Magnussen referenced the map and pointed to the cove on Bulleron Island. She described her delivery and the next day’s pickup, then circling over Stockholm while Deadmarsh threw mobile phones out the window. She told him about the gun and a forced flight to the German coastline. Her story rang true to Sanderson, and at the end he was left with two questions.

“Do you know who he met on that island?”

“He told me it was his wife. She had a sailboat.”

Again, this made perfect sense. Sanderson asked, “And where did you drop him off yesterday?”

Magnussen pulled a different chart from a cabinet and unfurled it on the table. Sanderson saw that it covered the Baltic and northern Europe.

She tapped her finger on a spot high on the German coastline. “Right here. It was nearly dusk last night.”

“When did you arrive back here?” he asked.

“About ten o’clock last night.”

“And you waited until this morning before making a report to the authorities?”

“I was rather shaken last night.”

Sanderson said nothing.

“Even when I called this morning I don’t think the constable believed what I was telling him. You have to admit, it sounds rather fantastic. He asked if I’d been drinking—which I have been known to do.”

“You shouldn’t have waited,” Sanderson said. “To not immediately report something like this is a crime in itself.”

“It’s also a crime to impersonate a police officer.”

For the second time in a matter of minutes, she had him off-balance.

Magnussen gave a wry smile. “Your credentials expired years ago, Inspector. I have very good eyesight.”

“And I have very little patience for games. This man is dangerous. Did he offer you money? Is that why you’ve given him a head start?”

“Possibly. But I could also say I felt threatened. He shot my airplane—I can show you the damage.”

“Anything else?”

She cocked her head to one side. “In all honesty—I rather liked him.”

Sanderson leaned forward on the table, feeling suddenly weak.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes, I … I’m fine.”

She looked at him doubtfully, then said, “So now you know my story. But what are you doing here?”

“I’m a policeman.”

“Not according to your paperwork.”

“All right, I’ll grant you that. I’m here unofficially. Until recently I was heading up the search for this man. I was put off the case for a medical issue, but I don’t like leaving things unfinished.”

“I know who he is,” Magnussen said. “I’ve been watching the news reports—all that uproar in Stockholm.”

Sanderson nodded.

“So where do we go from here?” she asked. “Will you call back to headquarters and tell them everything I’ve said? Or would that put you in an awkward position?”

He said nothing.