Irene was still inwardly convinced that hard times had certainly come for the normal eater at the table.
• • •
IRENE WOKE UP on Sunday morning feeling that she’d had a restless night. She should have been well rested; it was already after 8:00 A.M. But one question had been gnawing away at her subconscious: What had been taken from Hilding’s and Tekla’s suitcases?
Irene took Sammie on a quick walk so he could pee before she jogged away by herself. She took a shorter route today, only five kilometers. That was enough. Maybe she’d keep Krister and Sammie company on their walk later. Before then she hoped to solve this riddle that wouldn’t leave her in peace.
Back home she took a shower and prepared breakfast. Krister came down, and they drank their coffee and decided who’d read which part of the newspaper. Once they’d finished breakfast, Irene said, “I’m going to head down to the station. We didn’t finish everything last Friday, and there’s something important I want to get done before tomorrow morning.”
Krister nodded. “Fine. I’m going to go swim in half an hour. Drop me off at the pool on your way in, and then I’ll take the bus home.”
PILES OF PAPER were strewn over Irene’s desk, just as she’d left them. Carefully and thoughtfully, she began to repack Tekla’s things into the paper bags, trying to pin down what might be missing.
First she replaced the poetry books, then the papers and letters. After that she started repacking the clothes. The brown shoes, the shawl, the underwear, the nightgown.… What had been taken? What ought to be here?
Irene sat down in her chair and pondered, until suddenly it came to her.
When Tekla was found in the attic, she was wearing her daily uniform, according to Siv Persson. Her daily uniform was a light blue dress, a hat, and an apron. Where was her dress uniform? It should be among her things. It wasn’t there because the murderer had taken it to wear on the night of the murders. The uniform cap and black shoes had probably been in the suitcase as well.
So what would be missing from Hilding’s suitcase? Irene started to unpack all the folders, files, and books and flip through them, but it was hard to tell if any particular piece of paper was missing. She replaced them neatly.
Then she drove home and took her dog and her husband on a walk.
THE MORNING MEETING had a typical Monday atmosphere; most of the officers were blinking and trying to jump-start their brain cells with coffee. As usual, only Fredrik Stridh appeared energetic.
She was jerked back into the present by Fredrik’s engaging voice: “… if no one else has anything against it. I have fingerprints and hair from Doris Peterzen and Birgitta Lowander. I wasn’t able to get Carina Lowander’s prints until last Friday evening. She asked me why we needed anything from her. I told her that we’d found a number of clues at the scene of the crime. ‘Which crime scene?’ she asked. ‘You mean by the suitcases?’ I asked her if she knew anything about the old suitcases. ‘Sure I do,’ she said. ‘I didn’t have the keys, so I broke them open.’ Apparently she was looking for the architectural drawings of the building, because she was planning a renovation.”
“For a fitness center,” Irene added. “So when did she break into them?”
“Last Christmas.”
“Did she find the drawings?”
Fredrik looked a little sheepish. “I didn’t think to ask her.”
Irene thought for a minute. Now they knew who’d broken into the suitcases and they also knew what had been taken from Hilding’s suitcase. No drawings in it now. Did Carina take Tekla’s clothes, too? Not necessarily, but there was certainly reason enough to go for another chat with Carina Lowander.
As if he were reading her thoughts, Superintendent Andersson said, “We should keep a close eye on this Carina. Though I must admit I find it hard to believe that a woman would kill three others. Women don’t usually strangle people.”
“What does a typical female murderer do?” Birgitta had to ask.
“Well … poison or a small-caliber pistol.…” Andersson attempted.
Irene could think of at least ten murders during the past few years where the killer had been female and both knives and heavy objects had been the murder weapons of choice. No point in saying anything, though, as this discussion would lead nowhere. On the other hand, she wanted to be the one to check up on Carina Lowander as soon as possible.
“But why would Carina Lowander kill them?” Tommy said. “It doesn’t fit. One night nurse, one day nurse, and a homeless woman. Why? What did her plans for a fitness center have to do with the killing of these particular three women? None of them would have been able to stop her plans for the hospital.”
Obviously, beautiful Carina had impressed Tommy, since he was so quick to defend her.
A secretary knocked on the door and stuck her head in. “Telephone for Irene Huss. Superintendent Danielsson from Vastra Frolunda.”
Irene nodded and stood up to go to the phone. She had a suspicion she knew what the call was about, but she picked up the receiver calmly. “Irene Huss.”
“Hi, Danielsson in Frolunda here. You reported your cell phone missing last Thursday night. Correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“We were investigating an arson near Hogsbo Industrial Area that night. You probably heard about the refrigerator truck that was fire bombed.”
“I read about it in the paper.”
“We’d gotten a tip right before the arson broke out. We traced the call. It was made from your phone.”
Irene did her best to sound surprised. “Why … what are you saying? That’s strange.… Can you tell if the phone’s been used for other calls?”
“No. Nothing else.”
“Have you found my phone?”
“No. Do you have any idea who might have taken it?”
“No. It disappeared from my bag when I was grocery shopping near Frolunda Square. I didn’t notice it was gone until later that evening. Then I called right away to report it missing.”
“I see. Well, in any event it was put to good use.” In a pleasant tone, Danielsson added, “By the way, do you have any children who might be vegetarian?”
“No. My husband is a chef, and he’d go crazy if anyone in the family turned vegetarian on him.” Irene also spoke pleasantly and added a light laugh to the end of her statement even as she felt her heart salsa up into her throat.
“Never mind. It was just a thought. Thanks for your time.”
“Bye and thanks.”
Her hand was shaking as she replaced the receiver in the cradle.
• • •
THE FIRST THING she did when she returned to the conference room was ask, “Has anyone checked Linda Svensson’s phone calls yet?”
“Yes. There was a call from her mother and one from a young nurse working in ICU. The one with spiky blond hair. Anna-Karin something … Anna-Karin Arvidsson.” Jonny’s face lit up as he remembered the nurse’s name.
Anna-Karin again. Irene had not had time to follow up with her questioning of Anna-Karin, in spite of her intentions to do so earlier. The young nurse hadn’t mentioned that she’d called Linda that evening. Anna-Karin was priority number two after Carina.
Jonny continued. “We also found a cell-phone number. That call came at six-thirty. We’ve traced it to Sverker Lowander. When we talked to him before, he said he didn’t remember calling her. But then he did remember he’d called Linda about some missing paperwork. She didn’t know where it was. Lowander said he found the papers later that evening.”
That was interesting. Neither Anna-Karin nor Sverker had mentioned that they’d been in contact with Linda
