Firewall - By Henning Mankell & Ebba Segerberg Page 0,70

out a domestic dispute. Birthday party that got out of hand."

"The other?"

"In town."

"Tell them to make for the car park on Missunnav盲gen, right away. I'll get there on my own."

Wallander left the station. He was freezing in the thin coat. During the short journey he wondered what he was about to find, but he was pretty sure it would be Tynnes Falk, returned to the place of his death.

Wallander and the patrol car arrived almost simultaneously. A man jumped out of a red Volvo when they arrived. He was waving his arms. Wallander got out of his car and the man approached him, shouting and pointing. He had bad breath.

"Wait here," Wallander told him.

Then he walked over to the cash machine. It was Falk. He was lying on his stomach with his hands tucked underneath his chest. His head was turned to the left. Wallander told the officers to seal off the area and to take down Nils J枚nsson's statement, something he didn't have the energy to do himself. He didn't expect the man to have anything important to tell them. The person or persons who had returned Falk's body would most likely have chosen a time when no-one could see them.

Wallander had never encountered anything like this before. The reconstruction of a death, a body returned to the scene of the crime. He couldn't make head nor tail of it. He walked slowly around the body as if he were expecting Falk to get to his feet. One could say I'm looking at a divine figure, he thought. You worshipped yourself, Mr Falk. According to Eriksson you were planning to become a very old man. But you didn't even live as long as me.

Nyberg arrived in his car. He stared at the body for a full minute, then turned to Wallander.

"Wasn't he already dead? Then how did he end up back here? Was this where he wanted to be buried?"

Wallander saw Martinsson park behind the patrol cars. He walked over to meet him.

Martinsson got out of his car. He was dressed in a tracksuit. He eyed the stain on the coat Wallander was wearing with disapproval, but he didn't say anything.

"What's happened?"

"Falk has come back."

"Is this your idea of a joke?"

"I'm just telling you what's happened. Tynnes Falk is lying in the spot where he died."

They walked over to the cash machine. Nyberg was talking on the phone to one of his forensic team. Wallander wondered gloomily if he was going to have to see Nyberg faint again.

"There's one important thing I want you to check out," Wallander told him. "See if you think he's lying in the same position as when he was first found."

Martinsson nodded and slowly circled the body. Wallander knew he had an excellent memory. Martinsson shook his head.

"He was lying further away from the machine before. And one leg was bent."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Wallander thought for a moment.

"We really don't need to wait for a doctor this time," he said after a while. "Falk was pronounced dead more than a week ago. I think we can turn him over without breaking any rules."

Martinsson hesitated, but Wallander insisted. He could see no reason to wait. Once Nyberg had taken photographs of the body, they turned it over. Martinsson flinched and drew back. A few seconds went by before Wallander realised why. Two fingers were missing. The index finger on the right hand and the ring finger on the left. He got up.

"What kind of animals are we dealing with?" Martinsson groaned. "Body snatchers? Corpse mutilators? Necrophiliacs?"

"Heaven knows what, but clearly this means something. Someone went to a lot of trouble to steal the body and now to return it here."

Martinsson was pale and Wallander pulled him aside.

"We need to get a hold of the nightwatchman, the one who discovered the body the first time," he said. "We also need the security guards' schedule to establish the time they patrol this area. Then we'll be in a better position to zero in on the time that he was dropped back here."

"Who found him this time?"

"A man from Trelleborg, called Nils J枚nsson."

"Was he getting cash?"

"He says he stopped to fill up with petrol."

Wallander went to talk to the officer who had taken down J枚nsson's statement. He had indeed said nothing of interest.

Martinsson came over with information from the night guard. "Someone drove by here around 11 p.m.," he said.

It was now 12.30 a.m. Wallander recalled that the first time Falk was found the call came into the station