The White Lioness Read Online Free
again?" Wallander said.
"Some time today," Akerblom said. "That's why Louise wanted to try and see the house on Friday."
"It's important that you're here when she calls," Wallander said. "Say that your wife has taken a look at the house, but unfortunately she's sick today. Ask for a description of how to get there again, and get her telephone number. As soon as she's been in touch, give me a call."
Akerblom sat down to write out the details Wallander needed.
Wallander went through the desk drawers. He found nothing that seemed significant. None of them appeared to have been tidied recently. He lifted the green blotting pad, and found a recipe for hamburgers, torn from a magazine. Then he studied the photograph of the two daughters.
He went out into the kitchen. Hanging on one of the walls was a calendar and a sampler with a quotation from the Bible. A small jar of coffee was on one of the shelves, unopened. On another were several kinds of tea. He opened the refrigerator. A litre of milk and some margarine.
He thought of her voice, and what she had said in the message. He was sure the car had been stationary when she made the call. Her voice was steady. It would not have been if she had been concentrating on driving at the same time. Later, when they amplified the tape at the station, he was proved to have been right. Besides, Louise Akerblom was bound to be a careful, law-abiding citizen who would not risk her life or anybody else's by using the phone while driving.
If the times she mentioned are accurate, she'll have been in Skurup, Wallander thought. She'll have done her business at the bank and be about to set off for Krageholm. But she wants to call her husband first. She's pleased that everything went well at the bank. Moreover it's Friday afternoon, and she's finished work for the day. It's nice weather. She has every reason to feel happy.
Wallander went back and sat at her desk once more, leafing through the desk diary. Akerblom handed him his list.
"I have one question more for the moment," Wallander said. "It isn't really a question. But it is important. What kind of a person is Louise?" He was very careful to use the present tense, as if nothing had happened. In his own mind, however, Louise Akerblom was already someone who no longer existed.
"Everybody likes her," Akerblom said, straightforwardly. "She's even-tempered, laughs a lot, finds it easy to talk to people. Actually, she finds it hard to do business. Anything to do with money or complicated negotiations, she hands over to me. She's easily moved. And upset. She's troubled by other people's suffering."
"Does she have any special idiosyncrasies?" Wallander said.
"Idiosyncrasies?"
"Well, we all have our peculiarities," said Wallander.
"I can't think of anything," Akerblom said, eventually.
Wallander nodded and got to his feet. It was already 11.45. He wanted to have a word with Bjork before his boss went home for lunch.
"I'll be in touch later this afternoon," he said. "Try not to worry too much. See if you can think of anything you've forgotten. Anything I ought to know."
"What happened, do you think?" Akerblom said as they shook hands.
"Probably nothing at all," Wallander said. "There's bound to be a natural explanation."
Wallander got hold of Bjork just as he was about to leave. He was looking harassed, as usual. Wallander didn't suppose that a chief constable's job was something to feel envious about.
"Sorry to hear about the burglary," Bjork said, trying to look sympathetic. "Let's hope the newspapers don't get hold of this one. It wouldn't look good, a detective inspector's home being broken into. We have a high percentage of unsolved cases. The Swedish police force is pretty low on the international league table."
"That's the way it goes," Wallander said. "I need to talk to you about something else." They were in the corridor outside Bjork's office. "It can't wait till after lunch."
Bjork nodded, and they went back into the
"Some time today," Akerblom said. "That's why Louise wanted to try and see the house on Friday."
"It's important that you're here when she calls," Wallander said. "Say that your wife has taken a look at the house, but unfortunately she's sick today. Ask for a description of how to get there again, and get her telephone number. As soon as she's been in touch, give me a call."
Akerblom sat down to write out the details Wallander needed.
Wallander went through the desk drawers. He found nothing that seemed significant. None of them appeared to have been tidied recently. He lifted the green blotting pad, and found a recipe for hamburgers, torn from a magazine. Then he studied the photograph of the two daughters.
He went out into the kitchen. Hanging on one of the walls was a calendar and a sampler with a quotation from the Bible. A small jar of coffee was on one of the shelves, unopened. On another were several kinds of tea. He opened the refrigerator. A litre of milk and some margarine.
He thought of her voice, and what she had said in the message. He was sure the car had been stationary when she made the call. Her voice was steady. It would not have been if she had been concentrating on driving at the same time. Later, when they amplified the tape at the station, he was proved to have been right. Besides, Louise Akerblom was bound to be a careful, law-abiding citizen who would not risk her life or anybody else's by using the phone while driving.
If the times she mentioned are accurate, she'll have been in Skurup, Wallander thought. She'll have done her business at the bank and be about to set off for Krageholm. But she wants to call her husband first. She's pleased that everything went well at the bank. Moreover it's Friday afternoon, and she's finished work for the day. It's nice weather. She has every reason to feel happy.
Wallander went back and sat at her desk once more, leafing through the desk diary. Akerblom handed him his list.
"I have one question more for the moment," Wallander said. "It isn't really a question. But it is important. What kind of a person is Louise?" He was very careful to use the present tense, as if nothing had happened. In his own mind, however, Louise Akerblom was already someone who no longer existed.
"Everybody likes her," Akerblom said, straightforwardly. "She's even-tempered, laughs a lot, finds it easy to talk to people. Actually, she finds it hard to do business. Anything to do with money or complicated negotiations, she hands over to me. She's easily moved. And upset. She's troubled by other people's suffering."
"Does she have any special idiosyncrasies?" Wallander said.
"Idiosyncrasies?"
"Well, we all have our peculiarities," said Wallander.
"I can't think of anything," Akerblom said, eventually.
Wallander nodded and got to his feet. It was already 11.45. He wanted to have a word with Bjork before his boss went home for lunch.
"I'll be in touch later this afternoon," he said. "Try not to worry too much. See if you can think of anything you've forgotten. Anything I ought to know."
"What happened, do you think?" Akerblom said as they shook hands.
"Probably nothing at all," Wallander said. "There's bound to be a natural explanation."
Wallander got hold of Bjork just as he was about to leave. He was looking harassed, as usual. Wallander didn't suppose that a chief constable's job was something to feel envious about.
"Sorry to hear about the burglary," Bjork said, trying to look sympathetic. "Let's hope the newspapers don't get hold of this one. It wouldn't look good, a detective inspector's home being broken into. We have a high percentage of unsolved cases. The Swedish police force is pretty low on the international league table."
"That's the way it goes," Wallander said. "I need to talk to you about something else." They were in the corridor outside Bjork's office. "It can't wait till after lunch."
Bjork nodded, and they went back into the
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