'One more thing,' she said. 'I think there's something strange about his career switch from engineer to postal worker. That needs to be explored.'
'I recently heard about a bishop who started driving a taxi,' Hansson said.
'This is different,' she said. 'I heard about that bishop, too. He was already 55 - maybe he wanted to try something completely different before he got too old. But Ake Larstam made his switch before he turned 40.'
Wallander sensed that this was important. 'You mean that something happened?'
'Yes, something significant had to have happened to make him change his life so completely.'
'He moved, too,' Thurnberg said. 'That suggests that Ann-Britt is right.'
'I'll look into this myself,' Wallander said. 'I'll call that engineering firm - what was it called?'
Martinsson flipped through his papers. 'Strand Consulting. He left in 1985, which means he was then 33 years old.'
'We'll start there,' Wallander said. 'The rest of you will keep looking through the material we already have. You're trying to find out where he might be, and who his next victim is.'
'What about bringing in Kjell Albinsson again?' Thurnberg asked. 'He might think of something else, particularly if he participates in our discussion.'
'You're right,' Wallander said. 'We'll bring him back. Someone also has to run Larstam's name through the database.'
'His name isn't there,' Martinsson said. 'I've already checked.'
Wallander was surprised that he had found the time to do it, but then he realised that Martinsson must have lied when he said he had slept for an hour. He had been working as hard as Wallander, but had lied out of consideration. He didn't know if he should be touched or angry. He decided against both, and pushed on.
'Get me the number of that firm.'
He dialled the number that was read out to him and reached a recording stating that the number had been changed. He dialled the new number, which was in Vaxholm, an island very close to Stockholm. This time someone answered.
'Strand Consulting,' a female voice said.
'My name is Kurt Wallander. I'm a detective with the criminal division in Ystad. I need some information about a former employee at your company.'
'And who might that be?'
'An engineer by the name of Ake Larstam.'
'There's no one here by that name.'
'I know. That's what I just said. He's a former employee. Please listen.'
'There's no need to take that tone with me. How do I know you're really from the police, anyway?'
Wallander was about to pull the phone out of the wall but managed to calm himself.
'Of course you have no way of knowing who I am,' he said. 'But all the same, I need information on Ake Larstam. He left the firm in 1985.'
'That was before my time. You'd better speak with Persson.'
'Why don't I give you my number? That way he can double-check that I'm calling from the Ystad police station.'
She wrote down the number.
'This is an urgent matter. Is Persson available?'
'He's meeting with a client right now, but I'll have him call you when he's done.'
'That's not soon enough,' Wallander said. 'He'll have to interrupt his meeting and call me back immediately.'
'I'll tell him it's important, but that's all I can do.'
'Then tell him this: if he doesn't return my call in three minutes, a police helicopter will be dispatched from Stockholm to bring him in for questioning.'
Wallander hung up, aware that everyone was staring at him. He looked over at Thurnberg, who burst out laughing.
'I'm sorry about that,' Wallander said. 'I had to say something.'
Thurnberg nodded. 'I didn't hear you say anything.'
The phone rang in less than two minutes. The man on the other end said he was Hans Persson. Wallander told him what he needed to know, without saying that Ake Larstam was wanted for murder.
'According to our information, he stopped working for you in 1985,' Wallander said.
'That's right. It was in November, if I recall.'
'You remember?'
'Vividly.'
Wallander pushed the receiver closer to his ear.
'Why was it so memorable? What happened?'
'He was fired. He's the only engineer I've ever let go. I should explain at this point that I founded this company. There's never been a 'Strand' here, I just thought Strand sounded better than Persson.'
'So you fired Ake Larstam. Why?'
'It's hard to explain, but he just didn't fit in here.'
'Why not?'
'It will sound strange when I explain it.'
'I'm a policeman, I'm used to strange things.'
'He wasn't independent enough. He always agreed with everything, even when we knew he had a different opinion. It isn't possible to have constructive discussions with people who are only out to please others. You can't get anywhere with them.'
'That's how he was?'
'Yes. It just wasn't working out. He never came up with any ideas of his own.'
'How were his technical abilities?'
'Excellent. That was never the issue.'
'How did he react to his termination?'
'He didn't show any emotion at all, as far as I could tell. I was expecting to keep him on for another half a year at least, but he left immediately. He walked out of my office, got his coat, and just left. He didn't even pick up the severance pay due to him. It was as if he vanished into thin air.'
'Did you have any contact with him after that?'
'I tried to, but I never managed to speak with him in person.'
'Did you know he went to work for the post office?'
'I heard about it. There was some paperwork that came through from the employment office.'
'Did he have any close friends that you were aware of?'
'I knew nothing about his personal life. He wasn't particularly close to anyone at this office. Sometimes he looked after other people's flats when they were gone, but otherwise I think he simply kept to himself.'
'Do you know if his parents were still alive, or if he had any siblings?'
'I have no idea. His life outside this office was a complete blank. That's a real problem at a small firm.'
'I understand. Thanks for your help.'
'You'll understand if my curiosity has been piqued,' Persson said. 'Can you tell me what this is about?'
'You'll hear about it soon enough,' Wallander said. 'I can't tell you more than that right now.'
Wallander hung up abruptly. He was struck by something Persson had said, something about how Larstam looked after other people's flats when they were away on holiday. He hesitated, but decided it should be looked into.
'Has anything been done with Svedberg's flat?' he asked.
'Ylva Brink said at the funeral that she was going to empty it soon, but she hasn't started yet.'
Wallander thought about the keys that were still in his desk drawer.
'Hansson,' he said. 'You and someone else should go down to his flat and look around. See if you can tell if anyone's been there recently. The keys are in my top drawer.'
Hansson left with one of the officers from Malmo. It was just before 9 a.m. Hoglund was trying to find Larstam's parents. Martinsson went back to double-check the database. Wallander went to the men's room,
