The Pyramid by Henning Mankell Read Free Book Online Page A

to the apartment.'
    That morning the forensic technicians were making a thorough examination of Hålén's apartment. The man leading the work was small and thin and said almost nothing. His name was Sjunnesson; he was a legend in Swedish forensics.
    'If there's anything here, he'll find it,' Hemberg said. 'Stay here and learn from him.'
    Hemberg suddenly received a message and left.
    'A man up in Jägersro has hanged himself in a garage,' he said when he returned.
    Then he left again. When he returned, his hair had been trimmed.
    At three o'clock Sjunnesson called the work to a halt.
    'There's nothing here,' he said. 'No hidden money, no drugs. It's clean.'
    'Then there was someone who imagined there was something here,'
Hemberg said. 'And who was wrong. Now we'll close this case.'
    Wallander followed Hemberg out onto the street.
    'You have to know when it's time to quit,' Hemberg said. 'That may be the most important thing of all.'
    Wallander went back to his apartment and called Mona. They agreed to meet later that evening and take a drive. She had borrowed a car from a friend. She would drop by and pick Wallander up at seven.
    'Let's go to Helsingborg,' she suggested.
    'Why?'
    'Because I've never been there.'
    'Me neither,' Wallander said. 'I'll be ready at seven. And then we'll go to Helsingborg.'
     
    But Wallander never made it to Helsingborg that evening. Shortly before six o'clock the phone rang. It was Hemberg.
    'Come down here,' he said. 'I'm in my office.'
    'Actually I have other plans,' Wallander said.
    Hemberg interrupted him.
    'I thought you were interested in what had happened to your neighbour.
Come down here and I'll show you. It won't take long.'
    Wallander's curiosity was aroused. He called Mona at home but did not get an answer.
    I'll make it back in time, he thought. I can't really afford a taxi but that can't be helped. He tore off a piece of paper from a bag and scribbled that he would be back at seven. Then he called for a cab. This time he was able to get through immediately. He attached the note to the door with a drawing pin and left for the police headquarters.
Hemberg was sitting in his office with his feet on the table.
    He gestured for Wallander to sit down.
    'We were wrong,' he said. 'There was an alternative that we didn't think of. Sjunnesson didn't make a mistake. He told the truth: there wasn't anything in Hålén's apartment. And he was right. But there had been something there.'
    Wallander did not know what Hemberg was talking about.
    'I also admit that I was tricked,' Hemberg said. 'But Hålén had removed what was in the apartment.'
    'But he was dead.'
    Hemberg nodded.
    'The medical examiner called,' he said. 'The autopsy is complete.
And he found something very interesting in Hålén's stomach.'
    Hemberg swung his feet off the desk. Then he took out a little folded piece of cloth from one of the drawers and carefully unwrapped it in front of Wallander.
    There were stones inside. Precious stones. Of which type, Wallander was unable to determine.
    'I had a jeweller here just before you arrived,' Hemberg said. 'He made a preliminary examination. These are diamonds. Probably from
South African mines. He said they were worth a minor fortune. Hålén had swallowed them.'
    'He had these in his stomach?'
    Hemberg nodded.
    'No wonder we didn't find them.'
    'But why did he swallow them? And when did he do this?'
    'The last question is perhaps the most important. The doctor said that he swallowed them only a few hours before he shot himself. Before his intestines and stomach stopped working. Why do you think that might be?'
    'He was afraid.'
    'Exactly.'
    Hemberg pushed the packet of diamonds away and put his feet back up on the table. Wallander caught a whiff of foot odour.
    'Summarise this for me.'
    'I don't know if I can.'
    'Try it!'
    'Hålén swallowed the diamonds because he was afraid that someone was going to steal them. And then he shot himself. The person who was there that night was