LOUISE MAARDH bore obvious traces of the happenings of the last day. Her hair wasn’t combed, and her only attempt at makeup was sloppily swiped-on red lipstick, which clashed with her rust-colored sweater. She was wearing a light green T-shirt with a damp coffee stain on the front. Her dark-blue jeans were wrinkled and her feet were covered only by slippers which were worn at the heel. With a tired gesture, she motioned for Irene to come in.
The Maardhs didn’t live in a rectory, but in a relatively new house outside Ledkulla. The house was decorated in pastels, which worked well with the modern furniture in light-colored birch. Bookshelves, filled with volumes, towered along the walls. The house had a soothing but sophisticated atmosphere. Even to Irene’s untrained eye, the rugs and art appeared to be of exceptional quality. She understood why suspicions and jealousy had grown over the years. “How can they afford it? It can never add up.” “She manages large sums of money. Think how easy it would be to let a thousand disappear from time to time.”
Louise led Irene into the light, airy living room. “Please, sit down,” she said dully.
Irene sat in a graceful armchair that was covered in light-gray suede. It was really comfortable. Louise sank down heavily onto the gray leather couch across from her. Irene felt uneasy and started, rambling, “I understand that this is terrible. We’re doing everything we can to try to find out what might have happened. It was one lead among many others we were looking into. Just routine. . How
“I can’t go to work. We’ve been hung out to dry in the press and already judged and found guilty. It doesn’t matter if I’m cleared eventually. People will always whisper ‘No smoke without fire’ and the like. Anonymous calls have already begun. I don’t even dare to go out and get the mail.”
“Has the press called?”
As if in reply, the sound of a ringing telephone cut through the room. After two rings, it fell silent. Someone at the other end of the house answered. Bengt must be home, thought Irene.
“They call all the time. It’s not that difficult to figure out which church accountant has been involved in the investigation of the Satanic Murders. There’s just one. Me.”
Her voice was still creepily toneless. But she couldn’t maintain her self-control any longer. Heavy sobs were wrenched from her and tears ran down her cheeks. Irene managed to find a clean tissue in one jacket pocket; she held it out to Louise, who took it.
Irene’s sympathy for Louise was mixed with growing anger. False rumors are evil, unpleasant, cruel. . and impossible to defend oneself against. Resolutely, she moved next to Louise on the sofa. Anger toward the person who had caused all this unnecessary pain made her voice sound cold.
“Listen and I’ll tell you what happened. Urban Berg came to see me at the police station and told me that Sten Schyttelius suspected you of embezzling money from the parish. Because this is a major homicide investigation, naturally we have to follow every lead we get. The risk of someone’s being revealed as an embezzler would theoretically be a motive for murder-”
Irene didn’t get any farther. Louise jumped up, her apathy and tears replaced by anger.
“Urban Berg! That drunken, hypocritical fool! I’m going to kill him!”
It probably wasn’t the wisest choice of words under the circumstances, but Irene understood. However, Bengt Maardh looked startled when he stopped, hesitantly, on the threshold to the living room.
“But sweetheart, who is it who’s. .” he said awkwardly. His brown eyes behind his glasses were helplessly confused.
“Urban Berg! That damned Urban! He’s the one who’s behind the whole thing!”
It took them almost ten minutes, using all their powers of persuasion, to calm Louise sufficiently so that Irene could explain.
“Listen, Louise. This is what I think we should do,” Irene said at last.
THE FIRST thing Irene did when she entered her office was to call him. She had his direct number.
“Hook!” he answered briskly.
“Irene Huss here.”
“Well, hello!”
He sounded sincerely happy and Irene felt a stab of guilt for what she was about to do. But for Louise and Bengt’s sake, she had to pull herself together. None of this how’s-it-going-let’s-go-have-a-beer nonsense! Though it was usually fun to do that with Kurt. That would have to come later. First, he needed to make things right.
“Hello to you. I’m calling because you’re going to do an interview.”
A brief, surprised silence ensued. “I am? An interview with who?” he asked.
“Me.”
The next pause was considerably longer. It was obvious that he was on the defensive. “Really? About what?”
“You’re risking a prosecution for slander! And you’ll lose.”
“Wait a second, sweetheart. . ”
“I’m not your sweetheart! You didn’t check your source, and it has had disastrous consequences for the persons identified. Your information is based on pure lies and spite. Louise Maardh has never been suspected of embezzlement or been the subject of a police investigation.”
“But I called and checked with the auditor. He wasn’t there, but. . a person close to him confirmed that the police had been there and checked the accounts.”
“That’s correct. We checked out the tip. But we didn’t find any irregularities whatsoever. Neither the auditor nor anyone else has any suspicions either. There’s no official police report or even a decision to investigate, so there’s no reason for prosecution. No one has ever put forth any valid suspicions about Louise Maardh, just malicious slander and nothing else!”
Hook was silent. Irene continued, and in a pedagogical tone. “Assistant Rector Urban Berg tricked you, and me too. He came here and told me that Sten Schyttelius suspected that Louise Maardh had embezzled money. No one else has ever heard anything like that and, as is commonly known, Sten Schyttelius is dead. Urban Berg probably thought it was safe to claim that a dead man had uttered suspicions about financial swindles. He lied to my face.”
“But why? Who could conceive of a pastor who lies?”
“In order to get rid of his toughest competitor for the rector’s position. Berg has two convictions for drunk driving. The only thing Bengt Maardh has is a reputation as a ladies’ man-and actually, now that I think of it, that charge also came from Berg. Even if it is finally established that the accusations against Louise are unfounded, the decision about the new rector will have been made: Urban Berg would have become the rector of Kullahult. We’ve been joking during the investigation and saying that the pastors in this case are ‘petty gossiping pigs,’ but Urban Berg is something else. He’s a liar and a schemer.”
Kurt sighed. “And what do you think we should do about it?”
“Expose Urban Berg. We’re going to tell the public just what happened. I’m going to pull out the old drunk- driving convictions. I’m going to recount exactly what he said when he came to see me last week. Of course, we’re going to make it very clear that Louise Maardh is innocent. You’re going to write the whole truth.”
“Is there any foundation to the charge that Mr. and Mrs. Maardh spent a suspicious amount of money in the last few years?”
Irene smiled as she replied. “Bengt told me that he and his brother inherited a large sum of money from a childless uncle a few years ago. Neither Louise nor Bengt told anyone else about this inheritance, so that there
“And I’ll write that as well,” Kurt determined.
“Of course.”
“Poor Urban Berg. And poor me.”
“No one feels sorry for either of you. The least you can do is try to make things right. Innocent people have been hurt. Remember, there must be bold headlines on the front page!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it.”
“WELL. TWO days in London at our expense, and the only thing you come home with is a bandage on your
