“No. Every decent hospital that’s been around for a while has a ghost, and ours is called Tekla. If that old nurse hadn’t hanged herself in the attic, there would have been another ghost story about someone else.”
“So if it wasn’t a ghost watching, it must have been a human being.”
“Yes.”
“But you have no idea who it might have been?”
For a moment Irene felt that Sverker was hesitating; the expression in his eyes was difficult to interpret. He looked down before he answered, “No.”
“Then … let’s move on to something else that happened here. What were you doing last night at twelve?”
“Last night? I slept. I actually slept for the first time since … it happened. Six hours in a row. I think I fell asleep at eleven-thirty. Probably had something to do with the wine.”
“Wine?”
“Carina had opened a bottle the night before last, and there was half a bottle left. She was making beef stew for dinner and put the bottle on the table. Red wine went with the food, so I had two glasses. It was just enough to knock me out.”
“Were Carina and Emma at home?”
“Emma was already asleep when I went to bed. Carina finishes work late on Tuesdays. She teaches aerobics all evening and usually isn’t home until eleven-thirty at the earliest.”
“Did you hear her when she came home?”
“Yes, she arrived around the usual time, and I heard her come in before I drifted off. Why are you asking?”
“But you didn’t see or speak with each other after that?”
“No, I was asleep by the time she came upstairs.”
Tommy told the doctor about the arson at Anna-Karin Arvidsson’s apartment. He also said that Anna-Karin would not be returning to work until the threat to her life was eliminated. In other words, when the killer was caught.
As Tommy was telling the story, Irene saw how Sverker had quietly withdrawn into his head. He had fastened his gaze back onto their bookshelf, and it was doubtful that he’d heard what Tommy was saying.
“HE SUSPECTS SOMETHING—OR knows something,” Irene said.
“Why do you think so?” Tommy asked.
“When you were telling him about the arson at Anna-Karin’s, I had the feeling he only half heard your words. He was thinking about something else.”
“Yes, but he’s at the end of his rope. Maybe he couldn’t listen to any more bad news.”
“Maybe not.” Irene wasn’t convinced, but there wasn’t any evidence to back up her feeling. For now it would just have to wait. She changed the subject. “So this story comes back to fire again.”
“Fire? Are you thinking about the garden shed and Mama Bird?”
“Yes, and also the fire ten years ago when the doctor’s mansion burned down. So there are three fires. Let’s think about the fire at the mansion. Who was involved in that story?”
“Barbro, Carina, and Sverker.”
“And which of these three would have reason to set the other two?”
Tommy thought about it. “In principle, all three.”
“That’s right. Barbro lives alone and can come and go as she pleases now that her children are living in the United States.”
“But what would be her motive?”
“Revenge. Hate.”
“Maybe. As for Sverker and Carina, it would be much harder. They live together and know where each other should be.”
“Do they? I think they live fairly separate lives. As far as the garden shed goes, either one of them could have set that fire. They didn’t meet up until it was time to go to that party. Before then anyone could have arranged the candle and the rags. Neither of them has an alibi. Their daughter, Emma, was away on winter break. They didn’t have to worry about her. Sverker says he was at the hospital looking through construction bids. Notice that he was at the scene. Two hours after he leaves the building, the fire breaks out. Carina said she was exercising in her private gym and then went jogging. She came home a few minutes after Sverker. It’s strange, too, that they were able to pull themselves together for a party after everything that had been going on at the hospital.”
“Neither Linda nor Gunnela had been found yet when the garden shed burned.”
“Right. But Linda had gone missing.”
“Sverker had to keep a calm façade and not let Carina know how worried he was.”
“Exactly. And Carina hasn’t seemed all that affected by any of this. She is one cool lady.”
“Yes, goal-oriented. She’s decided to turn the hospital into a fitness center, and so it will be.”
Silence spread through the room until Irene finally asked, “So which of the three do you think is behind it?”
“Not Barbro. She has nothing to gain by killing Linda, Marianne, or Gunnela. If she were guilty, she would have aimed at hurting Carina directly. Or killed her.”
“My thoughts exactly. Barbro as a suspect is too far-fetched. It’s been too long since they divorced.”
“Either Sverker or Carina, then.”
“Yes, but I can’t see a motive for either of them.”
“What are we missing? Which questions haven’t been answered?”
Irene thought. “Why did Marianne have Linda’s day planner in her pocket? And where is Marianne’s flashlight?”
“Yep. We know that the killer needed the flashlight to light the way up the stairs to the attic. Also for hanging Linda up. Probably the killer used it to walk through the operating rooms, since there are no windows there. Going down the stairs would be easier. The street lamps and the moon would have lit the way. According to Siv Persson, it was almost as light as day.”
“So where did the murderer put the flashlight?”
“Where do people put flashlights?”
Tommy stared at Irene. “Where? Well, I have one in the garage. And one in the closet, though that one’s broken. And one in the car.”
Irene nodded. The gears in her head began to turn. “I also have one in the car. As well as a towrope and a jack. But I don’t keep a toolbox in my car. Do you?”
“Not in my car, no. I keep mine in the garage. I have a set of wrenches instead and a jack. I don’t have a towrope.”
“So you don’t have a toolbox with a hammer and a screwdriver and the like either?”
“No. What’s this toolbox idea?”
“Carina Löwander said they keep a toolbox in their car. She said she’d taken the screwdriver from the toolbox in order to break open the suitcases in the attic. I would like to take a good look at that toolbox.”
“Why?”
“Because if there isn’t one, Carina got a screwdriver from somewhere else, and I’m going to put my money on the security guard’s room. And as you well know, someone also took a large pair of wire cutters and a few yards of flag rope.”
BY PHONE IRENE was able to reach Sverker Löwander at home around six that evening.
“Why do you need to look at our garage and our cars?” Sverker asked her suspiciously.
Irene always had difficulty skirting around the truth, so she explained calmly, “We’re looking for an instrument that matches some break marks we found. Perhaps a dull knife or a screwdriver. We have not found anything that fits at the hospital or in the security guard’s room. So now we are going to go through all the homes of everyone involved. Even those of the victims.” Irene added the last sentence to make it appear more like a routine search.
“Where did you find these break marks?”
“I can’t tell you. It’s part of the investigation.”
This usually stopped further questions, and it worked on Sverker Löwander.
“I’m driving Emma to her riding lesson. We’re already late. I’m staying there until she’s done at eight-thirty. We’re seldom home before nine.”
“Is Carina at home?”
“No, she won’t be home until eleven-thirty.”