The Fire Engine That Disappeared

‘Police!’ cried Mrs Gottfridsson.

She put her hands on her hips and leaned over her husband, who was cowering on the kitchen chair, a miserable expression on his face.

‘Have you gone mad?’ she cried. ‘Bringing the cops here! What was that for, may I ask?’

She straightened up and looked angrily at Skacke.

‘And you. What sort of policeman are you? Pushing your way in here on to innocent people. Aren’t you supposed to show your badge at least before you come barging in on honest folk?’

Skacke hurriedly got out his identity card.

‘An assistant, eh?’

‘Assistant Inspector,’ said Skacke bleakly.

‘What did you think you’d find here, then, eh? I’ve not done nothing wrong and neither has my husband either.’

She placed herself beside Gottfridsson and protectively laid her hand on his shoulder.

‘Has he got a warrant or anything, that he can come tramping like this into our home?’ she asked. ‘Has he shown you anything, Ludde?’

Gottfridsson shook his head but said nothing. Skacke took a step forward and opened his mouth, but was immediately interrupted by Mrs Gottfridsson.

‘Well, just be off with you, then. I’ve half a mind to report you for breaking-and-entering. Off you go now, before I get angry.’

Skacke looked at the man, who was stubbornly staring down at the floor. Then he shrugged his shoulders, turned his back on the pair and returned somewhat shaken to the South police station.

Martin Beck and Kollberg had not yet returned from Kungsholmsgatan. They were still in Melander’s office and had again played back the tape on the Malm case, this time for Hammar, who had looked in during the afternoon to ask whether they had got anywhere.

The smoke from Martin Beck’s cigarettes and Hammar’s cigar lay like fog over the room, and Kollberg had added to the air pollution by lighting a bonfire of dead matches and empty cigarette packets in the ashtray. Rönn worsened the situation even more by opening the window and letting in the most polluted city air in the whole of northern Europe. Martin Beck coughed and said:

‘If we’re going to consider the arson theory at all, then everything is made much more difficult by all the witnesses being in the hospital and not available for questioning.’

‘Yes,’ said Rönn.

‘I don’t think it was arson, now,’ said Hammar. ‘But we mustn’t draw any hasty conclusions until Melander has finished at the scene of the fire and the labs have had their say.’