, about people who were careless with their papers and other possessions and left unnecessary tracks that an opponent could make use of.