“Unfortunately not. We were hoping you could help us with that.”
“I’m scared,” she said. “She’s a terrible brat, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. Do you think she murdered that Icelandic girl and took part in the robbery like the media is suggesting?”
“I assure you, we know nothing about that, Birgit. But she’s a suspect and we need to get ahold of her to find out. The police in Slagelse have been all around town asking if anyone has seen her, but unfortunately they didn’t get anywhere. We also get the feeling that you don’t believe she’s actually there. Is that correct?”
“If it was her at that nightclub in Sydhavnen, she can’t have been in Slagelse at that time, can she?”
Carl agreed. She was considerably more clearheaded than usual.
“We have some specific questions we’d like to ask you, Birgit. Earlier today, you insinuated that Denise might know something about your mother’s murder. I’d like to ask you why you did that.”
“And what makes you think I want to talk to you about that? I was drunk, wasn’t I? You must know that people say stupid things when they’re drunk.”
“That’s right. Let’s leave that subject. Meanwhile, we’ve located your ex-husband.”
The reaction was incredible. The tendons in her neck tensed, and her jaw dropped. She inhaled deeply and held her breath, clenching her fists. There was no doubt that she was genuinely taken aback and trying to remain calm.
“He’s still in the country, Birgit. You probably thought he had disappeared back when Stephanie Gundersen was murdered, right?”
She didn’t answer, but her heaving chest clearly showed the level of shock she was in.
“I assume your mother told you that he disappeared after the murder. That if anyone was a suspect, it must be him. That she was willing to tell the police about him if they started closing in on you, right? She had a whole story prepared.”
Strangely enough, Birgit shook her head.
“James is living in the apartment above your father’s old shop, but you probably didn’t know that, did you?”
She shook her head again.
“Birgit, I don’t want to bore you with James’s story, but he told us about an agreement he made with your mother. He deserted from the US Army when he was in Afghanistan, returned to Denmark in 2003, and promised to stay away from you and Denise. Your mother paid him for it, but you did know that?”
She didn’t react at all, so they couldn’t be sure.
“James believes that your mother saw him and Stephanie Gundersen together in town. He said it was a coincidence, but I don’t believe that. While coincidence does often play a role in crime, I’m more inclined to believe that it was you who saw James with Stephanie outside Denise’s school and told your mother about it. I think that your mother decided to follow them and was spotted by James. And do you know what all this is based on? Your argument with Stephanie about her way with men at the parent-teacher meeting. I think this case is about a hurt, insanely frustrated, and in some strange way also jealous woman who suddenly saw her daughter’s beautiful teacher with her ex-husband. You already hated Stephanie Gundersen because Denise adored her. And my guess is that it made you completely desperate. Do you understand where I’m coming from, Birgit? Not only did you have to contend with all your anger and jealousy from the past, but you also saw your ex-husband with a respected teacher who could steal your daughter away from you just like that. And that was something you weren’t prepared to risk.”
She fumbled for her cigarettes on the table, but Assad beat her to it, offered her one, and even lit it for her. Smart move.
“We’re sorry to have to upset you like this, Birgit,” said Assad. “It must be shocking to think that your ex-husband has suddenly popped up in your life again. He actually came to visit you here yesterday. He saw you on the street, but you were so drunk that he didn’t want to talk to you.”
Assad went quiet, and they both watched Birgit’s reaction. She was bound to start talking at some point, but for now she just held her elbow in her hand, put the cigarette to her lips, and calmly inhaled the smoke.
“Do you want to hear my version of all this?” asked Carl.
No reaction.
“James often waited for Stephanie outside the school, standing behind the trees by the lakes. That way he could choose who saw him. What he didn’t know was that you sometimes walked that way if you felt like picking Denise up from school. You came from Borgergade and sometimes walked along Dag Hammarskj?lds Allé and farther along the lake to wait for Denise in exactly the same spot where James was. And one day, you saw Stephanie Gundersen leave the school and kiss James passionately while you looked on in disbelief from behind the trees. Your ex-husband was suddenly back in Denmark and too close for comfort. Can we agree on that?”
Then the unexpected finally happened. Birgit Zimmermann nodded silently.
“Birgit, I can tell you that James was convinced that it was your mother who killed Stephanie. I think it’s because of the way it happened. After all, your father was always bragging about the damage that could be inflicted with a single hit with a club to the back of the head. Don’t you think your mother also knew?”
She looked away. Were her lips quivering? If they were, Carl and Assad were on the right track.
Then she turned to face them directly. There were tears in her eyes, and her lips were quivering. This was it!
“James told us earlier today that he killed your mother. It was simply an act of revenge for her killing Stephanie. But do you know what I think, Birgit?”
She grimaced. He was right, then.
“He killed the wrong person. Do we agree?”
The question appeared to have hit a nerve. It could be a feeling of powerlessness or relief. It could be anger or some form of contentment. Carl and Assad looked at each other and waited until she had wiped the snot from her chin and could look at them directly again.
“You actually thought it was Denise who killed your mother, didn’t you, Birgit? But what made you think that?”