I gave a limp nod. It might be coincidence, but I would be very surprised if it was. The way in which the niece and nephew reacted when Darrell Williams appeared fitted in perfectly with this theory.
‘If I were you and could walk, I would go to visit Cecilia Olesen this evening and ask her about it directly. If she says yes, then call me before you talk to Darrell Williams.’
‘Asking Cecilia Olesen outright sounds eminently sensible, but why on earth should I call you afterwards?’
Patricia’s smile was secretive and slightly coquettish.
‘Because I have a linked theory that you also need to confront Darrell Williams with, but I do not want to tell you until I have had the relationship confirmed. If it is not the case, then my creative imagination has spun a little too far.’
I nodded again. Patricia helped me to take such great leaps that I had to bear with her more eccentric and conceited behaviour.
‘But I believe that is as far as we will get with the logic of Sherlock Holmes, so now we need to apply the Agatha Christie method and see how far we can get by focusing on the motives of the remaining neighbours.’
Once again, she was right, so I started with the obvious ones.
‘Andreas Gullestad and Darrell Williams still have no motive for the murder, do they?’
Patricia nodded, but somehow managed to shake her head at the same time.
‘Certainly, with the addition of “as far as we know at the moment”. I have a suspicion that both of them may have things of interest that are buried in the past. We touched on Darrell Williams just now. He could have felt extremely bitter towards Harald Olesen after the breakup from his niece, if the theory is true, or in connection with something else from his stay in Norway.’
‘We will follow that up immediately. But what about Andreas Gullestad?’
Patricia frowned.
‘That is even less clear, but there may be something in connection with his father’s activities in the Resistance and subsequent death, even though that was early on in the war and we still have no link with Harald Olesen. Has it also struck you that there are very few mountains in Østfold?’
Once again, Patricia managed to ambush me with a totally unexpected question. I really did not see the relevance of geography here. She noticed the scepticism on my face and promptly continued.
‘If what you told me is correct, the caretaker said that Harald Olesen planned to take the refugees on a trip to the mountains. Then he mentioned Østfold or Hedmark and Oppland, which were both known routes for smuggling refugees into Sweden. But Østfold is as flat as a Danish pancake, which could mean that they took the route via Hedmark to Oppland. Harald Olesen was also a leader for the Home Front there. And it is not so far from where Andreas Gullestad grew up, and from where his father, a couple of years earlier, had been shot for his part in the Resistance. It is tenuous, but I would not strike Andreas Gullestad from the list quite yet. Double-check with Harald Olesen’s niece and nephew whether there might be a connection there.’
‘Fair enough. And even though I do not for a moment believe that it was the caretaker’s wife, she now also has a motive.’
Patricia nodded gravely.
‘I too have serious doubts about the caretaker’s wife playing the cold-blooded murderer, but this has become more feasible in view of what has transpired today. She was the only one with keys to Konrad Jensen’s flat, and she also had his full trust. And a hundred thousand kroner is a more powerful motive than many of us might imagine for a person who has struggled and constantly lived in financial straits and now faces old age with only forty-eight kroner in her post-office savings account. Remember that she also put through Harald Olesen’s phone calls. If she knew that a substantial sum had been left to her in his will, and had realized that the will was being changed a lot, then she had a very strong motive indeed.’
Now it was my turn to nod gravely.
‘Sara Sundqvist has the strongest motive of them all – if she knew that Harald Olesen had changed the will and left her a million kroner.’
Patricia agreed without hesitation.
‘Obviously. We only have her word for it that she knew nothing, and we also only have her word for it that she knows nothing about what happened in 1944. There might be a powerful motive there too. The will clearly implies this: Harald Olesen obviously had a very bad conscience when it came to her. In fact, it is interesting just how much the lady does not know. I advise you to keep an eye on her, but also to keep her at a good arm’s length for a few more days at least.’
This last piece of advice was rather obscure, but I did not feel the need for an explanation of what Patricia meant. Therefore I asked what she thought with regard to the Lunds instead.
‘Kristian Lund has had an obvious motive for as long as he has believed he was the heir, particularly if he was aware of the danger that the will was to be changed. In addition, he has also openly expressed his hatred for his deceased father and lied so many times that I have lost count, despite my good maths. His wife could have the same motive as far as the will is concerned, and the same need for revenge. As well as a more advanced but equally plausible motive, linked to another person…’
My face must have been a question mark.
‘This is a rather tenuous but all the same captivating theory. It would naturally be every jealous housewife’s dream to see her husband’s mistress publicly convicted and locked up for years, only to be let out when she is approaching forty, without children or friends. Especially if in the meantime you could use the inherited millions that she was denied…’
And she was right – it was a possibility. Mrs Lund’s hatred had risen to the surface and made an impression today.
‘The late Konrad Jensen also had both the opportunity and a possible motive. In short, after one week’s investigation, we still cannot exclude anyone who was in 25 Krebs’ Street when Harald Olesen was shot.’
Patricia nodded glumly.
‘We have made considerable progress and know far more, but still do not have a clear picture of the murderer. All the neighbours could have had the opportunity, and they all have at least one possible motive – some even have more. Kristian Lund and Sara Sundqvist are on the shakiest ground, but I advise you not to trust anyone other than me. And to make Harald Olesen’s niece your next port of call.’
I accepted this advice and got up to leave.
V
Cecilia Olesen lived in a spacious two-bedroomed flat in Ullern. She opened the door herself when I rang the bell and asked me in straightaway. As could only be expected, she did not seem particularly overjoyed to see me, but nor was she particularly hostile. A freckled girl of around ten years old poked her head inquisitively round the door to her room, but was immediately ordered to return to her maths homework. The ten-year-old protested that she had already finished her homework, but was not heeded.
I was shown into a comfortable living room and served coffee on a traditional painted tray and it all felt far too pleasant to ask the difficult question that I now had to ask regardless.
‘I do apologize for disturbing you again, but there are still some circumstances that need to be clarified in relation to your uncle’s murder.’
She nodded – and sighed.
‘So I am afraid I have to ask if you knew one of the other people present today slightly better than you may previously have intimated…’
No more was needed. Cecilia Olesen’s apparently staunch facade cracked and the tears started to fall.
‘You are absolutely right. I have been thinking about it ever since. But it was all such a shock – first to see him again, then the will and then discovering an unknown cousin. I could not gather my thoughts until I came home.’
I gave her a charming smile, and all the time she needed. Her voice had steadied when she carried on a couple of minutes later.