Before the Frost
- Автор: Манкелль Хеннинг
- Серия: Linda Wallander #1
- Год: 2004
- Язык: английский
- Год: The Harvill Press
- ISBN: 978-1-84343-113-8
- Переводчик: Ebba Segerberg
- Жанр: Полицейские детективы
Электронная книга - «Before the Frost». Краткое содержание книги:
This neighbor, whose name was Aina Rosberg, had not seen anything strange in the apartment. It was messy as usual, but there were no signs of commotion. That was the phrase she had used: “no signs of commotion.” Aina Rosberg had called one of Zeba’s cousins, Titchka, who wasn’t home, and then Anna. That’s what Zeba had instructed her to do if anything ever happened: first call Titchka, then Anna.
“How long ago did this happen?” Linda asked.
“Two hours ago.”
“Has Aina Rosberg called again?”
“I called her back. But Zeba still hadn’t returned.”
Linda thought for a moment. Most of all she wanted to talk to her dad, but she also knew what he would say. Two hours was not a long time. There was probably a natural explanation for Zeba’s absence. But what could it possibly be?
“Let’s go over to her apartment,” Linda said. “I want to take a look at it.”
Anna made no objections. Ten minutes later, Mrs. Rosberg let them in.
“Where can she be?” she said. “This isn’t like her. Nobody would leave such a young child alone, least of all her. What would have happened if I hadn’t heard him cry?”
“I’m sure she’ll be back soon,” Linda said. “But it would be best if the boy could stay with you until then.”
“Of course he can,” Mrs. Rosberg said, and left to go back to her apartment.
When Linda walked into Zeba’s apartment, she picked up a strange smell. Her heart grew cold with fear; she knew something serious had happened. Zeba had not left of her own free will.
“Can you smell that?” she asked.
Anna shook her head.
“That sharp smell. Like vinegar.”
“I don’t smell anything.”
Linda sat in the kitchen, Anna in the living room. Linda could see her through the open door. Anna was nervously pinching herself on the arm. Linda tried to think clearly. She walked over to the window and looked out. She tried to imagine Zeba walking out onto the street. Which way had she gone? To the left or to the right? Had she been alone? Linda looked at the little smoke shop that was across the street. A tall, heavily built man was standing in the doorway, smoking. When a customer came by he walked in, then resumed his station at the doorway. Linda thought he was worth a try.
Anna still sat on the couch, lost in thought. Linda patted her on the arm.
“I’m sure she’ll turn up,” she said. “Probably nothing has happened. I’m going down to the smoke shop for a few minutes. I’ll be back soon.”
There was a sign welcoming customers to “Yassar’s Shop.” Linda bought some gum.
“Do you know Zeba?” she asked. “She lives across the street.”
“Zeba? Sure. I give her little one candy when they come in.”
“Have you seen her today?”
His answer came without hesitation.
“A few hours ago, around ten o’clock. I was putting up one of the flags that had come down outside. I don’t understand how a flag can fall down when there is no wind...”
“Was anyone with her?” Linda interrupted.
“She was with a man.”
Linda’s heart beat faster.
“Have you seen him before?”
Yassar looked worried. Instead of answering her question, he started asking his own.
“Why do you want to know? Who are you?”
“You must have seen me before. I’m a friend of Zeba’s.”
“Why are you asking all these questions?”
“I need to know.”
“Has anything happened?”
“No. Have you ever seen the man before?”
“No. He had a small gray car, he was tall, and later I thought about how strange it was that Zeba was leaning on him.”
“How do you mean ‘leaning on him’?”
“Just that. She was leaning, clinging. As if she needed support.”
“Can you describe the man?”
“He was tall. That’s about it. He had a hat on, a long coat.”
“A hat?”
“A gray hat. Or blue. A long gray coat. Or blue. Everything about him was either blue or gray.”
“Did you see the license plate?”
“No.”
“What about the make of the car?”
“I don’t know. Why are you asking all these questions? You come into my shop and make me as worried as if you were a cop.”
“I am a cop,” Linda said, and she left.
When she came back to the apartment, Anna was sitting where she had left her. Linda had the same feeling that there was something she should be seeing, realizing, seeing through, although she didn’t know what it was. She sat down next to Anna.
“You have to go back to your place, in case Zeba calls. I’m going down to the police station to talk to my dad. You can drop me off there.”
Anna grabbed Linda’s arm so roughly that Linda jumped. Then, just as abruptly, she let go. It was a strange reaction. Perhaps not the action itself, but the intensity of it.
When Linda walked into the reception area, someone called out to her that her dad was at the D.A.’s office, on the other side. She went over. The outer door was locked, but an assistant who recognized her let her in.
“Are you looking for your father? He’s in the small conference room.”
She pointed down a corridor. A red light was on outside one of the rooms. Linda sat down outside and waited.
After ten minutes Ann-Britt Höglund came out, saw her, and looked surprised. Then she turned back to the room.
“You have an important visitor,” she said and kept going.
Wallander came out with a very young attorney. He introduced Linda and the attorney left. Linda pulled him down in a chair and told him everything that had happened, not even trying to be systematic about the order in which things came out. Wallander was quiet for a long time after she finished. Then he asked a few questions, primarily about Yassar’s observations. He returned several times to the issue of Zeba “leaning” on the man.
“Is Zeba the touchy-feely kind?”
“No, I’d say the opposite, actually. It’s normally the man who is all over her. She’s tough and avoids showing any weakness, although she has several.”
“If she was being taken away against her will, why didn’t she cry out?”
Linda shook her head. Wallander answered his own question, as he stood up.
“Maybe she wasn’t able to.”
“And that she had to lean on the man? That she was drugged and would have fallen down if he hadn’t held her? That ‘leaning on him’ could be rephrased as ‘propped up by him’?”
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”
He walked quickly to his office. Linda had trouble keeping up. On the way, Wallander knocked on Lindman’s door and pushed it open. It was empty. Martinsson walked by carrying a large teddy bear.
“What the hell is that?” Wallander asked irritably.
“It was made in Taiwan. There’s a large package of amphetamines inside.”
“Get someone else to take care of it.”
“I was about to hand it over to Svartman,” Martinsson said, not hiding the fact that he too was irritated.
“Try to round everyone up. I want a meeting in half an hour.”
Martinsson left.
Wallander sat down behind his desk, then leaned over toward Linda.
“You didn’t ask Yassar if he heard the man say anything.”
“I forgot.”
Wallander handed her the phone.
“Call him.”
“I don’t know what his number is.”
Wallander dialed information for her. Linda asked to be transferred. Yassar answered. He didn’t remember the man saying anything.
“I’m starting to worry,” Yassar said. “What has happened?”
“Nothing,” Linda said. “Thanks for your help.”