'Iunderstand both your mother's and your father's feelings in this matter,'Gunnarstranda began when Kirkenær paused.
'Thankyou, but you are in no position to under- stand,' Kirkenær interrupted again.'Historical facts have two sides. Even the mob had feelings of honour at thattime. Distinctions were made between people. Distinctions were made betweenthose who lived in and out of wedlock. Women who were married to Germans andhad children were transported out of the country, to Germany. But my mothernever received this protection. Why not? Right. Because of Reidar FolkeJespersen. He could have turned a blind eye; he could have even used hisinfluence to give me and my mother protection. After all, her husband was inprison.'
'Don'tyou think your father received his punishment when he found out you were hisson and that he had…'
'You understandnothing, Gunnarstranda. These weren't anonymous men drunk on the intoxicatingair of liberation who humiliated my mother. This was Reidar Follce Jespersen,the war hero, who came home to find his sex object taken by the occupyingforces. For him it was not enough to win the war. He also had to destroy mymother. For him the war was not over until she was dead and publiclystigmatized.'
'Buthe didn't take her life, did he?'
'Shedied by her own hand when I was twelve years old. The doctors treating herdiagnosed her illness as a psychosis. But they didn't know what I know. Mymother was taken from me and killed on 8th May 1945. The person who should beblamed, Reidar Folke Jespersen, is dead now and is therefore no longer burdenedwith guilt.'
'Whatare you going to do now?' the policeman asked with dread.
'I'mgoing to finish off what I started. I want to take my revenge.'
'Ican't allow you to do that.'
'I'malready beyond your authority. You can't do anything, nothing at all.'
'You'reforgetting that your actions affect others apart from you.'
Kirkenærfell quiet, and Gunnarstranda went on: 'I'm here because I've been talking toyour wife, Iselin. I've just come from her now. She is clearly innocent. Do notcause her any suffering. I'm asking you at least to take her into account. Forthe last time I demand that you come out with your hands above your head.'Gunnarstranda looked to his left. The unit leader had opened the door and gotout of the car. He had had enough of listening to the conversation. He wasleaning against the car door and giving orders over the radio. 'If you don't,you will be talking to someone else,' Gunnarstranda sighed. But Kirkenær hadalready rung off.
Chapter 48
PoliceInspector Gunnarstranda looked very tired and drawn as he parked in the driveto Tove's house in Sæter. A stranger in a blue dressing gown opened the frontdoor when he rang. She stared at him in confusion. He went in and walked pasther. He continued up the stairs to the first floor. He paused because he couldfeel he was being observed. When he turned round, the woman in the dressinggown darted out of sight. Whispering voices came from downstairs as he put ahand on the door to Tove's flat. It wasn't locked.
Hestood with his back against the same door and met Tove's gaze from thearmchair. Slowly she lowered the book she had been reading until it was in herlap.
'Aren'tyou asleep?' he asked, looking at his watch.
Sherose to her feet. 'No, I was listening to the radio.'
Henodded and hung up his coat and jacket.
'Didn'tyou want to be there?' she asked.
'No,'he said, rubbing his face with both hands. 'Police raids and guns are not mything.'
'Theywere saying on the radio…' she began.
'Yes,'he broke in. 'I heard. He was shot.'
Toveobserved him and said nothing.
Gunnarstrandaslumped down onto a low sofa by the window and rolled himself a cigarette.
ToveGranaas went to a corner cabinet beside the front door. It was brown and veryold with small doors. She took out a bottle of whisky. 'You need a dram,' shesaid, filling a glass and passing it to him.
'Haveyou got to go to work?' he asked.
Shefilled her glass, then looked at her watch. 'In two hours.'
Hetook a sip.
'Nowyou can tell me,' she said.
Gunnarstrandasat staring at his unlit cigarette. 'He sent his stepfather's uniform to Jespersenthrough the post. As a warning, or a threat, I suppose. The idea must have beento conjure up Klaus Fromm's ghost. But unfortunately for poor Kirkenær itwasn't Reidar who opened the parcel. His son, Karsten, did. The next step inthe planned murder was to appear in front of his real father. To appear in theflesh – to be Nemesis in person. And that must have gone as planned. Reidarmust have known that Amalie Bruun's son was his child, but he obviously thoughtthat the boy didn't know. The Friday reunion went off as planned. Reidarrecognized his son. That's the only explanation for him bringing forward theappointment with Amalie's lookalike that afternoon. And it also explains why herang the solicitor and revoked his will – he had realized that Kirkenær knewand he would have to consider a further beneficiary. It also explains why hetorpedoed the sale of the shop and agreed to a meeting with Hermann Kirkenærthat same night without a murmur. For Kirkenær this was the third and decisiveconfrontation – a private meeting. Late Friday night the prodigal son returned.The two of the met downstairs in the shop, and revenge took its course.'
'Revengefor what?'
'Hisown wretched life.'
'Hislife?'
'Reidarcommitted a brutal assault on Kirkenær's mother when peace was declared. Hismother suffered from depression as a result and committed suicide some yearslater. Kirkenazr was a war child without a home country, without a mother andfather.' Gunnarstranda gazed into the distance. 'I don't think I have theenergy for this roll-up,' he said and put it on the table.
'Hashe confessed?'
Gunnarstrandaraised his head. 'No.'
Thepoliceman sat rapt in thought. 'After killing his real father he must have puton his stepfather's uniform and put his blood-stained clothes in the box. Thenhe took the keys from Reidar's pockets and went to the flat…' Gunnarstrandapaused.
'Whydid he break into Ingrid Jespersen's flat now, so long afterwards?' Tove asked.
Athoughtful expression crossed Gunnarstranda's face. 'He said he was going toextract his revenge, but I don't understand why he wasn't already satisfied. IfI have anything to reproach myself for, it is because I didn't press him harderon that point.'
'Hedidn't say why?'
'Notdirectly.'
'Didhe want to hurt her?'