They did, and Simonsen went on.
“It’s clear that if nothing happens soon, we will be forced to do something. The question is what, and we will clarify that at this meeting. There are various possibilities, but to begin with we need a brief status report.”
He looked at the head of DSIS, who took over.
“There is not much beyond what you already know. At the moment he’s having breakfast at his hotel in Herlev. Yesterday he drove around more or less aimlessly. Occasionally he connected his laptop and looked for anything new from his eavesdropping, and other times he surfed around on the Internet and read news, mainly about himself. To top it off he wrote an entry to a blog, in his own name besides, but it was vague and harmless.”
“How closely is he being covered?”
It was the police commissioner who wanted to know.
“Very close. As closely as possible. We have people around him all the time, and a transmitter has been placed on his car besides, so we can constantly follow where he is. That is what you see on the screen as a blue circle.”
He pointed towards the big screen on the wall, which showed a map of Herlev with a stationary blue circle in the middle of the image.
The Countess asked, “The transmitter won’t fall off?”
“Of course it won’t, it’s specially designed for the purpose, located on the inside of the fender over the right rear wheel and attached with powerful magnets. You can get it loose if you pull on it firmly, but ordinary movements from the car don’t affect it.”
“What about his cell phone and hotel room? Are they being bugged?”
The head of DSIS sent Ernesto Madsen an irritated look, as if he wanted to tell him that he was there as a psychologist and should keep his mouth shut when police-related subjects were discussed. Nevertheless he answered curtly, “Falkenborg has three SIM cards, but does not use his cell phone. And yes, his room is bugged.”
The psychologist did not let himself be cowed.
“But don’t we risk him playing hide-and-seek with all that bugging? He is an expert in the field.”
The head of DSIS snorted.
“He’s no expert! Our instruments are at least two generations on from the trash he peddles, and the technicians we have are light years ahead in both knowledge and experience. He’s an amateur, we’re professionals, don’t forget that.”
This torrent of words closed the mouth of Ernesto Madsen and at the same time concluded the review by the head of DSIS. Now it was Simonsen’s turn again.
“Which brings us to the serious part. That is, what do we do now? There are only two options: go on like yesterday or else bring him in. Neither of these is enticing, and I will not go along with the first one. We are about to reach the length of time a person can go without water, and we have to allow ourselves time to work on him. For that reason I will arrest him today, no later than noon, unless he breaks the pattern from yesterday. This is not up for discussion.”
Madsen said darkly, “You shouldn’t count on him letting himself be questioned. I’m almost certain he won’t.”
The police commissioner added, “And we have no way of forcing him to speak, but you’re aware of that, Simon.”
“I’m quite aware of that.”
“I should tell you that when he is in our custody, I’ll be assigning some people to assure me that no irregularities occur. I know that Pauline Berg is our colleague, and I know how you feel, so I intend to ensure that everything is done correctly.”
The Countess asked sarcastically, “Don’t you trust us?”
“No.”
Madsen threw up his arms in despair and exclaimed, “This is a load of shit.”
The head of DSIS was straight on him.
“Your personal opinions are of no interest.”
Then the police commissioner got involved.
“The man is right.”
“The man should contribute something constructive for his nine hundred kroner an hour.”
Madsen blushed, and Simonsen said quietly, “There is perhaps a third possibility that could be tried?”
The Countess gave him the pre-arranged cue.
“What possibility is that, Simon? All of us would like to hear it.”
“I am thinking that perhaps a person can get close to Falkenborg and gain his trust. He is in many ways very naive and gullible. It’s worth a try, if we compare it to the alternatives.”
The head of DSIS thought quickest.
“It doesn’t sound like a bad idea, I’d like to hear more about it. Is this something we should brainstorm or do you have it wrapped and ready for us?”
“Brainstorm.”
The Countess was also quick on the trigger, and the police commissioner smiled proudly; what capable people she had.
“If it were me, I know what I would do.”
Simonsen said, “Do tell.”
“That notorious key that we believe is to the padlock to his warehouse . . . somehow we’ve acquired the original, right?”