He'd worked there until 1985, when he'd given notice and started to retrain for the postal service. That year he had moved first to Hoor and then to Ystad. He was unmarried and had no children. The space allotted to 'emergency contact' was blank.
'Doesn't this man even have any relatives?'
'Apparently not,' Albinsson said.
'But he must have socialised with someone.'
'He was very private, as I said.'
Wallander put down the file. All of the facts would be verified, but for now Wallander had to concentrate on finding where Larstam was.
'No one is completely without personal relationships,' Wallander said. 'Who did he talk to? Who did he have coffee with? Did he have any strong opinions? There has to be something more you can say about him.'
'We talked about him sometimes,' Albinsson said. 'He was so hard to get to know. But since he was always so friendly and helpful, everyone left him alone. You can grow fond of people you know nothing about.'
Wallander thought about what Albinsson had just said. Then he chose a different tack.
'Some of these jobs were long-term, some just a matter of days. Did you ever know him to turn down an assignment?'
'No.'
'So he didn't seem to have another job?'
'Not that we knew about. He could get ready at a few hours' notice.'
'That means you always managed to get hold of him.'
'Yes.'
'He was always at home waiting for the phone to ring?'
Albinsson was very serious when he answered. 'It seemed like that.'
'You've described him as conscientious, helpful, careful and responsible. And introverted. Did he ever do anything that surprised you?'
Albinsson thought for a while. 'He sang to himself.'
'Sang?'
'Yes. He hummed melodies under his breath.'
'What kinds of things?'
'Mainly hymns, I think. He would do it as he was sorting the post, or as he was walking out to his car. I don't know how to describe it. He sang in a very low voice, probably because he didn't want it to bother anyone.'
'He sang hymns?'
'Or religious songs.'
'Was he religious?'
'How would I know that?'
'Just answer the question.'
'There's a thing called freedom of religion in this country. Ake Larstam could be a Buddhist for all I know.'
'Buddhists don't go around shooting people,' Wallander said sharply. 'Did he have any other peculiar characteristics?'
'He washed his hands a lot.'
'Anything else?'
'The only time I saw him in a bad mood was when people around him were laughing. But that seemed to pass quickly enough.'
Wallander stared at Albinsson. 'Can you elaborate on what you just said?'
'Not really. It's just what I told you.'
'He didn't like people being happy?'
'I wouldn't say that, but he seemed to withdraw more when other people were laughing. I suppose you could call that being happy. It seemed to irritate him.'
Wallander had a flashback to the crime scene at Nybrostrand. Nyberg had turned to him and said that the killer didn't seem to like happy people.
'Did he ever show any violent tendencies?'
'Never.'
'Any other tendencies?'
'He had no tendencies. You hardly noticed him.'
Wallander sensed there was something else that Albinsson was trying to get at. He waited.
'Maybe you could say that his strongest characteristic was the fact that he didn't seem to want to be noticed. He was the kind of person who never turns his back to a door.'
'What do you mean by that?'
'That he always wanted to know who was coming and going.'
Wallander thought he knew what Albinsson was saying. He looked at his watch. It was 3.41 a.m. He called Hoglund.
'Are you still with Sundelius?'
'Yes.'
'I'd like to see you out in the hall for a moment.'
Wallander got up. 'Can I go home now?' Albinsson asked. 'I know my wife must be worried.'
'Please feel free to call her. But you can't go home just yet.'
Wallander went out into the hall and closed the door. Hoglund was already waiting for him.
'What did Sundelius say?'
'He claims he doesn't know who Ake Larstam is. He keeps repeating that he and Svedberg never did anything but look at stars, and that once they went to a natural healer together. He's very upset. I don't think he's comfortable talking to a female police officer.'
Wallander nodded thoughtfully. 'I think we can send him home for now,' he said. 'He probably didn't know Larstam. I think what we have is two separate nests of secrets. We have Larstam, who eavesdropped on his victims' most intimate affairs. And we have Svedberg, who kept a part of his life secret from Sundelius.'
'And what would that have been?'
'Just think about it.'
'You mean there's a love triangle of sorts behind all this?'
'Not behind. In the middle of.'
She nodded. 'I'll send him home. When are Hansson and the others supposed to be relieved?'
Wallander realised he had already made up his mind.
'They can stay. We're going in. Ake Larstam isn't coming back tonight. He's holed up somewhere - the question is where. If we're going to find the answer, our best place to start is in his flat.'
Wallander returned to the conference room while Albinsson was talking on the phone to his wife. Wallander signalled for him to finish his call.
'Have you been able to think of anything else?' he asked. 'Where could Ake Larstam have gone?'
'I don't know. But that makes me think of another way to describe him.'
'How?'
'That he was always trying to hide.'
Wallander nodded. 'I'll have someone take you home now,' he said. 'But give me a call if you think of anything else.'
They went back into Ake Larstam's flat at 4.15 a.m. Wallander gathered everyone outside the door to the soundproofed bedroom.
'We're looking for two things,' he said. 'The first is where he could be hiding. Does he have a secret hiding place? How do we force him to show himself? The second is whether he is planning to kill again. That's the most important point. It would also be useful if anyone found a picture of him.'
He took Nyberg aside when he finished. 'We need fingerprints,' he said. 'Thurnberg is nervous. We have to have something that places Larstam at the scene of the crime. This has to take precedence over anything else.'
