Cop Killer (33 page)

But the fact was that she had been injured and was now at Söder Hospital.

The dog bites were not critical, but they did have a wicked look to them, as the doctors put it

They operated, and following surgery she developed a high fever and became delirious.

Maggie talked a great deal in her delirium. She didn't know for sure where she was, but she did have the feeling she was talking to someone she knew, or at least to someone who was interested and attentive.

And true enough, at the head of her bed sat a person equipped with a tape recorder.

This person was Einar Rönn.

Rönn asked no questions. He merely listened and put Maggie's chatter on tape.

He realized immediately that he had been given some important information, but he didn't know exactly what he ought to do with it

After thinking it over for a few minutes, he searched out a telephone and called Gunvald Larsson in his office at police headquarters on Kungsholmsgatan.

'Yes, Larsson here. What do you want?'

He could tell right away that Gunvald Larsson was not alone. He sounded brusque and irritable.

'Well, this girl over here is delirious. She just told me where

The Breadman and Caspar are holed up. In a cabin out towards Dalarö.'

'Did you get any details?'

‘Yes, a very precise description of how to get there. If you gave me a map I could probably point to the house.'

Gunvald Larsson was silent for a long moment before he answered.

"This is a very complicated, technical decision,' he said cryptically. 'Are you armed?' 'No.'

There was another pause. 'Don't we have to tell Malm?' Rönn said. 'Yes, you must definitely do that,' said Gunvald Larsson. 'Naturally.'

And then he added, in a lower voice:

'But not until you see my car drive up outside the door. Do it then. Quick as you can.' 'Okay,' Rönn said.

He went down to the huge hospital lobby and took up his post by a coin telephone.

He did not have to wait more than ten minutes before he saw Gunvald Larsson drive up in front of the entrance. He immediately called Kungsholmsgatan again, and after a brief delay he got through to Malm. Rönn reported exactly what Maggie had said.

'Splendid,' Malm said. 'You may return to your post'

Rönn walked straight out to Gunvald Larsson, who reached over and opened the door for him.

'There's a map and a pistol in the glove compartment,' he said.

Rönn hesitated for a moment and then stuck the pistol inside the waistband of his trousers. Then he studied the map.

'Yes,'he said.'Here's the house.'

Gunvald Larsson examined the network of roads and then threw a glance at his watch.

'We'll have about an hour's start,' he said. 'Then Malm will move in with his so-called main force. That staff of his has planned for this very situation, God help us. He'll have a hundred men, two helicopters, and ten dogs. Besides that, he's requisitioned twenty huge shields of armour plate. It's to be a massacre.'

'Do you think those boys will put up a fight?'

'Pretty likely,' Gunvald Larsson said. 'Lindberg's got nothing to lose, and this manhunt has probably driven Casparsson half out of his mind.'

'I suppose,' said Rönn philosophically, fingering his pistol. He was no lover of violence.

'For that matter, I don't really give a damn what happens to Lindberg,' Gunvald Larsson said. 'The man's a professional criminal, on top of which he just recently committed murder. It's the boy I'm thinking of. So far, he hasn't shot or injured anyone, but if Malm has his way you can be damned sure he'll either get himself killed or else kill a couple of cops. So we've got to get there first and act quickly.'

Acting quickly was one of Gunvald Larsson's specialities.

They drove south, through Handen and the latest ghastly high-rise development, called Bandhagen.

Ten minutes later they reached the turnoff, and ten minutes after that they saw the house. Gunvald Larsson stopped the car in the middle of the road, about 150 feet from the cabin.

He studied the situation for a moment.

'This will be hard but okay,' he said. 'We'll get out here and walk towards the house, on the left side of the road. If there's any shooting, we'll take cover behind the shithouse over there. I'll move right on around and try to take them from behind. You stay under cover and fire slowly towards the roof or the eaves to the left of the porch.'

'I'm such a miserable shot,' Rönn mumbled. 'You must be able to hit the house, for Christ's sake.' 'Yes. At least I hope so.' 'And Einar...'

'Yes?'

'Don't take any chances. If something goes wrong, stay under cover and wait for the great invasion.'

Inside the cabin, The Breadman and Caspar had heard the car even before they saw it Now they stood looking out the window.

'Funny car,' The Breadman said. 'Never seen one like that before.'

'Maybe they're just out for a drive and got lost,' Caspar said.

'It's not impossible,' said The Breadman dryly.

He picked up one of the submachine guns and gave the other one to Caspar.

Rönn and Gunvald Larsson got out of the car and started towards the house.

The Breadman checked them out with his binoculars.

'Cops,' he sighed. 'I recognize both of them. Violent Crimes Squad in Stockholm. But this'll be an easy match.'

He knocked out the middle pane of the window with his elbow, took aim, and started firing.

Rönn and Gunvald Larsson heard the glass breaking and knew what it meant They reacted quickly, ran to one side, and dived down behind the outhouse.

The salvo would have missed in any case, since The Breadman was unused to the weapon at such a distance and held it too high. But he seemed pleased nevertheless.

'Now we've got them right where we want them,' he said. 'All you've got to do, Caspar, is cover the rear.'

Gunvald Larsson didn't stay behind the outhouse for more than a few seconds. He crawled on under the cover of some low blackberry bushes.

Rönn was well protected behind the stone foundation of the privy. He stuck out his pistol and one eye and fired off two shots towards the roof. The answer came at once. A longer salvo this time, and more accurate. Cascades of gravel flew up into his face.

Rönn fired again. He probably didn't hit the house, but it didn't matter much.

Gunvald Larsson had reached the cabin. He crept swiftly along the back wall, twisted around the corner and stopped below the side window. He rose to his knees and drew his Smith & Wesson 38 Master, which he carried clipped to his belt. Then he raised himself a little further, held his pistol ready, and peered in. An empty kitchen. Ten feet away, a door standing ajar. Presumably Caspar and The Breadman were in the room beyond.

Gunvald Larsson waited for Rönn to fire again. He waited thirty seconds and then he heard Rönn's pistol bang twice.

The answering salvo came immediately and ended with a metallic click indicating that the magazine was empty.

Gunvald Larsson planted his feet and threw himself in through the window with his arms in front of his face for protection.

He landed on the floor amidst a shower of glass and wood, rolled over once, came to his feet, kicked open the door, and rushed into the adjoining room.

Lindberg had taken one step back from the window and was bent slighdy forward, changing magazines. Ronnie Casparsson was standing in the corner behind him with another submachine gun in his hands.

'Shoot for Christ's sake, Caspar,' The Breadman yelled.

"There's only two of them. Shoot him!'

'That's enough, Lindberg,' Gunvald Larsson said.

He took one step forward, raised his left hand, and struck The Breadman a heavy blow across the collarbone right next to his throat

Lindberg let go of his weapon and dropped like a sack.

Gunvald Larsson stared at Ronnie Casparsson, who let the submachine gun slip from his grasp and covered his face with both hands.

That's right, said Gunvald Larsson to himself! That's the way.

Then he opened the front door.

'You can come out now, Einar,' he called.

Rönn came into the cabin.

'Better put handcuffs on that character,' Gunvald Larsson said, pointing to The Breadman with his foot Then he looked at Ronnie Casparsson. 'You don't need handcuffs, do you?'

Ronnie Casparsson shook his head. He was still holding his face in his hands.

Fifteen minutes later, they had their prisoners in the back seat and had driven up in front of the cabin to turn around. Lindberg had recovered from the blow and even regained some of his good spirits.

Just then a man in a sweatsuit came running into the yard. He was holding a compass in one hand and stared stupidly from the car to the house and back to the car.

'Sweet Jesus,' said The Breadman. 'A cop dressed up for orienteering. But why has he got a compass and no map?'

He laughed loudly.

Gunvald Larsson rolled down the window. 'Hello there,' he said.

The man in the sweatsuit came over to the car. 'Have you got your two-way radio on you?' 'Yes, sir.'

'Then inform Malm that he can call off the manoeuvre. All we need is someone to drive up and go through the house.' The man fussed with the radio for a long time.

'You're to turn over your prisoners to Divisional Commander Malm at his command post,' he said. 'Two thousand metres east of the second "e" in "East Haninge".'

'Well, then, that's what we'll do,' said Gunvald Larsson and rolled up his window again.

Malm looked very pleased as he stood there surrounded by subordinates.

'Smartly done, Larsson,' he said. 'I must admit And why isn't Casparsson in handcuffs?' 'He doesn't need them.'

'Nonsense. Put them on.'

'Don't have any,' Gunvald Larsson said.

And he and Rönn drove away.

'I hope the boy gets a good lawyer,' said Gunvald Larsson after awhile.

Rönn didn't answer. He changed the subject

'Gunvald,' he said, ‘your jacket's torn. It's cut'

‘Yes, what a pain in the arse,' said Gunvald Larsson joylessly.

As soon as Martin Beck got the phone call from Benny Skacke, the rest of it went quickly.

After a preliminary search of the beige Volvo at the Crime Lab in Solna, Hjelm could report that a white cotton tag had been found in the boot. The laboratory analysis showed this to contain nickel shavings of the same type as those in the rag found at the scene of the crime.

That same afternoon, there was a search of Clark Sundström's factory, which made machine parts and precision tools. Nickel was an essential element in several of these products, and particles of that metal were found in abundance on the premises. Furthermore, a cardboard box filled with white cotton rags containing nickel shavings was found in a corner of the factory where Clark Sundström usually parked his car.

A comparative study of handwriting showed, as anticipated, that the two letters found in Sigbrit Mård's bedside table had been written in Sundström's hand.

In his desk, they found a packet of envelopes of the same type used to send in the rent for the one-room flat. The typewriter used to type the words Rent S. Jonsson stood on the shelf beside the desk.

The Helsingborg Crime Lab had made a minute examination of the flat that had been used as a love nest, and among other things, they had secured fingerprints.

With that, the evidence could definitely be said to link Clark Evert Sundström to the murder of Sigbrit Mård.

The factory was located in Trelleborg, but Cecilia Sundström had inherited the firm, and it still bore her father's name, which might explain why the industrious Trelleborg detectives had not succeeded in finding Clark Sundström. Technically, he was employed by his wife as factory manager.

Sundström was not in his office during the search of the factory on Tuesday afternoon. He had not been feeling well after lunch and had taken a taxi home.

Martin Beck wondered if he really was sick or if he had had a premonition of what was about to happen. Before any news of the decision to search the factory could reach Clark Sundström, Månsson sent two of his men to Vellinge to keep a discreet eye on the house.

By the time all the samples had been taken, analysed, and compared, and enough evidence had been assembled to issue an arrest warrant, it was evening.

Martin Beck and Benny Skacke took the new motorway and arrived in Vellinge just before eight. First they located the two plainclothes officers, who had parked their car on a side road where they had a good view of the Sundström house without calling attention to themselves.

'He's still in the house,' said one of them when Martin Beck walked over to their car.

'His wife went out and did some shopping about five,' the other one said. 'But no one's left the place since then. The girls came home an hour ago.'

The Sundström couple had two daughters, twelve and fourteen years old.

'Good,' said Martin Beck. 'For the time being, you wait here.'

He went back to Skacke.

'Drive up to the gate and wait in the car,' said Martin Beck. ‘I’ll go in alone. But be ready - we don't know how he's going to react'

Skacke pulled up in front of the house, and Martin Beck walked through the broad wrought-iron gates. The gravel path leading up from the street was bordered by rose-bushes, and directly in front of the front door lay a millstone that had been broken in half to form a semicircular step. He pressed the doorbell and heard the faint sound of two chimes ringing behind the massive oak door.

The woman who answered was almost as tall as Martin Beck. She was slender, or rather, thin - dry and bony as if there was simply no flesh beneath her very pale skin. The bridge of her nose was sharp and slightly curved, her cheekbones were high and prominent, and her face was covered with light-brown freckles. Her chestnut hair, though thick and wavy, was shot with grey. As far as he could see, she was wearing no. make-up. Her lips were pale and thin, and there was something bitter about the line of her mouth. She had pretty eyes, with grey-green irises under heavy lids, and she raised her arched brows and looked at him questioningly.