Murder on the Thirty-First Floor by Per Wahlöö Page A

way he stopped at a snack bar. Though he was well aware of the consequences, he had three sandwiches and two cups of black coffee.
    That was the fourth day gone.

CHAPTER 16
    The phone rang before Inspector Jensen was dressed. It was five to seven in the morning and he was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving. During the night he had been afflicted by severe colic; the griping pain had subsided but his midriff still felt tender and bruised.
    He knew it must be to do with work, because he never used the phone for private calls and did not let anyone else do so, either.
    ‘Jensen,’ said the police chief, ‘what in the name of God are you playing at?’
    ‘We’ve still got three days at our disposal.’
    ‘That’s not precisely what I meant.’
    ‘I’ve only just started the interviews.’
    ‘I wasn’t referring to the pace, Jensen.’
    There was no answer to that. The police chief gave a gravelly cough.
    ‘Luckily enough, for you and for me, the matter’s already been cleared up.’
    ‘Cleared up?’
    ‘Yes, they’ve found out who did it.’
    ‘Who are “they”?’
    ‘The group’s own people. As we assumed from the word go, it was a misguided prank. One of the employees, a journalist on one of the papers. Apparently a rather bohemian youngman with lots of wild ideas, but a good boy at heart. They seem to have suspected him all along, though they didn’t bother to say so.’
    ‘I see.’
    ‘I assume they didn’t want to cast suspicions until they had some evidence.’
    ‘I see.’
    ‘Anyway, it’s all settled. They’re dropping the charge. Taking the financial loss and tempering justice with mercy. The only thing you need to do is go and formally accept his confession. Then you can close the case.’
    ‘I see.’
    ‘I’ve got the man’s address here, can you take it down?’
    Inspector Jensen wrote the information on the back of a little white card.
    ‘It’s probably best for all parties if you go round there as soon as possible. So we can get this all over and done with.’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Tidy up the loose ends in the usual way and then make a copy of the paperwork. Just in case they want to see how the case was handled.’
    ‘I see.’
    ‘Jensen?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘No need for you to feel deflated. It’s only natural for things to turn out this way. Of course the group’s own people had better prospects of solving the case quickly. Their knowledge of their staff and the internal situation gave them a big head start.’
    Inspector Jensen said nothing. The police chief’s breathing was heavy and uneven.
    ‘There’s one other thing,’ he said.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘I indicated from the outset that you were to focus entirely on the investigation of the threatening letter, didn’t I?’
    ‘Yes, that’s right.’
    ‘That means you need not and ought not to take account of any other matters that have emerged during the investigation. As soon as this young joker’s confession has been verified and dealt with, you are to put the matter aside. You’re free to forget the whole affair. Understood?’
    ‘Understood.’
    ‘I think that will be the best thing for all concerned and as I said, not least for you and me.’
    ‘I see.’
    ‘Excellent. Goodbye.’
    Inspector Jensen returned to the bathroom and finished shaving. Then he got dressed, drank a cup of hot water and honey and read the newspaper, taking his time.
    Although the traffic was less dense than usual, he kept to a moderate speed on the motorway, and when he parked outside the station it was already half past nine.
    He sat at his desk for a while, not bothering with the reports or the pre-prepared address list. Then he rang for the man in the plainclothes patrol, gave him the white card and said:
    ‘Find out what you can about this individual. Everything you can get hold of. And be quick about it.’
    He stood at the window for a long time, watching the sanitary squad, who had still not completed their disinfection