But I remember you mentioned that the principal had said that Jacob might be depressed. Why did he think that?”
“Jacob was on sick leave during the fall for depression. It was probably due to his divorce,” Andersson replied.
A divorce might well result in depression, especially with Jacob’s genetic predisposition.
“But more than six months had passed, and he had started working again. Why should his depression return?” Irene persisted.
The superintendent’s color rose and irritation could be heard in his voice. “I’m no headshrinker, but can’t depression return without any particular reason?”
Irene nodded; maybe he was right.
The superintendent stared grimly down at his notebook. “Our pathology professor called me a little while ago. Jacob Schyttelius was first shot in the chest near the heart, with a round fired from a distance of a few meters. The second shot went straight through his brain, and was fired at very close range when he was lying on the floor. The bullet was found in the floorboards. Each shot would have been fatal.
“The pastor and his wife were each shot between the eyes. Those shots were also instantly fatal because large-bore ammunition was used, so the damage was extensive. The bullets have been sent to the lab, but Stridner thinks they are of the same caliber. Ballistic tests aren’t complete yet.
“It is interesting to note that Jacob was shot two hours before his parents.”
“What did the killer do between the murders?” Irene wondered.
“Erased the hard drives,” Fredrik Stridh replied.
“Bam bam. One shot in the chest and one in the forehead for Jacob. Bam bam. One shot between the eyes for the two other victims. A Husqvarna 1900 is a type of Mauser rifle and can be loaded with five rounds. This killer is familiar with guns. There couldn’t have been much time between shots at the rectory, as the victims never stirred,” Tommy thought out loud.
“Chambering a round with a Mauser-type rifle takes less than one second for someone who is trained in its use. I think he shot Sten Schyttelius first and then popped Elsa,” the superintendent said.
“That sounds plausible. But we don’t know for sure,” Tommy agreed.
“It’s the most likely scenario, since Elsa was full of sleeping pills according to Stridner.”
Irene felt some sense of relief. Even if Elsa had been awake in the last few seconds before her death, she would have been too dazed to understand what was happening.
“I’ve checked the license for the rifles. The ones from the gun cabinet belonged to Sten Schyttelius. The Husqvarna under the bed is registered to Jacob Schyttelius,” said Hannu.
“Is there a gun cabinet at the cottage?” Irene asked.
Hannu shook his head.
“Then he must have left his weapon in his father’s cabinet. It was just coincidence that the murderer chose that particular rifle,” said Tommy.
“Very possibly. But that would mean that the murderer took the rifle and ammunition from the rectory, then headed over to the cottage to shoot Jacob. Then he returned two hours later to shoot Sten and Elsa. My question is why didn’t they see the murderer take the weapon, since they were alive and we know that both of them were in the rectory all afternoon and evening,” Irene objected.
“Could he have taken the weapon earlier? Maybe several days ago?” Tommy suggested.
“But I think that would have been a big risk. Sten Schyttelius might have discovered that the weapon was missing. He—”
Irene was interrupted by a knock at the door. Åhlén stuck his round head in.
“Interesting find at the cottage,” he informed them as he entered.
In one hand he held a simple cloth bag made of unbleached cotton. He took a thick clear plastic bag from it. Inside was a book.
“This is a book about Satanism. Written in English. We found it behind some loose boards in the wall of the bedroom. Along with a tin of ammunition.”
He set the book on the table in front of the superintendent and took out another plastic bag. Irene glanced at the tin in the bag and recognized it. Norma 30-06 is the most common type of large-caliber ammunition.
“Was the space behind the panel big enough to hold a large rifle?” Tommy asked.
“Yes. But not several. It wasn’t that big.”
“But there was room for the book,” Irene commented.
She took the thick plastic-wrapped book. The title was Church of Satan and the author was Anton LaVey. Åhlén pointed at the book and said, “Ljunggren recognized that name. He’s a leader of a Satanic cult in the USA. Svante may know a little more, but