fuck are you screaming at me for, you old bastard?"
Wallander almost exploded, perhaps objecting most to being called "old".
"Just tell me who he is."
"He's a surfer. He goes to Australia a lot, but he's at home at the moment, working for his dad."
"What does his dad do?"
"He has a hardware store."
"And he's friends with Sonja?"
"They used to go out."
Persson was unable to think of anyone else that Hökberg might have contacted. She didn't know where she would be likely to go. In a last attempt to get some more information, Wallander turned to the mother, but she said she knew very little about Sonja.
"You must have known something about her; she was your daughter's best friend."
"I never liked her."
Persson swung round and hit her mother in the face. It happened so fast that Wallander had no time to catch her arm. The mother started screaming and the girl went on hitting her and yelling obscenities. She bit Wallander's hand, but he managed to drag them apart.
"Get rid of the old hag!" Persson yelled. "I don't want to see her any more!"
Wallander lost control. He slapped Persson. Hard. The girl was knocked to the ground. Wallander quickly left the room with his palm stinging. Holgersson came hurrying down the corridor and stared at him.
"What happened in there?"
Wallander didn't answer. He looked at his hand. It had turned red and was hurting. Neither one of them saw the journalist who had arrived early for the press conference. During the chaos of the last few moments he had reached the door unnoticed. He snapped two, three, four pictures. A headline was already taking shape in his mind.
The press conference started half an hour late. Holgersson had been clinging to the hope that a patrol would spot Hökberg. Wallander, who had been harbouring no illusions about the likelihood of this happening, had wanted to get started on time, in part also because his flu was now breaking out in full force.
He convinced her at last to go ahead. The reporters were only going to get irritated and make things more difficult for them.
"What do you want me to tell them?" she said.
"Nothing," Wallander said. "I'll handle it. I just want you to be there, that's all."
He excused himself and went to the toilet. He rinsed his face in cold water, then returned to the large conference room. He flinched when he saw how many reporters were there. He walked up to the podium with Holgersson. They sat down and Wallander looked out over the sea of faces. He recognised a good many. Some he knew by name, but some were complete strangers.
What should I tell them? he wondered. Even when you think you know what you are going to say it never comes out exactly the way you had imagined.
Holgersson welcomed the reporters and introduced Wallander.
I hate this, he thought bitterly. I don't just dislike it. All these meetings with the media. I know they are a fact of life, but I hate them.
He counted silently to three before he began.
"Last Tuesday evening in Ystad, a taxi driver was brutally assaulted and robbed. As you know, he died from the wounds that were inflicted. Two people have since been charged with the crime and they have both confessed. One of the assailants is a juvenile and consequently we will not be releasing any names at this press conference."
One of the reporters raised his hand.
"Isn't it true that the assailants were both women?"
"I'll get there, don't worry" Wallander said.
The reporter was young and pushy. "This press conference was supposed to start at 1 p.m. and it's already past 1.30. Don't you realise that we have deadlines to meet?"
Wallander ignored this question.
"This case is therefore a homicide," he said. "There's no reason not to disclose that this was an unusually savage killing. It is therefore comforting to know that we were able to resolve the investigation as rapidly as we did."
Then he took a deep breath. He felt as if he were diving into a pool without knowing how deep it was.
"Regrettably there has been a complication. One of the assailants has escaped. We have, I should add, every expectation of catching her shortly."
At first there was complete silence in the room. Then the questions burst from all sides.
"What's her name?"
Wallander looked over at Holgersson, who nodded.
"Sonja Hökberg."
"Where was she being detained?"
"Here at the police station."
"How could that happen?"
"We're conducting an inquiry into the matter."
"What does that mean?"
"Exactly what you think it means. That we're looking