Chapter 5
1 YEAR AND 22 DAYS AFTER
THE DAY, FRIDAY, JUNE 4
“A new form of Number Four heroin is about to hit the streets. . it’s cheap and extremely dangerous. . with purity rates of ninety-eight percent and higher. . This deadly heroin is named Osama-H. . because it was developed and manufactured by Russian and Bulgarian scientists hired by Osama bin Laden.”
With that introduction Sohlberg had the undivided attention of the department heads in charge of vice and drugs in all 27 of Norway’s police districts. They had gathered in downtown Oslo to hear Sohlberg’s 40-minute talk on international heroin smuggling. They met in a small auditorium at 12 Hammersborggata where the sleek and modern 7-floor building of the Politidirektoratet or National Police Directorate occupied most of the city block on the southeast corner of Hammersborggata and Torggata.
After his talk Solhlberg took the elevator to Ivar Thorsen’s office on the top floor.
They shook hands and sat down. Sohlberg observed the two fancy glasses and the two elegant bottles of Voss artesian water that sat ostentatiously on the desk. Of course Ivar Thorsen no longer drank Farris mineral water out of the bottle. He was now a big man in the police. Sohlberg smiled at the pretensions which included elegant Swedish furniture and modern art paintings.
How the Oslo district police commissioner’s office had changed!
Who would have thought that Ivar Thorsen would ever sit in a lavish corner office?
In his wildest imaginations Sohlberg would never have dreamed of the dumb and plodding and unimaginative Ivar Thorsen ever sitting in a commissioner’s office decorated by an interior decorator and probably a Swedish one at that. Back when Sohlberg was a rookie police constable the most a district commissioner could hope for was Ikea furniture that was allotted on a very tight budget to only the most senior of commissioners. Now the police budgets were lavish if not extravagant.
“Do the taxpayers know how their money is being spent up here?”
“Don’t be obnoxious Sohlberg. Try to be pleasant for a change.”
“I am being pleasant. I didn’t say what was really on my mind.”
“Well. . I myself will tell you exactly what is on my mind.”
A long and uncomfortable pause followed.
Sohlberg’s mouth almost dropped open when he heard Ivar Thorsen’s next words:
“I need your help Sohlberg. I have a cold case. Perhaps you’ve already heard of it. . the missing seven-year-old boy who vanished one morning in school and has never been seen again.”
“The Karl Haugen boy?. . I saw it on the news a few days ago on N.R.K. One and Two.”
Sohlberg also remembered his wife showing him a special anniversary section on the case on the Sunday edition of Aftenposten.
“Ja,” said Thorsen. “You can’t miss the case.”
“Just this morning. . as I was coming in. . I saw huge headlines plastered on Verdens Gang when I passed a newsstand.”
“Ja ja. The media is all over us because the one year anniversary came and went without us getting any closer to solving the disappearance.”
“One year. . that’s almost beyond solving.”
“But-”
“Thorsen. . you know the rule. . less than half of all missing cases and homicides are ever solved at all unless they are solved within the first forty-eight hours. And you now have a missing case that’s twelve months old?”
“We did our best. We put tons of people and man-hours into it.”
“That’s why my rule is to work smart not hard.”
“Obviously we are not as intelligent as you are. That’s why a few months ago I shut down the investigation. . it was obvious we were getting nowhere. But now the higher-ups want the investigation reactivated. . they’re getting a lot of flak over it.”
“Who was in charge?”
“Trygve Nilsen.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“He’s a Chief Inspector. . just like you.”
“Why am I not surprised that you promoted him?”
“He’s a hard worker. And loyal.”
Sohlberg almost shouted a vulgarity. Instead he shrugged.
“Listen here Sohlberg. . I’m reassigning him. . he’ll be investigating recent death threats over the Nobel Peace Prize. . seems some terrorists published a video in Pakistan saying that they’re going to blow up the storting. . the parliament because of some recent Nobel Peace Prize awards.”
“How nice. Instead of getting fired Nilsen gets a plum job for a botched investigation into the unsolved disappearance of a little boy. I see nothing has changed here.”
“Actually it has. . Sohlberg.”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“Effective immediately I am appointing you to lead the investigation into the disappearance of Karl Haugen. Sit down! Don’t even think of walking out of this office to call your pals at Interpol. The Politidirektor. . the National Police Commissioner already called the General Secretary of Interpol. He gladly released you to solve this apparent kidnaping.”
“What?”
“Interpol is assigning you here indefinitely until you solve the case.”
“What?”
“Check your e-mail. You’ll find official Interpol notification. You will also find the Politidirektor’s written assignment officially naming you as the lead on the Karl Haugen case.”
Sohlberg said nothing but felt lightheaded enough to pass out.
“Ain’t it great Sohlberg? You’re back working for me. . just like in the good old days. The good news is that you can leave Norway as soon as you solve the case. I suggest you work fast and solve the case soon. I’ve heard through the grapevine how much you and your wife love living in Seattle.”
At first Sohlberg thought that he was the target of a prank. Then he thought that Thorsen was testing him to see if he wanted to come back to Norway. Sohlberg felt like vomiting when the reality sank in that this was no joke.
“Come with me Sohlberg and I’ll show you your cubicle down the hallway. I’ve assigned you a recent graduate from the academy. . a Grade One Politibetjent. . Police Constable Wenke Wangelin. She pArcticipated in the investigation from the very beginning.”
Sohlberg expected Wangelin to be nothing less than a dumb mediocrity chosen by the dumb mediocrity of Ivar Thorsen. He was surprised when a muscular and good-looking 30-something blonde walked up to him and introduced herself with a very strong handshake.
“Politiforstebetjent. . Chief Inspector Sohlberg. . it’s an honor to meet you. I’ve read a lot about you. . I wrote a term paper in law school on how you solved the Wassenaar murders through new forensic techniques.”
Sohlberg nodded. He rarely came across good-looking people who had intelligence. He liked the fact that she did not call him by his first name. Having lived abroad for so long he had come to intensely dislike how Norwegians used first names at work and overall went too far at work with a fake equality that bordered on the insolent.
After a few more questions Sohlberg knew that Constable Wangelin was intelligent and dedicated. That meant one thing: Ivar Thorsen and his bosses definitely wanted the case solved. In other words Sohlberg was apparently not being set up to fail nor did it appear that he and Wangelin were being thrown together as window-dressing to trick the media and the public into believing that the government was finally serious about solving the case.
“Chief Inspector Sohlberg,” said Wangelin, “I suggest we go down the hallway to the Karl Haugen room. . as we call it.”
“You two go ahead,” said Ivar Thorsen. “I have other chores to look after. Let me make perfectly clear Sohlberg that you are authorized to do whatever it takes to solve the case. Take any and all action. I will sign any requisition form you present me for manpower or equipment or any other resources.”