Henning Mankell - The Return of the Dancing Master

EB: I can’t remember the exact date, but after Herbert was killed he contacted me and said he expected me to continue with the payments. Otherwise he would expose me as well.

GL: What happened then?

EB: He came to my house without calling first and was very rude. He demanded money. That was no doubt when I made up my mind.

GL: Made up your mind to do what?

EB: Why do I have to keep repeating everything?

GL: You mean you made up your mind to kill him?

EB: Yes.

GL: Then what happened?

EB: I killed him a few days later. Can I have a glass of water?

GL: Of course... (More scraping noises from the microphone, somebody stood up, then the voices started again. Lindman could see it all unfolding in front of him. Johansson was no doubt sitting closest to the table where there were several glasses and an open bottle of mineral water, and he filled a glass and passed it to her.) So, you killed him.

EB: That’s what I’m sitting here telling you.

GL: Can you tell us how it happened?

EB: I drove to his place in the evening. I took my shotgun with me. I threatened to kill him if he didn’t stop trying to blackmail me. He didn’t think I was serious, so I forced him to walk out into the trees not far from the house and shot him.

GL: You shot him?

EB: I shot him through the heart.

GL: So you have a shotgun?

EB: For God’s sake... What do you expect me to have owned? A machine gun? I’ve already said that I had a shotgun with me.

GL: Is it a weapon you keep at home? Is it licensed?

EB: I don’t have a license. I bought it in Norway a few years ago, and brought it to Sweden illegally.

GL: Where is it now?

EB: At the bottom of the Ljusnan River.

GL: So you threw the gun into the river immediately after shooting Abraham Andersson?

EB: I could hardly have done it beforehand, could I?

GL: No, I suppose not. But I have to ask you to answer my questions clearly and directly, without making unnecessary comments.

(A man’s voice interrupted at this point. Lindman presumed it was the lawyer. To his surprise the lawyer spoke with a very broad Småland accent and was difficult to understand. As far as he could tell, Hermansson had said that in his view his client had answered the questions in a perfectly prosper manner. He couldn’t hear what Larsson said in reply because the microphone was moved again.)

GL: Can you say where you threw the gun into the river?

EB: From the bridge here in Sveg.

GL: Which one?

EB: The old one.

GL: From which side?

EB: The side facing the town. I was standing in the middle of the bridge.

GL: Did you throw the gun or drop it into the water?

EB: I’m not sure. I suppose I dropped it.

GL: Let me change direction for a moment. A few days ago you were attacked in your home by a masked man wanting to know who had killed Abraham Andersson. Is there anything you said at that time that you wish to change now?

EB: No.

GL: So you didn’t make that up to throw us off the trail?

EB: It happened exactly as I said it did at the time. Besides, that pale-looking policeman from Borås... what’s his name? Lindgren... he was also attacked outside my house.

GL: Lindman. Do you have a plausible explanation for what happened? For why the man who attacked you wanted to know who killed Abraham Andersson?

EB: Perhaps he was feeling some kind of guilt.

GB: For what?

EB: Because the murder of Herbert might have led to the murder of Abraham Andersson.

GL: So he was right, wasn’t he?

EB: Yes. But what did he know? Who is he?

GL: Could it have been then that you decided you should confess?

EB: That obviously played a part in it.

GL: Okay, we’ll leave that alone for the moment. Let’s go back to what happened at Andersson’s place. You said that you — and I’m quoting you word for word, I wrote it down — “forced him to walk out into the trees not far from the house and shot him.” Is that correct?

EB: Yes.

GL: Can you describe in detail exactly what happened?

EB: I stuck the gun in his back and told him to start walking. We stopped when we came into the trees. I stood in front of him and asked him one last time if he realized that I was deadly serious. He just laughed. So I shot him.

(Silence. The tape was still running. Somebody coughed, the lawyer perhaps.)

Lindman understood why. There was something wrong here. It was pitch-black in the forest. How had she been able to see anything? In addition, Andersson was tied to a tree when he died. Or at least the police had assumed that he was still alive when he’d been tied to the tree. Lindman suspected that Larsson was beginning to wonder about Berggren’s confession, and was asking himself how to proceed. He was probably trying to recall what had been published in the media, and what was known only to the police.

GL: So you shot him from in front?

EB: Yes.

GL: Can you say roughly how far away from him you were?

EB: Three meters or so.

GL: And he didn’t move? Didn’t try to run away?

EB: I suppose he didn’t believe I was going to shoot.

GL: Can you remember what time it was when this happened?

EB: Around about midnight.

GL: That means it was dark.

EB: I had a strong flashlight with me. I made him carry it when we walked into the forest.

(Another short pause. Berggren had answered the first question that had worried Larsson.)

GL: What happened after you’d shot him?

EB: I looked to make sure he was dead. He was.

GL: Then what did you do?

EB: I tied him to a tree trunk. I had a clothesline with me.

GL: So you tied him up after you’d shot him?

EB: Yes.

GL: Why did you do that?

EB: At that time I had no intention of making a confession. I wanted to make it look as if it was something different.

GL: Something different from what?

EB: A murder a woman could have done. I made it look more like an execution.

(The second question answered, Lindman thought. But Larsson still doesn’t really believe her.)

EB: I need to go to the bathroom.

GL: Then we’ll take a break here, at 15:32. Erik can show you where it is.

The tape started running again. The interrogation continued. Larsson went back to the beginning, repeated all the questions, but stopped in connection with more and more details. A classic interrogation, Lindman thought. Larsson is tired, he’s been working day and night for several days, but he’s still in complete control of what he’s saying, step by step.

The tape stopped. Larsson had brought the interrogation to a close at 17:02. The last thing he said on the tape was the only conclusion he could draw.

GL: Okay, I think we can stop there. What has happened is that you, Elsa Berggren, have confessed to shooting Abraham Andersson, intentionally and after having planned it, at his house at Dunkärret on November 3, shortly after midnight. You have described in detail what happened, and stated that the motive was that you and Herbert Molin had been blackmailed, or threatened with blackmail. You also said that you threw the murder weapon into the Ljusnan River from the old bridge. Is that all correct?

EB: Yes.

GL: Is there anything you’ve said that you’d like to change?

EB: No.

GL: Is there anything Mr. Hermansson would like to say?

SH: No.

GL: I must now inform you that you are under arrest and will be taken to the police station in Östersund. Then a public prosecutor will make a decision about remanding you into custody. Your lawyer will explain all this to you. Is there anything you wish to add?

EB: No.

GL: What you have told us is exactly what happened, is that correct?