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Suddenly his computer beeped. He had received an e-mail. It was from the United States.

He sat down at his computer again to reply.

Back at police headquarters, Knutas phoned Agneta Larsvik in Stockholm. He was lucky enough to catch her between meetings.

"The part about the modus operandi," he began, "could it have something to do with a religion?"

"In what way?"

"Both Martina Flochten and Staffan Mellgren were interested in the Viking Age. They were excavating a Viking Age port area when they were murdered. The religion at that time had to do with a belief in the?sir gods-you know, Thor and Odin and all the others. The Vikings made offerings and sacrifices and the like. That's fairly common knowledge. You said that the modus operandi was ritualistic. Could it have something to do with a belief in the?sir gods? I mean, the way in which sacrifices were made to them?"

"I don't really know," she said hesitantly. "Unfortunately, I don't know much about the subject, but it's not out of the question. Could you hold on for a moment?"

"Of course."

Knutas heard her put down the phone and leaf through some papers in the background. A few minutes later she was back.

"Are you still there? I know someone at Stockholm University who teaches the history of religion. He specializes in ancient Nordic religion and mythology. His name is Malte Moberg, and I'm sure he could help you."

Knutas jotted down the number, and less than a minute later he had the historian on the line. He explained what he wanted to know and briefly described how the victims had been killed.

Malte Moberg spoke slowly, in a gruff, dry voice. "There's something known as the 'threefold death,' meaning that a victim's life is taken in three different ways. This way of killing has its origin in the religion of Celtic and Germanic tribes, and it was utilized for a period from 300 b.c. to a.d. 300. When the victim suffered a threefold death by hanging, stabbing, and drowning, it was thought that each was dedicated to one of three different gods."

The most important piece in the puzzle had now fallen into place. It was that simple. Knutas felt so elated that he could hardly sit still.

"What does this have to do with the ancient Nordic religion?" he asked eagerly.

"In the pre-Christian North, the offering of sacrifices was central to the religion. The creation myth of the?sir gods begins when Ymer the giant is sacrificed to give the world a body. Odin sacrificed one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom, and himself to achieve insight into the secrets of the runes. People most often offered food and drink to the gods, but animals were also sacrificed and, in rare cases, human beings. The type of death that you're describing in these murder cases also occurred in the ancient Scandinavian religion. The threefold death was dedicated to the gods Odin, Thor, and Frey-meaning the three most powerful gods in the ancient Nordic pantheon, which was prevalent during the Viking Age. In Nordic mythology, there are three families of gods: the?sir, the Vanir, and the Elves. The?sir, who included Odin and Thor, were most closely associated with power and warfare; the Vanir, who included Frey, were linked to fertility. How familiar are you with ancient Nordic mythology?"

"We studied it in school, of course, but that's a hundred years ago. Refresh my memory."

"Odin is the original deity, the Almighty according to many-the most powerful of the gods, who ruled over all the other?sir. He was also the supreme deity of the human world. He is the oldest and the wisest and lives in the fortress Valhalla. He's the god of war, but also the god of poetry, and he's the one who created the runes. Thor is Odin's son, and he's also the god of war, although he's best known as the god of thunder. Thor has a hammer called Mjolnir, and when he uses it, he produces thunder and lightning. I'm sure you know all about that. Finally, Frey is the foremost god of fertility. People worshipped him in order to obtain a good harvest, peace, sensual pleasure, and bountiful livestock."

"What about the idea that the perpetrator may have drained his victims of their blood? Does that fit in with ancient Nordic mythology?"

"Absolutely. The blood itself was an important part of the sacrificial rite. They would kill the animals, such as pigs, horses, and bulls, and then collect the blood in bowls. One feature of?sir worship was that they used blood to paint idols."

Knutas let out a long breath.

"It all fits," he said. "The modus operandi, the emptying of the blood, all of it."

There was just one more question he needed to ask. So far no mention of the horse's heads had reached the public, so Knutas told Malte Moberg about the two heads stuck on poles that had been left at the homes of Mellgren and Ambjornsson.

There was silence on the phone. It lasted so long that Knutas wondered if they'd been cut off. Then Moberg was back, and his voice had taken on a new tone.

"What you're describing is called a nidstang — a horse's head is stuck on a pole, often made of hazelwood, and positioned outside someone's house as a threat. It has to do with a tremendously powerful magic rite, a curse that is leveled at someone. To place a nidstang constitutes a serious threat against an individual."

"The excavation leader Staffan Mellgren was murdered a couple of days ago, after he found the nidstang at his house."

"And the other man who received a nidstang?"

"It's not entirely clear where he is right now," said Knutas cryptically.

"Really? If I were you, I'd try to get hold of him as soon as possible. In addition, I'd advise you to find out quickly who among the victims' circle of acquaintances is interested in?sir worship."

As soon as he was through talking to Malte Moberg, Knutas called Susanna Mellgren to find out if her husband had ever shown any interest in the?sir cult. The answer was negative. She'd never heard about anything like that. She admitted that he'd often been gone in the evenings and even on weekends without her finding out what he was doing; she'd taken it for granted that he was meeting with other women.

Knutas received the same answer to his question about?sir worship from Ambjornsson's girlfriend. According to her, Ambjornsson was an atheist.

Knutas summoned the investigative team and reported on his phone conversation with the Stockholm historian who specialized in religion.

"Who the hell would have thought that this had anything to do with religion?" said Kihlgard. "Although who would worship the?sir gods in this day and age? That seems really odd."

"Surely it's not any odder than believing in Jesus or Muhammad or anything else," objected Jacobsson. "I think it's rather cool to believe in the?sir gods. I like the thought that there are multiple gods, and that the female deities seem to be just as important as the male ones."

"Now is not the time to be discussing our opinions on various types of religion. We need to talk about this hot new lead that we've got. Hopefully it will help us solve this case," said Knutas impatiently. "The perp is most likely here on the island, and I'd be surprised if he's acting alone. He probably has at least one accomplice."