“Are you completely sure?”
“The name is unusual enough that I would have remembered it. Was he the one who killed Sonja?”
“We don’t know. But they knew each other, and we have some information indicating that they may even have been involved.”
Wallander wondered if he should mention the idea of rape, but he decided it was the wrong moment. It wasn’t something they should discuss over the phone. Instead, he moved on to the question he had been wanting to ask.
“When I was out to see you last, you told me about your computer transactions. I had the impression then that there were no real limitations to what you could do.”
“That’s right. If you connect to the large databases around the world, you’re always at the center of things. It doesn’t matter where you are physically.”
“That means that you could do business with a stockbroker in Seoul if you felt like it.”
“In theory, yes.”
“And what would I need to know in order to do that?”
“First and foremost you would need his e-mail address. Then the security systems have to match up. He has to be able to see who I am, and vice versa. But otherwise there are no real problems. None of a technical nature, at any rate.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Each country naturally has its own set of laws and regulations governing trade. You would have to know what those are, unless you are operating illegally.”
“Since there is so much money involved, the security measures must be pretty high. Do you think they are invincible?”
“I’m not the right man to ask those questions. But as a police officer you should know that anyone with a strong enough desire can do almost anything. What is it people say? If you really wanted to kill the president of the USA, you could do it. But now I’m getting curious about why you’re asking me all these questions.”
“You impressed me as having a great deal of technical expertise.”
“Only on the surface. The electronic world is so complicated and is changing so fast that I doubt there’s anyone out there who understands it completely. Or who has control over it.”
Wallander promised to be in touch with him soon. Then he went to the conference room. Hansson and Nyberg were already there. They were talking about the coffee machine that was breaking down more and more often these days. Wallander nodded to them and sat down. Höglund and Martinsson arrived at the same time. Wallander had not yet decided if he was going to begin or end by talking about his meeting with Holgersson. He finally decided to wait. His hardworking colleagues were involved in a difficult investigation and he shouldn’t burden them more than absolutely necessary.
They began by discussing the events surrounding Jonas Landahl’s death. There were no eyewitness accounts. No one had seen him on the ferry, no one had seen him make his way to the engine room.
“I find it very strange,” Wallander said. “No one saw him, either when he paid for his cabin or when he was moving about the ship. No one saw him enter the restricted area leading to the engine room. It makes no sense.”
“He must have traveled with someone,” Höglund said. “I spoke to one of the engineers before I got here, and he said it would have been impossible for Landahl to squeeze himself in between the axles on his own.”
“So he must have been forced into that position,” Wallander said. “Which means we now have two people who managed to find their way into the engine room without being seen. And one person who made his way back. But we can draw one conclusion from this, which is that Landahl must have accompanied this person willingly. If he had been coerced, someone would probably have noticed. It would also have been difficult for the killer to force Landahl down those steep ladders.”
They kept discussing various aspects of the case until six o’clock, at which time Wallander decided they were no longer being productive. Everyone was tired. Wallander also decided not to mention his conversation with Holgersson at all. He simply didn’t have the energy.
Martinsson returned to Runnerström Square, where Modin was working. Hansson brought up the point that Modin should probably be compensated in some way. Nyberg yawned. Wallander saw that he still had oil under his fingernails. Wallander stood around in the corridor with Hansson and Höglund and talked for a few more minutes. They assigned some of the tasks that remained. Then Wallander went to his office and closed his door.
He sat and stared at the phone for a long time without understanding his hesitation. Finally he picked it up and dialed Elvira Lindfeldt’s number.
She picked up after the seventh ring.
“Lindfeldt.”
Wallander quickly put the phone down. Then he waited a few minutes before dialing her number again. This time she answered immediately. He liked the sound of her voice.
Wallander told her who he was, and they chatted in a casual way for a few minutes. It was apparently quite windy in Malm6, more so than in Ystad. Elvira also complained that many of her colleagues at work were coming down with colds. Wallander agreed. Fall was always such a difficult time that way. He was recovering from a sore throat himself.
“It would be nice to get together sometime,” she said.
“I’m not a big believer in dating services,” he said, regretting it as soon as the words left his mouth.
“It’s really no better or worse than any other way to meet people,” she said. “We’re both adults, after all.”
Then she said another thing that surprised him. She asked him what he was doing that evening. She suggested that they meet in Malmö.
I can’t, Wallander thought. This is way too fast. And I have work to do.
Then he said yes.
They decided to meet at eight-thirty at the Savoy Bar.
“We’ll skip the carnations,” she said. “I think we’ll be able to pick each other out.”
The conversation came to an end.
Wallander wondered what he was getting himself into. But he was also excited.
Then he realized it was already half past six. He had to get ready.
Chapter Thirty
Wallander parked outside the Savoy at exactly twenty-seven minutes past eight. He had driven way too fast on his way from Ystad because he thought he would be late. He had taken a long time deciding what to wear. He’d finally picked a fresh but unironed shirt from the pile of clean clothes, and then he couldn’t decide on a tie. Finally he decided against one altogether. But his shoes were scuffed and needed polishing. The end result was that he left the apartment later than he intended.
Hansson had also called him in the middle of his preparations and asked him if he knew where Nyberg was. Wallander had not managed to find out why it was so important to him. He had kept his answers so short that Hansson had asked him if he was in a hurry. Wallander had been secretive enough that Hansson had not asked any further questions. When he was about to leave, the phone rang again. This time it was Linda. There was a lull at the restaurant and her boss was on vacation, so she thought she would check in with him. Wallander almost told her where he was going. Linda was the one who had spurred him to get into this in the first place. She immediately sensed he was in a hurry. Wallander knew he could never put anything past her. But he still tried to tell her as convincingly as possible that he was about to attend to a work-related matter. They agreed she would call him the following evening.