The Man on the Balcony

'And you're sure she was alone?'

'Yes.'

'And she had a blue skirt and striped T-shirt, you're sure of that?'

'No. I mean, I don't know. But…'

'But what?'

'I think so.'

'And you saw no one else? No one talking to her?'

'Wait,' Lundgren said. 'Wait, wait. I read about that in the paper. I've thought no end about it.'

'What have you thought?'

'Well, that I…'

'Did you speak to her yourself?'

'No, no, for Christ's sake.'

'She sat there all alone on the swings. Did you go up to her?'

'No, no…'

'Let him tell us himself, Gunvald,' Martin Beck said. 'He must have thought a lot about this.'

Lundgren glanced resignedly at Martin Beck. He looked tired and rather scared. No truculence now.

Keep quiet, Gunvald, Martin Beck thought.

Gunvald Larsson kept quiet.

The mugger sat silent for a minute or two, his head in his hands. Then he said:

'I've thought about this. Every day since then.'

Silence.

'I've tried to think back. I know that I saw that kid in the playground and that she was alone and that it must have been just after I got there. About ten or a quarter past seven. I didn't pay much attention, see. Only a kid, and anyway I wasn't going to work down there by the playground. Too near the street, Sveavagen. So I didn't think much about her. Then. It would have been different if she'd been in the playground up there by the water tower.'

'Did you see her there too?' Gunvald Larsson asked.

'No, no…'

'Did you follow her?'

'No, no, try and get this. I wasn't in the least interested in her, but…'

'But what?'

'There weren't many people in the park that evening. It was stinking weather, could have poured at any minute. I was about to give up and go home when that old bag… when that lady came. But…'

'But what?'

'What I want to say is that I saw that girl. And the time must have been nearly seven fifteen.'

'You've already said that. Who did you see with her?'

'No one. She was solo. What I mean is that I saw about a dozen people the whole time. I'm… I'm very careful. When I work I don't want to get caught. So I watch out. And what I mean is that maybe one of those I saw…'

'Well, whom did you see?'

'I saw those two cops…'

'The policemen.'

'Yes, for Chrissake. One was red-haired and had a trench-coat and the other had a cap and jacket and trousers, lean face sort of.'

'Axelsson and Lind,' Ronn said to himself.

'You're very observant,' Martin Beck said.

'Yes, you are,' Gunvald Larsson said. 'Out with the rest now.'

'Those two cops… no, don't interrupt, for Chrissake… they went into the park from different directions and were in there about a quarter of an hour. But it was much later than when I saw the girl. Must have been an hour and a half later.'

'And?'

'And then those other two. The guy that felt the girl up. That was earlier again. I followed them, was nearly going to have a go…'

'Have a go?'

'Yes, at… no, for Chrissake, I don't mean sex. The girl had on a mini-skirt, black and white, and the guy was wearing a blazer. Looked upper class, but she had no handbag.'

He was silent. Gunvald Larsson, Martin Beck and Ronn waited.

'She had white lace panties.'

'How could you see that without her seeing you?'

'She didn't see a goddam thing, neither did the guy. They wouldn't have seen a hippopotamus. They didn't even see each other. And they must have come about…'

He paused. Then said:

'What time were the cops there?'

'Eight thirty,' Martin Beck said quickly.

The mugger looked almost triumphant as he said:

'Exactly. And by then those two had been gone at least a quarter of an hour. And the two of them were in the park for at least half an hour. From a quarter to eight until a quarter past, that is. I followed them at first, but then I shoved off. Stand there watching their petting. Christ no. But when they came the little girl wasn't there. She wasn't in the playground, either when they came or when they left. I'd have seen her if she'd been there. I'd have noticed.'

He was really trying to help now.

'So she was in the playground at seven fifteen but had gone by seven forty-five?' Gunvald Larsson said.

'Exactly.'

'And what did you do in the meantime?'

'Kept an eye open, so to speak. I hung about the corner, between Sveavagen and Frejgatan. So that I could see people entering the park from those directions.'

'Just a moment. You say you saw about ten persons altogether?'

'In the park? Yes, roughly.'

'Two policemen, this young couple, the lady you robbed, the little girl. That's six.'

'I also followed a man with a dog. I followed him the whole time, but he only walked about by Stefan's Church and near the street. Probably waiting for the dog to shit or something.'

'What direction did this man come from?' Martin Beck asked.

'He came in from Sveavagen, by the candy stand.'

'What time?' Ronn asked.

'It was soon after I came. He was the only one I considered before that guy with the girl. He… wait, he came in by the candy stand and had one of those skinny little dogs. The girl was in the playground then.'

'Are you sure?' Gunvald Larsson said.

'Yes. Wait a sec now. I followed him the whole time. He was there for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. And when he left, the girl must have gone.'

'What other people did you see?'

'Only a few bums.'

'Bums?'

'Yes. I never even considered them. Two or three of them. They went through the park.'

'Try and remember now, for God's sake,' Gunvald Larsson said.

'I am trying. I saw two walking together. They came from Sveavagen and went up towards the water tower. Hobos. Pretty old.'

'Are you sure they were together?'

'Almost. I'd seen them before. I remember now thinking they had a bottle of liquor or a few beers they wanted a swig at up in the park. But that happened while those two were still there, the girl with the lace pants