drawers, he'd go back to the office and talk to Bjork. Even if there were specific procedures for how to go about looking for a missing person, Wallander wanted all available resources placed at his disposal right away. The disappearance of Louise Akerblom, his instincts told him, involved a crime having been committed.
Akerblom's Estate Agency was located in a former grocery shop. Wallander recalled it from his first year in Ystad, when he'd arrived as a young policeman from Malmo. There were a couple of desks, and some stands with photographs and descriptions of properties. There was a table with visitors' chairs where clients could delve into the details of the houses they were interested in. On the wall were a couple of Land Survey maps, with pins on in various colours. Behind the office there was a small kitchen.
They went in the back way, but even so Wallander noticed the handwritten card taped to the front door: CLOSED TODAY.
"Which is your desk?" Wallander said.
Akerblom pointed. Wallander sat down at the other one. Apart from a diary, a photograph of the daughters, a few files, a green blotter and a pen stand, the desk top was empty, and Wallander had the impression it had only recently been tidied.
"Who does the cleaning?"
"We have a cleaner who comes in three times a week," Akerblom said. "Mind you, we generally do the dusting and empty the waste baskets every day ourselves."
Wallander made a note, then he took a look around the office. The only thing that struck him as odd was a little crucifix on the wall by the kitchen door.
Then he nodded at the answering machine.
"It'll come right away," Akerblom said. "It was the only message we had after 3.00 p.m. on Friday."
First impressions, was what Wallander was thinking. Listen carefully now.
Hi! I'm just going to take a look at a house at Krageholm. Then I'll be on my way home. It's 3.15. I'll be back by 5.00.
Cheerful, Wallander thought. She sounds happy and keen. Not threatened, not scared.
"One more time," Wallander said. "But first I want to hear what you yourself say on the tape. If you still have that?"
Akerblom rewound the cassette, and pressed a button.
Welcome to Akerblom's Estate Agency. We're out on business at the moment, but we'll be open again as usual on Monday, 8.00 a.m. If you would like to leave a message or send a fax, please do so after the beep. Thank you for calling, and we look forward to hearing from you again.
Wallander could hear that Akerblom had not been comfortable speaking the message into the answering machine's microphone. He sounded rather strained.
Then he turned his attention again to Louise Akerblom and asked her husband to wind the tape back time after time.
Wallander tried to listen for some message that might have been concealed behind the words. He had no idea what it might be. But he tried even so.
When he had heard the tape ten times, he nodded to Akerblom.
"I'll have to take the cassette with me," he said. "We can amplify the sound at the station."
Akerblom took out the little cassette and handed it to Wallander.
"I'd like you to do something for me while I'm going through the drawers in her desk," Wallander said. "Write down everything she did or was going to do last Friday. Who she was due to meet, and where. Write down what route you think she would have taken as well. Make a note of the times. And I want an exact description of where that house is, the one she was going to look at near Krageholm."
"That I can't tell you," Akerblom said. "It was Louise who took the call from the lady who wanted to sell the house. She drew herself a map and took it with her. She wouldn't be putting all the details into a file until today. If we'd taken on the house either she or I would have gone back there to take photographs."
Wallander thought for a moment. "In other words, at the moment Louise is the only one who knows where the house is," he said.
Akerblom nodded.
"When would the house owner get in touch
Akerblom's Estate Agency was located in a former grocery shop. Wallander recalled it from his first year in Ystad, when he'd arrived as a young policeman from Malmo. There were a couple of desks, and some stands with photographs and descriptions of properties. There was a table with visitors' chairs where clients could delve into the details of the houses they were interested in. On the wall were a couple of Land Survey maps, with pins on in various colours. Behind the office there was a small kitchen.
They went in the back way, but even so Wallander noticed the handwritten card taped to the front door: CLOSED TODAY.
"Which is your desk?" Wallander said.
Akerblom pointed. Wallander sat down at the other one. Apart from a diary, a photograph of the daughters, a few files, a green blotter and a pen stand, the desk top was empty, and Wallander had the impression it had only recently been tidied.
"Who does the cleaning?"
"We have a cleaner who comes in three times a week," Akerblom said. "Mind you, we generally do the dusting and empty the waste baskets every day ourselves."
Wallander made a note, then he took a look around the office. The only thing that struck him as odd was a little crucifix on the wall by the kitchen door.
Then he nodded at the answering machine.
"It'll come right away," Akerblom said. "It was the only message we had after 3.00 p.m. on Friday."
First impressions, was what Wallander was thinking. Listen carefully now.
Hi! I'm just going to take a look at a house at Krageholm. Then I'll be on my way home. It's 3.15. I'll be back by 5.00.
Cheerful, Wallander thought. She sounds happy and keen. Not threatened, not scared.
"One more time," Wallander said. "But first I want to hear what you yourself say on the tape. If you still have that?"
Akerblom rewound the cassette, and pressed a button.
Welcome to Akerblom's Estate Agency. We're out on business at the moment, but we'll be open again as usual on Monday, 8.00 a.m. If you would like to leave a message or send a fax, please do so after the beep. Thank you for calling, and we look forward to hearing from you again.
Wallander could hear that Akerblom had not been comfortable speaking the message into the answering machine's microphone. He sounded rather strained.
Then he turned his attention again to Louise Akerblom and asked her husband to wind the tape back time after time.
Wallander tried to listen for some message that might have been concealed behind the words. He had no idea what it might be. But he tried even so.
When he had heard the tape ten times, he nodded to Akerblom.
"I'll have to take the cassette with me," he said. "We can amplify the sound at the station."
Akerblom took out the little cassette and handed it to Wallander.
"I'd like you to do something for me while I'm going through the drawers in her desk," Wallander said. "Write down everything she did or was going to do last Friday. Who she was due to meet, and where. Write down what route you think she would have taken as well. Make a note of the times. And I want an exact description of where that house is, the one she was going to look at near Krageholm."
"That I can't tell you," Akerblom said. "It was Louise who took the call from the lady who wanted to sell the house. She drew herself a map and took it with her. She wouldn't be putting all the details into a file until today. If we'd taken on the house either she or I would have gone back there to take photographs."
Wallander thought for a moment. "In other words, at the moment Louise is the only one who knows where the house is," he said.
Akerblom nodded.
"When would the house owner get in touch
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