The Snowman ( PDFDrive )

‘Her husband found a dress with scorch marks on.’ Helle pointed to the body. ‘Roughly where the
stitches are.’
Harry concentrated on his breathing. He could see the imperfection now. This was the unfinished
snowman. And the knots and angles of the twisted wire were jagged. They seemed rough, arbitrary,
tentative. As though this was a mock-up, a rehearsal. The first draft of an unfinished work. And
why had he tied her hands behind her back? She must have been dead long before she came here.
Was that part of the mock-up? He cleared his throat.
‘Why wasn’t I told about this before?’
‘I reported it to my boss who reported it to the Chief Superintendent,’ said Helle. ‘All we were told
was that we should keep it under our hats until further notice. I assume that had something to do
with ’ he shot a quick glance at the Crime Scene officers, ‘this anonymous fugitive.’
‘Katrine Bratt?’ Skarre suggested.
‘I didn’t hear that name,’ a voice behind them said.
They turned. The Chief Superintendent was standing with his hands in trench-coat pockets, legs
apart. His cold, blue eyes were examining the body. ‘That should have been in the autumn art
exhibition.’
The younger officers stared wide-eyed at the Chief Superintendent who, unmoved, turned to Harry.
‘A couple of words in your ear, Inspector.’
They walked over to the police cordon.
‘One hell of a mess,’ the Chief Superintendent said. He was facing Harry but his eyes wandered
down to the carpet of lights below. ‘We’ve had a meeting. That’s why I had to talk to you in
private.’
‘Who’s had a meeting?’
‘That doesn’t matter, Harry. The crux is that we’ve taken a decision.’
‘Uh-huh?’
The Chief Superintendent stamped his feet in the snow, and Harry wondered for a moment if he
should point out that he was contaminating a crime scene.
‘I’d been thinking of discussing this with you tonight, Harry. In quieter, calmer surroundings. But
the matter has become urgent with the discovery of this new body. The press will be onto it within a
couple of hours. And as we don’t have the time we hoped for, we’ll have to go live with naming the
Snowman. And explain how Katrine Bratt managed to get her post and operate without our
knowing. Top management has to take responsibility of course. That’s what management is for,
goes without saying.’
‘What’s this really about, boss?’