Hans Lahlum - Chameleon People

Then I rang Miriam’s mother. I told her in brief what had happened and promised to call her back as soon as there was any other news.

She said she hoped that the interpreter would survive and was relieved to hear that I was unharmed. Then she asked the obvious question: ‘So it is obviously the Soviets who have taken Miriam, but who knows where she is and if she is still alive?’

I promised I would do my utmost to find out. Then I finished the call so that I could telephone Patricia.

Patricia really was sitting guard today. Once again she picked up the receiver on the first ring, and apparently recognized my breathing, because she started to speak before I had said a word.

‘So glad that you have not been hurt. I heard on the radio that there had been a shooting and that a foreign woman was the only one injured. I presume that was the interpreter you met yesterday?’

I felt a wave of relief when Patricia said this, but also a hint of irritation that she had not said anything when I called her earlier, if she had known what was coming.

I told her quickly what had happened at the National Theatre.

This was met with silence.

‘Some of the connections are becoming clearer now, finally. But there is still more uncertainty than I would like,’ Patricia said eventually.

I told her my opinion without beating around the bush – in other words, that I knew she was reluctant to conclude anything until she was absolutely certain, but, in a situation that was critical for both me and the country, I would ask her to be open now about what she thought.

Patricia let out a deep sigh and said: ‘I can understand that. Just give me a little time to think about the connections and to check something in a book. Ring me back in ten minutes.’

Then she put the receiver down without waiting for an answer. I sat and wondered what book would be able to say anything about all this.

I rang Patricia back exactly ten minutes later, and she did not make me wait.

‘The good news is that I think I can tell you quite a lot about one aspect of the case, and where Miriam is – or at least, where she was yesterday. The problem is that I am not sure how useful it will be.’

This was a sensational, if somewhat confusing, start. I asked her to tell me immediately, and to let me decide whether I could use the information or not.

‘Well, let’s start at the beginning – in other words, with Per Johan Fredriksen. I think it is overwhelmingly likely that the Soviets wanted him dead to minimize the risk that any spy allegations might upset the agreement, which is very important to them. The man in the hat not only came to Norway to commit murder, he also set out to do so on Saturday night. But I am far less certain as to whether he actually did or not. I think he was the man who just stood by and watched, and that someone else got there before him. In which case, the man or woman who killed Fredriksen did it for very different reasons.’

Patricia asked if I was following her so far. I said yes, fascinated, and asked her to continue. Which she did, in a low and intense voice.

‘The interpreter saw the connection when she heard that the newly arrived agent was out the evening that Fredriksen was killed. She got cold feet after that, possibly after doubting the excellence of the Soviet Union for some time. Coming to Norway could have been quite a shock, particularly if she had never been abroad before. She had got to know your fiancée at the university, and had met up with her at yesterday’s lecture. And either then, or at some point later in the day, the interpreter gave your fiancée an envelope with some documents that would prove the connection. It is most likely that they met later on in the day and were seen. Or they may have been seen at the university, if the interpreter was already being followed. Whatever the case, your fiancée was then followed and watched, and they saw her going out, somewhat carelessly, with the envelope in her hand. They struck immediately. I am pretty certain that must be what happened.’

I agreed that it must have been what had happened – although I had not made this connection myself.

‘It is worth noting that the interpreter smelt a rat and was nervous. She walked out with you after the meeting and left the embassy. She may have gone to her flat, but it is more likely that she went to a friend’s or stayed the night in a hotel. Her experience of the KGB and Soviet police meant that she did not trust the Norwegian police, but she did trust you as she had met you and heard about you from your fiancée. She didn’t know if everything had worked out, but tried, without any luck, to ring the halls of residence and then you, when she couldn’t get hold of your fiancée. In the end, she called your fiancée’s mother, whom she knew of by name, and asked her to give you a message about where and when to meet her. Either the interpreter was extremely unfortunate, or they were already on her trail, which is more likely. What is certain is that she definitely had someone hot on her heels and was shot just before she could speak to you.’

I was very impressed, and said so. Then I asked the most important and vital question that she still had not answered: ‘But WHERE is Miriam?’

‘That is of course the most important question now. The book I wanted to check was quite simply a dictionary. I have now gone through all the words that start “bas” and there is only one word that fits here, and that is basement. I would assume that means the embassy basement. It would not be easy for them to find a suitable hiding place in the vicinity at such short notice, and if the basement was anywhere else, the interpreter would be far less likely to know about it. However, it would be risky for them to move Miriam today, as now they must presume that the embassy is being watched.’

‘So in other words, it is more likely that they might kill her instead?’

Patricia sighed on the other end.

‘Clearly that is a possibility, yes. I think they kidnapped her without knowing who she was, simply because they wanted to get the documents back and they had seen her. They should by now have discovered that she is your fiancée. To kill a Norwegian citizen entails a risk, but to kill the fiancée of one of the country’s best-known policemen would be even worse. They probably do not know how much you and the police actually know and can prove. The interpreter’s handbag may prove to be crucial here.’

‘But there is nothing of interest in the handbag,’ I retorted, confused.

Patricia sighed again, but then hurried on with renewed vigour.

‘Unfortunately not. But they do not know that, or what she might have told you, and nor do they know if she is alive or not. They are no doubt wondering how much the Norwegian police know, how much you can prove, and how to deal with the situation. The chances are that Miriam is still being held somewhere in the basement. But it is impossible to prove it and to get her out of there will therefore not be easy. It quickly becomes a matter of how much you believe what I say is right, and if you are willing to risk your career to save your fiancée. A police raid against the embassy would cause a scandal, and if no hostage was found, heads would roll and tensions between the two countries would escalate. On the other hand, it would also be a scandal if a hostage was found in their embassy, and that could quite literally cause heads to roll in the Soviet Union.’

There was a heavy knock at the door as I was listening. I hastily whispered: ‘Thank you for all your help – I will think about it,’ and then put the phone down.

Danielsen and my boss were already on their way in as I put down the receiver. They both looked very serious indeed.