The Man In The Window [Mannen i vinduet - no]

'Andyou've never been involved in the antiques business?'

'Notat all.' She half-smiled. 'I'm an old-fashioned housewife. Boring.'

'Don'tsay that,' Frølich said and caught himself thinking how to make a move on her.A seam in her stockings led his attentions upwards. Her dress was tight on hersupple hips. He coughed and pulled himself together: 'What made your husband sointerested in antiques?'

'He'salways been interested', she said, 'in a sense of form, aesthetics – at leastthat was what brought us together. My sister was working for local governmentin the seventies. She had a job as a secretary in Oslo Auctions, down inBrugata, you know, where fine ladies can pawn wedding rings if they have aburning need for a dram…' She opened her palms. 'Unbelievably, that was how wemet.'

'Pawningsomething?'

'No.Through my sister. Reidar bought up the pawned goods that had not been redeemed.You know, if you pawn something, it has to be redeemed within a certain time.If it isn't, it is sold off at the auction. Reidar bought clocks and oldjewellery and violins and I don't know what. My sister and I were invited to aparty there once; that is, she was invited, but Ragnhild, my sister, got theheebie-jeebies. She was nervous because Reidar was a widower and so much older.I went as a chaperone and because I was kind of interested in design and so on,well, one thing led to another.'

Frølichgrabbed at the chance and bent down to pick up his notepad. The widow seemed tobe keen to answer questions now. 'So antiques brought you together?'

'Iusually say form, or design. A word like antiques seems so dusty. By theway, you should know that for Reidar antiques were all about good taste.'

Frølichnodded and chewed the top of his biro before saying: 'He didn't dabble in thesecond-hand market, as some people call it?'

'Youshould be glad that Reidar didn't hear you using the word,' she said in acareworn tone. 'Second-hand – he hated the word. No, the objects we surroundourselves with signal who we are,' she explained in a matter- of-fact way.

Fr0lichnodded again.

'That'sthe problem with us Norwegians,' she continued with sudden passion. 'We don'tunderstand the significance of being surrounded by beauty. Look at ourchurches. They are so boring. Yes, I know it is all tied up with theReformation and Protestantism and the idea that gold and glitter are said todetract from the message. That's right, isn't it? But I believe… that if we hadhad cathedrals in this country, I'm sure we would have had a healthierrelationship with religion. The things you like, the things you surroundyourself with, say something about the person,' she added.

Frølichcoughed politely and circled his pen in the air to excuse his lack of interestin cathedrals and to get to the point. 'You ate here – on the evening beforethe murder,' he said cautiously.

Ingridnodded, but didn't say anything.

'Karstenand Susanne – plus grandchildren – ate with you two?'

'Youthink I'm skirting the issue,' Ingrid answered. 'But in order to understand myhusband you have to understand his feeling for form.'

Frølichtook a deep breath. 'It's also very important for us to know what happened onthe days leading up to his death. Can you give me your version of events onFriday?'

'Reidargot up early,' she began and faltered.

'Whattime?' Frølich said to move her on.

Itstartled her. 'At about half past seven, I think. He went to work before I gotup. After that I didn't hear or see anything of him until seven or half past inthe evening – when he came home and dinner was waiting.'

'Andyou were at home the whole time?'

'No, Imust have got back here at about two or half past. I went shopping.'

'Shopping?'

Shenodded and repeated: 'Shopping.'

Frølichwatched her, but she showed no signs of wanting to expand. He met her eyes:'Just a general shopping trip – you weren't looking for anything inparticular?'

Shestared back. 'Of course, but is that of any interest?'

Heshrugged.

'Iwent to GlasMagasinet amongst other places.' She fell quiet and did not appearto want to enlarge on her trip. He said: 'When did you go shopping?'

'Atabout half past eleven in the morning.'

'Andwhat did you do before – until half past eleven?'

'Ihad a shower, read the paper… and at ten, maybe five minutes past, I went downto see Karsten in the shop. He opens the shop at ten, you see, and we usuallyhave a cup of coffee together in the morning.'

'Youand Karsten Jespersen?'

'Yes,if there are not many customers. There were none around, so we chatted over acup of coffee.' She pursed her lips as though reflecting. 'For three quartersof an hour perhaps. He had Benjamin with him. The kindergarten had a planningday, I think. Benjamin flitted around, doing drawings. I came back upstairs,put on warmer clothes to go out and left at some time between eleven and halfpast…'

Frølichwondered if he should ask what she and the dead man's son talked about, but hedecided against it. Instead he asked:

'Didyou find anything?'

'Whatdo you mean?'

'Didyou find anything when you were out shopping?'

'Oh yes.'

Frølichwaited for her to go on. He waited in vain.

'Andduring the day,' he asked, 'did you hear from your husband at all?'

'Yes,he rang,' she said.

'Here?'

'Hm?'

'Didhe ring here?'

'Ofcourse,' she snapped. 'Where else?' 'Well… Frølich stared at her. 'He couldhave called you while you were out shopping,' he suggested. 'On your mobile.'

'Herang me here.'

'When?'Frølich asked.

'In theafternoon, around three. As a rule he comes home at about four. And Karsten andSusanne were coming here that day. But he called a bit before three and said hewould be late. He said he would be home at about seven.'

'Didhe say why?'

'No.'

'Wasthat strange?'

'Whatdo you mean?'

'Well,was it unusual for him to be late or did he never tell you why he had been heldup?'

'No,I knew it was something to do with business. He might have been talking to hisbrothers – Arvid and Emmanuel. Arvid lives in Uranienborg and Emmanuel lives along way out, in Bserum.' She sighed. 'I'm dreading talking to Arvid andEmmanuel. I know they have rung, but I can't bring myself to answer the phone.'

'Butdo you remember exactly when Reidar returned home?'

'At aquarter past seven. I checked the time. You know Jonny Stokmo was here at tenpast? Perhaps you don't know who he is? Well, Jonny is a man who works withReidar, and he didn't want to come inside and wait, but as dinner was ready andwe were waiting I kept looking out of the window for Reidar, and I saw Jonnywaiting for Reidar too. That did worry me a bit. I mean it was so cold, almostminus twenty.'

'Thetwo of them worked together?'

'Jonnyis Jonny,' Ingrid smiled. 'Jonny is… well, you were interested in how Reidarstarted in antiques. I think Reidar and Jonny's father set out together, a longtime ago.'

Shenodded as she read the expression on Frølich's face. 'Jonny's father workedwith Reidar, but that was before I met him. I've never met Jonny's father – hedied before Reidar and I got married.'

Frølichfinished making his notes before looking up at the widow in the chair. 'Andwhat did Stokmo want when he came round here?'

'Noidea. I asked him in, but I think he felt there were too many people here, withKarsten and Susanne and the young children. At any rate, he said he didn't havetime. Yet he waited outside in the street.'

'Andwhen your husband came?'

'Isuppose they talked.'

Frølichnodded.

'Whatwas the relationship between your husband and Jonny Stokmo?' he asked atlength.

'Umm…'Ingrid deliberated, but ended up shrugging her shoulders.

'Iask because I've heard that Jonny Stokmo was sacked,' Frølich said, looking herstraight in the eye, and added, 'on your husband's say-so.'