The Leopard(93)

‘They barely saw him. Seemed as if he didn’t want to be seen, either; he didn’t take off his balaclava or his old-fashioned slalom goggles, not even when changing his shirt. The wife said she thought he might have had a serious injury at one time.’

‘Why was that?’

‘She could only remember thinking this, couldn’t say why. Nevertheless, he might have changed direction when he was out of sight, and skied to another cabin.’

‘Suppose so,’ Kaja said, checking her watch.

‘Anyone come forward in response to your crime alert, by the way?’

‘No,’ Kaja said.

‘You look as though you mean yes.’

Kaja’s eyes shot up at Aslak Krongli, who reacted by holding up his palms. ‘Country clod in town! Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that.’

‘Alright,’ Kaja said.

They both inspected their coffee cups.

‘You said there were two things I might be interested in,’ Kaja said. ‘What’s the second?’

‘I know I’m going to regret saying this,’ Krongli said. The quiet laughter was back in his eyes.

Kaja guessed immediately which direction the conversation was going to take and knew he was right: he would regret it.

‘I’m staying at the Plaza and wondered if you would like to have dinner with me there tonight.’

She could see by his expression that her own was not difficult to read.

‘I don’t know anyone else in town,’ he said, contorting his mouth into a grimace that might have been intended as a disarming smile. ‘Apart from my ex, that is, and I daren’t ring her.’

‘Would’ve been nice . . .’ Kaja began, and paused. Conditional past. She saw that Aslak Krongli was already regretting his approach. ‘… but I’m afraid I’m otherwise engaged.’

‘Fine, this was short notice.’ Krongli smiled, threaded his fingers through his unruly, curly hair. ‘What about tomorrow?’

‘I … er, I’m pretty busy these days, Aslak.’

Krongli nodded, apparently to himself. ‘Of course. Of course you’re busy. The man who was in your room when I arrived is perhaps the reason?’

‘No, I’ve got new bosses now.’

‘It wasn’t bosses I had in mind.’

‘Oh?’

‘You said you were in love with a policeman. And it seemed to me he didn’t have much difficulty persuading you. Less than me anyway.’

‘No, no, that wasn’t him! Are you out of your mind? I … erm, must have had too much to drink that night.’ Kaja could hear her own inane laughter and felt the blood rising up her neck.

‘Oh well,’ Krongli said, finishing his coffee, ‘I’ll have to go out into the big, cold city. I suppose there are museums to visit and bars to patronise.’

‘Yes, you have to make the most of the opportunity.’

He arched an eyebrow and his eyes shed tears and laughed out loud. The way Even’s had at the end.

Kaja accompanied him out. As he shook her hand, she couldn’t help herself. ‘Ring me if it gets too lonely and I’ll see if I can slip away.’

She interpreted his smile as gratitude for allowing him the chance to decline an offer or at least to decide not to take her up on it.

Standing in the lift to the sixth floor, Kaja was reminded of what he had said, ‘… didn’t have much difficulty persuading you.’ How long had he actually been standing there by the door eavesdropping?

At one o’clock the telephone in front of Kaja rang.

It was Harry. ‘I’ve finally got the blue chit. Ready?’

She could feel her heart beating faster. ‘Yes.’

‘Vest?’

‘Vest and a weapon.’

‘Delta will take care of weapons. They’re ready in a vehicle outside the garage, just have to go down. And bring the blue chit from my pigeon hole, would you?’

‘OK.’

Ten minutes later they were in one of Delta’s blue twelve-seaters heading west through the city centre. Kaja listened to Harry explaining that he had rung Leike half an hour earlier at the building where he rented an office and they had said he was working off-site today. Harry had called his home number in Holmenveien, Tony Leike had answered and Harry had rung off. To lead the operation, Harry had specifically requested Milano, a dark, squat man with massive eyebrows, who did not have a drop of Italian blood in his veins, despite his surname.

They passed through Ibsen Tunnel, and rectangles of reflected light slid over the helmets and visors of the eight elite officers who appeared to be in deep meditation.

Kaja and Harry sat on the rear seat. Harry was wearing a black jacket with POLITI written in large yellow letters at the front and back, and had taken out his service revolver to check that there were bullets in all the chambers.