While Joona Linna walks purposefully to the garage underneath Rådhus Park, he thinks about Disa, and desire for her wells up from deep within him. He wants to touch her slender arms, smell her soft hair. He finds a strange kind of peace listening to her talk about her archaeological discoveries: shards of bone not connected to any crime and the remains of humans who finished their lives many centuries ago.
Joona decides to call her. He’s been much too busy lately. He continues down into the garage and between the parked cars. There’s a flicker of movement behind one of the concrete pillars. Someone is waiting beside his Volvo. The figure is partially hidden by a garbage truck-he can almost make it out. Nothing can be heard over the loud racket from the large fans.
“That was fast!” Joona yells.
“Teleporting,” replies Nathan Pollock.
Joona stops, closes his eyes, and presses his fingers against his temples.
“Headache?”
“I haven’t been sleeping much.”
They get into the car and close the doors. Joona turns the ignition key and a tango by Astor Piazzolla comes from the speakers. Pollock turns the volume up a bit: it sounds like two violins echoing each other.
“You didn’t get this from me, you know,” Nathan says.
“Right.”
“I’ve just heard from Säpo that they are going to use Marklund’s attempt to break into Penelope’s apartment as an excuse for conducting a raid of the Brigade’s headquarters.”
“I’ve got to get to Marklund before that happens.”
“Then you’d better hurry.”
Joona backs out, turns, and drives up the ramp.
“How much of a hurry?” He turns left onto Kungsholmsgatan.
“They’re on their way now.”
“Show me the entrance to the Brigade’s headquarters and then you can head back to the station and pretend you don’t know anything,” Joona says.
“What’s your plan?”
“Plan?”
Nathan laughs.
“Well, the plan is to find out why Marklund went to Penelope’s apartment,” Joona explains. “Maybe he knows something about what’s going on.”
“But-”
“It’s no coincidence the Brigade tried to break into her apartment just now. That’s what I believe. Säpo thinks that the extreme left is planning some kind of attack, but-”
“They always think that. It’s their job,” Pollock says, smiling.
“Anyway, I’m going to talk to Daniel Marklund before I drop this case.”
“Even if you get there before Säpo’s boys, do you think the Brigade wants to talk to you?”