Lars Danielson had already tried to get hold of Holger on his mobile three times. The previous evening meeting at Lumskebugten had not ended as he had wanted, and he had been in the office early to ensure the plan was still on track. Lars Danielson had gotten hold of Holger’s secretary, who had told him that Holger was in a meeting. He cursed himself for the arrogance that had allowed him to underestimate Holger’s DNA as a lawyer. He had focused too much on Holger’s reputation for being adventurous. Now the fish must take the bait, no matter what it takes, he thought as the telephone on the desk rang abruptly.
‘Hello. The meeting with Holger last night? Well, let’s say it didn’t go exactly to plan. I might have overplayed the story that I am operating on my own. But then, I couldn’t exactly mention your name, could I? Yes, I know that, but we have no other viable options. You said it should be someone who wasn’t too openly associated with the system. Someone we could deny all knowledge of. Someone we can afford to lose if it all goes tits up.’
Lars Danielson grimaced in irritation over having to spell out the ingenuity of his plan. 217
‘Whether he can be intimidated? I don’t know. How far are we prepared to go? After all, he was one of us back in the day.’
Lars Danielson shook a cigarette from the pack while listening, lit it quickly, and took a deep pull as he continued:
‘Behaving as cynically as the kidnappers? Do you mean to give him the impression that we will act as cynically?’
‘No. I mean we can’t afford to go soft on him. This business must be solved quickly. We agree on that, right?’ the Chief of Defence answered.
‘Yes, of course, we do. Time is of the essence. I’ll sort something out,’ replied Lars Danielson eagerly.
‘Good. Keep me informed. Need to know only. I’ll have to be able to deny knowledge credibly should the minister ask.’
‘I’m fully aware of the principles of denial,’ said Lars Danielson caustically.
‘I have no doubt about it. But make sure I have as little as possible to deny anyway.’
‘Duly noted. Goodbye,’ concluded Lars Danielson and hung up.
All of a sudden, he felt tired and let his gaze slide over the green ramparts of Kastellet. Nonchalant, he sucked the last nicotine from the crumpled Lucky Strike Original Red and lifted the receiver again, dialling a local extension.
‘It’s me. Can you please come up with everything we’ve got on that officer of the reserves, Holger Berg? I need him to help us out with an issue.’
He terminated the connection and sat for a long time, looking vacantly across the room while he doodled on the notepad in 218front of him. The CHOD doesn’t want to know how as long as we ensure he helps us – at any cost, he thought, as an alternative plan slowly materialised. The doodles were quickly replaced by notes and exclamation marks. Now and again, he flicked back through his notes, crossing out a couple of passages and adding new comments. Once finished, he got up and paced energetically around his office, recounting the plan to himself. After several further corrections, he was satisfied and returned to his desk. Ah, what the hell, let’s do this. Postponing it won’t make a difference. Wasn’t it the communists who invented the notion that the ends justify the means? That’s the archetypal irony of fate, he thought and felt a smile spread across his face as he dialled the number.