The Demon of Dakar aka The Demon from Dakar

Twenty-Three

Eva and Patrik were waiting in the reception area at the police station. Patrik sat down while Eva looked around. On the wall opposite the reception desk there was a piece of art that depicted a man’s gigantic head. Eva thought it was grotesque and she wondered what they had been thinking when they hung such a frightening piece to welcome their visitors.

She looked at her watch. Barbro Liljendahl had said eleven and it was now ten past. She walked over to Patrik who had slouched on the chair.

“I bet she’ll be coming out soon,” Eva said.

Patrik did not look at her and didn’t say anything. He stared dully straight ahead. How can one be so calm? she wondered.

Barbro Liljendahl turned up at a quarter past eleven. She excused herself, but Eva was struck by the suspicion that she had deliberately let them wait.

She had always disliked women police officers. Women and uniforms did not go together. She had recently seen a report on TV about American soldiers in Iraq and there had been two women in the group. One of them was called Stacey. She spoke with utter confidence about their “mission” to clean up a little village outside Tikrit. She described the assignment as if it were like killing mice or other vermin, as if they were dispatched by a pest-control company. Her self-assured face glowed under the disproportionally large helmet. She chewed gum and in her eyes there was no doubt, only a discomfiting degree of certainty.

Eva and Patrik were led into a narrow room. Liljendahl took her place behind the desk, which was bare except for a folder and five paper clips laid out in a straight line, and asked them to sit down across from her. Eva considered remaining on her feet but saw the childishness of such a reaction.

Barbro Liljendahl opened the folder, but changed her mind and quickly shut it again, looking at Patrik for a moment before turning to Eva.

“Thank you for coming in,” she said and Eva gave her an almost imperceptible nod.

“This is an unfortunate situation,” she continued. “I hope for your forbearance with any difficulties this may cause.”

Eva thought of the patrol car outside the building and all the kids who had gathered around.

“As you know, we have a report of an assault from the night before last. Three witnesses claim to have seen a man assaulted by a group of young people, they are not sure of the exact number. There may have been three, perhaps four. The accounts diverge at this point. This assault was never reported; the victim was able to leave the scene on his own and when we arrived everything was calm.”

She leaned forward and directed her attention at Patrik.

“Have you heard about this incident?”

Patrik shook his head.

“There must have been talk in the neighborhood. No one you knew was involved?”

“No,” Patrik managed to get out.

His voice was hoarse and he shot Eva a quick look before staring down at the floor again.

“And then last night. Then it was more serious. A man, but we no longer believe the victim was the same man as the night before, was stabbed with what we believe was a knife. He was cut in the stomach and also sustained injuries to his neck and right arm. He lost a lot of blood.”

The silence in the room grew thick for a few seconds before the policewoman continued.

“He will survive, but we regard this as an attempted murder.”

Patrik lifted his head and looked at Barbro Liljendahl.

“And what does this have to do with me?”

The policewoman inadvertently sighed and Eva felt a sting of guilt.

“We’re not saying that you were involved, but you may know something that is of interest.”

Patrik shook his head.

“It does not have to come out that the information came from you.”

In your dreams, Eva thought. Patrik did not say anything.

“Where did you receive those injuries to your face?”

The swollen lip had more or less receded and the cut on his forehead was difficult to spot under his bangs.

“I fell,” Patrik said. “Skateboarding.”

Eva knew he was lying but could not bring herself to say anything. You bitch, she thought, what do you know about us?

“How long ago was that?”

“A couple of days ago.”

Liljendahl nodded.

“Your brother,” she said after a moment’s silence. “Do you think-?”

“What does he have to do with this?”

Eva stared at the five paper clips in order not to throw herself over the policewoman in an attack of uncontrolled rage.

“Why do you have to get Hugo involved in this,” she got out.

“I thought he may also have some information, something he may have seen or heard.”

She is threatening me, the damn sow, Eva thought. She wants to rip my family apart. Eva suddenly thought of Jörgen and that made her even angrier. That idiot should be here right now, taking responsibility. But it wouldn’t make any difference anyway. He would just want to be accommodating and talk too much.

“Why didn’t you ask him to come in as well, then?” Eva asked and saw the discomfort in the woman’s face.

“There is no reason to get upset,” she said.

“There isn’t? But why-” Eva said. The uncomfortable feeling of hiding behind a lie caught up with her fury and silenced her abruptly. She blushed and stared down into her lap.

Barbro Liljendahl opened the folder with a sigh. Eva observed her while she eyed through the uppermost page of a bunch of papers. Different-colored paper clips were attached to some of the pages. Eva feared the folder for what it might contain. It was as if it held all that could determine her, Patrik, and Hugo’s fate.

This is my day off, she thought suddenly and her anger flared up again.

“You know someone by the name of Zero, don’t you?”

Patrik nodded.

“We have had our eye on him for a while. As you know he is a bit… restless.”

“We played soccer together,” Patrik volunteered. “Before. He was…”

“Yes, what?”

“Nothing.”

Barbro Liljendahl gazed at him for a while before she went on.

“We think he is involved in drugs. Do you know anything about that?

“Cocaine and Ecstasy,” she added after a long period of ominous silence.

Eva turned and glared at her son.

“Did you know about this?” she asked sharply.

Patrik shook his head.

“You’re lying!” Eva screamed.

Patrik looked up. His expression betrayed fear and astonishment. Eva rarely raised her voice.

“I don’t know anything,” he said quietly. But Eva could see by his face that he would soon begin to talk.

“Perhaps you should leave us for a while,” Barbro Liljendahl said, and at first Eva thought the policewoman meant Patrik, then she realized this was directed at her.

She looked at Patrik, who nodded faintly. Eva stood up, full of contradictory feelings, and left the room without a word.