Hidden in Snow (The ?re Murders, #1)(76)
He frowns when he sees Daniel, who holds up his police ID.
“We have a couple of questions for you—is there somewhere we can speak privately?”
Bergfors points to one of the bedrooms, which contains a small plastic table and four chairs. “In here.”
“Busy?” Daniel says, tilting his head in the direction of the workmen.
Bergfors nods without cracking a smile. “Council representatives are coming to do their final inspection tomorrow. Everyone wants to be finished for Christmas, so December is always tight.”
They sit down in what looks as if it will be the master bedroom. Another door leads to a luxurious en suite.
Hanna wonders how Daniel is going to begin. She knows how she would handle the interview but doesn’t want to take over; she is terrified of coming across as pushy on her first day.
“As I said, we have a couple of questions—relating to the murder of Amanda Halvorssen.”
Bergfors’s expression doesn’t change.
“How well do you know the Halvorssen family?”
“My wife works with Harald—she’s his PA. I can’t say I know the family at all.”
“How long has she worked for him?”
“Just over three years.”
“Would you say they get along well?”
“I assume so.”
Daniel nods, jots something down in his notebook.
“Where were you during the night of December 12 and the early hours of December 13?”
“I was at home, asleep.”
“Is there anyone who can confirm that?”
“My wife, Mira. She was lying next to me.”
“What time did you go to bed?”
Bergfors looks wary now. “Pretty late, I think. There’s a lot to do at this time of year.” He waves a hand at the rest of the house.
A male voice shouts something in Polish, followed by a thud.
“How late?” Hanna says. She can’t help herself, even though she had intended to let Daniel ask all the questions.
Bergfors shrugs. “I don’t remember.”
“Before or after midnight?”
“It might have been after twelve.”
“Was your wife awake when you went to bed?”
“No, she was asleep.”
“So she can’t confirm what time you came into the bedroom.”
Bergfors pushes his chair back a little way, the legs scraping loudly on the wooden floor. He is a big man, and the folding chair looks much too small for him. He only just fits on the grubby plastic seat.
“What’s this about?” he demands, taking out an e-cigarette. “I have nothing to say about Harald. He’s my wife’s boss.” His tone reveals more than he realizes. It is ice cold.
“We’ve heard that’s not all he is,” Daniel says calmly.
“What do you mean?”
“We have a source that claims your wife is in a relationship with Harald.”
Daniel certainly believes in getting straight to the point.
Hanna has noticed that he doesn’t seem to worry about hurting someone’s feelings. At the same time, she is familiar with the tactic. Sometimes it’s better to go in hard right from the beginning. By shocking the interviewee, you can make him drop his guard. It’s harder to lie if you’ve been taken by surprise.
Bergfors’s jawline is rigid when he answers: “I’m not aware of that.”
“No?”
Silence. Daniel seems completely at ease.
“If your wife is in a relationship with Harald Halvorssen, then I presume you’re not too fond of him . . .”
Not a word passes Bergfors’s lips.
“It’s easy to lose perspective in these situations,”
Daniel continues. “Start thinking about revenge . . .”
Hanna leans forward. “How did you get that scratch on your chin?”
Bergfors touches his face. “I was playing with my daughter the other evening and she accidentally scratched me.”
“Can a three-year-old inflict that kind of damage?”
Daniel asks with perfect timing; it’s as if he and Hanna have rehearsed their questions in advance.
Another shrug. Irritation is evident in every line of Bergfors’s body.
Daniel takes a different tack. “Did you use your snowmobile over the weekend?” He told Hanna on the way that Bergfors is the registered owner of a snowmobile.
“During the night between Saturday and Sunday, for example?” he adds.
Bergfors leaps to his feet, knocking the chair over. “I don’t know why you’re here, but I really don’t have time for this!”
“If you’d like to accompany us to the station to continue this interview, that’s fine by me,” Daniel says.
“In that case you can call me in—along with my lawyer,” Bergfors snaps.
Hanna catches Daniel’s eyes as Bergfors marches out the door. She has a lot more questions.
She isn’t done with Fredrik Bergfors—not by a long way.
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80
It is recess when Hanna pushes open the main door of the high school in J?rpen. Daniel is right behind her, with his phone pressed to his ear.
After speaking to Fredrik Bergfors, they decided to head straight for the school to speak to Lasse Sandahl. Hanna understands that Bergfors will have to wait until they have more to go on. There was no mistaking his antipathy toward Harald Halvorssen.