LITMIR.BIZ

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Atif Kassab had plenty of the right contacts.

      But the man claiming to be Kassab wasn’t a typical illegal immigrant with the usual staccato sentences learned by rote. This man’s Swedish was as good as his. A bit rusty, maybe, as if he hadn’t used it for a while, but still.

      The only picture they had of Atif Kassab in their files was more than ten years old and hadn’t been improved by being sent by fax. Kassab’s DNA and fingerprints were obviously on file, but Bengtsson had no great desire to grapple with the ink roller to get prints for a comparison. He often couldn’t help laughing when the cops in a television show did a bit of tapping at a computer and managed to bring up fingerprints, addresses, pictures of friends, shoe sizes, and anything else that might be remotely useful. In Bengtsson’s world, ink, paper, and manual comparisons with a magnifying glass were still the order of the day. Unless you wanted to wait for forensics to get around to it.

      So he preferred to rely on his own personal judgment when trying to identify people. The information in the database was seldom as exhaustive as it was in this case. He had the printouts in the folder on his lap. He had already ticked off three things.

      Age: 46.

      Height: 195 cm.

      Eye colour: brown.

      But next to the information about build and hair colour he had put little question marks. The man in the grainy photograph who was staring arrogantly into the camera had long, slicked-back hair and a little goatee beard that did nothing to hide a serious double chin. He looked just like the troublemaker his police record suggested he was, even down to the thick gold chain around his neck.

      But the man sitting opposite Bengtsson had military-style cropped hair, and the little that could be seen was going grey. But the stubble on his cheeks was still dark, so, after some hesitation, Bengtsson changed one of the question marks to another tick.

      And this man wasn’t fat, not remotely. He was big, certainly, probably weighed in at around a hundred kilos. But the word stocky didn’t really fit. Bengtsson wrote very fit in the margin, then changed his mind. The words made him think of the gym-pumped look that yobs who’d just finished their national service usually had. Bengtsson wrote in very good shape instead and found himself smiling at the description. The man’s posture was good, the look in his eyes alert, and even if Bengtsson had eventually managed to wind him up, he had been smart enough to calm himself down.

      Bengtsson had noticed that the man’s left ear was slightly deformed. A bit of cartilage was missing from the back, and he had a scar stretching from his jaw down to his neck that was almost bare of stubble. The description he had in his lap said nothing about injuries or scars. But, on the other hand, it wasn’t difficult to imagine how they might have come about.

      Bengtsson inspected the wallet containing the metal badge from all angles. Looked at the ID card with its picture of the man wearing a uniform.

       Sgt. Atif M. Kassab.

       6th Army div.

       MP. Bat.

      It was similar to Bengtsson’s own official ID, but the shiny metal badge in the shape of a shield was clearly modelled on the American version. It seemed genuine, but obviously he couldn’t be sure.

      ‘Military police, you say …’ Bengtsson said, putting the leather folder down. He couldn’t help smiling to himself. Talk about setting the wolf to watch the sheep.

      ‘And how did you end up in that job, if you don’t mind my asking? I mean, with your background?’

      ‘A relative recommended me. The army needed people,’ Atif said.

      ‘No, no, I get that bit,’ Bengtsson said. ‘What I’m wondering is why you chose to take the job? Change sides?’ The policeman put his file on the table and leaned forward.

      Atif shrugged. He could say that it was his mum’s fault. That she refused to let him pay for her little room in the nursing home unless the money had been earned honestly. And what could be more honorable than being a police officer? Besides, he liked his job, he was good at it. But Atif had already revealed more than he had expected to, so this fat little cop would have to go on wondering about his motives.

      Silence fell in the room. Atif took a few sips of water from the little plastic cup on the table. Bengtsson went on staring at him for a good while.

      ‘Okay, I believe you,’ the policeman said, throwing his hands out. ‘Let’s go and get your bag, then I’ll take you through to the arrivals hall. Welcome home to Sweden.’

      He made a short note in the file, closed it, and stood up. Atif got quickly to his feet. He was thinking of the hamburger restaurant between the terminals. He hoped it was open all night.

      ‘Just one last thing,’ Bengtsson said.

      ‘Sure.’

      ‘Why have you come back? To Sweden, I mean. Why now?’

      Atif paused a few seconds before replying. It would be easiest to lie. His former self would have done just that without blinking. Maybe that was why he chose not to.

      ‘I’m here to bury my younger brother,’ he said.

      ‘Sorry to hear that,’ Bengtsson said.

      Atif made a slight move toward the door, hoping the policeman would do the same. And not ask the logical follow-up question. But he could see from the man’s eyes that it was already on its way.

      ‘How did he die?’ Bengtsson said. ‘Your younger brother, I mean. You said you were twelve when he was born, and you’re forty-six now, so your brother can’t have even been thirty-five?’

      Atif stopped. He wished he’d followed his instincts and kept his mouth shut. He bowed his head and looked up at the policeman.

      ‘Adnan was murdered,’ he said.

       2

      David Sarac is still floating. Sometimes he thinks he’s dead, at times he’s actually completely convinced that he is. It doesn’t bother him. If this is death, then I daresay I can live with it, he thinks. But before he has time to laugh at his little joke, the feeling is gone. Vanished into part of his brain to which he no longer has access.

      His body is lying in a bed; he gradually realizes this. But he doesn’t manage to make sense of much more than that. Beyond the fact that his name is David Sarac, that he’s a police officer, and that he’s been in some sort of accident.

      Various people come and go in the room, mostly white coats that poke and pull him about, which ought to mean he isn’t dead. Not yet, anyway. But sometimes he notices the presence of other people, faceless figures that keep their distance. White shirts and blue uniforms with gold insignia, interspersed with a few dark suits. Most of them are sombre and seem a bit lost. As if they’re not quite sure what’s expected of them.

      But the others feel all the more troubling. Their vigour frightens him, but he still can’t help looking at them more closely. It was from one of them that he heard the name.

      ‘Do we know anything more about – Janus …?’

      Janus.

      The name floats in his consciousness, making it impossible for him to rest properly. But no matter how hard he tries to remember, the answer is beyond reach.

      ‘Need to get this fucking mess cleared up,’ a faceless figure whispered at one point, and, oddly enough, that particular memory hasn’t faded. Maybe the remark was addressed directly at him? Is that why his body doesn’t want to give up, because he hasn’t finished his mission? Because there are still some loose ends?

      Things that need to be … cleared up?

      Atif woke up to find someone prodding him. It took him

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