been in this building surrounded by this mixture of smells it was due to an evil, sudden death.
Aloud she said, “There’s a nice smell of Ajax. Have you already done the Christmas cleaning?”
He laughed and peered at her. “You could say that. As a matter of fact I’ve hired a cleaning firm. Three people were here all day yesterday. Fantastically talented people. They cleaned the whole apartment and put up new curtains everywhere. I want the place to look good when my fiancee comes here for the first time,” said Valle.
He smiled happily and glided before her into the large living room. It was somewhat smaller than the room upstairs at the von Knechts, but still about a hundred square meters. With a proud gesture he motioned for her to take a seat in a pompous-looking leather easy chair. The smell of new leather stung her nose. The leather furniture was heavy, shiny, and obviously brand new. Two sofas and four easy chairs. The glass table was the biggest one Irene had ever seen; it reminded her of an octagonal pool. In the large open fireplace of iridescent green marble and black slate a wood fire crackled. High cupboards with shiny glass doors towered on either side of the fireplace. Silver pieces glimmered behind the glass. Large paintings with heavy gold frames were reminiscent of the art in the von Knechts’ apartment. Reuter also owned a paint-laden monster, like the one von Knecht had on the wall of his library-although von Knecht’s was green and this one was blue.
At the other end of the room a large dining table with twelve chairs was enthroned. Above it hung a heavy crystal chandelier. Glittering light from thousands of prisms radiated over the room.
Valle Reuter stepped over to the wall and began twisting a small control dial. Softly the illumination was toned down; then with a quick twist in the other direction he bathed the room in light.
“They came to install this today. A dimmer, it’s called.”
With a thoroughly contented expression, he turned the light back down to a comfortable level.
“Your fiancee will like this apartment, I’m convinced of that.” Irene said this with genuine honesty, because it was actually very pleasant.
“I think so too. Everything is new! It all came today.”
“Everything?”
“Well, not the art and the carpets. Those are things that Henrik bought for me. Investments. The crystal chandelier is old too, very old, but superbly renovated. The furniture is new. You’re the first one to sit in that chair.”
“And all this you bought because your fiancee will be coming here for the first time?”
He gave her a long look and nodded solemnly a few times before he said, “She accepted my proposal last Tuesday. I was overjoyed! My life has been as black as night. Dreary years. . alone. . and then this thing with Richard. When Gunnel said yes, I thought a light was being lit for me too. I almost don’t dare believe it! I decided to start a new life. Got rid of all the ugly old furniture that Leila picked out once upon a time! I’m not very good at cleaning. . the place was a little dirty. But the cleaning company took care of that. Although I had to pay double because they had to come at such short notice. But it was worth it! The day before yesterday I went into that furniture gallery on Ostra Hamngatan. I pointed out exactly what I wanted. Some of it wasn’t in stock, so I took the display items. The dining room table and one of the sofas. ‘I need it delivered Friday evening at the latest,’ I said. It cost quite a bit, the whole thing. But it’s worth every ore! I donated the old furniture to the City Mission. They came and got it yesterday. May I offer you a glass of something? No, I suppose not.”
He looked disappointed, not unlike a pug dog that has his heart set on a treat but doesn’t get it.
“We’re not allowed to drink on duty,” said Irene.
“But it’s seven o’clock on a Friday night!”
“And I’m on duty.”
“Oh.”
“Naturally, that’s why I’m here. But I would like to congratulate you on the new furniture. And wish you all the best in your new life together with Gunnel.”
Valle lit up again. “A thousand thanks! You’re the first to know. No one else knows yet. Sylvia was here and asked whether I was moving, but I evaded the question. She’ll really love hearing my news! And my son doesn’t care. Gunnel and I are getting engaged here secretly tomorrow night. It feels best that way, thinking of Richard. And we’re getting married at Easter!”
Happiness shimmered from his round figure. Irene decided that it was time to get to the reason for her visit. She cleared her throat and said, “I would like to ask a few questions concerning last Tuesday. We received information that when the two of you took a taxi home from lunch at Johanneshus, you didn’t take the direct route. Richard von Knecht stopped at the SE-Bank on Kapellplatsen around four o’clock and withdrew a large amount of cash.”
Valle raised his eyebrows. “Indeed?” He gave her a friendly squint and seemed to be waiting for her to continue.
“Do you recall that he went into the bank?”
“Recall? I always sleep in the cab on the way home! Always! Richard wakes me when we stop here at the front door. Or used to wake me. .” His cheerful voice became subdued and sorrow was clearly evident in those last words.
To clarify, Irene went on, “So on the Tuesday afternoon in question you were asleep the whole time in the cab until it was time to get out?”
“Yes. I must have gone to sleep almost instantly. I was asleep until Richard woke me. As usual.”
“Do you recall if he was carrying anything in his hand?”
Valle really made an effort. Irene was struck by his resemblance to a worried seal. He squinted his eyes and concentrated.
“I think he was. . as a matter of fact. A small white object in one hand. A bag. Did he take out the money in a paper bag?”
“No. He went into the bakery next to the bank and bought two sandwiches.”
“That could be right. He and Sylvia often did that on Tuesdays. Just had a sandwich for dinner. We always ate a substantial lunch, and then Richard had to deal with Sylvia’s starvation diets again. She wanted to be as slim as a ballerina. Poor Richard almost starved to death!”
From what Irene could remember, there hadn’t been anything in the autopsy report about severe undernourishment, but she decided to change the subject.
“Did he say anything to you about the money? It was quite a large sum, ten thousand kronor.”
“He probably wanted to buy something. Clothing, perhaps.”
Valle sounded uninterested. Evidently he didn’t think it was a large sum. Irene suspected that the easy chair he was sitting in cost more than that.
“Did he usually take out cash when he was going to make a purchase?”
Valle thought about it with renewed interest.
“No, he always used a credit card. He didn’t like carrying cash. He said you shouldn’t have any, in case you’re robbed. You never know these days, with all the skinheads and drug addicts.”
For a second her daughter’s bald pate swam before Irene’s eyes, but she pushed away the image. She motioned toward the monster painting and asked, “Did Henrik help you acquire all these fine paintings?”
“Yes. A fine boy. Talented and competent. He also purchased the rugs. And the crystal chandelier.”
He pointed at the painting with the blue-headed monster and went on, “He arranged the contact with Bengt Lindstrom, a noted Swedish painter in Paris. This is his portrait of me. I had him do Richard too-from a photograph- for his sixtieth birthday. Richard was overjoyed! Said it was the gift he valued most. But of course Sylvia didn’t like it! She said that they had enough Bengt Lindstrom. She was mad because he liked the painting.”
To her own astonishment Irene suddenly saw that it really was Valle Reuter in the painting. His expression of a jovial seal was right on the mark. The blue seal had a crimson-red glint in his left eye that clearly said,
Since they so opportunely had begun to talk about Henrik, Irene decided to pursue the subject and pump Valle. In a tone of friendly interest she asked, “What did Richard think about his son’s choice of profession?”
“Well, he was extremely disappointed after Henrik’s illness. Probably thought he would continue in the financial world. Just as I thought about my son. Or more correctly, Leila’s son.”
His face clouded over and Irene sensed a trauma that she ought to avoid getting into. She swiftly said, “But Henrik went his own way, as we know. From what I understand, he stays up at his house in Marstrand most of the
