"Stay here until they arrive. They"ll probably want to do some tests to rule you out as suspects."
He blinks at them and the shop owner"s eyes get bigger and bigger.
"I have to wait again?!"
"Maybe they"re faster than me."
He shrugs and smiles a crooked smile.
"Have you taken his statement?"
Vince looks surprised and Fredericsson smiles.
"You can do that until they get here. Send it to me."
He reaches out the window to give him his card. Vince stares at it and then slowly walks over to take it.
"I want the statement before you go home tonight."
"Is that really necessary?"
Fredericsson nods.
"I now have three cases that are somehow connected and this case is one of them. Watch out for evidence. If there"s anything at all that points to murder we need to find it. Do you understand? We need to find it. There"s too much at stake here."
"What do you mean?"
Vince can"t hide his irritation.
"You said it yourself, that it"s suicide."
Fredericsson starts the car and puts it in reverse.
"I hope so."
Fredericsson steps on the gas and backs up so he can turn the car around.
"Don"t forget to call the crime scene investigators."
Vince looks after Fredericsson as he drives away. The last thing Fredericsson sees in the rearview mirror is Vince and the shop owner talking.
"Well, they"ve had enough time to arrange a story if they"re somehow involved."
He stops the car when he can no longer see them. He"s in doubt. "All my instincts tell me that it was suicide. All." He lets go of the brake and the car slowly rolls down the gravel road while he checks a text message that he just had. He smiles and puts the car in gear. "That"s good. Now I have a picture of Eric"s dealer. Now I just need to find her."
Chapter 26.
The sound of gravel under his tires has a calming effect on Fredericsson as he slowly drives through the forest with his head full of thoughts. The shadows surrounding the car form patterns over the interior.
"There"s too many things in this case."
He lets his eyes wander into the trees.
"And now I"m talking to myself again!"
He lowers his head and really feels how tired he is. He breathes slowly and sees the layby further up the road. Then he looks back down at the dashboard and finds the clock.
"Just before one... And I"m hungry. Yes, my first priority right now is food."
He steps on the gas and he"s soon back on the wider, paved road. The phone rings and he sighs deeply. He takes it out of his pocket and quickly looks at it before looking back on the road ahead of him.
"Yes."
He hesitates as he wonders a little. He can hear a sigh on the other end.
"h.e.l.lo, who is it?"
"h.e.l.lo... This is Petra Jennings. You gave me your card yesterday. You were here because I reported Nathan Wilkins missing."
Fredericsson"s face is full of surprise and he slows down the car.
"Hang on, I need to pull over. I"m just on my way into the city."
"OK.".
Petra"s voice is polite and she waits.
"Now I"m ready."
Fredericsson is rummaging around desperately for his notepad. Then he finds an empty page and leans back.
"I"ve just had a call from Vince."
Fredericsson can"t hold back a deep sigh.
"Is there something wrong?"
Petra"s voice sounds concerned.
"Have I done something wrong?"
"No, not you. I just didn"t think that..."
He stops to change the tone of his voice.
"I just didn"t think that Vince would start contacting people."
"Oh, right... Vince called me around eleven to tell me that Nathan had been found dead."
"Eleven?!"
Fredericsson is suddenly rather pleased that he has pulled over and isn"t driving when he slams his hand hard into the wheel. Petra is quiet and only her breathing can be heard faintly.
"I"m sorry. I didn"t know it was a problem."
Fredericsson looks at the traffic for a moment.
"It"s not a problem for you. Vince has a problem... But please don"t tell him that."
"Of course. I only want to do the right thing, that"s why I"m calling."
Petra breathes out. Then she takes a deep breath.
"Half an hour ago, I received a letter from Walter, Walter & Walter... and when I heard that Nathan had died..."
Fredericsson hears a small sniffle on the other end and immediately regrets what he just said.
"You gave me your card yesterday and I thought it would be OK to call you direct."
"It"s fine."
Fredericsson controls his voice and thinks he sounds open and friendly now.
"I received the letter."
"Yes?"
It"s quiet on the line and Fredericsson starts to wonder if Petra might be crying. Then he realizes that she"s waiting for him.
"Uh. What does it say?"
"I don"t know. It"s addressed directly to Nathan. We don"t normally do business with Walter, Walter & Walter, so I"m guessing it"s private."
Fredericsson stares ahead and then rubs his eyes.
"What"s so special about that letter?"
"I don"t know if it is, it"s just strange."
He is filled by confusion and a nagging doubt when a police car turns sharply and brakes in front of him. The officer walks toward him and clearly shows with his arms that he wants Fredericsson to drive on. Fredericsson is annoyed and shakes his head. He"s running out of patience. He puts his hand in his pocket which just makes the officer pull out his gun. Slowly Fredericsson takes out his badge and holds it up against the windshield. The officer slowly comes closer and finally stands next to the car.
"h.e.l.lo."
Petra"s voice is cautious.
"Hang on."
Fredericsson"s voice is stern and he sounds irritated.
"I can call you back."
"No, wait."
The officer outside nods and the gun disappears. Fredericsson points at his phone and the officer nods and walks back to his car.
"I"m back."
Fredericsson sounds tired and his voice is hoa.r.s.e.
"Who are these Walter, Walter & Walter?"
"It"s a highly esteemed law firm. They have a reputation for being very honest. An old family firm. People say they always do the right thing. They have been known to turn down clients if they felt that the case went against their ethics."
"Does such a company even exist?"
Fredericsson"s voice is full of surprise.
"Oh, yes. Walter, Walter & Walter is just the biggest and most well-known."
"Nathan is dead. Open the letter."
"Open the letter?!"
She sounds surprised and Fredericsson senses a deep fear in her words.
"Yes, open it. It"s probably just some business you don"t know about."
"Yeah..."
Fredericsson can hear her moving around. Then he hears the sound of the paper knife opening the letter.
"What does it say?"
It"s quiet. Petra is reading. Then he hears the sound of the chair being dragged over the floor, and then it sounds like she"s sitting down again.
"What does it say?"
"It"s Nathan"s will."
Fredericsson lifts his pen from the notepad.
"Will?!"