The Redbreast

81

Herbert's Pizza. 11 May 2000.

Harry rang Halvorsen and asked him to go to Herbert's. They had the place almost to themselves and chose a table by the window. Right in the corner there was a man dressed in a long trench coat, with a moustache that went out of fashion with Adolf Hitler and two booted legs resting on a chair seat. He looked as if he was trying to set a new world record in being bored.

Halvorsen had caught up with Edvard Mosken, but not in Drammen.

'He didn't answer when I tried him at home, so I got hold of his mobile phone number through directory enquiries. It turned out he was in Oslo. He has a flat in Tromsogata in Roddelokka where he stays when he's at Bjerke.'

'Bjerke?'

'The racetrack. He must be there every Friday and Saturday. Places a few bets and has a bit of fun, he said. And he owns a quarter of a horse. I met him in the stables behind the track.'

'What else did he say?'

'He occasionally pops into Schroder's in the morning when he's in Oslo. He has no idea who Bernt Brandhaug is and he has definitely never phoned his house. He knew who Signe Juul was-he remembered her from the Eastern Front.'

"What about his alibi?'

Halvorsen ordered a Hawaiian Tropic with pepperoni and pineapple.

'Mosken has been alone in his flat in Tromsogata all week, apart from trips up to Bjerke, he said. He was there the morning Brandhaug was killed too. And this morning.'

'Right. How do you think he answered your questions?'

'What do you mean?'

'Did you believe him when you were with him?’

‘Yes, no; well, believe, hm…'

'Go with your gut instinct, Halvorsen, don't be worried. And then say what you feel. I won't use it against you.'

Halvorsen looked down at the table and fidgeted with the menu.

'If Mosken is lying, then he's definitely a pretty cold fish. That much I can say.'

Harry sighed.

'Will you see to it that we put a tag on Mosken? I want two men outside his flat day and night.'

Halvorsen nodded and rang a number on his mobile phone. Harry could hear the sound of Moller's voice as he stole a glance at the neo-Nazi in the corner. Or whatever they called themselves. National Socialists. National Democrats. He had just been sent a copy of a sociology dissertation from the university which concluded that there were fifty-seven neo-Nazis in Norway.

The pizza arrived and Halvorsen sent Harry an enquiring look.

'Go ahead,' Harry said. 'Pizzas aren't my thing.'

The trench coat in the corner had been joined by a short, green combat jacket. They stuck their heads together and looked across at the two policemen.

'One more thing,' Harry said. 'Linda in POT told me that there was an SS archive in Cologne, partly destroyed by fire in the seventies, but some information had been picked up there about Norwegians fighting with the Germans. Commands, military awards, ranks, that kind of thing. I want you to ring them and see if you can find out anything about Daniel Gudeson. And Gudbrand Johansen.'

'Yessir,' Halvorsen said with his mouth full of pizza. 'When I've finished my pizza.'

'I'll have a chat with our young friends in the meantime,' Harry said, getting up.

In a work context, Harry had always taken pains not to use his size to gain a psychological advantage. Yet even though Hitlermoustache stretched his neck to peer up at Harry, Harry knew that the cold stare concealed the same fear that he had witnessed with Krohn. Only this guy had had more training in disguising it. Harry snatched the chair Hitlermoustache was resting his boots on and his legs clattered on to the floor before he had a chance to react.

'Sorry,' Harry said. 'I thought this chair was free.'

'It's the fucking filth,' Hitlermoustache said. The shaven skull sticking out of the combat jacket swivelled round.

'Right,' Harry said. 'Or the fuzz. Or the pigs. Uncle Nabs. No, that's a bit too cosy perhaps. What about les flics^7. Is that international enough?'

'Are we bothering you or what?' the coat asked.

'Yes, you're bothering me,' Harry said. 'You've been bothering me for a long time. Say hello to the Prince and tell him Harry Hole is going to bother him back. From Hole to the Prince. Did you get that?'

The combat jacket blinked and stared open-mouthed. Then the coat opened a mouth with teeth splayed out in all directions and laughed until the saliva ran.

Are you talking about HRH Haakon Magnus?' he asked, and when the combat jacket finally got the joke he laughed along with him.

'Well,' Harry said. 'If you're just the footsloggers, of course, you won't know who the Prince is. So you'll have to pass the message on to your next-in-line. Enjoy the pizzas, boys.'

He walked back to Halvorsen and could feel their eyes on his back.

'Eat up,' Harry said to Halvorsen, who was busy with an enormous piece of pizza stretching halfway round his face. 'We have to get out before I get more shit on my record.'