I’ve already read the right paper. Memorized it, in fact. Do you want a drink?’
‘Mineral water,’ she said, hooking her bag over the back of the chair.
‘Throw caution to the winds and have a Coke. My treat.’
She sat down. ‘Not the benevolent state’s, then?’
He folded his arms and raised his shoulders slightly with a smile. ‘Unlike yours, my expenses are in the public domain,’ he said. ‘I think we’ll keep this in the family.’
Annika unfolded her napkin, glancing at himsurreptitiously, his demeanour and the way he was dressed. He didn’t exactly exude power. He was wearing a bluestriped shirt under a fairly crumpled jacket. No tie. Jeans.
‘So, am I to understand that the Kitten’s extradition is something else we’re going to keep in the family?’ she said, looking him in the eye. ‘Why are you being so secretive about it?’
Jimmy Halenius folded the paper and put it into a shabby briefcase. ‘I need to know that this will stay between the two of us,’ he said.
Annika didn’t answer.
‘I can tell you some of what you want to know,’ he went on, ‘but you can’t publish it.’
‘Why should I listen to you if I can’t write about it?’ she asked.
He smiled and shrugged. ‘The food here is good,’ he said.
She looked at her watch.
He leaned back in his chair.
‘The Kitten was responsible for the murders at the Nobel banquet just over a year ago,’ Annika said.
‘Correct,’ Jimmy Halenius said.
‘And she murdered that young scientist out at the Karolinska Institute.’
‘In all probability.’
‘And she burned down my house by throwing firebombs into the children’s bedrooms.’
‘We’re assuming that’s what happened.’
Annika rubbed her forehead. ‘This is completely incomprehensible to me,’ she said. ‘How can you refrain from prosecuting one of the most ruthless criminals ever to have been caught by the Swedish police?’
‘Obviously this is about what we got in exchange,’ the under-secretary of state said.
‘And that’s what you were thinking of telling me?’
He laughed. ‘What would you like to eat?’ he said. ‘At least the menu’s comprehensible, for the most part.’
Annika picked it up. ‘This can’t just be about some shabby little cop-killer in New Jersey,’ she said. She could identify a lot of the dishes on offer, fried herring with dill butter and puréed potatoes, for instance. But things like the ‘gremolata emolution with potato confit’ were rather more difficult.
Jimmy Halenius chose the carpaccio of venison with black chanterelle mushrooms and Västerbotten cheese as a starter, then grilled steak with shallot purée, roast Hamburg parsley and Västerbotten croquettes.
She ordered vendace caviar and reindeer casserole.
‘Looks like you’re very fond of Västerbotten cheese,’; she commented, as the waiter glided off to fetch their wine, a South African Shiraz.
‘Well, you’re sticking to Norrbotten,’ he said. ‘Reindeer and vendace.’
‘Even though I’m from Södermanland,’ she said, raising her glass of water.
‘I know,’ he said.
She opened her mouth to ask how he knew, then remembered their last meeting at the villa in Djursholm.
‘You used to have an old Volvo, didn’t you?’ he had asked back then. ‘A 144, dark-blue, lots of rust?’
Annika could still feel how the blood had coursed through her body, turning her face dark red. She put down the mineral water. ‘How did you know I’d sold Sven’s car?’ she asked.
‘It was my cousin who bought it,’ he said, and drank some beer.
She stared at him. ‘Roland Larsson?’ she said. ‘He’s your cousin?’
‘Of course. We were best friends growing up.’
‘He was in my class at the Works School in Hällefors-näs!’ she said.
Jimmy Halenius laughed. ‘And he had a huge crush on you.’
Annika started to laugh as well. ‘God, he did, didn’t he?’ she said. ‘I almost felt sorry for him.’
‘We used to lie in
‘Mineral water,’ she said, hooking her bag over the back of the chair.
‘Throw caution to the winds and have a Coke. My treat.’
She sat down. ‘Not the benevolent state’s, then?’
He folded his arms and raised his shoulders slightly with a smile. ‘Unlike yours, my expenses are in the public domain,’ he said. ‘I think we’ll keep this in the family.’
Annika unfolded her napkin, glancing at himsurreptitiously, his demeanour and the way he was dressed. He didn’t exactly exude power. He was wearing a bluestriped shirt under a fairly crumpled jacket. No tie. Jeans.
‘So, am I to understand that the Kitten’s extradition is something else we’re going to keep in the family?’ she said, looking him in the eye. ‘Why are you being so secretive about it?’
Jimmy Halenius folded the paper and put it into a shabby briefcase. ‘I need to know that this will stay between the two of us,’ he said.
Annika didn’t answer.
‘I can tell you some of what you want to know,’ he went on, ‘but you can’t publish it.’
‘Why should I listen to you if I can’t write about it?’ she asked.
He smiled and shrugged. ‘The food here is good,’ he said.
She looked at her watch.
He leaned back in his chair.
‘The Kitten was responsible for the murders at the Nobel banquet just over a year ago,’ Annika said.
‘Correct,’ Jimmy Halenius said.
‘And she murdered that young scientist out at the Karolinska Institute.’
‘In all probability.’
‘And she burned down my house by throwing firebombs into the children’s bedrooms.’
‘We’re assuming that’s what happened.’
Annika rubbed her forehead. ‘This is completely incomprehensible to me,’ she said. ‘How can you refrain from prosecuting one of the most ruthless criminals ever to have been caught by the Swedish police?’
‘Obviously this is about what we got in exchange,’ the under-secretary of state said.
‘And that’s what you were thinking of telling me?’
He laughed. ‘What would you like to eat?’ he said. ‘At least the menu’s comprehensible, for the most part.’
Annika picked it up. ‘This can’t just be about some shabby little cop-killer in New Jersey,’ she said. She could identify a lot of the dishes on offer, fried herring with dill butter and puréed potatoes, for instance. But things like the ‘gremolata emolution with potato confit’ were rather more difficult.
Jimmy Halenius chose the carpaccio of venison with black chanterelle mushrooms and Västerbotten cheese as a starter, then grilled steak with shallot purée, roast Hamburg parsley and Västerbotten croquettes.
She ordered vendace caviar and reindeer casserole.
‘Looks like you’re very fond of Västerbotten cheese,’; she commented, as the waiter glided off to fetch their wine, a South African Shiraz.
‘Well, you’re sticking to Norrbotten,’ he said. ‘Reindeer and vendace.’
‘Even though I’m from Södermanland,’ she said, raising her glass of water.
‘I know,’ he said.
She opened her mouth to ask how he knew, then remembered their last meeting at the villa in Djursholm.
‘You used to have an old Volvo, didn’t you?’ he had asked back then. ‘A 144, dark-blue, lots of rust?’
Annika could still feel how the blood had coursed through her body, turning her face dark red. She put down the mineral water. ‘How did you know I’d sold Sven’s car?’ she asked.
‘It was my cousin who bought it,’ he said, and drank some beer.
She stared at him. ‘Roland Larsson?’ she said. ‘He’s your cousin?’
‘Of course. We were best friends growing up.’
‘He was in my class at the Works School in Hällefors-näs!’ she said.
Jimmy Halenius laughed. ‘And he had a huge crush on you.’
Annika started to laugh as well. ‘God, he did, didn’t he?’ she said. ‘I almost felt sorry for him.’
‘We used to lie in
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