'No, but he said he was carrying a container of petrol.'
'Then it can't be a sailing boat,' said one of the Malmo officers. But this comment met with a storm of protests.
'Sailing boats often have engines as well,' Martinsson said. 'We can't rule anything out, even a little sea plane.'
Martinsson's last suggestion met with even more protests. Wallander silenced them.
'A boat is a good hiding place,' he said. 'The question is how much stock we put in this.'
He turned to Albinsson again. 'Are you sure you're right?'
'Yes.'
Wallander looked over at Thurnberg, who nodded.
'Get some plainclothes officers to look around the marina,' Wallander said. 'Make the whole thing as discreet as possible. If there's even a hint of a suspicion that Larstam is there, they should turn back. We'll have to decide how to proceed at that point.'
'There are probably a lot of people down there,' Hoglund said, 'with this weather we've been having.'
Martinsson and one of the Malmo officers headed down to the marina. Wallander asked Albinsson to sit at the table.
'If you have any more of these boat stories up your sleeve, I'd love to hear them.'
'I've been trying to think of everything I can, but it's just making me realise how little I knew about him,' Albinsson said.
Wallander checked his watch. It was 11.30 a.m. We're not going to get him in time, he thought. At any moment the phone will ring with the news of another murder.
Hoglund started talking about Larstam's motive.
'It must be some kind of revenge,' Wallander said.
'For what?' she asked. 'Because he was fired from his job? What would the newly-weds have to do with that?'
Wallander got up to get some coffee and Hoglund came along.
'You're right. There's another motive here,' Wallander said, as they were nursing their mugs of coffee in the canteen. 'There may be an element of revenge at the bottom of it, but Larstam kills people who are happy. Nyberg was struck by this thought in Nybrostrand. Albinsson confirmed it. Ake Larstam doesn't like it when people laugh.'
'Then he's more disturbed than we realised. You don't kill people just because they're happy. What kind of world is this?'
'Good question,' Wallander said. 'We ask ourselves what kind of world we live in, but it's too painful to face the truth. Maybe our worst fears have already been realised - maybe the justice system has collapsed. More and more people are feeling overlooked and superfluous, and that feeds the escalation of senseless violence we're seeing. Violence has become part of our daily reality. We complain about the way things are, but sometimes I think things are even worse than we're admitting.'
Wallander was about to continue with this line of thought when he was told that Martinsson was on the phone. He spilled coffee on his shirt as he ran back to the conference room.
'We haven't found anything,' Martinsson said. 'There isn't a boat registered under Larstam's name.'
Wallander thought for a moment. 'He may have registered his boat under someone else's name,' he said.
'These marinas are so small that people generally know each other,' Martinsson said. 'I doubt he would have felt safe using an assumed name.'
But Wallander wasn't prepared to let go of the idea just yet. 'Did you check under Svedberg's name?'
'I did, actually. But there wasn't anything.'
'I want you to check the register one more time. Try anyone's name who's been associated with this investigation, either centrally or otherwise.'
'You're thinking of names like Hillstrom and Skander?'
'Exactly.'
'I see what you're saying, but do you really think it's a reasonable assumption?'
'Nothing is reasonable. Just do it. Call me if you find anything.'
Wallander hung up, and looked down at the large coffee stain on his shirt. He was fairly sure he had at least one clean shirt in his cupboard, and it would take him only 20 minutes to go home and change. But he decided to wait until he heard from Martinsson again.
Thurnberg came over. 'I'd like to send Albinsson home,' he said. 'I don't think he has anything to add at this point.'
Wallander got up, walked over to Albinsson, and shook his hand. 'You've been a great help to us.'
'I still don't understand any of this.'
'None of us do.'
'Nothing should go further than this room,' Thurnberg said.
Albinsson promised to keep quiet.
'Does anyone know where Nyberg is?' Wallander asked.
'He's using the phone in Hansson's office.'
'That's where I'll be if Martinsson calls.'
Wallander went to Hansson's office, where Nyberg sat with the telephone receiver pressed to his ear. He was writing something on a pad. He looked up when Wallander came in.
'We'll know whether or not it's Larstam's thumb before the end of the day,' Nyberg said when he'd hung up.
'It is his thumb,' Wallander said. 'We just need confirmation.'
'What will you do if it isn't his thumb?'
'Resign from this investigation.'
Nyberg pondered these words. Wallander sat down in Hansson's chair.
'Do you remember the telescope?' Wallander asked. 'Why was it over at Bjorklund's house? Who put it there?'
'You don't think it was someone other than Larstam, do you?'
'Why did he put it there?'
'Maybe to cause confusion. Perhaps a half-hearted attempt to pin the blame on Svedberg's cousin.'
'He must have thought of everything.'
'If he hasn't, we'll get him.'
'His prints should be on the telescope.'
'If he didn't think to wipe it off first.'
The phone rang and Wallander grabbed it. It was Martinsson.
'You're right,' he said.
Wallander jumped to his feet so fast the chair was knocked over.
'What do you have?'
'A berth registered in Isa Edengren's name. I even saw the contract and it looks like he imitated her signature. I recall what her handwriting looked like. Someone in the office remembers the person who signed it. He says it was a dark-haired woman.'
'Louise.'
'Exactly. She even told them her brother would often be using the boat.'
'He's good,' Wallander said.
'It's a small wooden boat,' Martinsson said. 'Big enough for a couple of sleeping berths below deck. There's another boat on one side but nothing on the other.'
'I'm coming down,' Wallander said. 'Keep your distance, and above all stay vigilant. We have to assume he's being very careful now and he won't approach the marina unless he's sure the coast is clear.'
'I guess we haven't kept as low a profile as we should have.'
Wallander hung up and told Nyberg what had happened. He returned to the conference room and placed Hoglund and Thurnberg in charge of coordinating assistance in the event that he needed it.
