Firewall - By Henning Mankell & Ebba Segerberg Page 0,139

be good."

A waitress whom Wallander recognised from the Continental Hotel showed them to their table.

"You took the car," Wallander said, studying the wine list.

"Yes, I thought I'd drive back."

"Then I'll be drinking the wine today."

"What do the police say about blood alcohol levels?"

"That it's best not to have any alcohol at all if you're planning to drive. But I think one glass is fine with a meal. If you like we can go up to the station after dinner and give you a breath test."

The food was excellent. Wallander finished his first glass of wine and pretended to hesitate before ordering another. The conversation so far had been mainly about his work. For once, he was enjoying it. He told her how he had been a very junior policeman in Malm枚 and been almost stabbed to death. She asked him about the cases he was involved in now and he was persuaded that she knew nothing about the picture in the paper. He told her about the strange death at the power substation, about the man who had been found at the cash machine and the boy who had been thrown between the propeller shafts on the Poland ferry.

They had just ordered coffee when the door to the restaurant opened. It was Modin. Wallander spotted him immediately. When Modin saw that Wallander was not alone he seemed to hesitate, but Wallander gestured for him to come over. He introduced Modin to Elvira. Wallander saw that he looked worried. He wondered what had happened.

"I think I've found something," Modin said.

"If you need to speak privately, I can leave," Elvira said.

"There's no need."

"I asked my dad to drive me from L枚derup," Modin said. "I found out where you were from your answerphone."

"You said you thought you had something?"

"It's hard to explain without the computer in front of me, but I think I've managed to crack the last codes."

Modin looked sure of himself.

"Call Martinsson first thing tomorrow," Wallander said. "I'll tell him in advance of this development."

"I'm pretty sure I'm right."

"There was no need for you to come all this way," Wallander said. "You could have phoned me."

"I get a little carried away sometimes."

Modin nodded nervously in Elvira's direction. Wallander thought he should ask him more closely about the new breakthrough, but decided it could wait until the next day. He wanted to be left alone right now. Modin understood. He walked out again. The conversation had taken two minutes.

"He's a very talented young man," Wallander said as he left. "He's a computer buff and he's helping us with part of our investigation."

Elvira smiled. "He seemed like a nervous type. But I'm sure he's very good at what he does."

They left the restaurant around midnight and walked slowly back to Stortorget. Her car was parked on Hamngatan.

"I've had a wonderful time," she said when they said goodbye.

"You're not tired of me yet?"

"No. What about you?"

Wallander wanted her to stay longer, but he knew he had to let her go. They said they would talk again over the weekend. He gave her a hug. She left, and Wallander made his way home. Suddenly he stopped in the middle of the street. Is it possible? he thought. Have I really met someone? He walked on to Mariagatan and fell asleep shortly after 1 a.m.

Elvira Lindfeldt drove towards Malm枚 through the darkness. Short of Rydsg氓rd she pulled into a parking space by the side of the road. She dialled a number in Luanda. She tried three times before she got through. It was not a good connection. When she heard Carter on the line, she came straight to the point.

"Fu Cheng was right. The person who is killing our system is called Robert Modin. He lives outside Ystad in a village called L枚derup."

She repeated it until she was sure that he understood what she had said, and then the connection was broken.

She drove back onto the main road and continued on to Malm枚.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Wallander called Linda on Saturday morning. He had woken at dawn but had managed to get back to sleep until shortly after 8 a.m. When he had finished breakfast, he called her flat in Stockholm. He woke her up. She asked him why had he not been at home the evening before. Twice she had called the number he had left on the answering machine, but it had been engaged both times. Wallander decided to tell her the truth. She listened without interrupting him.

"I never would have thought," she said, "that you had