He stopped and appeared to reflect on something.
Simonsen said, “The name is not particularly important. But tell me, those two children. Aren’t they a little on the early side? I thought instruction began at eight o’clock.”
“That’s correct, and I wondered about that too, so I asked the headmaster. It turns out that the school has a handful of children that meet up long before lessons begin. All schools are familiar with the problem. For some parents it is simply a matter of wanting to save money on morning care, for others it is a pressure they face each day-”
“Okay, Okay, go on,” Simonsen interrupted.
“Yes, of course… now where was I?… right. The officer on duty instructed the girl to wait until a teacher arrived, and she then contacted her mother’s workplace in Gentofte. The mother could not be located immediately, but the owner-a Danish resident of Lebanese origins who is somewhat familiar with the girl-decided to drive out to her. He arrived at the school a little before seven A.M. At the gymnasium he chased off eight children who had gathered there. He also called the Gladsaxe police again and at seven thirty-eight A.M. a patrol unit arrived-”
“At seven thirty-eight!” Simonsen interrupted sharply.
Pedersen avoided his gaze and adjusted his tie, a movement that his boss was all too familiar with.
“Cough up that name and tell me what happened.”
Additional delays were futile, and the name of the officer on duty was produced. Also the explanation.
“He said that the calls could be deprioritized… since it was clear that they were from ‘Mujafa types.’ Yes, unfortunately that is a direct quote.”
Simonsen was genuinely incensed.
“Why are you protecting a thug like that? Do you know him?”
Pedersen had been blessed with a youthful appearance. Despite his forty years he resembled an overgrown youth, and now he blushed from ear to ear so that his complexion matched his fiery red hair.
“We were at the police academy together. He and I are in a betting pool together.”
Simonsen frowned and closed his eyes, but decided not to ask further questions. Pedersen was a good investigator-creative as well as effective-and it was a distinct possibility that he would eventually become the next division chief. But his passion for gambling was well known and there was more than one story circulating about him. One day they would have to have a talk, but not now, and if Pedersen owed the thug some money, he did not want to know it.
“We’ll drop it. Go on.”
“The patrol officers called for backup, the school was sealed off, and the children were sent home. The staff were assembled in the teachers’ lounge and we were contacted of course. I arrived around nine A.M. and sent for you, whereupon I informed the police chief as well as rounding up Troulsen, Pauline, and the Countess. Then I got the whole thing under way and called in anything that can crawclass="underline" investigators, technicians, forensic specialists, canine units-yes, even Elvang is here.”
“Why the dogs? What are we looking for?”
“Ten hands, among other things.”
“Bloody hell.”
“Exactly.”
“Have you been inside the gymnasium?”
“No, just the doorway. On two different occasions. The first time I felt sick, as I told you. They’re running around in space suits and it looks like a science fiction film, and as soon as I as much as breathed in there I got long lectures about contamination of crime scenes. You can guess who from. It’s completely hysterical.”
“The head of our Criminal Forensics Division is paid to get hysterical like that. What about Elvang?”
“Yes, what about Elvang? Obviously he had to wait. And in addition…” He searched for the words.
“In addition?”
“He called me a slave to fashion, but that’s not particularly relevant.”
“No, apart from the fact that he evidently still has some spirit in him.”
“You can laugh all you want, it’ll be your turn in a minute. He is waiting for you, once we’re done. The room is probably ready by now. But while we’re on the topic, I know with certainty why he isn’t retired yet. My brother’s new girlfriend works at the Ministry of Education, which oversees the National Health Service. That should count for something, it’s not just idle talk. Do you want to know why?”
Simonsen wondered silently if his subordinate had a surplus of anything but rigorous facts, but he answered with a smile, “I’d love to, when we have the time. How are our resources?”
“It’s not quite clear yet, but looks promising. We’re about to be reorganized into a special unit. They’re making the organizational changes.”
“That sounds ominous. Who are they?”
“I don’t know. I tell you, Simon, the first hour was like a zoo-I’ve never experienced anything like it. The minister of justice called twice and asked to be briefed minute by minute.”
“The minister of justice? Why on earth doesn’t he keep to the proper channels?”
“No idea. I didn’t ask him that.”
“ ‘Minute by minute,’ did he really say that?”
“Yes, he did actually. Verbatim.”
“Astounding.”
“You can say that again.”
“On top of that, the national police chief called a couple of times. To underscore the fact that the minister of justice was to be briefed. And the second time he threatened to come in person, but the Countess talked him out of it. Then there was the police director, but that is natural enough. The county commissioner has the mayor of Gladsaxe on his back, so he called in frequently too. Moreover, the attorney general got on the line, distinctly out of sorts.”
“The attorney general? How in the world did he get in the picture?”
“Well, that was what he was asking me about. He didn’t want anything to do with the investigation, I believe he said. He is not completely easy to understand and I could never figure out who it was who involved him in the first place. And the Countess has had her hands full. Both with the chairman and vice chairperson of the parliamentary judiciary committee. Among others.”
“For heaven’s sake, what a mess.”
“You can say that again, and there’s more. Finally I received a call from the head at the Department of State, Helmer Hammer-yes, that is his name-and that was immediately after the minister of justice’s second round, so I was impatient with all the interruptions at this point. I was also a bit shaken, which I can see now in hindsight. Well, I told him in fairly direct terms that unless we had some peace to do our work, there would be absolutely nothing to report on, regardless of whether the queen herself called. Then I hung up or whatever it is you do with a cell phone.”
“Hm, was that wise? What happened after that?”
“He called back.”
“Smart move. Are you going to be directing traffic now?”
“No, he’s reasonable when it comes down to it. He doesn’t know anything about police work, which is something thankfully he volunteered himself, but he promised to stop with the interruptions and he’s kept his word. There have been no VIP calls since.”
Pedersen looked relieved. Simonsen tried to get the conversation back on track without sounding too impatient.
“That all sounds quite positive, but does not actually explain the state of our resources.”
“Yes it does, because he also said that you should take the lead on the investigation.”
“I’m already doing that.”
“Yes, I know. Let me explain. That is, you should lead the investigation and exclusively report back to him. No one else.”