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

'Yourmother-in-law rang you in the middle of the night?'

'Oh,my God,' Susanne sighed, resigned. 'I assume you mean my late father-in-law'spartner – Ingrid Folke Jespersen, nee Rasmussen. And, yes, it is correct thatshe gave me a buzz.…' Susanne pronounced the final words with a pinchedexpression around her mouth. 'Ingrid Folke Jespersen, nee Rasmussen, doesn'tphone, you see, she doesn't ring either, she gives you a buzz – and shedoes that whenever it suits her, at six, five, four, three or two o'clock atnight. And she was so scared?'

'Soshe did ring?'

'Karsten!I'm so scared! Come and hold me, Karsten!'

Frølichcalmly observed her. 'Are you suggesting that she and your husband are havingan affair?' he asked in a cold voice.

'Howdare you!'

'Answerthe question,' Frølich said with force.

SusanneJespersen lost her composure. 'No, I do not mean to suggest anything of thekind.'

Frølichfelt some silence would be appropriate. So he took his time noting down heranswer.

'Butshe's an insufferable nag. And sometimes she seems to be trying to catchKarsten on his own. For that reason I did not wake him when she rang thatnight…' Susanne was on the point of slipping into the role as her old self whenshe added in an angrier tone: 'But I don't regret it! After all, it was halfpast two in the morning. Like other people, she has to understand that youcan't ring in the middle of the night, even though your husband's bed is empty.What would I do if Karsten went out on the town or came home late – ringeverybody I know? Eh?'

Frølichregarded the woman sitting on the chair. Imagine being married to her, hethought gloomily. Imagine waking up with her in the morning! Every single morning.Imagine coming home to her after a long, tiring day. He caught himselfextending Karsten his sympathies as he said:

'Soyour husband was at home asleep all night?'

'Yes.'

'Haveyou or your husband a key to the flat in Thomas Heftyes gate?'

'Karstenhas,' she said. 'It's where he grew up, isn't it!'

'Butyou haven't?'

Sheshook her head.

'Youlet Karsten sleep when she rang. What did she say on the phone – word forword?'

'Shesaid: "Susanne, it's me, Ingrid. Could you ask Karsten to come over?Reidar's not here and I'm scared.'"

'Didyou have the impression she was as scared as she maintained?'

Susannerecoiled and poisoned daggers took up residence in her eyes. 'Do you mean…?'

'No,'Frølich said firmly. 'I don't mean anything of the kind. Just describe how youperceived the situation?' 'Well, I was out of it. This was half past two atnight. I had been in bed only two or three hours. But I remember what she said.I was pretty shaken myself!'

'Andwhat did you answer?'

'Isaid I would say she'd rung.'

'Yes?'

'Shesaid something about a break-in and being scared…'

Frølichwaited for her to go on.

'Idon't remember every word. There was something about her being worried about abreak-in. I couldn't be bothered to listen. They had been talking about break-ins all evening – I mean the evening before, when we were at their place.'

'Theytalked about break-ins?'

'Yes,it was a terrible evening – so depressing. Do you know what we talked about?How tender the steak was. We talked about food and how the shop downstairsmight be burgled.'

'Wasthis a departure from the norm?'

'Whatdo you mean?'

'Well,was it always so boring or was there a particular atmosphere that evening?'

'Therewas a particular atmosphere. Ingrid seemed very nervous – she is not usually.Reidar was just sullen. But he always is.'

'Whatdo you mean she seemed nervous?'

Susannethought back. 'She knocked a glass of wine over the table cloth. She seemedhyper and clumsy. Nerves, nothing more, nothing less.'

Frølichjotted this down.

'Thething is I thought the way Ingrid spoke that night – being scared about abreak-in – it all seemed, well, a little convenient.'

'Convenient?'

'Yes,a little conspicuous, as though she were using it as a pretext to get Karstenup in the middle of the night. I said he wasn't at home and put down thephone.'

'Doyou mean that Ingrid is interested in your husband?'

'Ididn't say that!'

'Myunderstanding was that Ingrid had a better relationship with your husband thanwith you!'

'That'strue enough. It's a good observation. Exactly. You said it.'

'What'sthe reason for that?'

'Areyou asking me?'

'Whatdo your husband and Ingrid talk about?'

'Books!'

'Youdon't say. Books.'

'Karstenhas a talent, he can write, you know. He's done talks on the radio and writtenarticles for the newspaper. But, Ingrid, she just reads novels. And she has gotit into her head that they have something in common.'

'Thatevening,' Frølich said with emphasis. 'That evening when you were visitingReidar, do you know if anything unusual happened, if someone came to the dooror if someone rang?'

'Therewere a number of phone calls.'

'Anumber?'

'Yes,I saw Reidar talking on the phone, but I have no interest in who people phone…''So Reidar was making the calls?'

'I'veno idea. I saw him talking on the phone. That was all.'

'Howmany calls were there?'

'One,maybe two, perhaps three. I wasn't following.'

'Butyou must know if it was one or three calls?'

'Therewere more than one. That's all I can say.'

'Fine,'Frølich said, and hastened to add before she could continue: 'Ingrid rang youin the middle of the night, but she rang you later too – in the morning.'

'Yes,at half past seven. But then Karsten answered the phone. Oh God, I regrettaking the children – with Grandad lying there, dead!'

'Infact I met your boy. Nice boy.'

'Hm,'Susanne grunted.

'Didyou like your father-in-law?'

'Yes,'came the firm response from the woman on the chair.

'Really?'

'Isometimes helped him with the annual accounts. I can do that – accountancy. Idon't have a problem with numbers. You can say what you like, but Reidar FolkeJespersen was a decent person, solid.'

'Doyou think he had many enemies?'

'Hehad friends and enemies. I was a friend. But enemies? No doubt. That doesn'tbother me, though. I looked upon him as a friend.'

'So youconsidered him…' Frølich searched for words. 'You considered him to be in goodhealth?'

Susannebent forward. 'That man would have outlived us all,' she said. 'The lot of us.''If I say the numbers one-nine-five, does that mean anything to you?'

Sherolled her shoulders.

'Nothingyou connect with these numbers? The whole number? Single digits? No relevanceto your father-in- law? Accounts? Tax? Anything at all?'

Susannestared into space. 'No idea,' she said at last.

'Andyour husband? Was there a good relationship between father and son?' Frølichimmediately regretted the question. A suspicious, conspiratorial glint cameinto the eyes of his witness the moment he said the last word.

'Ofcourse,' Susanne said, and added: 'Are there really no other officers to put onthis case? After all, it is a murder and has to be cleared up.'

'Thankyou,' Frølich said, standing up and passing her coat. 'I have no furtherquestions for the time being.'

Chapter 21

Reflection

EmmanuelFolke Jespersen lived in a cul-de-sac in Haslum. Cars were parkedhiggledy-piggledy alongside the fences, packed in a thick blanket of snow. Thesnow- ploughs had snaked their way through. Inspector Gunnarstranda parked in agap between two well- wrapped cars. There was a line of four red terracedhouses. Each house had a handkerchief of a garden in front of the door. A blackand white cat, tranquil and picturesque, sat on the front doorstep. The stephad been swept; the piassava broom was blue and the shaft decorated with rosesin Norwegian style. As soon as Gunnarstranda put his foot on the little stepand rang the bell, the cat rose and brushed against his left trouser leg.