Lewin’s old colleague from the tech squad was named Bergholm. He had already retired by the late eighties but was still alive, hale and hearty. He lived on Hantverkargatan, a few blocks from the police building, and Lewin had run into him only a month earlier. Treated him to a cup of coffee and talked about old times.
A meticulous man, known as a real nitpicker, and when he was done with his investigation in Spånga he sent the crime scene report over to the homicide squad to be forwarded to the prosecutor. He had also sent along the report of the test firing, a photograph of one of the comparison bullets where the barrel grooves were marked with arrows. Along with a little plastic bag with one of the two bullets he had used for the comparison.
For the three bullets from the crime scene he had sent along three photos where he marked the grooves from the barrel with arrows the same way as on the photo on the comparison bullet. The three bullets from the scene of the crime, on the other hand, were still at the tech squad. The one he sent he had fired himself. One of two and a confirmation to the prosecutor that he had done his job.
Bergholm had also enclosed a handwritten message. If the prosecutor wanted he was welcome to keep the bullet. He had one in reserve for himself. If not, the prosecutor could send it back to the tech squad. If he had any questions it was okay to call.
A meticulous man, known as a real nitpicker, thought Jan Lewin.
The prosecutor, on the other hand, seemed to have been like everyone else, and the bullet had ended up in the box with everything else that was no longer needed.
Which perhaps was just as well, thought Lewin. He sighed and put the plastic bag with the bullet in his jacket pocket.
Then he sealed the box with tape and attached a handwritten note to it. At the top the date and time. Then a brief explanatory text. “Time as above the undersigned has gone through hereby stored preliminary investigation material. Removed certain materials from the tech squad in Stockholm to head of NBCI for further examination.” Then he signed with his name and title. Detective Inspector Jan Lewin, Homicide Squad, National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Finally he paper-clipped his business card on the cover of the box.
Jan Lewin too was a meticulous man and known as “a real accountant type.”
“This isn’t the least bit like the bullet Palme was shot with,” Anna Holt observed with disappointment when an hour later she was sitting with the plastic bag in hand, inspecting Lewin’s find.
“A different type of ammunition,” said Lewin, who was well-informed as of a few hours ago with the help of Bergholm’s old report. “This seems to be the type of bullet that competitive shooters prefer,” he explained. “It gives clearer target markings. That’s why it’s completely flat in front. It punches a round hole in the target. If several hit close to one another, it’s a lot simpler to see how many hits there are than if you shot with a regular bullet that tapers in front.”
“Not the same ammunition,” said Holt. “Not one of those metal-breakers that killed Palme?”
“No,” said Lewin. “At the crime scene investigation in the house in Spånga an unopened and an opened box were found with the same ammunition you have in your hand. It was in the perpetrator’s gun case in the basement. In the revolver that he used were three empty casings and three unfired bullets. Six shots, full magazine, same type of ammunition as in the boxes. Our colleague Bergholm used two of the three unfired bullets in the magazine when he test fired to get his basis for comparison. Better one bullet too many than one too few,” Lewin observed.
“A bullet of a completely different type than the murder bullet that was fired with a revolver that went to the scrap yard almost twenty years ago,” Holt observed. “What is it that makes me think this is more about Bäckström than about the murder of Olof Palme?”
“I hope it will be possible to find that out,” said Lewin, shrugging his shoulders.
“You or me?” said Holt, smiling at him and rocking the chair she was sitting on.
“You,” said Lewin, smiling back. “Definitely not me. You’re the one who started it, Anna.”
“Okay then,” said Anna. What do I do now? she thought.
“I completely understand that I’m going to drive you crazy soon,” said Holt when for the third time in three days she called the head of the tech squad with the Stockholm police.
“Not at all, Holt,” he answered. “The fact is I was just thinking about you. Why doesn’t she ever call, I was thinking.”
“This time I’m afraid I’m forced to come over.”
“Then you have to promise to have coffee with me.”
“I promise,” said Holt.
Three calls in three days. That was bad enough, so Holt suggested they have coffee in his office. Besides asking for his silence.
“Then you’ve come to the right place, Holt,” said her old colleague. “As I’m sure you recall, I’m the strong, silent type.”
“I know,” said Holt. “Why do you think you’re the one I’m talking to?” I don’t suppose he’s trying to make a pass at me, she thought.
“There are a few things I hope you can help me with,” she continued.
“I’m listening.”
“For one thing, if there are any papers on the scrapping of this revolver that I’ve been nagging you about. If so I want a copy of them.”
“There was a special form. You can get a copy of our copy. Anything else?”
“If there are any other traces of the weapon up here at the squad. It was test fired here in April 1983. I already have access to the report. I would still like to have a copy of the copy that must be in your files.”
“Sure. No problem. As I already said, someone apparently cleaned out those old bullets, but the report should be here. May take awhile to find the right binder, but that shouldn’t be any problem.”
“I don’t understand a thing, I’ll be damned,” said the head of the tech squad half an hour later when they finally found the right binder. “Seems like someone cleaned out the shooting report too.”
“You’re sure this is the right binder?” asked Holt.
“Sure,” he said, turning to the first page. “Here you have the list of all the reports that should be in this binder. Here you have the registration number on the revolver you’re searching for, date of the test firing in April 1983, and then colleague Bergholm’s signature farthest out in the margin. The report should also be here but it’s not. What I can give you is the copy of our request for scrapping. That exists. I’ve seen it myself. When you visited me the first time.”
According to the copy of the request for scrapping, in October 1988 the tech squad with the police in Stockholm had sent a total of twenty-one weapons for scrapping to the Defense Factories in Eskilstuna. Stapled together with the squad’s request was a confirmation from the Defense Factories in Eskilstuna that the task was carried out.
Judging by the list of weapons it was also about scrap. Sawed-off shotguns, old hunting rifles, a drilled-out starter gun, a home-constructed revolver, a butcher’s mask, a nail gun. Possibly with one exception. A Ruger brand revolver, manufactured in 1980 judging by the serial number.
This is getting stranger and stranger, thought Holt when she saw the name of the colleague who had apparently sent off the tech squad’s request.
Before Lewin went home for the day he returned to the homicide squad’s old basement storeroom. This time he took the whole box with him. He returned to his office and locked it in his cupboard. He had not left the slightest trace behind him even though he was known for being extremely meticulous and very formal.
48
On Thursday morning Holt called Bäckström in to talk sense with him.
First she told him she had figured out what was going on with the revolver found behind a refrigerator out in Flemingsberg. That he got the registration number from the tech squad, that his colleagues had messed with him and given him the wrong year of manufacture, that he in turn had tried to fool Holt.