Never End

32

She saw Winter pull up outside the house. He got out of the car and waited for her to join him.

"We saw Bielke go in," she said, "Kurt Bielke."

"Yes."

"You don't seem surprised."

"Let's ring the bell."

They went up the steps. Seagulls were crying on all sides, laughing at them as Winter pressed the bell in the middle of the door.

"Fredrik recognized him," said Sara Helander.

"Was he sure?"

"Yes."

Winter rang again, but still nobody answered. He knocked hard with his fist, but there was no sign of any reaction. It would soon be fully daylight. The outline of furniture could be seen through the window to the right of the door.

"Come on, we'll go around."

There was no door in the back. A window was open with a cistern underneath it.

"That's where he got in," said Winter.

Winter looked down at the lawn and saw a few drops of dew on his deck shoes. He looked closer at the grass that hadn't needed cutting for weeks. There were tire marks.

"Did you see a car here during the night?"

"I think so," she said. "A big shadow." She looked back at the road. "A station wagon went by shortly before you arrived. Maybe a Volvo. I think it turned off into the plot next door."

She pointed. It was only partly built on, and it would be possible to drive over it, hidden by the house they were standing behind.

Winter approached the window and climbed onto the water butt. It was harder to keep his balance than he'd expected. The damp grass under the window had been flattened in places.

"Hello?" he shouted. The window was not secured, and he could open it with his elbow. "Hello?"

Vennerhag picked up Samic under the viaduct and drove west.

"Whatever happened, it's got nothing to do with me," was the first thing Vennerhag said.

Samic told him what had happened.

"It's got nothing to do with me," Vennerhag repeated.

"You're in the shit as much as I am," said Samic.

"I was part owner once upon a time last century, and that's all."

The sun announced its arrival behind them. There were the beginnings of a glow on the horizon. They were alone on the road.

"Where are we going?" Samic asked.

"As far away from Gothenburg as possible," Vennerhag said.

"You stink of booze."

"Can you see the cops anywhere?"

"No."

"Then shut up."

"What are we going to do?"

"Nothing."

"That won't be good enough," said Samic.

"They don't know anything. There's nothing left in the place, is there?"

"I certainly hope not," said Samic.

"And I don't want to know any more than is absolutely necessary."

"Do you have conflicting loyalties?"

Vennerhag didn't answer, just kept on driving toward the sun.

"Are we on our way to the islands?" asked Samic.

"As far as you're concerned, it doesn't matter where you hide away."

"Won't it seem suspicious?"

Vennerhag laughed out loud, but there was no humor in the eyes that examined Samic in the rearview mirror.

"Here comes the bridge," Samic said.

They drove over it, and Vennerhag turned briefly to look at the calm surface of the sea stretching away as far as the eye could see.

"We'll have to hide the boat," said Samic.

"It's already been moved."

"Not to here, surely?"

"Just shut up," said Vennerhag, leaving the bridge and continuing in silence. He turned off after two miles and drove to where the forest was thickest.

Winter clambered through the window. Sara Helander was standing outside. She heard a car on the road.

"If that's Lars and Bertil, tell them I'll try to open the front door as soon as I can find my way in there," said Winter.

"What if you run into trouble?"

"I won't," Winter said.

A feeling in the pit of his stomach warned him to be cautious, or perhaps he was worrying about what might have happened to Halders. Haiders had not been in touch. He'd gone in but hadn't come out, as far as Sara had been able to see.

The door was open, the hall empty and dark, there was no light anywhere aside from some pale daylight under the door at the other end. He went to the door and opened it: it led into a large room, and he could see the street through the windows. There was a hammering on the door. He went to unfasten the lock. Ringmar, Bergenhem, and Sara Helander were standing outside.

"It's all quiet in here," said Winter.

"Let's take a floor each?" Bergenhem said.

They did so, and Winter retraced his steps and tried another door.

The staircase was steep. It was as dark as night. He turned on his flashlight and shone it down. The stairs led to a narrow corridor that led in turn to an empty room. He could see a curtain and a pane of glass. There was a CD player. The flashlight beam burrowed its way into the wall, and shadows darted around the room, which smelled of stale sweat. Or something even worse, he thought. Fear.

He found a light switch. He pressed himself against the wall and turned on the light, which was white and dazzling for a second.

Vennerhag drove back with the sun in his face. The weather forecast on the radio said it was going to get even hotter, which sounded impossible.

He'd turned off the air-conditioning so that he could feel the morning breeze through the open window. It smelled of things he recognized but had forgotten the name of. He was thinking about a lot of things. He felt calm, but the situation was complicated.

Ha, ha.

He hadn't asked for it. Things had grown worse and worse, but that wasn't his fault, not in that way, unless silence in itself was wrong. Well, yes, of course it is. You don't keep quiet about things like that. Even if it's got nothing to do with you.

He drove down the last of the hills toward the center of town. He tried to think what he should do with her. With her. He hadn't had any help from Samic. Samic was dangerous for everybody, worse than he was. They could have him.

Better to wait and see what happened. Must think. Sleep.

Winter stood in front of the glass panel and understood. They'd find similar setups elsewhere in the house.

It was here. There was an answer. The girls had been here, they must have been here and done whatever they did. Danced.

Beier's forensics technicians would have plenty to occupy them here.

The house was deserted. Why? Because of Halders? Yes. Halders had appeared, and that was why they'd all disappeared. "All." Who was all?

Where was Halders?

Winter looked around. The dust would have stories to tell for the forensics team: marks, stains, prints, fibers.

He went back up the stairs and into the big room, which was also a hall with a staircase leading up to other floors.

Ringmar appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Come up here, Erik."

Ringmar waited for him at the top. A new hall, morning light coming through the door to another room.

It was a bar, and the trappings were familiar. The wall seemed to be built of real brick, but when Winter touched them he could feel the plastic. There was a table and some chairs, and peculiar decorations on the walls.

"Just like in the photographs," said Ringmar.

"We have Sara to thank for this," said Winter,

She had come into the room and heard what he said.

"Don't thank me until we've heard from Halders," she said. "I should have stopped him."

"Stop Halders?" said Ringmar.

Bergenhem appeared in the doorway. "I've been all around the place and it seems deserted, to say the least," he said.

"OK, let's go and pick up Bielke," said Winter.

They rang the doorbell and Bielke's wife answered, wearing a white robe. Her expression was sleepy.

Bielke didn't say a word in the backseat of Winter's car. A patrol car was behind them. Bielke turned around once. "Now you've crossed the line," he said, when they were in the interrogation room with no windows. Winter was accompanied by Ringmar. "This is an abuse of power."

"We want to ask you a few questions," Winter said.

Bielke didn't seem to be listening.

"We have some new information."

"I'm saying nothing without a lawyer present," said Bielke, whose face looked angular in the bright fluorescent light. His tan was crisscrossed by white diagonal lines.

"OK. We'll wait until he gets here," Winter said.

Bielke's lawyer looked as if he'd seen it all before. It was eight o'clock in the morning, but he was dressed as if for dinner. Maybe he wondered about the weariness in the eyes of the two detectives.

Nevertheless, Winter detected uncertainty in the young man, in his movements, his eyes.

Winter started the interrogation again.

"I'd like to get some details about your movements last night," he said.

Bielke waited.

Winter specified the times.

"It's impossible to ask-" the lawyer began.

"If you're going to keep interrupting you'll be out that door," Winter snapped.

"Wh… what?"

"You are interfering with the interrogation. You can ask questions if you want when I give you permission to do so, but you will do that when I've finished or you're out."

The lawyer looked at Ringmar, who nodded with a friendly smile.

"Is it legal to proceed like this?" asked Bielke, looking first at Winter and then at his lawyer.

Winter asked another question.

Bielke was resting. His lawyer had left, but promised to come back.

"You need to get some sleep, Erik," Ringmar said.

"You're right."

"Go home.''

"I'll sleep here. Two hours."

"Three," said Ringmar. "We'll keep him for another six."

"I want him detained," Winter said.

"Molina will no doubt want more on him than we've got," said Ringmar. "And that's an understatement."

Mr. Prosecutor Molina always wants more than we've got, thought Winter.

"Send Bergenhem and a few of the boys to his house."

"It'll be your decision."

"It is my decision. I've just made it."

"What are they supposed to be looking for?"

"Angelika's camera," Winter said.

"What?"

"The dog leash, the belt, cameras. Anything we need to nail that bastard."

"I think he's sick," said Ringmar.

"That's an understatement." Winter looked at Bertil. "One hour from now Cohen will sit down with him and his lawyer, if he dares to come back."

"Right."

Cohen was an experienced interrogator whom Winter always relied on when he couldn't ask the questions in person.

"We have to press him for more information about Fredrik," Winter said. "I briefed Cohen about that."

"I don't think Bielke knows what happened," said Ringmar. "I don't think he saw Fredrik in there."

"Fredrik may have seen him."