The Snowman ( PDFDrive )

uniformed men while their father listened to Harry explaining why they had to use their flat for a
short while. Harry entered the sitting room, pushed the sofa away from the window and took a
closer look at the flat on the other side of the street.
‘Light’s on in the living room,’ he said.
‘Someone sitting there,’ said the older officer who had taken up a position behind him.
‘I’ve heard your eyesight deteriorates by thirty per cent after you hit fifty,’ Harry said.
‘I’m not blind. In the big chair there you can see the top of his head and the hand on the arm rest.’
Harry squinted. Shit, did he need glasses? Well, if the old boy thought he saw someone, then he
must have done.
‘You stay here and radio if he moves. All right?’
‘All right,’ the older man smiled.
Harry took the whippersnapper along with him.
‘Who’s sitting inside?’ the young officer said in a loud voice over the clatter of their feet as they
raced downstairs.
‘Heard of the Snowman?’
‘Oh, crap.’
‘That’s right.’
They sprinted across the street to the other block. The caretaker, Skarre and five uniformed
policemen stood ready by the front door.
‘I haven’t got a key for the flats,’ the caretaker said. ‘Only for this door.’
‘That’s fine,’ Harry said. Everyone got their weapons ready? We make as little noise as possible,
OK? Delta, you stay with me ’
Harry took out Katrine’s Smith & Wesson and signalled to the caretaker, who turned the key in the
lock.
Harry and the two Delta men, both armed with MP5s, strode soundlessly up the stairs, three steps at
a time.
They stopped on the second floor outside an unmarked blue door. One officer laid his ear against
the door, faced Harry and shook his head. Harry had lowered the volume of the walkie-talkie to the
very minimum and now he raised it to his mouth.
‘Alpha to ’ Harry had not allocated call names and couldn’t remember first names, ‘. to the
window post by the sofa. Has the target moved? Over.’
He let go of the button and there was a low crackle. Then came the voice: