“I don’t know. It could be the number of people, sums, dep-”
“What is it?” Ringmar asked.
“I was thinking-that 23 followed by a question mark. Could that be a departure time? The departure time for a ferry, for example?”
“They couldn’t have been stupid enough to think they could just drive onto the ferry after committing one of Denmark’s biggest bank heists ever?”
“No. But maybe someone else was going to take it. Someone who wasn’t along for the robbery or who wasn’t counting on being recognized. Can you check with the Stena Line to see if there were ferries leaving from Frederikshavn at around 2300 back then?”
A new enlargement arrived from Denmark later that afternoon. The figure in the window was a man who looked like he could have been a young Georg Bremer. It would never be enough to convince a prosecutor, much less to stand up in a court of law. But a court had nevertheless given the go-ahead. Winter got the news when Michaela Poulsen called.
“It was the enlargements that did it,” she said. “We’re going in this afternoon. There’s a guy here from the National Center of Forensic Services at the moment, so we won’t need to send things over there for analysis. If we find something, that is.”
“There could be several layers of wallpaper,” Winter said.
“The NCFS guy just shook his head. Stuff like that only makes you more determined as an investigator, right?”
Halders came running in, out of breath. It was like a confirmation. It was a confirmation.
“Let’s bring him in again,” Winter said.
GEORG BREMER SAT BENEATH THE INTERROGATION LAMP WITH his head bowed over the table. He didn’t want to have a lawyer present. He hadn’t said a word since he’d been taken back into custody. Winter had decided to conduct the interrogation himself. Cohen had agreed. Gabriel Cohen wasn’t territorial like that.
EW: We’ve asked you to come back here to answer some more questions.
G B: Yeah, that’s obvious.
EW: We’re really trying here. We’re doing all we can to understand what happened.
G B: Good luck, that’s all I can say.
EW: That’s all you can say?
GB: That’s it. What else can I say? I’m someone who minds his own business.
EW: I see. But you must have some acquaintances, some people who know you. That’s where we need your help. If you could ask one of your acquaintances to speak to us.
GB: I have…
EW: I didn’t catch your answer.
GB: There was no answer. I didn’t answer anything.
EW: If one of your acquaintances could tell us what you were doing on the evening in question, it would be a big help to all of us.
GB: I told you, I was alone.
EW: Were you at home the whole evening?
GB: Yes.
EW: Do you ever lend your car to anyone?
GB: What?
EW: Do you ever lend your car to anyone?
GB: Never. How would I be able to leave the house?
EW: You own a motorbike.
GB: It doesn’t run. It’s always taken apart. If I’m going to drive anywhere, I have to put it together and that takes weeks.
EW: Are you a good mechanic?
GB: I can take apart a motorcycle and put it back together again.
EW: How long have you had a motorcycle?
GB: Long time. Since I was young, and that’s a long time ago.
EW: When you were doing break-ins, did you drive a motorbike then?
G B: I may have. But I paid my debt.
EW: You weren’t alone then. There were more of you driving around on motorbikes doing break-ins.
GB: I don’t know anything about that. I got my punishment. I’ve lived on my own ever since and before that too.
EW: But you still have friends from that time.
