knows how to remove all trace of himself.”
“He didn’t manage to remove all trace of himself,” said Magda with a satisfied air. “Item three.”
She held up a plastic bag containing a skein of grey-blond hairs. “They were pulled out, roots and all. Jolene had them in her left hand. They were bagged and kept by the ambulance crew. We found other hairs in and under the bed but they’d been shed naturally. You can’t get DNA from them. You need follicles for DNA. So, well done, Jolene. It will take a bit of time, but I think we’ll get DNA from these.” She waved the bag in triumph.
“He picked the wrong victim,” said Pernille. “Tenacious woman, Jolene. Did you know she used to be a female contortionist until she broke her leg?”
“I thought that stuff was all faked,” said Peter Lundquist.
“She tripped over a rope in a circus tent about ten years ago,” said Pernille. “Discovered there was more money in prostitution. What’s item four?”
“I’m not sure.” Magda opened the bag and tipped a round metal object, the size and thickness of a coin, into her gloved hand. One side was enamelled pale green. The other side had a clip.
“We found it in on the second sweep. It was in a gap between two floorboards. There was fluff and dust underneath it so it was dropped recently. It’s some kind of badge or clip. There are three initial letters embossed on it. I can make out an S but the surface is worn and there are scratches.” She slipped it under a microscope. “Have a look. See what you think.”
Pernille peered through the eyepiece. “It looks like the badge of some institution or club. I think the third letter is N.”
Peter took his turn at the microscope. “Yes. Some kind of badge.” He took his eye away from the microscope and blinked before taking a second look. “It could also be a golf ball marker.”
“Golf ball marker?” said Pernille.
“You use it to mark the position of your ball on the green.” Peter straightened up. “I’ve often pulled something out of my pocket and my ball marker has dropped out as well.”
“Jolene’s attacker was wearing chinos,” said Pernille.
“He might have been wearing them for golf,” said Peter. “He might have had a ball marker in his pocket. The initials could identify the club. And some companies give out golf ball markers with their company logo. It’s a form of advertising.”
“So he’s a member of a company, or organisation, or golf club with first and third initials S and N,” said Pernille.
“If it’s a golf club, he mightn’t be a member,” said Peter. “He might just have played there and bought the marker, or been given it on a corporate golf day, or just played at the club and picked up the marker on the course. I’m always finding markers.”
“That’s a big help,” said Pernille drily. “Tell me something useful.”
“You can also buy simple plastic markers with no logo,” said Peter. He dodged the fake punch Pernille threw at him.
“I’ll tell you something useful,” said Magda. “There’s half a thumb print on it.”
18.
Tobias picked up a hire car at Ostersund airport and programmed the satnav to take him to where Berit Hansdatter lived in Vasterbotten county. Aarhus to Copenhagen, then Copenhagen to Ostersund. Four hours. Now he had a long drive to northern Sweden. Three and a half hours the satnav told him. And it was almost lunchtime. At least it was Spring. It would stay light until well into the evening.
He drove through what seemed to him a haphazard sort of area. He was on a dual-carriageway lined with factories and housing estates interspersed with forest. After about half an hour, the forest appeared to be winning. Instead of factory buildings and blocks of houses, there were clearings with cabins. Then there was only forest. The road wound round a lake. Then forest again. Forest and lakes. Forest and lakes.
He played over in his mind
“He didn’t manage to remove all trace of himself,” said Magda with a satisfied air. “Item three.”
She held up a plastic bag containing a skein of grey-blond hairs. “They were pulled out, roots and all. Jolene had them in her left hand. They were bagged and kept by the ambulance crew. We found other hairs in and under the bed but they’d been shed naturally. You can’t get DNA from them. You need follicles for DNA. So, well done, Jolene. It will take a bit of time, but I think we’ll get DNA from these.” She waved the bag in triumph.
“He picked the wrong victim,” said Pernille. “Tenacious woman, Jolene. Did you know she used to be a female contortionist until she broke her leg?”
“I thought that stuff was all faked,” said Peter Lundquist.
“She tripped over a rope in a circus tent about ten years ago,” said Pernille. “Discovered there was more money in prostitution. What’s item four?”
“I’m not sure.” Magda opened the bag and tipped a round metal object, the size and thickness of a coin, into her gloved hand. One side was enamelled pale green. The other side had a clip.
“We found it in on the second sweep. It was in a gap between two floorboards. There was fluff and dust underneath it so it was dropped recently. It’s some kind of badge or clip. There are three initial letters embossed on it. I can make out an S but the surface is worn and there are scratches.” She slipped it under a microscope. “Have a look. See what you think.”
Pernille peered through the eyepiece. “It looks like the badge of some institution or club. I think the third letter is N.”
Peter took his turn at the microscope. “Yes. Some kind of badge.” He took his eye away from the microscope and blinked before taking a second look. “It could also be a golf ball marker.”
“Golf ball marker?” said Pernille.
“You use it to mark the position of your ball on the green.” Peter straightened up. “I’ve often pulled something out of my pocket and my ball marker has dropped out as well.”
“Jolene’s attacker was wearing chinos,” said Pernille.
“He might have been wearing them for golf,” said Peter. “He might have had a ball marker in his pocket. The initials could identify the club. And some companies give out golf ball markers with their company logo. It’s a form of advertising.”
“So he’s a member of a company, or organisation, or golf club with first and third initials S and N,” said Pernille.
“If it’s a golf club, he mightn’t be a member,” said Peter. “He might just have played there and bought the marker, or been given it on a corporate golf day, or just played at the club and picked up the marker on the course. I’m always finding markers.”
“That’s a big help,” said Pernille drily. “Tell me something useful.”
“You can also buy simple plastic markers with no logo,” said Peter. He dodged the fake punch Pernille threw at him.
“I’ll tell you something useful,” said Magda. “There’s half a thumb print on it.”
18.
Tobias picked up a hire car at Ostersund airport and programmed the satnav to take him to where Berit Hansdatter lived in Vasterbotten county. Aarhus to Copenhagen, then Copenhagen to Ostersund. Four hours. Now he had a long drive to northern Sweden. Three and a half hours the satnav told him. And it was almost lunchtime. At least it was Spring. It would stay light until well into the evening.
He drove through what seemed to him a haphazard sort of area. He was on a dual-carriageway lined with factories and housing estates interspersed with forest. After about half an hour, the forest appeared to be winning. Instead of factory buildings and blocks of houses, there were clearings with cabins. Then there was only forest. The road wound round a lake. Then forest again. Forest and lakes. Forest and lakes.
He played over in his mind
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