The Snowman ( PDFDrive )

Harry stood up to his full height. ‘Is it conceivable that anyone with access to these rooms could
bring bodies here through the garage at night, put on a metal tag with a fictitious number, place the
body in one of these tanks and assume with a relatively high degree of probability that it will never
be discovered?’
Kai Robøle hesitated. Scratched his head a bit more. Ran a finger down the row of earrings.
Harry shifted his weight. Holm’s mouth had slipped half open.
‘In a sense,’ Robøle said. ‘There’s nothing to stop it happening.’
‘Nothing to stop it happening?’
Robøle shook his head and gave a quick laugh. ‘No, not at all. It’s perfectly feasible.’
‘In that case I’d like to see these bodies now.’
Robøle looked up at the tall policeman. ‘Here? Now?’
‘You can start at the back on the left.’
‘I think I’ll have to ring someone to give me authorisation.’
‘If you want to delay our murder investigation, then be my guest.’
‘Murder?’ Robøle screwed up one eye.
‘Heard of the Snowman?’
Robøle blinked twice. Then he turned, walked over to the chains hanging from a motorised pulley
in the ceiling, pulled them down to the tank with a loud rattle and attached the two hooks to the
metal lid on the tank, grabbed the remote control and pressed. The pulley hummed and the chains
began to coil. From the tank the lid slowly rose as Harry and Holm followed it with staring eyes.
Fixed to the underside of the lid were two horizontal sheets of metal, one beneath the other,
separated by one vertical sheet. On each side of the central partition lay a naked white body. They
resembled pale dolls and this impression was reinforced by the rectangular, black incisions on their
thighs. When the bodies were at hip height the technician pressed the stop button. In the ensuing
silence they could hear the deep sigh of dripping alcohol echoing around the white-tiled room.
‘Well?’ said Robøle.
‘No,’ Harry said. ‘Next.’
The technician repeated the procedure. Four new bodies rose from the neighbouring tank.
Harry shook his head.
As the third quartet came into view Harry flinched. Kai Robøle, who misinterpreted Harry’s
reaction as horror, smiled with satisfaction.
‘What’s that?’ Harry asked, pointing to the headless woman.