‘And how do you know that, if I may ask?’

‘I’ve heard rumours.’

She has. The fact that she spent a handful of summer nights with the DTV reporter almost five years ago is, thankfully, not part of those rumours. She never blabbed about her work anyway, then or later, though he has tried to exploit their brief acquaintance several times since. Sometimes with reference to what he far too often has chosen to call their ‘holiday romance’.

She has seen him in the company of at least two other female colleagues. They’ll probably never know if either of them furnished him with inside information. Bergman himself has neither the right, nor any interest in revealing his sources. But he has definitely managed to collect a few direct phone numbers to the police. Including hers.

‘No, you’re right, I shouldn’t have said it,’ she says. ‘Anyone could have leaked it. Once we searched the house and flat, lots of people outside the group knew what was going on.’

‘Well, anyway, so far, it’s just Bergman. Stolt suspected he might try to contact you directly after they hung up, so he called me to let us know that we have cut a deal with DTV.’

‘A deal?’

‘That’s how he put it. DTV has promised to hold off on publishing for a few hours, but only if they’re kept abreast of developments.’

‘What developments?’ Karen retorts bitterly.

‘Regardless, Johan Stolt wants you to talk to Bergman right away. Keep him sweet.’

‘Keep him sweet?’

‘My words, not his. But it has apparently been cleared with the higher-ups. I assume neither Viggo Haugen nor Smeed are keen to talk to the media right now.’

‘But what am I supposed to tell him? We have nothing.’

‘Well, at least that means you don’t have to worry about giving anything away.’

With a groan, Karen picks up her phone and taps the name in red: Jon Bergman. Then she puts her phone on speaker so Karl can listen in.

For this conversation, she wants witnesses.

Chapter 56

56

‘Hiya, Karen,’ Jon Bergman says, sounding winded. ‘Happy to hear from you. What’s going on?’

‘I assume you already know. You talked to Stolt, right? I assume he filled you in on what there is to know right now.’

She leans back in her seat, pulls the lever to push it all the way back, and wriggles her feet up onto the dashboard. Tread carefully, she reminds herself. Don’t say too much.

‘Stolt didn’t tell me shit,’ Bergman retorts. ‘What he did was tacitly confirm what I told him. After thinking about it for an eternity. I assume the top brass is panicking.’

‘Fine, what did you tell him, then?’

A weary sigh on the other end.

‘So you’re planning to put me through the wringer as usual? The problem with that is that this time, I hold the cards. Not you.’