air."
Wallander looked at his colleagues. Then he took off his coat and sat down.
CHAPTER SIX
It didn't take Wallander long to grasp what must have happened. Someone had been careless, someone had disregarded the most basic security measures. But above all someone had forgotten the fact that Sonja Hökberg was not the innocent young girl she appeared to be, that she had committed a brutal murder only a couple of days before.
It was easy to reconstruct the chain of events. Hökberg was to be moved from one room to another. She had met her lawyer and was to be brought back to the holding cell. While she was waiting to be moved she had asked to go to the toilet. When she came back out she saw that the officer on guard had turned his back and was talking to someone in one of the offices. She had simply walked the other way. No-one had tried to stop her. She had walked straight out through the front hall. No-one had seen her. Not Irene, not anyone else. After about five minutes the officer in charge of her had gone into the toilet and discovered that she was gone. He had then looked into the room where she had talked to her lawyer, and once he had established she was not there either, alerted security. At which point Hökberg had had ten minutes to do her disappearing act.
Wallander groaned and felt his headache worsen.
"I've alerted all available personnel," Martinsson said. "And I called her father. You had just left the house. Did you discover anything that might tell us where she might be heading?"
"Her mother is staying with her sister in Höör." He gave Martinsson the number.
"She can hardly be planning to go there on foot," Hansson said.
"She has a driving licence," Martinsson said, with the telephone receiver pressed against his ear. "She could hitch a lift, steal a car."
"We have to talk to Persson," Wallander said. "And pronto. Juvenile or not, she's going to tell us everything she knows."
Hansson got up to leave and almost collided with Holgersson who had only just learned of the disappearance. While Martinsson was talking on the phone with Hökberg's mother, Wallander told Holgersson how the escape had happened.
"This is simply unacceptable," she said. She was furious.
Wallander liked that about her. The previous chief, Björk, would always worry about his own reputation at times like these.
"These things are not supposed to happen," Wallander said. "But they do. What matters is to track her down. Then we'll have to go over our security procedures and work out who's responsible for what went wrong in this case."
"Do you think there's a danger of more violence?"
Wallander thought for a moment. He saw an image of Hökberg's room, the stuffed animals sitting all in a row.
"We don't know enough about her at this point," he said. "But you couldn't rule it out."
Martinsson put the phone down.
"That was her mother," he said. "And I've talked to our colleagues in Höör. They know what to do."
"I'm not sure any of us knows that," Wallander said. "But I want that girl picked up as soon as possible."
"Was the escape planned?" Holgersson said.
"Not according to the officer in charge," Martinsson said. "I think she took advantage of the situation."
"Oh, it was planned," Wallander said. "She was waiting for the right moment, that's all. She wanted to get away from here. Has anyone spoken to her lawyer? Could he be of any help?"
"I doubt if anyone's thought of that yet," Martinsson said. "He left the station when he had finished talking to her."
Wallander got up. "I'll speak to him."
"What about the press conference?" Holgersson said. "What should we do about that?"
Wallander looked at his watch. It was 11.20 a.m.
"We'll do it as planned and we'll have to tell them what's happened, even if we would rather not."
"I suppose I should be there," Holgersson said.
Wallander didn't answer. He went back to his office, his head throbbing. Every time he had to swallow it hurt.
I should be in bed, he thought. Not running around after teenage
Wallander looked at his colleagues. Then he took off his coat and sat down.
CHAPTER SIX
It didn't take Wallander long to grasp what must have happened. Someone had been careless, someone had disregarded the most basic security measures. But above all someone had forgotten the fact that Sonja Hökberg was not the innocent young girl she appeared to be, that she had committed a brutal murder only a couple of days before.
It was easy to reconstruct the chain of events. Hökberg was to be moved from one room to another. She had met her lawyer and was to be brought back to the holding cell. While she was waiting to be moved she had asked to go to the toilet. When she came back out she saw that the officer on guard had turned his back and was talking to someone in one of the offices. She had simply walked the other way. No-one had tried to stop her. She had walked straight out through the front hall. No-one had seen her. Not Irene, not anyone else. After about five minutes the officer in charge of her had gone into the toilet and discovered that she was gone. He had then looked into the room where she had talked to her lawyer, and once he had established she was not there either, alerted security. At which point Hökberg had had ten minutes to do her disappearing act.
Wallander groaned and felt his headache worsen.
"I've alerted all available personnel," Martinsson said. "And I called her father. You had just left the house. Did you discover anything that might tell us where she might be heading?"
"Her mother is staying with her sister in Höör." He gave Martinsson the number.
"She can hardly be planning to go there on foot," Hansson said.
"She has a driving licence," Martinsson said, with the telephone receiver pressed against his ear. "She could hitch a lift, steal a car."
"We have to talk to Persson," Wallander said. "And pronto. Juvenile or not, she's going to tell us everything she knows."
Hansson got up to leave and almost collided with Holgersson who had only just learned of the disappearance. While Martinsson was talking on the phone with Hökberg's mother, Wallander told Holgersson how the escape had happened.
"This is simply unacceptable," she said. She was furious.
Wallander liked that about her. The previous chief, Björk, would always worry about his own reputation at times like these.
"These things are not supposed to happen," Wallander said. "But they do. What matters is to track her down. Then we'll have to go over our security procedures and work out who's responsible for what went wrong in this case."
"Do you think there's a danger of more violence?"
Wallander thought for a moment. He saw an image of Hökberg's room, the stuffed animals sitting all in a row.
"We don't know enough about her at this point," he said. "But you couldn't rule it out."
Martinsson put the phone down.
"That was her mother," he said. "And I've talked to our colleagues in Höör. They know what to do."
"I'm not sure any of us knows that," Wallander said. "But I want that girl picked up as soon as possible."
"Was the escape planned?" Holgersson said.
"Not according to the officer in charge," Martinsson said. "I think she took advantage of the situation."
"Oh, it was planned," Wallander said. "She was waiting for the right moment, that's all. She wanted to get away from here. Has anyone spoken to her lawyer? Could he be of any help?"
"I doubt if anyone's thought of that yet," Martinsson said. "He left the station when he had finished talking to her."
Wallander got up. "I'll speak to him."
"What about the press conference?" Holgersson said. "What should we do about that?"
Wallander looked at his watch. It was 11.20 a.m.
"We'll do it as planned and we'll have to tell them what's happened, even if we would rather not."
"I suppose I should be there," Holgersson said.
Wallander didn't answer. He went back to his office, his head throbbing. Every time he had to swallow it hurt.
I should be in bed, he thought. Not running around after teenage
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