underneath. Nevertheless, it’s only a sketch, but Beate says she can use it to match pictures of suspects.’
‘Is it the FBI identification program?’ Halvorsen turned to Harry and with a certain fascination verified that the sweat stain which had started at the dating agency logo on Harry’s chest had now spread to cover the whole of the T-shirt.
‘No, she has a better program,’ Harry said. ‘How far?’
‘Twenty-two. Which one?’
‘ Fusiform gyrus .’
‘Microsoft? Apple Mac?’
Harry tapped his forefinger on a bright red forehead. ‘Software common to all. Sits in the temporal lobe in the brain and its sole function is to recognise people. That’s all it does. It’s the bit that makes sure we can distinguish between hundreds and thousands of human faces, but scarcely a dozen rhinos.’
‘Rhinos?’
Harry pinched his eyes and tried to blink away the smarting sweat. ‘That was an example, Halvorsen, but there’s no doubt that Beate Lønn is a special case. Her fusiform can do a couple of extra turns which, so to speak, allow her to remember all the faces she has seen in her life. And I don’t just mean people she knows or has spoken to, but faces behind sunglasses she passed in a crowded street fifteen years ago.’
‘You’re kidding.’
‘Nope.’ Harry tucked in his head as he regained enough breath to continue: ‘There are only about a hundred known cases like hers. Didrik Gudmundson said that she took a test at Police College and beat several well-known identification programs. The woman is a walking archive of faces. If she asks you Haven’t I seen you somewhere before? you can take it from me, it’s not just a chat-up line.’
‘Jeez. What’s she doing in the police? With talent like that, I mean.’
Harry shrugged. ‘Do you remember the officer who was shot during a bank raid in the eighties in Ryen?’
‘Before my time.’
‘He happened to be close by when the call went out and as he was the first to arrive on the scene, he went into the bank to negotiate unarmed. He was mown down by automatic gunfire and the robbers were never caught. It was later used at Police College as an example of what you shouldn’t do when you surprise bank robbers.’
‘You should wait for reinforcements. You must not confront robbers or expose yourself, bank employees or the robbers to unnecessary danger.’
‘Right, that’s what the manual says. The odd thing is that he was one of the best and most experienced investigators they had. Jørgen Lønn. Beate’s father.’
‘Right. And you think that’s why she joined the police? Because of her father?’
‘Possibly.’
‘Is she good-looking?’
‘She’s good. How far?’
‘Just passed twenty-four, six left. And you?’
‘Twenty-two. I’ll catch you up, you know.’
‘Not this time,’ Halvorsen said, increasing his speed.
‘Yes, I will, because here come the hills. And here I come. And you’ll be psyched out and get cramp. As usual.’
‘Not this time,’ Halvorsen said, pedalling harder. A bead of sweat became visible in his thick hairline. Harry smiled and leaned over the handlebars.
Bjarne Møller stared alternately at the shopping list he had received from his wife and at the shelf, at what he thought might be coriander. Margrete had fallen in love with Thai food after their holiday in Phuket last winter, but the Crime Squad head was still not completely at ease with the various vegetables which were flown daily from Bangkok to the Pakistani grocer’s store in Grønlandsleiret.
‘That’s green chilli, boss,’ a voice by his ear said and Bjarne Møllerspun round and looked into Harry’s flushed, sweat-stained face. ‘Couple of those and a few slices of ginger and you can make tom yam soup. There’ll be steam coming out of your ears, but you’ll have sweated out a fair bit of crap.’
‘Looks like you’ve had a foretaste, Harry.’
‘Just a little cycle race with Halvorsen.’
‘Oh yes? And what’s
‘Is it the FBI identification program?’ Halvorsen turned to Harry and with a certain fascination verified that the sweat stain which had started at the dating agency logo on Harry’s chest had now spread to cover the whole of the T-shirt.
‘No, she has a better program,’ Harry said. ‘How far?’
‘Twenty-two. Which one?’
‘ Fusiform gyrus .’
‘Microsoft? Apple Mac?’
Harry tapped his forefinger on a bright red forehead. ‘Software common to all. Sits in the temporal lobe in the brain and its sole function is to recognise people. That’s all it does. It’s the bit that makes sure we can distinguish between hundreds and thousands of human faces, but scarcely a dozen rhinos.’
‘Rhinos?’
Harry pinched his eyes and tried to blink away the smarting sweat. ‘That was an example, Halvorsen, but there’s no doubt that Beate Lønn is a special case. Her fusiform can do a couple of extra turns which, so to speak, allow her to remember all the faces she has seen in her life. And I don’t just mean people she knows or has spoken to, but faces behind sunglasses she passed in a crowded street fifteen years ago.’
‘You’re kidding.’
‘Nope.’ Harry tucked in his head as he regained enough breath to continue: ‘There are only about a hundred known cases like hers. Didrik Gudmundson said that she took a test at Police College and beat several well-known identification programs. The woman is a walking archive of faces. If she asks you Haven’t I seen you somewhere before? you can take it from me, it’s not just a chat-up line.’
‘Jeez. What’s she doing in the police? With talent like that, I mean.’
Harry shrugged. ‘Do you remember the officer who was shot during a bank raid in the eighties in Ryen?’
‘Before my time.’
‘He happened to be close by when the call went out and as he was the first to arrive on the scene, he went into the bank to negotiate unarmed. He was mown down by automatic gunfire and the robbers were never caught. It was later used at Police College as an example of what you shouldn’t do when you surprise bank robbers.’
‘You should wait for reinforcements. You must not confront robbers or expose yourself, bank employees or the robbers to unnecessary danger.’
‘Right, that’s what the manual says. The odd thing is that he was one of the best and most experienced investigators they had. Jørgen Lønn. Beate’s father.’
‘Right. And you think that’s why she joined the police? Because of her father?’
‘Possibly.’
‘Is she good-looking?’
‘She’s good. How far?’
‘Just passed twenty-four, six left. And you?’
‘Twenty-two. I’ll catch you up, you know.’
‘Not this time,’ Halvorsen said, increasing his speed.
‘Yes, I will, because here come the hills. And here I come. And you’ll be psyched out and get cramp. As usual.’
‘Not this time,’ Halvorsen said, pedalling harder. A bead of sweat became visible in his thick hairline. Harry smiled and leaned over the handlebars.
Bjarne Møller stared alternately at the shopping list he had received from his wife and at the shelf, at what he thought might be coriander. Margrete had fallen in love with Thai food after their holiday in Phuket last winter, but the Crime Squad head was still not completely at ease with the various vegetables which were flown daily from Bangkok to the Pakistani grocer’s store in Grønlandsleiret.
‘That’s green chilli, boss,’ a voice by his ear said and Bjarne Møllerspun round and looked into Harry’s flushed, sweat-stained face. ‘Couple of those and a few slices of ginger and you can make tom yam soup. There’ll be steam coming out of your ears, but you’ll have sweated out a fair bit of crap.’
‘Looks like you’ve had a foretaste, Harry.’
‘Just a little cycle race with Halvorsen.’
‘Oh yes? And what’s
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