“Do you mean in the same plastic bag?”
The chief administrative officer from the Ministry of Justice grinned scornfully, but was quickly subdued by an angry look. The head of DSIS did not let himself be shaken, he simply said, “That was poorly worded, I’m sorry. I mean, whether perhaps he will allow some time to pass between the two killings.”
Simonsen said honestly, “That’s a good question, I should have asked it myself.”
Ernesto Madsen answered hesitantly, “I haven’t really speculated about that, but now that you mention it . . . Everything must be as it always is, otherwise the whole thing is ruined for him. That is a good point . . . actually I would think he will not kill them at the same time. He will presumably be completely finished with one before he goes to work on the other. Yes, two at a time is not probable. He will perhaps let a day go by between the killings, to deal with the practicalities, although perhaps that is more my wishful thinking than anything psychology tells me.”
The Minister of Justice’s secretary asked crossly, “When you find him . . . that is, if you find him . . . I understand that the idea is he should be shadowed and not arrested. Is everyone in agreement with that decision?”
The question was aimed directly at Simonsen, who answered.
“No, certainly not, but that’s how it will be done. My assessment is that our best chance of rescuing the women is if we follow him to his hiding place. But I admit that I’m in doubt. It also depends on when we find him, and he will not be allowed to move around for days. On the contrary we are convinced that he will refuse to talk to us when he is first captured, and then we are seriously up against the wall.”
The head of DSIS picked up the thread and carefully addressed the gathering.
“If it becomes necessary, I wish that we could pressurise him into telling us where his victims are. Especially if one, or both of them, is still alive.”
It was a feeler, everyone knew that, and everyone also knew that this subject was extremely controversial. Simonsen had long since worked out his own attitude. He would do everything in his power to get Jeanette Hvidt and Pauline Berg back alive. A situation where Andreas Falkenborg was in jail and steadfastly refused to speak, while his victims rotted in some secret place, was simply unacceptable. For that reason he was particularly interested in the others’ opinion. Carte blanche from above to go beyond the boundaries of normal questioning would affect to a great degree his decision about letting the man be shadowed in favour of arresting him immediately. Overall this meeting had developed far more productively than he had foreseen.
The prosecutor asked the head of DSIS carefully, “Do you mean physical pressure?”
The man confirmed, “Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.”
The national chief of police reached to remove his glasses, had second thoughts apparently and let them stay where they were, while he tried to avoid answering the question. “We can take a position on that problem if it becomes relevant.”
The police commissioner and the chief administrative officer from the Ministry of Justice were in agreement, Hampel-Koch frowned, after which Helmer Hammer, in crystal-clear turns of phrase, shot the tacit proposal to the ground. He spoke slowly and ominously.
“You can use all lawful means, including those that go to the edge, such as the episode that was reported in the press last week, but torture in any form whatsoever is completely ruled out regardless of the situation. If it does happen, the perpetrators will be prosecuted and their superiors held accountable, under their professional sanctions and the Penal Code.”
He looked directly first at the police commissioner and then at the national chief of police, and added slowly, “And that responsibility goes all the way up, don’t be in the slightest doubt about that.”
A short pause allowed his words to sink in, after which he clarified, “Denmark does not use torture, period. And torture is torture regardless of various linguistic circumlocutions of the word. No one should imagine that there are limitless opportunities for interpretation. This is a direct signal from my boss, and I can assure everyone present that it is deeply felt, both politically and personally.”
He was looking straight at Konrad Simonsen now.
“As long as Andreas Falkenborg is in the custody of the state, he will not be physically harassed.”
Then he turned to Bertil Hampel-Koch, in his capacity as minutes-keeper.
“What I just said should be stated unambiguously in the minutes, including that responsibility does not stop at operational level in the case of any incidence of torture. Please read back what you’ve noted.”