The Snowman ( PDFDrive )

DAY 21.
Sirens.
HARRY GOT INTO THE CAR IN THE GARAGE AT THE A NATOMY Department. Closed the
doors and his eyes, and tried to think clearly. The first thing to do was find out where Mathias was.
He had deleted Mathias from his mobile phone and called directory enquiries who gave him the
number and the address. He tapped in 1881, noticed while he was waiting that his breathing was
accelerated and excited, and tried to calm down.
‘Hi, Harry.’ Mathias’s voice was low, but sounded pleasantly surprised as usual.
‘Sorry to bother you,’ Harry said.
‘Not at all, Harry.’
‘Ah, OK. Where are you now?’
‘I’m at home. I’m on my way down to see Rakel and Oleg.’
‘Great. I was wondering if you could deliver the something to Oleg for me.’
A pause arose. Harry clenched his jaws, making his teeth crack.
‘Of course,’ Mathias said. ‘But Oleg’s at home now, so you can –’
‘Rakel,’ Harry interrupted. ‘We I don’t feel like meeting her today. Could I pop round to yours for
a moment?’
Another pause. Harry pressed the receiver against his ear and listened hard, as if to pick up what his
interlocutor was thinking. But all he could hear was breathing and fragile background music,
minimalist Japanese glockenspiel or something like that. He visualised Mathias in an austere,
equally minimalist flat. Not that big maybe, but tidy, that was obvious, nothing left to chance. And
now he had put on a neutral, light blue shirt and a fresh bandage on the wound in his side. Because,
when he had been standing on the steps in front of Harry, he hadn’t held his crossed arms so high to
hide his missing nipples. It had been to hide the hatchet wound.
‘Of course,’ Mathias said.
Harry was unable to decide whether his voice sounded natural. The background music had stopped.
‘Thank you,’ Harry said. ‘I’ll be quick, but promise me that you’ll wait.’
‘I promise,’ Mathias said. ‘But Harry ’
‘Yes?’ Harry took a deep breath.
‘Do you know what my address is?’
‘Rakel told me.’