The Human Flies (K2 and Patricia series) (26 page)

It had been an extremely difficult situation for her, especially because of her young son. She was neither willing nor able to confront her husband with clear evidence. Her response was therefore to be as kind and dutiful as she possibly could in her roles as wife and mother, which was something she could do, and in this way fight to keep her husband. And she was now quite sure that she had succeeded. If he still had any feelings for that devious Swedish woman, they had no doubt died the moment the will was read out. She herself believed that her husband deserved the money, given the shameful way in which his father had treated him, and she would support him if he went to court to secure it. But the question of the will was of less importance to her than whether he stayed with her and their son. Because Harald Olesen had treated her husband in the way he had, she had felt no particular grief when he died, though the fact that he was murdered had been a shock. But she still slept beside her husband every night secure in the knowledge that he had not killed anyone and was not likely to do so.

I could not help myself asking whether, notwithstanding his infidelity, she had ever re-evaluated her marriage. To which she simply shook her head. Yes, she had been jealous and even angry with her husband, but she understood that it was hard for him too, and that he had been seduced by the dark-eyed beauty. He had now also admitted it to her himself, and with tears in his eyes had begged her to forgive him. Which she of course did. Because he was her husband, the father of her son and the love of her life, whom she could not live without.

I thought to myself that Karen Lund had probably had a very conservative upbringing and had read a few too many romantic magazines, but the situation felt easier now it was clear that she knew about her husband’s affair. Her personal choices were none of my business, and her explanation was frank enough. So I commented that it would perhaps have been better if she had told me before, but added that I understood that she was in a very difficult situation and thanked her for being so honest now. She shook my hand with relief before she left, and nodded obediently when I requested that she stay at home in case of further questioning. I watched with mixed feelings as the Lunds passed outside the window shortly after, on their way home. They were holding hands and, if one did not know any better, looked for all the world like an ordinary young couple without a care in the world.

I called in Harald Olesen’s niece and nephew together. They were both upset by the fact that they were to go home without so much as a krone, having come in the belief that they were the main heirs. However, they had quickly got over the initial shock. Joachim Olesen started by apologizing for his behaviour during the reading. He pointed out that neither he nor his sister had any financial worries, and added that the will should not really have come as a surprise.

I sent him a questioning look, but it was his sister who answered. Harald Olesen had been a generous uncle to them since they were small, but he was also strict and distant. As he had no children of his own, he had often had strong opinions about their choices in life, and in their youth had expressed his views on their choice of education and sweethearts quite clearly. In later years, they had both had their own families to prioritize, and Harald Olesen had not exactly encouraged contact. After his wife’s death, he had more or less kept himself to himself. The niece and nephew both felt guilty for not having looked after their sick uncle more in the last months of his life, but there were old underlying tensions, and Harald Olesen had basically become a stranger who did not arouse much sympathy. When they phoned him, he was curt in his response. This seemed to tie in well with the possibility that something serious from his past had been plaguing him over the last few months, but they had no idea what it might be. The family had not known that Harald Olesen had a son from an extramarital affair. The name Deerfoot did not mean anything to them, but that was not so strange. Harald Olesen had been reluctant to talk about his experiences during the war, even to his brother when he was alive.

It all sounded credible enough. I let the Olesen siblings go, with the assurance that they would be informed of any significant developments in connection with the murder of their late uncle and his will.

The remaining interviews were much swifter. Darrell Williams had viewed the spectacle from his place in the back row with sardonic humour. He was still chuckling when he commented that it was the most exciting reading of a will that he had ever experienced and ‘the greatest show’ he had seen outside the USA. It had all been entirely unexpected to him, but given the reactions in the room, he had immediately sympathized with the beautiful young lady. Andreas Gullestad was of the same opinion, in direct response to the reactions of the Olesens and Kristian Lund. But his sympathies were overwhelmingly with the caretaker’s wife, who had truly earned this acknowledgement after many years of toil and worry. Both Darrell Williams and Andreas Gullestad denied any knowledge of Harald Olesen’s family connections, including the fact that Kristian Lund was his son.

And as for the caretaker’s wife, two hours later she was still overwhelmed by her sudden fortune. She asked me repeatedly if it was true that she was going to get the money and I answered, as Rønning Junior had also done many times, that her share was secure, no matter who inherited the rest. If Kristian Lund won his case, he would receive the lion’s share of the estate, but she would still get her 100,000 kroner. She apologized that she had not noticed the reactions of the other people in the room. But from what had been said, she did not think it was wrong that Sara Sundqvist had been left the money, even though she did not understand why.

I told her in all honesty that I could not say why yet either. Then I congratulated her on her inheritance, which I felt was well deserved after all her years working for others.

I smiled quietly to myself as I watched the caretaker’s wife pass below the window in her worn, grey coat. I realized that she had always walked with heavy steps before, whereas now she was so light of foot that I feared she might suddenly lift off and float away over the city. It was a pleasure to imagine her coming back here with her little red post-office savings book so that the balance could rocket from 48 to 100,048 kroner. If nothing else, the murders of Harald Olesen and Konrad Jensen had helped to make one person happy.

But there was little else to smile about. The day had thrown up a good deal of new information, but still no solutions. Ensconced back in my office, I quickly dialled Patricia’s number. As soon as she heard who had been named the main heir, she invited me to visit her immediately.

IV

‘So, I still do not know who the murderer is, but I am starting to get a pretty clear picture of who J might be.’

The time was twenty-five to six. I had had longer to mull over the case than Patricia, who had just heard my account from the reading of the will, so it was once again disappointing to discover she was ahead of me in the game all the same.

‘No bonus points for this one. “J” is clearly an abbreviation for Sara Sundqvist. I guess that the “J” stands for “Jewish child” or “Jewess”.’

I replied that I had also guessed that, and also come to the conclusion that it had to be one of the two, the latter being more accurate than the former.

‘Of greater interest, and almost as obvious, is the fact that she must have been the small child who was hidden in the caretaker’s flat with her parents until Harald Olesen came to collect them that evening in February 1944. Thus far, the connection is clear. But what on earth happened between then and when she pops up in an adoption agency in Sweden a few months later? This historical mystery is now one of the investigation’s most burning issues.’

I nodded quickly in agreement. I had not thought this far yet, but when she said it, it was of course obvious. Patricia was on fire and continued immediately.

‘Now, who might know more about this? My best suggestion is that you send a telegram to your colleagues in Sweden and ask them to investigate immediately the circumstances surrounding Sara Sundqvist’s adoption. If she arrived as a refugee from Norway during the war, then someone must have carried or driven her across the border. And it must have been registered in some way by the Swedish authorities.’

I nodded. After today’s events, it sounded like a very sensible suggestion.

‘Otherwise, the most interesting thing about Sara Sundqvist’s reaction today was her spontaneous outburst that she did not kill Harald Olesen. What would have been a very logical reaction yesterday morning is now illogical, as everyone assumes that Konrad Jensen is the murderer.’

I had to agree with this too. I also asked myself critically if I had consciously or unconsciously suppressed this uncomfortable fact.

‘It may have been the shock, of course, but what she said to you later, in less fraught surroundings, would indicate that she does not believe that Konrad Jensen is the murderer. In which case, there are only two alternatives: either that she murdered Harald Olesen herself or she suspects that someone else may have done it and does not want to give voice to her suspicions. We have to keep both options open for the moment.’

I rather reluctantly had to agree. My heart rebelled against Sara Sundqvist being a cold-blooded murderer, but my mind insisted that it was a possibility that I had to face.

‘As for the Lunds, there is not much more to learn there, as is true of both Andreas Gullestad and the caretaker’s wife. But today’s events have bolstered my theory relating to Darrell Williams and the Olesen pair.’

I gave her a puzzled looked – and was no doubt unable to hide my surprise.

‘It may of course still be coincidence, but the reaction of the niece and nephew, and what they have said about their uncle, fits remarkably well in terms of chronology if . . .’

She fell silent and looked at me expectantly. I said nothing and stared back at her expectantly. We sat there in what resembled a standoff. In the end, it was me who gave in.

‘I have no idea what you are implying. What chronology are you talking about?’

Patricia grinned, not without a hint of glee.

‘The war chronology, but a different one from that of Sara Sundqvist. Harald Olesen’s niece would have been eighteen or nineteen years old at the end of the war. Darrell was twenty-two and in Norway. Around this time, he had a Norwegian girlfriend whom he refuses to name, for reasons unbeknown to us. The niece and nephew both said that they had a somewhat strained relationship with Harald Olesen in later years because he had used his authority to interfere with their lives when they were young, among other things in relation to their choice of sweetheart. Therefore it seems natural to assume, first of all, that Darrell Williams’s Norwegian girlfriend was in fact Harald Olesen’s niece, and second, that Harald Olesen played a role in the breakup of that relationship. A dream romance with an American prince whom she subsequently lost might still cause considerable pain to this day, especially given that her later marriage did not last . . .’

I gave a limp nod. It might be coincidence, but I would be very surprised if it was. The way in which the niece and nephew reacted when Darrell Williams appeared fitted in perfectly with this theory.

‘If I were you and could walk, I would go to visit Cecilia Olesen this evening and ask her about it directly. If she says yes, then call me before you talk to Darrell Williams.’

‘Asking Cecilia Olesen outright sounds eminently sensible, but why on earth should I call you afterwards?’

Patricia’s smile was secretive and slightly coquettish.

‘Because I have a linked theory that you also need to confront Darrell Williams with, but I do not want to tell you until I have had the relationship confirmed. If it is not the case, then my creative imagination has spun a little too far.’

I nodded again. Patricia helped me to take such great leaps that I had to bear with her more eccentric and conceited behaviour.

‘But I believe that is as far as we will get with the logic of Sherlock Holmes, so now we need to apply the Agatha Christie method and see how far we can get by focusing on the motives of the remaining neighbours.’

Once again, she was right, so I started with the obvious ones.

‘Andreas Gullestad and Darrell Williams still have no motive for the murder, do they?’

Patricia nodded, but somehow managed to shake her head at the same time.

‘Certainly, with the addition of “as far as we know at the moment”. I have a suspicion that both of them may have things of interest that are buried in the past. We touched on Darrell Williams just now. He could have felt extremely bitter towards Harald Olesen after the breakup from his niece, if the theory is true, or in connection with something else from his stay in Norway.’

‘We will follow that up immediately. But what about Andreas Gullestad?’

Patricia frowned.

‘That is even less clear, but there may be something in connection with his father’s activities in the Resistance and subsequent death, even though that was early on in the war and we still have no link with Harald Olesen. Has it also struck you that there are very few mountains in Østfold?’

Once again, Patricia managed to ambush me with a totally unexpected question. I really did not see the relevance of geography here. She noticed the scepticism on my face and promptly continued.

‘If what you told me is correct, the caretaker said that Harald Olesen planned to take the refugees on a trip to the mountains. Then he mentioned Østfold or Hedmark and Oppland, which were both known routes for smuggling refugees into Sweden. But Østfold is as flat as a Danish pancake, which could mean that they took the route via Hedmark to Oppland. Harald Olesen was also a leader for the Home Front there. And it is not so far from where Andreas Gullestad grew up, and from where his father, a couple of years earlier, had been shot for his part in the Resistance. It is tenuous, but I would not strike Andreas Gullestad from the list quite yet. Double-check with Harald Olesen’s niece and nephew whether there might be a connection there.’