Hagen looked up at the whiteboard where, together, they had given Harry a résumé of the case so far. Names of the victims along one timeline, crime scenes, the name Valentin Gjertsen, arrows leading to earlier murders with dates.
‘So,’ Hagen said, ‘Maridalen, Tryvann, Drammen and the last one at the victim’s home. Four officers from the investigations of earlier unsolved murders, the same date and — in three of the cases — the same crime scene. Three of the original murders were typical sexually motivated killings, and though they are distant from one another in time, they were connected even then. The exception is Drammen where the victim was a man, René Kalsnes, and there was no indication of any sexual abuse. Katrine?’
‘If we assume that Valentin Gjertsen was behind all four of the original murders and the four police murders, Kalsnes is an interesting exception. He was homosexual, and the people Bjørn and I spoke to at the club in Drammen describe Kalsnes as a promiscuous schemer. Not only did he have deeply infatuated older partners, whom he exploited like sugar daddies, but he also sold his body for sex at the club whenever the opportunity offered itself. He was up for most things if there was any money in it.’
‘So someone with the kind of behaviour and line of work that put you most at risk of being murdered,’ Bjørn Holm said.
‘Exactly,’ Hagen said. ‘But that makes it likely that the perpetrator was also a homosexual. Or bisexual. Ståle?’
Ståle Aune coughed. ‘Sexual predators like Valentin Gjertsen often have a complicated relationship with their sexuality. The trigger for such individuals tends to be a need for control, sadism and a desire to push limits rather than the gender and the age of the victim. But the murder of René Kalsnes could also be about jealousy. The fact that there was no sign of any sexual abuse may suggest that. As well as the fury. He’s the only one of the victims from the original four murders who was hit with a blunt instrument in the same way as the police officers.’
There was a silence as everyone looked at Harry Hole, who had sunk into a semi-recumbent posture in the chair, still with his eyes closed and his hands folded over his stomach. Katrine Bratt thought for a moment he had fallen asleep until he coughed.
‘Has anyone found a link between Valentin and Kalsnes?’
‘Not so far,’ Katrine said. ‘No phone contact, no credit card records at the club or in Drammen or any electronic trails showing Valentin had been near René Kalsnes. And no one who knew Kalsnes had heard of Valentin or seen anyone resembling him. That doesn’t mean they haven’t. .’
‘No, of course,’ Harry said, pinching his eyes shut. ‘Just wondering.’
Silence fell in the Boiler Room as they all stared at Harry.
He opened one eye. ‘What?’
No one answered.
‘I’m not going to rise and walk on water, or turn water into wine,’ he said.
‘No, no, no,’ Katrine said. ‘It’s enough if you can give these four blind souls sight.’
‘Can’t do that either.’
‘I thought a leader was supposed to make his followers believe everything was possible,’ Bjørn Holm said.
‘Leader?’ Harry smiled, pulling himself up in the chair. ‘Have you told them about my status, Hagen?’
Gunnar Hagen cleared his throat. ‘Harry no longer has the status or the powers of a police officer, so he’s been brought in solely as a consultant, just like Ståle. That means, for example, that he can’t apply for warrants, carry weapons or undertake arrests. And it also means he can’t lead a police operation. It is in fact important that we abide by these rules. Imagine if we catch Valentin, have bags full of evidence, but the defence counsel discovers we haven’t proceeded by the book.’
‘These consultants. .’ Ståle Aune said, tamping his pipe with a grimace. ‘I’ve heard they have hourly rates that make psychologists look like dimwits. So let’s make the most of our time here. Say something smart, Harry.’
Harry shrugged.
‘Right,’ Ståle Aune said, with a wry smile, putting the unlit pipe in his mouth. ‘Because we’ve already said the smartest things we can come up with. And we’ve been in a rut for a while.’
Harry looked down at his hands. And at length took a deep breath.
‘I don’t know how smart this is, it’s pretty half-baked, but here’s what I’ve been thinking. .’ He raised his head and met four pairs of round eyes.
‘I’m aware Valentin is a suspect. The problem is we can’t find him. So I suggest we find a new suspect.’
Katrine Bratt could hardly believe her ears. ‘What? We have to suspect someone we don’t think did it?’
‘We don’t think,’ Harry said. ‘We suspect with various degrees of probability. And weigh the probability against how resource-intensive it would be to have the suspicion confirmed or rejected. We consider it less likely that there is life on the moon than on Gliese 581d, which is a perfect distance from its sun, where the water doesn’t boil or freeze. Yet we check the moon first.’
‘Harry Hole’s fourth commandment,’ Bjørn Holm said. ‘Start searching where there is light. Or was it the fifth?’
Hagen coughed. ‘Our mandate is to find Valentin. Everything else is the responsibility of the larger investigative unit. Bellman won’t allow anything else.’
‘With all due respect,’ Harry said. ‘To hell with Bellman. I’m no smarter than any of you, but I’m new and that gives us a chance to look at this with fresh eyes.’
Katrine snorted. ‘Bollocks. You didn’t mean that “no smarter” stuff.’
‘No, I didn’t, but let’s pretend I did,’ Harry said, without batting an eyelid. ‘Let’s start from the beginning again. Motive. Who would want to kill police officers who have failed to solve cases? Because that’s the common denominator here, isn’t it? Come on, you tell me.’
Harry folded his arms, slipped down in his chair and closed his eyes. Waiting.
Bjørn Holm was the first to break the silence. ‘Relatives of the victims.’
Katrine weighed in. ‘Rape victims who aren’t believed by the police or whose cases aren’t properly investigated. The murderer punishes the police for not clearing up other sexually motivated murders.’
‘René Kalsnes wasn’t raped,’ Hagen said. ‘And if I thought my case hadn’t been investigated properly I would have confined myself to killing the officers concerned, not all the others.’
‘Keep the suggestions coming and we can shoot them down afterwards,’ Harry said, sitting up. ‘Ståle?’
‘Those who have been wrongfully convicted,’ Aune said. ‘They’ve served their time, they’re stigmatised, they’ve lost their job, respect for themselves and the respect of others too. The lions that have been expelled by the pride are the most dangerous. They don’t feel any responsibility, only hatred and bitterness. And they’re willing to take risks to avenge themselves as their lives have been devalued anyway. As herd animals they feel they haven’t got a lot to lose. Inflicting suffering on those who have inflicted suffering on them is what makes them get out of bed in the morning.’
‘Avenging terrorists then,’ Bjørn Holm said.
‘Good,’ Harry said. ‘Make sure we check all rape cases where there is no confession from the accused and the case wasn’t cut and dried. And where time has been served and the individual concerned is out of prison.’
‘Or perhaps it isn’t the accused,’ Katrine said. ‘The accused could be still inside or could have taken his life in desperation. And the girlfriend or brother or father has vowed to wreak revenge.’
‘Love,’ Harry said. ‘Good.’
‘Heck, you can’t mean that,’ Bjørn came in.
‘Why not?’ Harry said.
‘Love?’ His voice was metallic, his face distorted into a strange grimace. ‘You can’t think that this bloodbath has anything to do with love?’
‘In fact I do,’ Harry said, slipping back down in his chair and closing his eyes.
Bjørn got up, red-faced. ‘A psychopathic serial killer who, out of love, does. .’ His voice cracked and he nodded to the empty chair. ‘. . this.’