coming in from somewhere. This was several hours later, wasn’t it?”
“Definitely, but it seems quite unlikely that he would have gone out, don’t you think?”
“Maybe. Did the woman notice anything else after the person went inside?”
“No, she went back to bed and fell asleep.”
“Okay. The question is whether the person had a key—assuming that it wasn’t Dahlström, that is.”
“There’s no sign that the lock was forced.”
“Maybe it was someone he knew.”
“That seems most plausible.”
When the investigative team met again that afternoon, Jacobsson and Wittberg started off by reporting on their encounter with Doris Johnsson and what she had told them about the winnings at the racetrack.
“Now at least we have a motive,” said Jacobsson, concluding her report.
“That explains why the apartment was ransacked,” said Knutas. “The murderer apparently knew that Dahlström had won big at the track.”
“The money still hasn’t turned up,” added Sohlman, “so presumably the perpetrator found it.”
“Bengt Johnsson comes immediately to mind,” said Jacobsson. “I think we need to put out an APB on him.”
“Considering that this involves a homicide, I have to agree.” Knutas turned to Norrby. “We’ve obtained some new information from a witness.”
His colleague told everyone about Anna Larsson and her sick cat in the apartment above.
“Damn,” said Wittberg. “That indicates that the perp had a key. Which reinforces our suspicions about Johnsson.”
“Why is that?” Jacobsson objected. “The perp could just as easily have killed Dahlström, then stolen his keys and gone up to his apartment.”
“Or he might have just picked the lock,” Sohlman interjected. “Dahlström had a regular cylinder lock on his door. A skilled burglar could have gotten it open without leaving any sign of forced entry. We didn’t find any damage on first examination, but we’ll take another look at the lock.”
“I agree with Wittberg,” said Norrby. “I think it was Bengt Johnsson. He was Dahlström’s closest friend and it’s likely that he had a spare key. Unless it was Dahlström himself who had decided to go out again in the middle of the night. Wearing real shoes this time.”
“Sure, that’s possible. But if it was Bengan, why would he then contact the super?” said Jacobsson, sounding skeptical.
“To divert suspicion from himself, of course,” snapped Norrby.
“If the neighbor woman’s testimony is accurate, then Dahlström was alive twenty-four hours after he went to the racetrack and had a party in his apartment,” said Knutas. “That means he wasn’t killed in connection with the party. The murder most likely took place late on Monday night or in the early hours of Tuesday morning. We’ll soon have a more precise determination of the time from the medical examiner.”
“By the way, we received another interesting piece of information from a witness,” Norrby went on. “I was out there today, talking with all the neighbors for a second time. One of them who wasn’t home gave me a call later on.”
“Yes?”
Knutas leaned his head on his hands, preparing for another lengthy report.
“It’s a girl who goes to Säve High School. She also heard someone in the stairwell late Monday night. She said it was Arne Haukas, the man who lives across from her on the floor below, meaning the same floor where Dahlström lived. Haukas is a PE teacher, and he usually goes out jogging in the evening. Normally he goes out around eight, but on Monday she heard him leave his apartment around eleven p.m. She also saw him from her window.”
“Is that so? How can she be so sure of the time and day?”
“Her older sister from Alva was visiting. They were up late, talking, and they both saw him. This girl has been keeping an eye on him ever since she discovered that he’s a bit of a Peeping Tom. He always looks in her window whenever he runs past. She thinks he goes
“Definitely, but it seems quite unlikely that he would have gone out, don’t you think?”
“Maybe. Did the woman notice anything else after the person went inside?”
“No, she went back to bed and fell asleep.”
“Okay. The question is whether the person had a key—assuming that it wasn’t Dahlström, that is.”
“There’s no sign that the lock was forced.”
“Maybe it was someone he knew.”
“That seems most plausible.”
When the investigative team met again that afternoon, Jacobsson and Wittberg started off by reporting on their encounter with Doris Johnsson and what she had told them about the winnings at the racetrack.
“Now at least we have a motive,” said Jacobsson, concluding her report.
“That explains why the apartment was ransacked,” said Knutas. “The murderer apparently knew that Dahlström had won big at the track.”
“The money still hasn’t turned up,” added Sohlman, “so presumably the perpetrator found it.”
“Bengt Johnsson comes immediately to mind,” said Jacobsson. “I think we need to put out an APB on him.”
“Considering that this involves a homicide, I have to agree.” Knutas turned to Norrby. “We’ve obtained some new information from a witness.”
His colleague told everyone about Anna Larsson and her sick cat in the apartment above.
“Damn,” said Wittberg. “That indicates that the perp had a key. Which reinforces our suspicions about Johnsson.”
“Why is that?” Jacobsson objected. “The perp could just as easily have killed Dahlström, then stolen his keys and gone up to his apartment.”
“Or he might have just picked the lock,” Sohlman interjected. “Dahlström had a regular cylinder lock on his door. A skilled burglar could have gotten it open without leaving any sign of forced entry. We didn’t find any damage on first examination, but we’ll take another look at the lock.”
“I agree with Wittberg,” said Norrby. “I think it was Bengt Johnsson. He was Dahlström’s closest friend and it’s likely that he had a spare key. Unless it was Dahlström himself who had decided to go out again in the middle of the night. Wearing real shoes this time.”
“Sure, that’s possible. But if it was Bengan, why would he then contact the super?” said Jacobsson, sounding skeptical.
“To divert suspicion from himself, of course,” snapped Norrby.
“If the neighbor woman’s testimony is accurate, then Dahlström was alive twenty-four hours after he went to the racetrack and had a party in his apartment,” said Knutas. “That means he wasn’t killed in connection with the party. The murder most likely took place late on Monday night or in the early hours of Tuesday morning. We’ll soon have a more precise determination of the time from the medical examiner.”
“By the way, we received another interesting piece of information from a witness,” Norrby went on. “I was out there today, talking with all the neighbors for a second time. One of them who wasn’t home gave me a call later on.”
“Yes?”
Knutas leaned his head on his hands, preparing for another lengthy report.
“It’s a girl who goes to Säve High School. She also heard someone in the stairwell late Monday night. She said it was Arne Haukas, the man who lives across from her on the floor below, meaning the same floor where Dahlström lived. Haukas is a PE teacher, and he usually goes out jogging in the evening. Normally he goes out around eight, but on Monday she heard him leave his apartment around eleven p.m. She also saw him from her window.”
“Is that so? How can she be so sure of the time and day?”
“Her older sister from Alva was visiting. They were up late, talking, and they both saw him. This girl has been keeping an eye on him ever since she discovered that he’s a bit of a Peeping Tom. He always looks in her window whenever he runs past. She thinks he goes
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