Gothenburg, and Malmo for the past few years. I don’t think the Brigade is all that dangerous, but Sapo seems to believe they have weapons and explosives. At any rate, most of their members have been to reform school and have been convicted of violent crimes.”
The elevator is rushing down.
“From what I understand, Sapo hauled someone in for trying to enter Penelope Fernandez’s apartment. Someone with a direct connection to the Brigade.”
“His name is Daniel Marklund,” Nathan replies. “He belongs to the inner circle.”
“What do you know about him?”
“Not much,” Nathan answers. “He has a suspended sentence for vandalism and hacking.”
“Why Penelope’s place?”
The elevator stops and the doors open.
“Don’t know. He had no weapon,” Nathan tells him. “Demanded a lawyer when we started asking questions. He answered nothing and was let go later the same day.”
“So we know nothing.”
“Nothing.”
“Where can I find him?” Joona asks.
“He has no home address. According to Sapo, he lives with other members of the inner circle at the Brigade’s main headquarters near Zinkensdamm.”
28
While Joona Linna walks purposefully to the garage underneath Radhus Park, he thinks about Disa, and desire for her wells up from deep within him. He wants to touch her slender arms, smell her soft hair. He finds a strange kind of peace listening to her talk about her archaeological discoveries: shards of bone not connected to any crime and the remains of humans who finished their lives many centuries ago.
Joona decides to call her. He’s been much too busy lately. He continues down into the garage and between the parked cars. There’s a flicker of movement behind one of the concrete pillars. Someone is waiting beside his Volvo. The figure is partially hidden by a garbage truck-he can almost make it out. Nothing can be heard over the loud racket from the large fans.
“That was fast!” Joona yells.
“Teleporting,” replies Nathan Pollock.
Joona stops, closes his eyes, and presses his fingers against his temples.
“Headache?”
“I haven’t been sleeping much.”
They get into the car and close the doors. Joona turns the ignition key and a tango by Astor Piazzolla comes from the speakers. Pollock turns the volume up a bit: it sounds like two violins echoing each other.
“You didn’t get this from me, you know,” Nathan says.
“Right.”
“I’ve just heard from Sapo that they are going to use Marklund’s attempt to break into Penelope’s apartment as an excuse for conducting a raid of the Brigade’s headquarters.”
“I’ve got to get to Marklund before that happens.”
“Then you’d better hurry.”
Joona backs out, turns, and drives up the ramp.
“How much of a hurry?” He turns left onto Kungsholmsgatan.
“They’re on their way now.”
“Show me the entrance to the Brigade’s headquarters and then you can head back to the station and pretend you don’t know anything,” Joona says.
“What’s your plan?”
“Plan?”
Nathan laughs.
“Well, the plan is to find out why Marklund went to Penelope’s apartment,” Joona explains. “Maybe he knows something about what’s going on.”
“But-”
“It’s no coincidence the Brigade tried to break into her apartment just now. That’s what I believe. Sapo thinks that the extreme left is planning some kind of attack, but-”
“They always think that. It’s their job,” Pollock says, smiling.
“Anyway, I’m going to talk to Daniel Marklund before I drop this case.”
“Even if you get there before Sapo’s boys, do you think the Brigade wants to talk to you?”
29
Saga Bauer presses thirteen bullets into the magazine and then shoves it into her large black Glock 21. Sapo is about to storm the Brigade’s headquarters.
Saga is in a minivan parked at Hornsgatan, just outside the Folk Opera. She’s with three colleagues; all are dressed in civilian clothes. In fifteen minutes they’ll head over to Nagham Fast Food and wait for the SWAT team.
For the past month, rumors have come back to Sapo that left-wing extremists are on the move. Perhaps it’s more than rumors, but Sapo’s best strategists have now decided many of these groups have joined forces to plan something really big, perhaps some explosive sabotage. Given the recent theft of explosives from a military facility on Vaxholm Island, they believe it’s a real possibility.
The strategists have also connected the murder of Viola Fernandez and the attempt to blow up Penelope Fernandez’s apartment to this planned attack.
Sapo believes the Brigade to be the most militant and violent of the left-wing fringe groups. Daniel Marklund belongs to their innermost circle, and Sapo’s logic follows that since he tried to break into Penelope Fernandez’s apartment, he might be the assailant who attacked Detective Inspector Joona Linna and his technician.
Goran Stone is smiling as he puts on his heavy protective vest.
“Let’s go get those fucking cowards!”
Anders Westlund laughs but can’t hide his nervousness. He says, “Shit, I hope they resist. I really want to take out one of those communists!”
Saga Bauer is replaying the memory of Daniel Marklund being caught outside Penelope Fernandez’s apartment. Verner Zanden had assigned Goran Stone to the interrogation. Stone had come on strong to startle something out of Marklund, but that strategy had backfired. Marklund had requested legal representation and then clammed up.
The car door opens and Roland Eriksson slides in carrying a bag of marshmallow banana candy and a can of Coca-Cola.
“Damn, I’m jittery. I’ll shoot the second I see a gun,” Roland says, and they can hear the stress in his voice. “Things can go so fast and the only chance you have is to shoot them first-”
“We will follow my plan,” Goran Stone says firmly. “But if shooting breaks out, you don’t have to aim for the legs.”
“Shove it right into their mouths,” Roland yells.
“Take it easy,” Goran says.
