“How closely is he being covered?”
It was the police commissioner who wanted to know.
“Very close. As closely as possible. We have people around him all the time, and a transmitter has been placed on his car besides, so we can constantly follow where he is. That is what you see on the screen as a blue circle.”
He pointed towards the big screen on the wall, which showed a map of Herlev with a stationary blue circle in the middle of the image.
The Countess asked, “The transmitter won’t fall off?”
“Of course it won’t, it’s specially designed for the purpose, located on the inside of the fender over the right rear wheel and attached with powerful magnets. You can get it loose if you pull on it firmly, but ordinary movements from the car don’t affect it.”
“What about his cell phone and hotel room? Are they being bugged?”
The head of DSIS sent Ernesto Madsen an irritated look, as if he wanted to tell him that he was there as a psychologist and should keep his mouth shut when police-related subjects were discussed. Nevertheless he answered curtly, “Falkenborg has three SIM cards, but does not use his cell phone. And yes, his room is bugged.”
The psychologist did not let himself be cowed.
“But don’t we risk him playing hide-and-seek with all that bugging? He is an expert in the field.”
The head of DSIS snorted.
“He’s no expert! Our instruments are at least two generations on from the trash he peddles, and the technicians we have are light years ahead in both knowledge and experience. He’s an amateur, we’re professionals, don’t forget that.”
This torrent of words closed the mouth of Ernesto Madsen and at the same time concluded the review by the head of DSIS. Now it was Simonsen’s turn again.
“Which brings us to the serious part. That is, what do we do now? There are only two options: go on like yesterday or else bring him in. Neither of these is enticing, and I will not go along with the first one. We are about to reach the length of time a person can go without water, and we have to allow ourselves time to work on him. For that reason I will arrest him today, no later than noon, unless he breaks the pattern from yesterday. This is not up for discussion.”
Madsen said darkly, “You shouldn’t count on him letting himself be questioned. I’m almost certain he won’t.”
The police commissioner added, “And we have no way of forcing him to speak, but you’re aware of that, Simon.”
“I’m quite aware of that.”
“I should tell you that when he is in our custody, I’ll be assigning some people to assure me that no irregularities occur. I know that Pauline Berg is our colleague, and I know how you feel, so I intend to ensure that everything is done correctly.”
The Countess asked sarcastically, “Don’t you trust us?”
“No.”
Madsen threw up his arms in despair and exclaimed, “This is a load of shit.”
The head of DSIS was straight on him.
“Your personal opinions are of no interest.”
Then the police commissioner got involved.
“The man is right.”
“The man should contribute something constructive for his nine hundred kroner an hour.”
Madsen blushed, and Simonsen said quietly, “There is perhaps a third possibility that could be tried?”
The Countess gave him the pre-arranged cue.
“What possibility is that, Simon? All of us would like to hear it.”
“I am thinking that perhaps a person can get close to Falkenborg and gain his trust. He is in many ways very naive and gullible. It’s worth a try, if we compare it to the alternatives.”
The head of DSIS thought quickest.
“It doesn’t sound like a bad idea, I’d like to hear more about it. Is this something we should brainstorm or do you have it wrapped and ready for us?”
“Brainstorm.”
The Countess was also quick on the trigger, and the police commissioner smiled proudly; what capable people she had.
“If it were me, I know what I would do.”
Simonsen said, “Do tell.”
“That notorious key that we believe is to the padlock to his warehouse… somehow we’ve acquired the original, right?”
It was the head of DSIS who answered her.
“We took it from his bunch of keys in the hotel room yesterday and replaced it with a copy we had made. The original has been sent for technical investigation; we can’t definitively conclude whether it has been used recently, but the thumbprint was made within the last two days, so we will proceed from that. You got the report a long time ago.”
“Yes, I’ve seen it, but I haven’t read it closely yet. Simon, we are responsible for the surveying of cellar rooms, how intensive is that investigation?”
“As intensive as we can possibly make it. The Home Guard and others are helping us. They are going from cellar to cellar everywhere, and attics too naturally, to see whether they can find the matching lock. There are also photographs of a similar lock in the newspapers, with a call for private citizens to help. But so far without result, apart from the fact that we have found twenty-three padlocks from the same manufacturer, which doesn’t help at all.”
“No, but it’s the story I could start with if I met Falkenborg. Some officer who had behaved rudely because the police wanted to look through my cellar. Maybe talk about the key, and definitely about all the people who are working on the case, and see how he reacts.”
Ernesto Madsen’s assessment was not encouraging.
“He will not react, because he won’t even talk about it.”
The head of DSIS said, “That is to say, that you recommend it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you say nothing about the fact that it may do harm, and if it doesn’t succeed, there’s no downside, so we’re right where we already are.”
Ernest Madsen said, a little confused, “That’s right, of course, but in any event it should not be-”
The head of DSIS interrupted him.
“You should know, Ernesto Madsen, that my own profilers have great respect for your work, and they are quite impressed by your report about Falkenborg’s relationship with his parents. Personally I too think you hit the nail on the head, although I do not have the professional background for an informed critique. I got a lot out of your revelations about his mother in particular. If you could please give us an outline of that, so it’s fresh in my mind, I’d be grateful.”
Simonsen noticed that the head of DSIS was well prepared. He added, “That’s a good idea, but make it brief, Ernesto.”
Madsen spoke, and the Countess in particular listened intently. At one point she interrupted politely, “Please explain that again. So you’re saying that if I behave submissively and arrogantly at the same time, I have the greatest chance of making friendly contact with him? But how will I do that in practice? Let’s say, for example, that I just sat down at the table where he is eating, then to whom am I being arrogant and how should I be submissive?”
“Well, for example, you could be arrogant to the waiting staff, especially if they’re young.”
The head of DSIS exclaimed enthusiastically.
“Well thought out, Ernesto. Perhaps we can arrange for a young waitress, that can be done, if we know the place in advance.”
“But you’re not going to do that, are you?”
“Well, no. Good point. What would you recommend otherwise? Don’t hold back.”
The Countess was on the same track.
“Yes, who would you advise me to be submissive to?”
Simonsen added, “This is brilliant! Weaving the Countess’s role into your survey of his psychological relationship to his mother… that makes it relevant while also saving time.”
The police commissioner herself joined in the chorus of praise, and Madsen did all the weaving he could manage. The keeper of the minutes did his job, and neither the police commissioner nor the psychologist realised that they had been drawn into the head of DSIS’s carefully thought out agenda.