'And?'
'IfKatrine was killed by someone else, not Kramer, I don't understand why he wouldconfess.'
Fristadpulled a wry face. 'Now you're making the case unnecessarily complicated,Gunnarstranda. We're talking about an ex-tart, aren't we? A bloody junkie. Whyshould a case like this be so damned complicated – and contain so manyconspiratorial motives that involve- premeditated murder and so on, and so on?'
'I'mnot complicating the case,' Gunnarstranda yelled back angrily. 'I just expectit to be tied up in a correct manner! The only thing I want is for us to waitbefore we prioritize other work until all those involved have been checked outand we have completed the essential investigation.'
'What'sso fishy about Kramer's death?' Fristad asked.
'Tracesof sedatives were found in Kramer's body. If he killed himself he might havetaken them to dull his senses. However, the problem with Kramer takingsedatives before dying is that we couldn't find a box of tablets or aprescription anywhere in the flat. The point is that, if he had takensedatives, it doesn't make sense to me that we cannot find any traces of saidsedatives in his flat.'
'Buthe was working at a drugs rehab clinic. He did a bit of hash and cocainehimself, I've read. Kramer must have had innumerable contacts, and getting holdof illegal drugs on the street is as easy as wink.'
Gunnarstrandaglanced up at Fristad, who was nodding and grimacing. 'I'm just saying it'sodd,' the policeman said. 'It's also strange that the suicide letter was notfound where he died. There are no fingerprints on the paper or the envelope. Itseems bizarre that it should turn up in a pigeonhole at the police station. Andthe letter was not signed. It was printed on a laser printer and written with acomputer. But Kramer did not have his own computer. There was a computer in hisbrother's flat and there is no sign of this letter on his machine. He mighthave written the letter at work, at the Vinterhagen centre, but so far wehaven't been able to trace the machine on which it was written.'
'Thebit about the fingerprints sounds particularly odd,' the public prosecutor saidas his glasses fell on to his chest.
'Agreed,'Gunnarstranda said. 'It is odd. But it's also odd that the suicide letter isn'tsigned and was not where he died. If he had to confess why not confess properlyso that all doubts would be dispelled? Why a letter addressed to Frølichat Police HQ? Why not to his mother or to his brother? After all, he rang hisbrother to talk about the mysteries of life before he died. It's strange thathe doesn't send his mother and his brother a final word.' Gunnarstranda wavedthe letter in the air. 'This is just a confession. It's not a suicide letter asI know them.'
'Hemight have sent it to Frølich to be sure it was found.'
'Ofcourse,' Gunnarstranda conceded. 'But the oddest thing of all is that heactually admitted to having sex with the girl in his first statement. It seemscrazy that he would kill to cover up a rape, and then he admits to having sexwith her as soon as the police show up.'
'You'vegot a point,' Fristad said, losing his glasses again.
'It'salso funny that he would go to a postbox, post a suicide letter, then go home,take sedatives and hang himself.'
Thepublic prosecutor nodded, interlacing his fingers in front of him and banginghis thumbs against each other. He thought aloud: 'The perpetrator rapes thegirl, kills her, removes her clothes and other possessions to hide theevidence. But the motive must be the same whoever strangled her'
'Thejewellery,' Gunnarstranda said with emphasis. 'The jewellery turning up atSkau's place complicates the matter. We have established that Katrine waswearing jewellery that night and it turned up later in Skau's flat. Skau may,as we have said, have bumped into her that night. He may have killed her andtaken her jewellery. The problem is that Skau's girlfriend, Linda Ros,maintains the jewellery came in the post. The posting of the jewellery tallieswith what Kramer wrote in the letter.'
'Whatdid the police officers who found the jewellery in Skau's flat say?'
'Theysaid that everything was in a handbag on the table, which tallies with what thegirl said. She said the handbag was in the postbox on Wednesday afternoon. Butshe didn't take in the post on the Tuesday or the Monday. We don't know when itwas put in the box.'
'CouldSkau have put it in the postbox himself?'
'Hecould have done it on the Sunday. From Sunday evening, the day after Katrinewas murdered, he was in custody and he's in custody now.'
'Butleaving the matter of the jewellery aside,' the public prosecutor said, 'Iunderstood that Skau attacked Katrine at work. If he had met her in the nightand attacked her again… then he could have killed her. Afterwards Skau couldhave forged the suicide letter – couldn't he?'
'That'sa possibility,' Gunnarstranda admitted.
'Kramer'sdeath could still be suicide even if the letter is forged,' Fristad said.
Frølichstudied the police inspector. He thought he could discern the contours of asmile forming around the man's thin lips. The public prosecutor didn't notice.He was sitting with his eyes closed and a rigid expression on his face – proofthat he was thinking. 'Let's imagine the following,' Fristad now declared.'Katrine Bratterud left Henning in the car that night to get some fresh air.Her lover was asleep and she was awake. She went for a walk. She may havewanted to go to the toilet or smoke a cigarette or stretch her legs. She bumpedinto Raymond Skau. He killed her, stripped her and stole her jewellery. Are youwith me?'
Frølichnodded. He had the impression the smile on Gunnarstranda's lips was even morepronounced. He had no idea what scheme Gunnarstranda had devised, but at thatmoment things were going his way, that much Frølich did know.
Fristadwent on: 'The whole business with the jewellery stands or falls with the girl,Linda Ros, doesn't it? Right? You found the jewellery there, at Skau's place…then… a week later with Skau completely out of the picture… Kramer took his ownlife in a fit of depression. He felt guilty, perhaps because he had left thecar park without finding her. The thought that she might have been lying on theground being strangled while he drove away – that sort of thought could havepushed Henning Kramer over the edge.
WhenKramer killed himself, Skau saw a chance to save his own skin and forged thesuicide note to lead suspicion away from him. He wrote an unsigned letter inKramer's name confessing the murder.'
Fristadbeamed in triumph. 'Is that how it could have happened? I'm asking! Could thathave happened? Is it a possibility?'
Hisboyish face shone like in a TV commercial.
Gunnarstrandasaid nothing.
Frølichwas about to say something, but the public prosecutor intercepted first. 'Ilike the theory about Skau,' the public prosecutor said with enthusiasm. 'Skauis stupid enough to write an unsigned suicide letter. He's unscrupulous enough.Isn't he? Eh?'
Frølichcleared his throat ready to speak.
Gunnarstranda'seyes were like an eagle's. 'Let the public prosecutor finish,' the inspectorsnapped.
'Yes,'repeated Fristad in a dream. 'I do like the Skau theory. It explains why thisridiculous suicide letter turns up in Frølich’s pigeonhole. Skau wasbeing held across the street, in custody. He just dropped off a letter in anenvelope in the corridor when he was let into the yard for a walk. It wasaddressed to a policeman. He smuggled it out. What do you think? The theory issimple, plausible, could have happened. Remember, Gunnarstranda, this is notthe first time…'
'Thenwe'll have to try to persuade Linda Ros to admit she was lying about thejewellery,' Gunnarstranda said in a soft voice. 'And then we just have to waitfor the results of the DNA test, don't we?'
'Mm…exactly! We need the results of the DNA test,' the public prosecutor concludedautomatically. 'If the particles of skin under the victim's nails belong toSkau…'
Hestood up in his excitement. 'Then it's probable that Skau strangled her,' herepeated. 'We'll have to wait for the results of the DNA test,' the public