The Weeping Girl Read online

  ‘I agree absolutely,’ said Van Veeteren. ‘I just need to check that we all agree that I should take charge of this, okay?’

  Moreno exchanged looks with Münster and nodded. Van Veeteren took the envelope, folded it in two and put it in his inside pocket. Checked his watch.

  ‘Might I have the honour of treating two old colleagues to a glass?’ he then asked. ‘My chess match isn’t due to start for another hour yet.’

  Moreno left The Society at about nine o’clock together with Münster. He offered to drive her home, but she declined and decided to walk instead. It was still quite warm, and there were lots of people in the streets and the pavement cafes. She chose a longer route, via Langgraacht and Kellnerstraat. Over Keymerplejn and Windemeerstraat. She passed by the Chief Inspector’s antiquarian bookshop, and noted that they were closed for the summer, until the twenty-second.

  As she was walking through the town she tried to think about Intendent deBries: but it hadn’t become any easier to conjure up some sort of retroactive image of him after the conversation with Münster and Van Veeteren. More difficult, in fact. But even so, there was one question she couldn’t avoid. Would she always remember him as the child-molester? Was this destined to be his epitaph? Would she ever be able to see any other sides of his character?

  She hadn’t known him all that long, but she had respected him as a colleague. As they say. As a competent and efficient police officer. Surely she had? Did that sort of judgement really have to be tainted by this other business? Would the passage of time ever be able to make it possible to plead extenuating circumstances to counterbalance the condemnation she was feeling just now? She didn’t know.

  And what about Arnold Maager? it suddenly struck her. She had never met him, only seen a photograph of him. What did she feel when she tried to conjure up an image of him?

  It was the same as with deBries, she concluded. Difficult to feel any kind of sympathy or understanding. One might feel sorry for them – Maager’s punishment was out of all proportion to his crime: but these men, both deBries and Maager, should surely have understood that there was a cause-and-effect chain? That what they did would sooner or later have consequences.

  Always. Somehow or other.

  Or am I judging them too harshly? she wondered. Is this just the bitchiness inside me that I’m trying to elevate into some kind of morality?

  What the hell! she allowed herself to mutter. There was no doubt a big difference between the sixteen-year-old in Lejnice and the eleven-year-old (or however old the girl actually was) in Phuket; but even so, she could understand those who maintained that male sexuality was the devil’s contribution to the Universal Plan. But that’s life.

  As far as deBries was concerned, she was grateful that she wasn’t the only one in possession of all the details. Good that Münster knew all about it as well – no doubt there would be an opportunity to discuss matters further with him, once it became clear what the fall-out was. Perhaps also with the Chief Inspector.

  But then she remembered something Reinhart had once said.

  A human being is an animal with a very dirty soul – but an amazing ability to wash it.

  As she passed the Keymer church the clock struck a quarter to ten. She registered that she had one whole day left of her leave. Great.

  On Monday, it was back to routine. Great.

  Also by Håkan Nesser

  BORKMANN’S POINT

  THE RETURN

  THE MIND’S EYE

  WOMAN WITH A BIRTHMARK

  THE INSPECTOR AND SILENCE

  THE UNLUCKY LOTTERY

  HOUR OF THE WOLF

  First published in Great Britain 2013 by Mantle

  This electronic edition published 2013 by Mantle

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

  Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Basingstoke and Oxford

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-447-21659-9 EPUB

  Copyright © Håkan Nesser 2000

  English translation copyright © Laurie Thompson 2013

  Originally published in 2000 as Ewa Morenos Fall

  by Albert Bonniers förlag, Stockholm.

  The right of Håkan Nesser to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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