Detective Superintendent Titus Berg pulls down the blinds in the interrogation room, adjusting them meticulously and thoughtfully. It’s not even sunny out. He just wants to show Oswald that this interrogation will proceed at Berg’s pace and on his terms.
In the autumn of his life, Berg has grown a little cranky and gruff. But that only makes him better suited to questioning suspects. And he’s going to crack the nut that is Oswald. About time.
Oswald has been irritable and impatient since he stepped into this room. He’s practically steaming. Greed, Berg thinks. Look what it’s done to him. Strange that people can never seem to have enough money.
Now Oswald is sitting before Berg and glaring. The fact that one of his eyebrows is almost completely burned away lends a touch of the amusing to his otherwise symmetrical face. His entire presence screams bully.
‘Isn’t it about time for us to get started?’ he asks, annoyed.
‘You know, I was about to ask you the same thing. Isn’t it about time you tell us what really happened out on West Fog Island? We know that fire was set on purpose. Only you and the guard were there. The guard corroborates your story, but there’s just one problem.’
‘Which is?’
‘That it’s all one big lie.’
‘But I told you: there was a group of people who came to set fire to the manor. Benjamin and Simon, and Jacob who worked in the barn, and that slut Sofia Bauman.’
‘Now, now. Let’s not be so careless with our language,’ Berg says dryly. ‘A religious man like you…’
‘I’m not a goddamn priest. Could you just listen to me?’ His voice is shaking. He’s about to lose control.
Berg fixes his eyes on Oswald, who stubbornly stares back.
‘You know as well as I do that all those people have watertight alibis. Sofia Bauman was in Copenhagen, on her way back to Lund from Paris. Surely you aren’t suggesting that she stretched out a very long arm and set fire to your place from down there?’
‘But she was at the manor! I told you to talk to Mattias Wilander, but obviously you haven’t.’
‘Yes, we have. We talked to him and Sofia Bauman together, actually. An attractive couple, although it seems they’re going to break up. In any case, they’ve been living it up in Paris for a week, and they got home a whole day after the fire. We even verified this with the staff from the hotel they stayed at.’
‘That’s not true!’ Oswald interrupts. ‘Mattias works for me. There’s been some sort of misunderstanding. For fuck’s sake, he lives in my apartment in the city.’
‘Oh yes, we know. But it seems you’ve got another defector on your hands. He said he can’t deal with all your bullying anymore. That everything changed when he met Sofia Bauman.’
Oswald’s eyes dart furiously around the room.
‘Sofia Bauman is a criminal. She tricked him, don’t you see this is a conspiracy?’
Berg shakes his head.
‘Could you stop bringing up Sofia Bauman? I must say, you seem a bit fixated on her.’
It’s in this instant Berg sees a transformation in Oswald, or maybe it’s only a feeling. A crack appears in his obstinate façade. Something has cracked, almost imperceptibly, but it makes the air between them quiver. Berg has experienced this feeling during other interrogations. He has seen the fear deep down in the target’s eyes when he realizes he has been caught in his own trap. Is it only an illusion, or has Oswald really gone pale beneath his fake tan? He’s probably at the breaking point. Just where Berg wants him.
‘Know what I think?’ Berg asks.
‘No, how the fuck could I know that?’ He’s shouting now. Tiny bubbles of spit have gathered in the corners of his mouth. A vein at his temple is pulsating.
‘I think you have a grudge against those people because they defected from your cult. I’ve spoken with them. The whole bunch. Really nice folks. It’s unusual to find such straightforward and honest young people these days. Lucky for them that they left while they still had a chance.’
Oswald leans across the desk. For an instant, Berg thinks he’s about to fly off his chair and punch him.
Berg stands up. He doesn’t want to end up in a fight with Oswald. Not yet, anyway. He fingers the folder in front of him. The one from the insurance company.
‘How much insurance have you got on that place on the island, again?’
‘You know that already.’
‘It’s a hell of a lot of money, isn’t it? But what I don’t get is why you took the risk. You’ve already got more than you need. Why do people like you have to be so goddamn greedy? Naturally, the insurance company is keenly interested in the outcome of this investigation.’
Oswald stands up so hastily that his chair tips over and hits the floor with a bang.
‘Fuck you!’ he screams. He turns around and stalks out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
Berg sighs. Oswald won’t be going anywhere. There are two guards outside the room.
As Berg listens to the agitated voices outside, he considers the life ahead of him. This is going to be a great end to his career. It’s almost a miracle that this case popped up right before his retirement. The media will drool all over the trial. And one thing’s for certain: this time, Oswald isn’t getting off so easy.
The door opens and the guards lead in a sullen Oswald and force him into the chair.
This is going to be good, Berg thinks. Really, really good.