The Fourth Man by K.O. Dahl Read Free Book Online Page B

talking about?’
    Gunnarstranda took a deep breath.
    ‘What’s up?’
    ‘Pull yourself together, Frølich.’
    ‘Eh?’
    ‘You’re the one having a relationship with this woman! You’re the one who has been to bed with her. And you stand there like a donkey asking me about times. I don’t recognize you. Have a break. Go on holiday, take time off. You’ve been – excuse my French – humping the sister of a hardened criminal … for how long? For weeks? As far as I know, it might be all love and sweet music, but you’re a policeman for Christ’s sake. It might be a set-up. If you can’t see that, it’s my job to point out the possibility. Soon the whole force will see it. And then you’ll be suspended. And you can imagine how they will formulate the suspension, can’t you? That route is no good for you or me or the force. So, move out of the way of the elephants coming thundering around the bend. If you don’t move, you’ll be trampled underfoot. And whatever happens, you could do with a holiday. You’re a fucking shadow of yourself, man!’
    Frank Frølich looked the other man in the eye. ‘What are you talking about? A set-up?’
    ‘The woman must have had something going right from the off.’
    ‘Why’s that?’
    ‘You told me you protected her – in Badir’s shop – got her out of the way when the police went into action?’
    ‘No one knew about the operation. Her going into the shop was a glitch. Chance.’
    ‘Fine, she entered the shop quite by chance. But then – during the shooting and while the crazy guys were being nicked – you say she was stuffing cigarettes into her rucksack? She must have been doing that to get you interested.’
    ‘I haven’t the slightest idea why she was doing that.’
    ‘Remember, she doesn’t have a record. But when the bullets fly and she is lying underneath a cop on the shop floor, she starts pinching stuff – isn’t that a bit odd?’
    Frølich was sweating. ‘It might be odd, I don’t know.’
    ‘Just use your head. You’re in deep shit.’
    ‘But if this is all calculated and planned, I don’t understand why. Was she supposed to go around selling her body for months, making the wildest plans with me, in order to give her brother an alibi for killing a security guard in the harbour? My God, Arnfinn Haga, a twenty-two-year-old student working as a guard to earn some money on the side. Can’t you see that a conspiracy theory is completely absurd!’
    ‘So you think she’s in love with you and the business with her brother is pure chance, do you?’
    ‘Yes, in fact I do.’
    ‘Frølich, how long have we worked together now?’
    ‘A lot too long.’
    ‘Yes, probably, but we’ve muddled our way through quite a few cases. And even if no two cases are alike, a number of things about this one stink.’
    ‘Right!’ Frølich cut in. ‘But it’s also possible!’
    ‘What’s possible?’
    ‘It’s possible she had honourable intentions!’
    ‘Frølich! Stop being so bloody naive! There’s something not quite kosher about this bit of skirt. It doesn’t matter which way you look at every single bit of what you’ve told me, it all boils down to a con.’
    Gunnarstranda moved off. He strode briskly along the pavement. Frølich caught up with him and said, ‘OK, let’s say you’re right. She did have something going. If you’re so damned sure, what was she after, then? What was she planning on the shop floor? If this is not about the murder of the Securitas guard, what is it about then? Is it about getting me into deep water? There must be easier ways of causing me trouble than to start killing people. You must be able to see that. The only thing she has achieved is to put me in a spot of bother with some colleagues who are wondering now about my judgement – and what would be the point of that? Well? Can you tell me?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘So, why the hassle?’
    Gunnarstranda stopped again. He glared at the other man with ice-cold eyes.