'Maybe,' replied Katherina with a shrug.
'He wasn't especially active in the last three groups I mentioned. It was like he just lurked and read the blogs without taking part in the debate himself.' He waved the papers. 'I'll give you the list so you can see what you can work out for yourselves.'
'Okay,' said Jon. 'Is there anything else you can tell us?'
'I looked at what he was doing on the Net lately,' replied Mehmet. 'It follows the same trend as the blogs. He looked at a lot of web pages with computer-related subjects, a number of libraries and literature pages. He also visited various porn sites and a few travel agencies.'
'Travel agencies?' Katherina said.
'Yes, he was looking at trips to Iraq and Egypt, but he didn't buy any tickets.' Mehmet stood up and handed them the stack of papers. 'But that's all in here too.'
Jon took the pages and leafed through a few of them.
'So that's your man,' Mehmet concluded. 'A slightly pathetic loner wannabe without many friends or social skills. Probably in his mid-twenties with a steady but not particularly demanding job in the IT field. Plus a couple of interesting deviations from the profile, which lean towards a romantic fascination with literature and exotic travel destinations.'
'Impressive,' said Katherina.
Mehmet shrugged. 'Do you know the saying: Show me your rubbish bin and I'll tell you who you are? The same can be said about a PC – but it's really much easier. The way we move around when we're surfing the Net says a lot about us, and the tracks are easy to follow if you know where to start.' Mehmet was leaning against his desk with his arms crossed and a satisfied smile on his lips.
'There's something else we'd like your help with,' said Jon, his eyes still fixed on the papers. 'We're looking for a man by the name of Tom Nшrreskov. Can you find us his address?'
'If you can spell his name,' said Mehmet with a grin.
While Mehmet went to work behind his three flat-screens, Jon started going through the printouts from Lee's computer. Katherina sat next to him on the sofa and glanced around the room while he read. He sensed that she was receiving, but he wasn't worried. On the contrary, he found it reassuring, certain that she would pick up on anything he happened to miss. And at the same time, she could sense what information he thought was relevant even if he didn't say so out loud. The idea that she might be able to perceive more than he cared to reveal did cross his mind a couple of times, but he dismissed the thought, realizing that even if she did, it didn't really bother him.
Every once in a while Mehmet poked his head out between the monitors and asked them questions about Tom's age, job, education, known hangouts, and they made the best guess they could.
'Bingo!' exclaimed Mehmet after half an hour when the only sounds coming from him had been the clacking of the keyboard and a few outbursts that were impossible to comprehend. 'What do you want to know?'
Both Katherina and Jon got up and went over to the desk where Mehmet was leaning back in his chair, looking at the three screens with satisfaction.
'First of all, where does he live?' Jon asked.
'Vordingborg,' replied Mehmet. 'On a farm outside of town, as far as I can tell from the map. Twenty years ago he lived in Copenhagen, just as you thought, specifically in the suburb of Valby, but he moved to southern Sjжlland fifteen years ago after getting divorced.'
'Divorced?' Katherina repeated.
'Yes, sixteen years ago. But then he does something strange,' said Mehmet, pausing for dramatic effect. 'First he gives up custody of his children, and then he changes his name to Klausen – that's why it took so long for me to find him. Only then did he move to Vordingborg, where he's lived ever since, according to the national register.'
'So he's a farmer?' asked Jon.
'I don't really think so,' said Mehmet. 'He's made enquiries with the local authorities about the leasing of land, so my guess is that he has rented out his fields. Plus there's a T. Klausen employed by the local rag as a freelance book reviewer.'
Jon nodded. 'That must be him.'
Katherina agreed. 'Is there anything else?' she asked.
'He doesn't have a phone and doesn't pay for a TV licence… What the hell does anyone do out in the sticks without a phone or a TV or a woman?'
'Read books?' Jon suggested.
'Ha! Yeah, well, I guess that's the only thing left.' He gave Jon a searching glance. 'Books again, huh?'
Jon didn't answer. 'Can anyone tell you've been searching for him?'
'If they swipe my computer, they can. Or if there's someone in Vordingborg Municipality who's in charge of watching for exactly that type of search and also has a contact with my Internet service provider.' Mehmet threw out his hands. 'I don't know what you're mixed up in, and I don't want to know either, but it would be very strange if those kinds of forces are in play just because of a bookworm.'
'Even so, make sure you remove any traces you can.'
'No sweat. You know me. I'm caution itself.' Mehmet nodded towards a spot on the ceiling behind them. 'I've even got security.'
They turned around. On the ceiling, just over the door to the garden, was a camera the size of a box of kitchen matches.
'I need to look out for myself, if the police aren't going to do it,' Mehmet explained with a touch of bitterness in his voice.
'Okay,' said Jon. 'But erase the tape of the last couple of hours, all right?'
'Tape?' Mehmet burst out laughing. 'You're a dinosaur, Jon.'
'I know, I know. Just erase it, okay? We've got to go.'
Mehmet shook hands with them.
'And thanks for your help,' Katherina added.
'No prob,' replied Mehmet, opening the door for them.
Jon was extremely happy with the visit. For the first time since he'd agreed to handle the investigation, he had the feeling they'd taken a step forward. He could sense that Tom Nшrreskov had played a role in the whole thing, and they'd been lucky enough to track him down in spite of his attempts to hide. But Jon also suspected that this breakthrough was going to be short-lived.
They had to follow up on the lead while it was fresh, and that meant a trip to southern Sjжlland. They decided that Jon would pick up Katherina the next morning around ten. They both agreed not to take anyone else along. Pau wouldn't be any use; on the contrary, his attitude might ruin the whole trip, and besides, someone had to watch the shop.
This probably wasn't the most convenient moment for Jon to neglect his career, but the sooner he resolved this matter, the faster he could get back to focusing one hundred per cent of his attention on his work.
Jenny sounded worried when he rang in to check for news.
'I don't think they're very happy that you're spending so much time out of the office,' she whispered. 'There are rumours they want to take you off the Remer case.'
'Nonsense,' said Jon. 'As long as Remer doesn't answer my queries, I can't do anything anyway. Halbech knows him. He knows how difficult Remer can be.'
'Maybe. But promise me you won't take any more time off after this.'
'No reason to be nervous on my behalf.'
'Take care of yourself, Jon,' said Jenny and rang off before Jon could reply.
Maybe he was mistaken about Halbech's patience, but there would be plenty of time to make amends – there was nothing like unpaid overtime to smooth things out with his boss.
In a strange way, the meeting with Tom Nшrreskov, Klausen, or whatever he wanted to call himself, seemed far more urgent, as if the trip to Vordingborg were a race. Although Jon didn't know whether there was a prize, or whether he even wanted to win.
17
'How about if I come along and keep an eye on you?' asked Pau.
Katherina shook her head. 'Someone has to keep the bookshop open.'