‘Do you know what the mother died of?’

‘No idea, but she was almost eighty and a chain-smoker. Like you said, there were a number of complaints about them smoking on the balcony, and according to the janitor who was dispatched to inspect the flat, it was pretty smelly inside, too. We’re going to have to paint and replace the wallpaper in every room before anyone else can move in.’

‘Move in? But I thought you said he eventually paid his rent.’

‘Right, but there has been more trouble since and he has racked up a pretty sizeable debt by now.’

‘But he still lives there?’

Anita Kollbar pulls a weary face.

‘Look, evicting people isn’t as easy as you might believe, not even when the tenant in question doesn’t bother to pay their rent. As you might know, the buildings up in Gaarda and Moerbeck were owned by the province until a few years ago, and when the Reinholtz Group acquired them, special agreements were signed since many of our tenants are socially vulnerable. For a small, private landlord, a couple of months is enough to get rid of people who don’t behave, but for us, it takes considerably longer.’

Karen recalls that there had been a lot of debate back when the Reinholtz Group had been allowed to buy the publicly owned properties for what critics had considered a ridiculously low price.

‘And how does it work practically when you send out eviction notices? Are you listed as the sender?’

‘Not the sender, that’s New Builds Ltd, but I’m listed as the caseworker. A written notice is hand delivered by the janitor.’

‘And then?’

‘If it goes as far as actual eviction and the tenant refuses to leave, we call the police. And like I told you before, I’m never involved in the practicalities of that process.’

‘And Gundar Freske never contacted you in connection with this? No angry phone calls or emails?’

‘No, I’ve never met him; I think I would remember. Don’t think he called either, but he might have sent an email. If you want, I can call my colleague and ask.’

Karen does want that.

But there’s no email from Gundar Freske, as Renate Hall informs them after Anita Kollbar dials the number, robotically answers her colleague’s worried questions about how she’s feeling, politely declines the offer of a visit, tells her why she’s calling, and hands the phone to Karen.

‘No, there’s nothing here about a phone call or email from Gundar Freske. Which is a bit odd, actually, since he’s likely to be kicked out pretty soon.’