The Lion's Mouth (44 page)
Authors: Anne Holt
The rest was lost in a bout of vigorous sniffling, and she put her hands on the cold flannel, hiding her face.
It struck Hanne so unexpectedly that she had to look away. She let her eyes rest on the little baby girl in the pink blanket. She was fast asleep, and a miniature yellow rabbit with saucer eyes was beside her head, keeping watch. But that did not seem to be helping much: it was not enough to set her mother’s mind at ease.
This must have been what it was like for Birgitte Volter. On Midsummer’s Eve 1965. Exactly like this. But with the massive difference that her baby did not survive. It had died. At the age of only three months.
“Liv Volter Hansen,” Hanne muttered to the yellow rabbit; its improbably large front teeth were made of toweling and curled gaily and unnaturally at the bottom.
“What did you say?” Karen hiccupped, slightly calmer now. “Liv what’s-her-name?”
Smiling, Hanne shook her head.
“I was thinking about Birgitte Volter’s baby. The one who died. Birgitte Volter must have gone through such a—”
“Dreadful time,” Karen completed, struggling to sit up more comfortably in the bed. “I can’t think of anything worse.”
Smiling wanly, she seemed to succeed in composing herself.
“I understand all hell has broken loose,” she said. “I just heard it on the news.”
“Yes. I was down at the courthouse before I came here, and there’s a press furor such as I’ve
never
seen before. The first person remanded in the murder case – they’re going berserk. You should take it as a compliment that Håkon had to take the case. Next time you give birth, let’s hope there’s no interference from a Prime Minister’s homicide.”
“There won’t be a next time,” Karen groaned, and now she gave a genuine smile. “Out of the question! But does this mean the case is … is it solved?”
“That would be an exaggeration. But it’s certainly a breakthrough. I would agree with that.”
Hanne scanned the room quickly. The woman in the neighboring bed was being visited by the baby’s father; their faces were close together in murmured conversation over a pale blue bundle – the monkey, obviously. The woman across from her was dark-skinned and had five adults and two toddlers visiting, they were crawling over the quilt and making a tremendous rumpus. Hanne stood up, crossed to the other side of the bed, and with her back to the others in the room, gave a half-whispered account of the events of the previous day.
“Billy T. was bloody disappointed by the search. They found loads of literature about guns and a number of suspect magazines,
as well as four registered weapons. But nothing more. Apart from one little detail that wasn’t enough for Billy T., but that Håkon was delighted about. An address book. The guard’s little red book. And under H for Håkonsen, there was Brage’s name listed, with his address, though no phone number. So we have …”
She leaned close to her friend, and could see, despite the dull exhaustion in Karen’s eyes, that she was extremely interested. Hanne counted on her fingers.
“Firstly, we have Brage’s assassination plans and enormous collection of weapons. Secondly, although he flatly denied knowing the security guard, he has claimed, in the presence of a police officer, to know things he could not possibly know unless he had some kind of connection to the guy. He thought he was being smart, but instead he has gabbed his way right into the middle of the case. Huh!”
Chuckling, she drew her hair behind her ear and tapped a third finger on the quilt cover.
“Thirdly, the address book proves there is some connection between the two. And the guard is …”
She stopped and straightened her back.
“The guard, in fact, has been the most promising line of enquiry all along. If he killed Birgitte Volter, we can forget the problem that has been causing the police so much grief: how could anyone sneak into a room that was as good as sealed shut? He was there. He had the gun.”
“But how would he have got hold of a revolver that actually belonged to Volter’s son?”
“Yes,” Hanne said. “You have a point there. I’m impressed! I’ve no idea. But in any case, the guard’s the best lead, and right now …”
She smiled as she looked at the time.
“… and right now Brage Håkonsen is sitting quaking in the courthouse while your brilliant husband … while Håkon persuades a judge that there are reasonable grounds for suspicion.”
“But there’s certainly more than
that
,” Karen said, removing the cloth from her forehead.
“Do you want me to wring it out again?”
“No, thanks, Hanne. Surely with all that evidence you’ll soon be moving toward a conviction? Especially if you get Brage Håkonsen remanded in custody now, and then have the opportunity to investigate further while he’s behind bars?”
“No,” Hanne responded. “We’re some distance away from a conviction. You should know that! Because—”
“Kaja might actually be right,” Karen said quietly. “She could be telling the truth.”
Hanne stretched toward the baby’s crib and picked up the protective rabbit. As she slowly stroked its ears, she nodded and stared into space, breathing in the combined scent of baby and strong detergent. “Precisely. Kaja may have told the truth.”
THURSDAY, APRIL 24
06.50,
STOLMAKERGATA
15
“H
anne! You must wake up!”
Billy T. shook Hanne’s arm warily; she was lying diagonally across the bed, making the most of having the space to herself. Two quilts were bundled up underneath her hips and legs, and she was stretched out on her back with her hands above her head.
“Where have you been?” she muttered, turning onto her front. “Turn off the light, please.”
“We’ve had such a diabolical amount to clear up. Paperwork and all that shit.”
He pulled the quilts brutally away, and rapidly folded them into two enormous pillows that he placed against the headboard. He then put Hanne into a sitting position, to the accompaniment of soft, murmured objections.
“Coffee and breakfast,” he said with feigned good cheer, nodding toward the bedside table.
“And newspapers. Hell and damnation. They
all
cover Brage’s arrest.”
With a lingering yawn, Hanne gave herself a shake, then carefully kept her coffee cup level all the way to her mouth, scowling momentarily as she burned her upper lip.
The copy of
Dagbladet
was on top. The entire front page was emblazoned with a picture of Brage Håkonsen being moved from the courthouse to a police car. In the usual fashion, his jacket was pulled up over his head.
“Look at this,” Billy T. said, having crept up beside her. “That’s me!”
He slapped his hand on the photograph.
“My goodness, that guy Brage must be some size,” Hanne said. “He looks almost as tall as you and Severin!”
She flicked through to page four.
NEO-NAZIS MURDERED VOLTER
Right-wing extremist imprisoned for six weeks
By Steinar Grunde, Vebjørn Klaas and Sigrid Slette
Late yesterday afternoon, the Oslo police force were successful in their application to have a 22-year-old man remanded in custody, accused of involvement in the homicide of Prime Minister Volter. Chief of Police Hans Christian Mykland confirmed to
Dagbladet
that police consider the arrest of the 22-year-old, who has longstanding links to neo-Nazi groups, to be a breakthrough in the investigation of the murder of the late Prime Minister, Birgitte Volter. The chief suspect, however, is a man killed in an avalanche in Tromsdalen outside Tromsø on Saturday April 12.
“Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that there is still a great deal to investigate in this case, and that police are also following a number of other leads,” Police Chief Mykland insists.
Suspect Dead
At a press conference late yesterday evening, it emerged that, ever since the night of the murder, police have harbored suspicions about a 28-year-old man employed as a security guard in the government complex. This man was interviewed several times, but police did not consider that they had sufficient evidence for an arrest. The man died in
an avalanche that took the lives of two men near Tromsø earlier this month. Police believe this man had a connection to the 22-year-old now remanded in custody. The latter is thought to be the leader of a neo-Nazi action group.
Assassination Plans
When searching the accused’s cabin in Nordmarka, the police found a cache of weapons, together with detailed plans to assassinate a number of prominent spokespeople on social issues. Police will not comment on the degree to which Birgitte Volter was mentioned in these plans, but from what this newspaper has learned, her name was at the top of a list of sixteen named people.
Conspiracy
The remanded 22-year-old is charged with a number of offenses, including illegal possession of weapons and plotting to “disrupt the established order”. Police deny that this has been done for tactical reasons. The court also agreed that there were reasonable grounds for suspecting the 22-year-old of involvement in the actual murder of Birgitte Volter. Although the accused has a solid alibi for the evening of the homicide itself, police believe he may be one of possibly several involved behind the scenes in the case.
“We have reason to suspect a conspiracy,” Hans Christian Mykland asserts, refusing to rule out a number of further arrests in the case.
“Poor boy,” Hanne said, scratching the bridge of her nose. “He’ll be banged up for a while. Regardless.”
“What do you mean by ‘regardless’?” Billy T. said crossly. “The guy’s as guilty as fuck!”
Without replying, Hanne leafed further through the paper.
PARLIAMENT PARALYZED
Extraordinary security measures implemented
By Kjellaug Steensnes
MPs from most political parties have expressed grief, sorrow and shock at the latest twist in the Volter case. “This was bound to happen. We have been warning against right-wing extremists for some considerable time, but the Security Service, as is well known, is more concerned with monitoring lawful political activity,” says Kaare Sverdrup, the Socialist Left Party spokesperson for Justice and the Police. He was fully supported by the Red Election Alliance’s parliamentary representative.
The parliamentary leaders of the Labor Party, Conservatives, Center Party, Liberals, and Christian Democrats have all expressed their satisfaction at the news that, within such a short space of time, the police seem to have come close to solving Birgitte Volter’s shocking murder.
The security measures surrounding our elected members have now been considerably reinforced. The administrative leadership in Parliament refuses to give details, and it will neither confirm nor deny whether such precautions were already in place when Birgitte Volter was killed. Nonetheless,
Dagbladet
has reason to believe that the Parliamentary President and Vice Presidents, as well as the more prominent MPs, are now guarded twenty-four hours a day, with some personnel provided by the police, and others hired in from a security services company.
Protection Refused
Frederik Ivanov of the Conservative Party has told
Dagbladet
that he personally has refused the extra protection.
“If we organize our lives around the anti-democratic elements in our society, then we have lost the battle against all
forms of extremism,” he declares, adding that he has nevertheless found it necessary to send his wife and family to a secret destination elsewhere in the country. Ivanov is best known as the Conservatives’ most vocal spokesman on the need for generosity toward new immigrants.
“For me, the tragic events of the past few weeks only underscore the eternal need to focus on humanity, philanthropy and tolerance,” he says.
Cooperation
Annema Brøttum of the Labor Party feels uncertain, insecure and sad. “Something valuable has been taken from us,” she said in a statement.
“Norway can no longer claim to be some kind of peripheral place of innocence; we are no longer a haven on the fringes of the world. This proves how important it is to seek cooperation across national borders; only by consistent commitment and openness between countries can such forms of politicized violence be fought.”
Satan
Cora Veldin (Christian Democrats) points out that right-wing extremists are the product of a society in decline. “As long as we politicians are unwilling to take moral standpoints, society will crumble,” she declares.
“The gospel of love has vanished, due to materialistic values that provide fertile soil for such Satanic deeds,” Veldin concludes.
Innocent
“As far as I am aware, judgment has not yet been passed in this case. The man is innocent until the opposite has been proven.”
Vidar Fangen Storli (Progress Party) refused to give any further comment.
“For once I agree with the Progress Party,” Hanne said, cramming the remainder of a slice of bread into her mouth. “Why do you
always
cut the slices so thick?”
“Don’t speak with your mouth full,” Billy T. said fractiously, struggling to prevent the newspaper dipping into the jam.
“Have you noticed anything strange?” Hanne asked as she grabbed the copy of
Kveldsavisen
, as brim-full with material about Brage Håkonsen as all the other newspapers.
“Yes,” Billy T. said, sweeping the sheet with his hand. “You drop so many bloody crumbs! Soon I’ll have to use the vacuum cleaner on the bed.”
“Billy T., you either need to accept the consequences of breakfast in bed, or else stop serving it. Honestly!”
Hanne thumped him hard on the arm with her fist.
“Ow! Stop that! What did you ask me?”
“A few days ago, the newspapers were convinced there was a connection between the health scandal and Volter’s homicide. They hyped it up, obtained statements left, right and center, wrote editorials about confusion and all that sort of stuff. And then, hey presto!”
She tried to click her fingers, but had butter on her thumb, so they just slid toward each other with a little squish.
“An ever so tiny arrest, and they do a complete about-turn. Now they have … one, two, three, four, five …”