"Why's that?"
"You know that I often employ girls who've gone off the rails a bit. Over the years I've found them pretty good. I cooperate with a youth employment agency in Malmo. I have a girl from there at the moment, 19 years old. Name's Sofia. She was the one riding past the window just now."
"We don't need to mention the police," Wallander said. "We can think up some reason why you need to keep an eye on what's cooking at the castle. Then you can pass on to me what she tells you."
"Only if I must," Widen said. "I'd rather not get involved. Alright, we don't need to tell her you're a police officer. You're just somebody who wants to know what's going on there. If I say you're OK, she'll take my word for it."
"We can try," Wallander said.
"She hasn't got the job yet," Widen said. "I expect there'll be lots of horsey girls interested in a job at the castle."
"Go and get her," Wallander said. "Don't tell her my name."
"What the hell shall I call you, then?"
Wallander thought for a moment. "Roger Lundin," he said.
"Who's he?"
"From now on it's me."
Widen shook his head. "I hope you're right about this," he said. "I'll go and fetch her."
Sofia proved to be thin and leggy with a mop of unkempt hair. She came into the kitchen, nodded casually in Wallander's direction, then sat down and drank what remained of the coffee in Widen's cup. Wallander wondered if she was one of the girls who shared his bed. He knew of old that Widen often had affairs with the girls who worked for him.
"You know I have to cut back here," Widen said. "But we've heard about a job that might suit you at a castle over at Osterlen. If you take the job, or rather get it, things might pick up here later, and I promise to take you back if they do."
"What sort of horses are they?" she asked.
Widen looked at Wallander, who could only shrug his shoulders.
"I don't suppose they'll be Ardennes," Widen said. "What the hell does it matter? It's only going to be temporary. Besides, you'd be helping Roger here, who's a friend of mine. He'd like you to keep your eyes peeled and see what goes on there at the castle. Nothing special, just keeping your eyes open."
"What's the money like?" she asked.
"I've no idea," Wallander said.
"It's a castle, for God's sake," Widen said. "Stop being awkward."
He disappeared into the living room and came back with the paper. Wallander found the advert.
"Interview," he said. "Applicants should phone first."
"We can fix that," Widen said. "I'll drive you there tonight."
She suddenly looked up from the plastic tablecloth and stared Wallander in the eye.
"What sort of horses are they?" she asked.
"I really have no idea," Wallander said.
She cocked her head to one side. "I think you're police," she said.
"What on earth makes you think that?" Wallander said, astonished.
"I can feel it."
Widen interrupted her. "His name's Roger. That's all you need to know. Don't ask so many stupid bloody questions. Try to look comparatively respectable when we go there tonight. Wash your hair, for instance. And don't forget that Winter's Moon needs a bandage on her left hind leg."
She left the kitchen without another word.
"You can see for yourself," Widen said. "She's nobody's fool."
"Thanks for your help," Wallander said. "Let's hope she pulls it off."
"I'll drive her over. That's the best I can do."
"Phone me at home," Wallander said. "I need to know right away if she gets the job."
They went out to Wallander's car.
"I sometimes feel so desperately bloody tired of this whole business," Widen said.
"It would be nice if we could have our time over again," Wallander said.
"I sometimes say to myself, is that all it was? Life, that is. A few arias, loads of third-rate horses, constant money problems."
"Come on, it's not all that bad, is it?"
"Convince me."
"We have a reason to meet more often now. We can talk about it."
"She hasn't got the job yet."
"I know," Wallander said. "Phone me tonight."
He got into his car, nodded to Widen and drove off. It was still quite early in the day. He made up his mind to pay another visit.
Half an hour later he parked in a no-parking area in the narrow street behind the Continental Hotel and walked to Mrs Duner's little pink house. He was surprised to see no sign of a police car in the vicinity. What had happened to the protection Mrs Duner was supposed to be receiving? He grew annoyed and worried at the same time. He rang the doorbell. He would get on to Bjork immediately.
The door opened a fraction, but when Mrs Duner saw who it was, she seemed genuinely pleased.
"I apologise for not having phoned in advance," he said.
"It's always a pleasure to welcome Inspector Wallander," she said.
He accepted her offer of a cup of coffee, even though he knew he had drunk too much coffee already. While she was busy in the kitchen Wallander took another look at her back garden. The lawn had been repaired. He wondered if she was expecting the police to provide her with another phone directory.
In this investigation everything seems to have happened a long time ago, he thought, and yet it's only a few days since I threw the directory at the lawn and watched the garden explode.
She brought in the coffee, and he sat on the flower-patterned sofa.
"I didn't see a police car outside when I arrived," he said.
"Sometimes they're here, sometimes they're not," Mrs Duner said.
"I'll look into it," Wallander promised.
"Is it really necessary?" she said. "Do you really think somebody is trying to harm me?"
"You know what happened to your employers. I don't believe anything else is going to happen, but we have to take all the precautions we can."
"I wish I could make sense of it all," she said.
"That's why I'm here," Wallander said. "You've had time to do some thinking. Often one needs to let a bit of time pass before things become clear, to let your memory warm up."
"I have tried. Day and night."
"Let's go back a few years," Wallander said. "To when Gustaf Torstensson was first offered the opportunity of working for Alfred Harderberg. Did you ever meet him?"
"No, never."
"You spoke to him on the phone?"
"Not even that. It was always one of the secretaries who called."
"It must have been a big deal for the firm to get a client like that."
"Oh yes, of course. We began to earn much more money than we'd ever done before. We were able to renovate the whole building."
"Even if you never met or spoke to Harderberg, you must have formed some idea of what he was like. I know you have a good memory."
She thought before answering. Wallander watched a magpie hopping about in the garden while he waited.
"Everything was always urgent," she said. "Whenever he called in Mr Torstensson, everything else had to be put to one side."
"Mr Torstensson must have discussed his client now and then," he said. "Told you about his visits to the castle."
"I think he was very impressed. And also fearful of making a mistake. That was very important. I remember him saying several times that mistakes were forbidden."
"What do you think he meant by that?"
"That if that happened Harderberg would go to another firm of solicitors."
"Weren't you curious about Harderberg, and about the castle?"
"I wondered what it was like, of course. But he never said much. He was impressed, but reticent. I remember he once said that Sweden should be grateful for all the things Dr Harderberg was doing."
"He never said anything negative about him?"
"Yes, he did, actually. I remember because it only happened once."
"What did he say?"
"I can tell you word for word. He said: 'Dr Harderberg has a macabre sense of humour.'"