pursue it anyway. Yet when she took a closer look at the handwriting, it didn’t have any resemblance to Tom’s elegant script in the message she had received at the Hotel Alex. The style on the postcard was heavy block letters. Still, she would leave the card with the technicians at the police station, together with the earlier message from Tom. She had saved it.
She took out her cell phone and found Tom’s number. He answered almost immediately.
“Hi, Tom. This is Irene Huss.”
“Hi. I suppose you are calling because of Isabell.”
“Yes. But first I need to ask you a question. Did you send me a postcard?”
“Absolutely not. I never send postcards.”
“That’s what I thought, but I had to check. I’ve received a postcard from Copenhagen with—”
She had to stop herself for a moment and think about the word for mermaid in English, but in that moment she remembered that it was written on the postcard.
“A photo of the Little Mermaid. On the back it says, ‘The Little Mermaid is dead.’ Nothing more. I don’t know how I should interpret the card.”
Tom was quiet for a long time. She could hear his heavy breathing. Finally, he said, “It’s a warning. The murderer knows exactly where you are. The murder of Isabell Lind is also a warning to you. I told you that when she disappeared.”
“Do the police know that you called your contact at the Hotel Aurora and asked about Isabell?”
“No. He came here when her body was found and was completely hysterical. I managed to calm him down. We were lucky because a girl had called the hotel and asked about Isabell just after my call. The police only know that one of the girls at the escort service called because Isabell didn’t come back after her job at the hotel. That’s why the police think my contact’s questioning the hotel staff resulted from the call by the girl at Scandinavian Models.”
“I think it’s important that the police in Copenhagen not know about you and Marcus. I haven’t revealed your identity to my Swedish colleagues.”
“Good.”
“No one seems to have realized how . . . close you were, you and Mar cus.”
“No. We were very discreet. For different reasons. Marcus didn’t want the policeman he was living with to know about our relationship.”
“And you haven’t told anyone about the two of you?”
“No. Just you.”
“I’m coming down to Copenhagen on Monday night and have booked a room at Hotel Alex again. Unfortunately, I’m going to have a colleague with me. A male colleague. It means that I can’t move around as freely.”
“I understand. We’ll be in touch.”
“Yes. Good-bye.”
“Be careful. Good-bye.”
Irene had a vague feeling of concern after the phone call. Was Tom in danger too? She couldn’t rule out the possibility.
POLICE TECHNICIAN Svante Malm took both the cards and promised to do a graphological comparison and look for fingerprints as soon as possible.
Hannu was sitting in his office waiting for her. Irene told him about the postcard. He reflected, then said, “Are you really going to go to Copenhagen?”
“You mean it could be dangerous?”
“Maybe.”
“He knows my address, and he can easily get to me here! And as far as we know, the murderer could just as well be in Göteborg as Copenhagen.” She took a deep breath and then said with conviction, “I have to catch him.”
Hannu nodded. He knew Irene well enough to realize that this killer had good reason to feel hunted.
“What have you found on Pahliss and Gunnarsson?” she asked.
“Hans Pahliss is a doctor. Researcher. Virologist. He is in France right now at a conference. I reached Anders Gunnarsson. Dentist. He’s willing to see us. He has a private practice by Vasaplatsen. On Fridays he finishes early. He could meet us around three o’clock.”
“Perfect. Then we’ll have time for coffee before we go.”
RUSH-HOURtraffic was already heavy. The flex-time system meant that the bells of freedom starting ringing around lunchtime on Friday for lots of people.
Irene managed to find a free parking space on Storgatan. “This should be a good omen. I need one, especially when I consider how crazy this investigation has been,” she sighed.
They found the entrance to Anders Gunnarsson’s office without any problems. He shared the space with two colleagues. According to the shiny brass sign, they were Rut and Henry Raadmo, probably a married couple.
Irene called on the house phone. Almost instantly a scratchy male voice came over the speaker. “Who are you looking for?”
“Dentist Anders Gunnarsson. We have an appointment at three o’clock,” said Hannu.
“Welcome.