Wallander didn't feel like commenting on Hansson's contemptuous opinion of Anette Brolin.'What do you want?' he asked.
Hansson sat down on the wooden chair near the window, looking ill at ease.
'You probably know that I play the horses a bit,' he began. 'By the way, the horse you recommended came last by a street. Who gave you that tip?'
Wallander vaguely recalled a remark he had made one time in Hansson's office. 'It was just a joke,' he said. 'Go on.'
'There's a chap named Erik Magnusson who often shows up at Jagersro. He bets big time, loses a bundle, and I happen to know that he works for the county council.'Wallander was immediately interested.'How old is he? What does he look like?'
Hansson described him. Wallander knew at once that it was the man he had met.
'There are rumours that he's in debt,' said Hansson. 'And gambling debts can be dangerous.'
'Good,' said Wallander. 'That's exactly the kind of information we need.'
Hansson stood up. 'You never know,' he said. 'Gambling and drugs can sometimes have the same effect. Unless you're like me and just gamble for the fun of it.'
Wallander thought about something Rydberg had said. About people who, because of a drug dependency, were capable of unlimited brutality.
'Good,' he said to Hansson. 'Excellent.'
Hansson left the office. Wallander thought for a moment and then called Boman in Kristianstad. He was in luck and got hold of him at once.
'What do you want me to do?' he asked after Wallander had given him Hansson's news.
'Run the vacuum cleaner over him,' said Wallander. 'And keep an eye on her.'
Boman promised to put Ellen Magnusson under surveillance.
Wallander got hold of Hansson just as he was on his way out of the station.
'Gambling debts,' he said. 'Who would he owe the money to?'
Hansson knew the answer. 'There's a man from Tagarp who lends money,' he said. 'If Magnusson owes money to anybody, it would be him. He's a loan shark for a lot of the high rollers at Jagersro. And as far as I know, he's got some really unpleasant types working for him that he sends out with reminders to people who are lax with their payments.''Where can I get hold of him?'
'He's got a hardware shop in Tagarp. A short, hefty guy in his 6os.''What's his name?''Larson. But people call him the Junkman.'
Wallander went back to his office. He tried to find Rydberg. Ebba, who was on the switchboard, knew where he was. He wasn't due in until 10 a.m., because he was at the hospital.'Is he ill?' wondered Wallander.
'It's probably his rheumatism,' said Ebba. 'Haven't you noticed how he's been limping this winter?'
Wallander decided not to wait for Rydberg. He put on his coat, went out to his car, and drove to Tagarp.
The hardware shop was in the middle of the town. It was advertising a sale on wheelbarrows. The man who came out of the back room when the bell rang was indeed short and hefty. Wallander was the only person in the shop, and he decided to get right to the point. He took out his identity card. The Junkman studied it carefully but seemed totally unaffected.
'Ystad,' he said. 'What can the police from Ystad want with me?'
'Do you know a man named Erik Magnusson?'
The man behind the counter was much too experienced to lie.
'Could be. Why?'
'When did you first meet him?'
Wrong question, thought Wallander. It gives him the chance to retreat.'I don't remember.'
'But you do know him?''We have a few common interests.''Such as betting on the horses?''That's possible.'
Wallander felt provoked by the man's overbearing self-confidence.
'Listen,' he said. 'I know that you lend money to people who can't control their gambling. Right now I'm not thinking of asking about the interest rates you charge on your loans. I don't give a damn about your involvement in an illegal money-lending operation. I want to know about something else entirely.'The Junkman looked at him with curiosity.
'I want to know whether Erik Magnusson owes you money,' he said. 'And I want to know how much.''Nothing,' replied the man.
'Nothing?' . 'Not a single ore.'
Dead end, thought Wallander. Hansson's lead was a dead end.
'But if you want to know, he did owe me money,' said the man. 'How much?''A lot. But he paid up 25,000 kronor.' 'When?'
The man made a swift calculation. 'A little over a week ago. The Thursday before last.'
Thursday, 11 January, thought Wallander. They were finally on the right track.'How did he pay you?''He came over here.''In what denominations?''Thousands. Five hundreds.''Where did he have the money?''What do you mean?''In a bag? A briefcase?''In a plastic grocery bag. From I.C.A., I think.' 'Was he late paying?' 'A little.'
'What would have happened if he hadn't paid?''I would have had to send him a reminder.''Do you know how he came up with the money?'
The Junkman shrugged. At that moment a customer came into the shop.
'That's none of my business,' he said. 'Will there be anything else?'
'No, thanks. Not at the moment. But you may hear from me again.'
Wallander went out to his car. The wind had picked up. OK, he thought. Now we've got him. Who would have thought that something good would come out of Hansson's lousy gambling? Wallander drove back to Ystad feeling as if he had won the lottery. He was on the scent of an answer.Erik Magnusson, he thought. Here we come.
CHAPTER 14
After intensive work that dragged on until late into the night of Friday, 19 January, Wallander and his colleagues were ready for battle. Bjork had sat in on the long case meeting, and at Wallander's request he had let Hansson put aside work on the murder in Hageholm so he could join the Lunnarp group, as they now called themselves. Naslund was off ill again, but he rang in and said he'd be there the next day.
In spite of the weekend, the work had to continue with undiminished effort. Martinsson had returned with a dog patrol from a detailed inspection of the dirt road that led from Veberodsvagen to the back of Lovgren's stable. He had made a meticulous examination of the road, which ran for nearly two kilometres through a couple of copses, divided two pieces of pasture land as the boundary line, and then ran parallel to an almost dry creek bed. He hadn't found anything out of the ordinary, even though he came back to the station with a plastic bag full of bits and pieces. Among other things, there was a rusty wheel from a doll's pram, a greasy sheet of plastic, and an empty cigarette pack of a foreign brand. The objects would be examined, but Wallander didn't think they would produce anything of use to the investigation.
The most important decision during the meeting was that Magnusson would be placed under round-the-clock surveillance. He lived in a rented house in the old Rosengard district. Hansson reported that there were trotting
