‘What was Viktor’s attitude towards the assault?’
‘Naturally he thought it was a horrible thing to happen. He was truly shocked and blamed everyone except himself. He said that it was the parents’ fault for not having better control over their kids; that the bouncers should have stepped in sooner and with greater force when they saw what was going on; that the police should have had a greater presence outside the club, since they knew about all the drinking and fighting that went on. Viktor was devastated and went over to visit the boy’s mother, but he was thrown out on his ear. She blamed him. She runs the Kloster Restaurant, which is near the club. Viktor claimed that in addition to being upset that her son had been assaulted, she was also mad at him for chasing away her customers with his rowdy club parties.’
‘Are you talking about Ingrid Almlov?’
‘Yes. And I know that Viktor was very upset about the fact that she refused to see him. He tried several times.’
‘Are there other enemies your husband might have acquired because of the assault incident? Or simply because he ran the club the way he did?’ asked Jacobsson.
‘Of course. The bouncers were mad at Viktor because he accused them of shirking their duties. Now they’re at risk of losing their jobs altogether. And just think about all the parents and others who have been complaining ever since the club opened.’
‘But as far as you know, he never received any sort of specific threats?’
‘No.’
Knutas thought about what the widow had told them. They were going to have to thoroughly investigate the whole story about the assault and Viktor’s club. He decided to phone Ingrid Almlov later in the day. He’d talked to her a number of times since her son had been beaten, but their conversation had never touched on any of these issues. He felt sick at the idea of having to broach these topics with her when her son was hovering between life and death.
‘Think very carefully,’ Jacobsson said now. ‘If we disregard everything having to do with the assault and the divorce, was Viktor on bad terms with anyone else? It might be related to something in the distant past. It doesn’t have to be something current.’
Elisabeth took a bun from the plate and slowly chewed on it as she considered the question.
‘In that case, the only person I can think of is Sten Bergstrom, who lives out near Holmhallar down the road. Several years ago he started a company similar to Viktor’s. In the beginning it was just a matter of a few events. The first thing he did was handle the arrangements for a big wedding here in the area, and it was a huge success. We were even invited. After that he got so many requests to arrange weddings and other types of celebrations that he started his own business, specializing in local parties. Slightly smaller events than those Viktor handled. But the problem was that he gave his company a name that was ridiculously similar to Viktor’s, which is called “Go Gotland”. Sten Bergstrom called his firm “Goal Gotland”. Gradually Sten began getting requests from customers who had previously hired Viktor’s company. His business grew. Viktor got more and more unhappy and even alarmed over the competition. After a while rumours began to spread that Sten’s events were marred by drunkenness and brawls. I think he lost his licence to serve alcohol, and eventually he went bankrupt.’
‘When did all this happen?’ asked Jacobsson.
‘Maybe three or four years ago. After the bankruptcy, Sten and Viktor never spoke to each other again. He’s the only real enemy that I can think of.’
Knutas made a note of the name. Jacobsson decided to change tack.
‘And your children – what did they think about the fact that you were getting a divorce?’
‘It’s hard to say. They’re both adults now, you know. Fredrik is twenty-eight and Sofia is twenty-six. Both of them live in Stockholm and have their own lives. Neither of them seemed particularly upset by the news, although they might not have wanted to tell us their true thoughts or feelings. Children end up with conflicting loyalties, not wanting to side with one parent or the other.’
Elisabeth Algard gave a heavy sigh and then refilled their coffee cups.
‘What was your reaction when you heard about Viktor’s death?’ asked Jacobsson.
‘When the police came here the first time, I had such a migraine that I hardly reacted at all when they told me that Viktor was dead. And to cap it all, that they suspected it was murder. When my headache finally began to subside, I had a hard time taking in the news. As I began to comprehend fully what had happened, I felt angry. Because he was dead and I could no longer talk to him. Because I still couldn’t work out why he wanted a divorce. Or what had made him come up with such an idea. I’m angry because I never had a chance to find out. I feel cheated. It’s as if I’m living in a vacuum, and I can’t seem to get anything done. But there are a lot of things I need to deal with: the funeral, the estate, his will and our finances. I need to decide what to do about the farm, and whether I can even afford to live here any more. Then there’s Viktor’s business – and everything else. I feel like there’s no room for grief. Just a lot of practical matters that need to be addressed, along with my own anger, and I have no idea what to do about that.’
Knutas felt genuinely sorry for Elisabeth Algard. So far he had deliberately put off asking her about her husband’s purported love affair.
Jacobsson made it easy for him by broaching the sensitive topic herself.
‘There’s one more thing that we have to ask you,’ she began. ‘Do you know whether Viktor had met someone else? Another woman?’
The widow’s eyes narrowed.
‘What do you mean?’
Jacobsson nervously shifted position and cast a quick glance at Knutas, as if asking him for help. But he had none to offer.
‘Certain people we’ve talked to claim that they suspected Viktor had a mistress.’
Elisabeth got up and went over to look out of the window, with her back turned to the two officers. When she spoke, her voice was dry and composed.
‘Who told you that?’
‘Several witnesses have said that they recently started to suspect that he had fallen in love. This could be of great importance to the investigation. Think carefully. Did you notice any change in his behaviour? Some small sign that might indicate he was having an affair?’
‘No, nothing. I didn’t notice anything like that.’
‘Did you ever spend the night in Viktor’s flat in Visby?’
‘No.’
‘When was the last time you were there?’
‘Good Lord, it must be at least a year ago. I’ve never had any reason to go there.’
‘So you didn’t keep any personal belongings in the flat? Clothing or toiletries?’
‘No.’ Elisabeth turned around and gave the officers a resigned look. ‘Is that what you found there? In Viktor’s flat?’
Knutas had no option but to nod.
YET ANOTHER NIGHT when Johan had slept very poorly. Elin woke up at least ten times, coughing so hard that it sounded as if her lungs would burst. He’d phoned both the doctor on call and the paediatric hotline, but both times he was advised to remain calm, give the child some cough syrup and keep an eye on her. How typical, he thought with annoyance.
Around 4 a.m. Elin finally fell asleep, and she was still sleeping soundly when he got up. Emma would stay home with Elin as long as necessary. Johan had taken care of their daughter the previous week, but now he was swamped with work because of the Algard murder case. Besides, Emma was feeling generally worn out, so she candidly admitted that she was more than happy to stay home from work. She was a primary school teacher at the small Kyrk School in Roma. Right now the pupils were bubbling over with spring fever, which made them even more rambunctious than usual.
Luckily, Johan and Pia had agreed that he didn’t need to drive into town to the editorial office. She was going to pick him up in Roma on her way south. As expected, the murder in the conference centre had prompted big headlines in the local morning papers. It was front-page news, with other related stories inside as well. None of the papers mentioned the victim’s name, merely speaking of ‘a well-known individual in Visby’s hospitality industry’.
