afternoon, it came as a relief. Instead of conforming with convention and lying stretched out under the unforgiving sun, they could devote themselves with a clear conscience to a ratatouille with curry, Indian cumin and thick cream, a dish they duly enjoyed in the conservatory while the rain pattered against the windowpanes and the tin roof.
And an Italian red to wash it down. Malevoli cheese with slices of pear for afters. And a glass of old port wine from a dust-covered bottle without a label — Mikael claimed that it was from a cellar that came into the family with the house in the twenties. Moreno didn’t know whether to believe him or not. But it was very good in any case. Like a sweet, deep-frozen fire.
They eventually ended up in rocking chairs on either side of the open fire, and Montezuma indicated that Moreno had begun to be accepted by coming to lie in her lap. As she sat there digesting the food and stroking the lazy cat between its ears, Mikael took the opportunity of taking twenty-four photos of them.
‘Very pretty,’ he announced. ‘So very damned pretty. The fire, the woman and the cat.’
She felt too full to protest.
‘You think of her as your own child, don’t you?’ he said when he’d put the camera away.
‘Who? Montezuma?’
‘Mikaela Lijphart. You’re assuming a mother’s responsibility for her. . Because you don’t have any children of your own.’
‘Tuppeny-ha’penny psychology,’ said Moreno.
Is he right? she wondered. Why the hell is he raising this now?
‘Tuppence-ha’penny is worth something. Or used to be,’ Mikael said. ‘What are you trying to convince yourself’? That there’s something fishy about this old scandal?’
‘What do you think yourself?’ Moreno asked, aware of the tone of irritation in her voice. ‘Don’t you agree that it’s a bit odd for this girl to go missing at a moment like this? Just after she’s visited her loony father for the first time? Just after she’s finally discovered why she’s had to grow up without him?’
‘Yes, I agree,’ said Mikael after a moment’s silence. ‘It’s just that I thought you’d had enough of stuff like this nagging you when you’re supposed to be on leave, that’s all.’
‘Are you suggesting that I should just let it all drop?’
He suddenly looked quite angry. Teeth clenched and grinding — for the first time, she thought.
‘Rubbish,’ he said. ‘I think you’re doing the right thing. Absolutely. You don’t need to defend yourself, but it gets more complicated if you keep changing your mind all the time.’
What the hell is he on about? Moreno thought, giving Montezuma a pat which sent her jumping down to the floor.
‘Now listen here,’ she said. ‘I’m not very receptive to all that psychobabble about my motives just now. My period’s due tomorrow or the day after, so we can blame it on that. But in any case, I can’t just stop thinking about that poor girl. And if I’m thinking thoughts, I might as well do something about them as well. If you can’t take that, just say so. But none of these half-baked comments, if you don’t mind.’
That’s blown it, she thought. I might as well pack my things and book into a hotel for tonight.
But he just looked sorry.
‘For pity’s sake,’ he said. ‘What are you talking about? Do you have to empty your brain before your period starts? I’m saying I think you’re doing the right thing. If you’re not sure about that, stop projecting your doubts on to me. . Because that’s exactly what you’re doing. Now, where were we? What did Mikaela Lijphart do after she’d visited her father at the Sidonis home?’
‘Booked herself into the youth hostel,’ said Moreno.
Thank goodness I don’t have to pack my things, she thought.
‘And then?’
‘She took the bus into Lejnice and back. On Saturday evening.’
‘Why?’
‘I don’t know. Then she took the bus again on Sunday. Into town. And since then there’s been no sign of her.’
Mikael nodded.
‘Any response to the Wanted notice?’
‘It only went out this morning,’ said Moreno. ‘If anybody’s seen her, the police ought to know by now. But Vegesack did say he’d ring. .’
Mikael looked at the clock.
‘Why don’t you ring and ask?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Moreno. ‘I’ve eaten too much.’
It took quite a while to get through to Chief of Police Vrommel, since he was in the shower after an 8- kilometre jog.
These details were in the recorded message on his answering machine, and twenty minutes later he responded. Newly scrubbed, fresh and fragrant, one could assume. And well stretched. Moreno came straight to the point and asked if the Wanted notice regarding Mikaela Lijphart had produced any results.
‘Negative,’ said Vrommel.
‘Do you mean nothing?’ Moreno wondered.
‘As I said,’ said Vrommel. ‘Negative.’
‘So didn’t anybody see her on Sunday?’
‘Nobody who has contacted us,’ said the chief of police. ‘Where I am it’s Saturday evening. Don’t you have anything better to do while you’re on leave, Inspector?’
‘Lots,’ said Moreno, and hung up.
Forty-five minutes and one-and-a-half glasses of port later she telephoned Constable Vegesack.
‘I apologize for ringing so late,’ she began.
‘No problem,’ said Vegesack. ‘My girlfriend’s on a flight due into Emsbaden at half past two tomorrow morning. I’m going to collect her and have to keep awake until then.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ said Moreno. ‘We’ve just come home, my. . boyfriend and I. I’d be very interested to hear what came of the Wanted notice. For Mikaela Lijphart, that is.’
‘I’m with you,’ said Vegesack. ‘No, nobody’s taken the bait. Not today, at least.’
‘Nothing at all?’
‘Well,’ said Vegesack, ‘there was a woman who turned up at the station this afternoon. She said she was responding to the Wanted notice, but it turned out that she had nothing of any value to contribute.’
Moreno thought for a moment.
‘Nothing else?’
‘No,’ said Vegesack. ‘But tomorrow is another day.’
‘I hope so,’ said Moreno. ‘I wonder if I could ask a favour of you.’
‘You don’t say,’ said Vegesack. ‘What exactly?’
‘Well,’ said Moreno, ‘I’d like to take a look at the interrogation records of the Maager case. I assume you still have them?’
‘I assume so,’ said Vegesack. ‘There are loads of shelves full of files — I take it that what you are after is in one of them. Just call in and take a look.’
Moreno waited for three seconds.
‘Another thing.’
‘Yes?’
‘Could we do this without involving the chief of police? He doesn’t seem too pleased at the thought of my poking my nose into this case.’
‘Of course,’ said Vegesack, and she could hear from his tone of voice that if there was anything in this world that didn’t worry him in the slightest, it was going behind his boss’s back. She couldn’t help but sympathize with him.
In any case, as it was a matter of Sunday morning (Vegesack pointed out) the chances of the chief of police turning up in the station were less than a thousand to one.
