The Leopard(84)

‘He lives with the daughter of Anders Galtung, the shipping magnate.’

A couple of newspaper headlines flashed in front of Harry’s inner eye.

‘Tony Leike is a so-called investor, which means he has become rich and no one quite understands how, just that it certainly wasn’t by dint of hard work. Not only that, he’s a real pretty boy. Hardly Mr Nice Guy, though. And this is the crunch. The guy’s got a sheet.’

‘Sheet?’ Harry asked, affecting incomprehension to imply what he thought of Colbjørnsen’s Americanisms.

‘A record. Tony Leike has a conviction for violent assault.’

‘Mm. Checked the charge?’

‘Years ago Tony Leike beat up and maimed one Ole S. Hansen on the 7th of August between 11.20 and 11.45 p.m. It happened outside a dance venue where Tony was living with his grandfather. Tony was eighteen, Ole seventeen and of course it was over a piece of skirt.’

‘Mm. Jealous kids fighting after drinking is not exactly unusual. Did you say violent assault?’

‘Yes; in fact, there was more. After Leike had knocked down the other boy, he sat on him and carved up the poor lad’s face with a knife. He was permanently scarred, though the report said it could have been much worse if people hadn’t dragged Leike off.’

‘But no more than the one conviction?’

‘Tony Leike was known for his temper and was regularly involved in brawls. At the trial a witness said that at school Leike had tried to strangle him with a belt because he had said something less than flattering about Tony’s father.’

‘Sounds like someone should have a long chat with Leike. Do you know where he lives?’

‘On your patch. Holmenveien … wait … 172.’

‘Right. West End. Hm. Thanks, Colbjørnsen.’

‘Not at all. Erm, there was one other thing. A man got on the bus after Elias. He alighted at the same stop as Elias, and Stine says she saw the man following him. But she couldn’t give a description because his face was hidden by a hat. Might be of some significance, or not.’

‘Right.’

‘So I’m counting on you, Hole.’

‘Counting on what?’

‘You doing the right thing.’

‘Mm.’

‘Goodnight.’

Harry sat listening to the Duke. Then he grabbed the phone and looked up Kaja’s number. He was about to press the call button but hesitated. He was doing it again. Dragging people down with him. Harry tossed the phone aside. There were two options. The smart one, which was to ring Bellman. Or the stupid one, which was to go it alone.

Harry sighed. Who was he kidding? He had no choice. So he stuffed the lighter in his pocket, wrapped up the ball in silver foil, put it in the drinks cabinet, undressed, set the alarm for six and went to bed. No choice. A prisoner of his own behaviour patterns whereby in reality every action was a compulsive action. In that sense, he was neither better nor worse than those he pursued.

And with this thought he fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

The night is so blessedly still, it heals your sight, clears your mind. The new, old policeman. Hole. I’ll have to tell him that. I won’t show him everything, just enough for him to understand. Then he can stop it. So that I don’t have to do what I do. I spit and spit, but blood fills my mouth, over and over again.





39


Relational Search


HARRY ARRIVED AT POLICE HQ AT A QUARTER TO SEVEN IN the morning. Apart from the security guard on reception there was no one around in the large atrium inside the heavy front doors.

He nodded to the guard, swiped his card in the reader by the gate and took the lift down to the cellar. From there he loped through the culvert and unlocked the room. He lit the day’s first cigarette and rang the mobile number while the computer booted up. Katrine Bratt sounded sleepy.

‘I want you to run those relational searches of yours,’ Harry said. ‘Between a Tony Leike and each of the murder victims. Including Juliana Verni from Leipzig.’

‘The Hobbies Room’s free until half past eight,’ she said. ‘I’ll get going this minute. Anything else?’

Harry hesitated. ‘Could you check on a Jussi Kolkka for me? Policeman.’

‘What’s he about?’

‘That’s the point,’ Harry said. ‘I don’t know what he’s about.’

Harry put down the phone and set to work on the computer.

Tony Leike had one conviction, that was correct. And according to the register he had been in trouble with the police on two other occasions as well. As Colbjørnsen had indicated, both were for physical violence. In the first instance the charge had been withdrawn, in the other the case had been dropped.