Hampel-Koch made a note, and the matter was concluded.
Only two minor issues remained, of which one took an unreasonably long time to settle. The national chief of police spoke uninterrupted for ten minutes about overtime hours and his strained budgets, even though hundreds of officers all over the country had voluntarily reported for unpaid duty to help find a colleague in extreme distress. Simonsen found this grandstanding sickening, but said nothing. He was delighted when Helmer Hammer at last could bear to hear no more and stopped the lament.
“I assume that you’ve sent a memo to your minister?”
“I haven’t done that yet.”
“Then we’ll wait until you do, the matter is not urgent.”
Simonsen got in the last word at the meeting, as he said without beating around the bush, “If police detective Pauline Berg gets through this, she will not be punished for her questioning of Falkenborg, and unfortunately that must also apply to the idiot she persuaded to go with her. She has suffered enough. No doubt he has too, although the two can’t be compared.”
It was a surprisingly unified gathering that broke up shortly afterwards.
CHAPTER 51
On his way out of the Ministry of Justice the head of DSIS approached Konrad Simonsen. He said in a quiet voice, “We need to talk. Now!”
Simonsen agreed; it was what he had expected. And hoped for.
“We can walk over to HS, and talk on the way.”
The head of DSIS considered this and then shook his head.
“Bad idea. Do you know Agnete and the merman?”
“If you mean the underwater sculpture in Slotsholmen Canal, then yes.”
“We’ll meet there in ten minutes, I have a place in the vicinity where we can talk undisturbed.”
Out of habit Simonsen glanced at his watch, but his objection about lack of time remained stuck in his throat. The head of DSIS turned and left.
Fifteen minutes later Simonsen and the Countess were waiting at H?jbro Plads. The Countess studied Suste Bonnén’s sculpture below them. Simonsen was watching with irritation for the head of DSIS, stressed about the time they were wasting. When he arrived shortly afterwards, he did not comment on the Countess’s presence. Instead he led them across the street at a forced march. Simonsen noted how he struck his heels hard against the asphalt as he walked, and thought that this must be a military habit. He tried to keep up and hoped that the walk would not be long.
A short distance down H?jbro Plads, right across from Vilhelm Bissen’s statue of Bishop Absalon, the head of DSIS guided them to the right and through a gate. Here he cut across a small courtyard flanked by old warehouses, now renovated and converted to luxury apartments, and over to a main door where he quickly acquired access with a card and pin code. He turned on the light and asked them to sit down. There were paintings and lithographs all over the place: leaning up against the walls, on the central table that dominated the room, and in piles on the floor. The Countess guessed this was a storeroom for a gallery.
Still out of breath, Simonsen said, “Although I’m sure this is important, I must be back at HS very soon. And by the way, thanks for your support at the meeting.”
The head of DSIS smiled. That was seldom seen. The man was not socially inclined, and stories about his reserve were legion.
“It was nothing. I assume you are clear about what we got permission to do in there? If it becomes possible and necessary.”
“Yes, thanks. It had occurred to us both.”
The head of DSIS looked at the Countess as he spoke. She slowly put the unpleasantness into well-considered words.
“Helmer Hammer just gave us carte blanche to cut Andreas Falkenborg into little pieces to get him to tell us where he has concealed his two victims. So long as no one knows about it. A week ago he told us in great detail about Nils Svenningsen’s atomic letter, and how the top official at the time controversially gave permission without expressing himself directly. Well—from that we are meant to infer that if it is kept secret, we can in a literal sense put the thumbscrews on Falkenborg.”
“Exactly. And presumably you are also aware that that message was the only reason the meeting was held at all? The other idiots were just props to cover Helmer Hammer and his ministry if something goes wrong. Apart from Bertil Hampel-Koch, naturally. You might almost think that Helmer Hammer is somehow dependent on you, but that doesn’t concern me of course. The next question is obvious. Do we intend to make use of our . . . shall we call it, new tool . . . if it comes to that?”
Simonsen had expected the question and answered without reservation.
“If it’s the only way out, then clearly yes.”