This man was the consummate sacrificial lamb. He had used him on several occasions as his role model. A man like Pope was the quintessence of nondescript. Of what to look like if you didn’t want to be noticed. Ordinary, like himself. In fact, they resembled each other a lot in many ways. Same-shaped face, same height, stature, and weight. Affable-looking, both of them. Credible in appearance, even rather dull. Men who bothered to take care of their looks without ever going over the top. It was from Pope he had got the whole idea of making himself up so his eyes looked too close together and his eyebrows appeared to be joined. And a dab of powder on his cheeks made them look just as broad as Pope’s.
They were features he had borrowed more than once.
But there was another thing about Pope, which he now intended to use against him.
Svend went to Thailand several times a year, and it wasn’t to enjoy the scenery.
The detective sent Pope to sit at the table next to his own. His face was as white as chalk, and if his expression was anything to go by, he had been dealt a body blow of some considerable force.
Now it was Birger’s turn, and then there would be only one left. There was no time to waste; the interviews would soon be over.
He went and sat down next to Pope. If the policeman had tried to stop him, he would have sat down anyway. He would have kicked up a fuss about police-state methods. It would have come to an argument, and he would have casually walked away and out of the door with the message that they could contact him at home if they wanted anything more from him. He had given up his civil registration number, so it wouldn’t be hard to find his address if they needed to question him again.
This, too, was an escape route. They couldn’t just arrest him with nothing to go on. And it seemed obvious to him that concrete evidence was the one thing they lacked. Even if a lot had changed in this country of theirs, the police still didn’t go around arresting people unless they were on solid ground, and Isabel had most certainly not yet been able to provide them with any substantial reason to charge him.
That time would come, inevitably so. But not yet.
He had seen the condition Isabel was in.
No, they had no proof of anything. No corpse, no knowledge of his boathouse. Soon, the fjord would swallow up his crimes.
Ultimately, it was just a question of keeping his distance for a couple of weeks and then eliminating all traces.
Pope glared at him angrily. His fists were clenched, the muscles of his neck were taut, his breathing quick and heavy. All the right reactions, so very useful in the current situation. If this was done right, it would all be over in minutes.
“What did you tell him, you bastard?” Pope hissed as he sat down at the table.
“Nothing they didn’t know already, Svend,” he replied softly. “I can assure you, he seems to know everything. You’ve got a record from before, remember?”
He sensed the man’s breathing become more agitated.
“It’s your own fault, Svend. Pedophiles just aren’t popular these days,” he said, louder this time.
“I’m no pedophile. Is that what you told him?” Pope’s voice had risen a tone.
“He knows it all. They’ve traced you. They know you’ve got child porn stored on your computer.”
Pope’s knuckles were white.
“I don’t believe it. They can’t.” His words were controlled but louder than Pope would have liked. He glanced around.
It seemed to be working. The detective was looking their way, keeping an eye on them, just as he had anticipated. He was cunning. Most likely he had put them next to each other just to see what would happen. They were both under suspicion. That much was obvious.
He turned his head toward the bar and discovered that the dark-skinned assistant was just out of sight. So he was hidden from that angle.
“They know you don’t actually download that stuff from the Internet, Svend. But they do know you get it from your mates on a flash drive,” he said casually.
“That’s not true!”
“But that’s what he told me, Svend.”
“Why’s he asking you lot, if it’s all about me? Are you sure it’s me they’re after?” For a moment, he forgot to chew his gum. His jaw stood still.
“He’s probably questioned all sorts of people you know, Svend. Now he’s doing it here in public, to see how you react.”
Pope began to tremble. “I’ve got nothing to hide. It’s not like nobody else is doing the same. That’s how it is in Thailand. I’m not harming any of those kids. I just like to be with them, that’s all. There’s nothing sexual. Not when I’m with them.”
“Well, I know that, Svend. You told me that. The thing is, our detective here reckons you’re trafficking these kids. Says it’s all on your computer. Trafficking and exchanging kiddie porn. Didn’t he mention that to you?” He frowned. “Would there be any truth in that, Svend? You’re always so busy on those trips. You’ve said so yourself.”
“He thinks I’m trafficking?” Svend realized his voice was too loud and glanced around again before continuing in a quieter tone. “Is that why he asked if I was good at filling in forms and the like? And how I could afford to travel so much on a disability pension? That’s something you put in his head, René. You know perfectly well I’m not on a disability pension. But that’s what he said you’d told him. I had to put him straight. My money’s from the business I sold off, you know that.”
“Don’t look, but he’s looking our way now. If I were you, Svend, I’d get up nice and easy and head for the door. I doubt they’ll stop you.”
He reached into his pocket and unfolded the knife, keeping it discreetly in his hand.
“Once you get home, destroy everything. Anything that might compromise you, all right? Word of advice from a friend, that’s all. Names, contacts, old plane tickets, the lot. Are you with me? Go home and do it now. Just get up and go. Do it now, otherwise they’re going to put you away, Svend. You know what they do to people like you in prison, don’t you?”
The man they called Pope glared at him, his eyes widening for a moment before becoming calm. Then he pushed back his chair and stood up. He had got the message.
He got up, too, reaching out as though to shake hands. He curled his fingers around the knife, palm facing down, the blade turned inward toward himself.
Pope considered him cautiously for a moment, then smiled. All his reservations seemed to vanish at once. He was a pitiful individual, with desires he was unable to control. A religious man who struggled against shame and who bore the disapprobation of the Catholic Church upon his shoulders. And here was his friend, standing in front of him with his hand outstretched. He meant him well.
He made his move at the instant Pope reached out to shake his hand, pressing the shaft of the knife into the man’s palm, prompting Pope to take hold of the weapon in a reflex. And then he jerked the bewildered man’s hand toward him in a sudden lurch that caught him just above the hip, a flesh wound, but clean. Not much pain, but it would bleed and look serious enough.
“Hey, what are you doing? Look out, he’s got a knife!” he cried and pulled Pope’s hand toward him again. The two wounds were perfect. He was already bleeding through his polo shirt.
He saw the policeman leap to his feet, his chair falling backward. Everyone at their end of the room turned toward them.
He shoved Pope away from him. The man staggered sideways, staring at the blood on his hands. He was in shock. It had all happened so fast. He was clueless.
“Run, you fucking murderer,” he hissed, clutching at his side.
And then Pope turned on his heel in panic, knocking over a couple of tables as he fled toward the lanes.