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‘I don’t think this person is after heads, but rather the brains of the victims. Cutting Bertine’s head off only means he’s refining his method, also a typical feature of the classic, psychopathic serial killer. He’s learned from the last time that removing the brain at the scene of the crime requires time and is therefore risky. In addition, when he saw the result of sewing the scalp back on and knew it would be discovered, he realised that in order to hide the fact it was the brain he really wanted, it would be better to take the entire head. I don’t think he choked Bertine to death in an attempt to mislead the police into thinking Susanne was killed by someone else. If that was important, he wouldn’t have chosen Skullerud both times, and he wouldn’t have left both bodies naked from the waist down. The reason for the change in method of killing was practical. He got blood on himself when he cut Susanne’s throat, you can see that by the traces of blood spray. Blood on his hands, face and clothes meant he’d be noticed if he met anyone on the way back. And he’d have needed to throw away the clothes, wash the car and so on.’

The door opened. Sure enough it was Bodil Melling. She took up position in the doorway with arms folded, fixing Katrine with a gaze promising a gloomy outlook.

‘That was also the reason he brought her to a lake. There he could minimise the blood spill by holding her head underwater while cutting it off. In that sense, this serial killer is like most of us. The more often we do something the better we get. In this case that’s bad news for what may come.’ Harry looked at Bodil Melling. ‘Don’t you think, Chief Superintendent?’

The corners of her mouth turned up in the affectation of a smile. ‘What’s coming, Hole, is you leaving this building at once. Then we’ll discuss internally how we interpret the guidelines regarding access to information for individuals without clearance.’

Katrine felt her throat tighten in a mixture of shame and anger and was aware her voice didn’t mask it. ‘I understand your concern, Bodil. But it goes without saying, Harry hasn’t been given access to—’

‘As I said, we’ll deal with this internally. Would someone other than Bratt escort Hole down to reception? And, Bratt, you come with me.’

Katrine sent a despairing look to Harry, who shrugged in response, then she followed Bodil Melling while listening to the staccato strike of heels on the corridor floor.

‘Honestly, Katrine,’ Melling said when they were in the lift, ‘I warned you. Don’t involve Hole. Yet you did it anyway.’

‘I wasn’t allowed to bring him in as part of the group, but this was as a consultant, someone sharing their experience and imparting information without getting anything in return. Neither money nor info. I consider it within my area of responsibility to do that.’

The lift pinged to announce their floor.

‘Is that so?’ Melling said, walking out.

Katrine hurried after. ‘Did someone text you from the conference room?’

Melling smiled sourly. ‘If only it were that type of conscientious leak we needed to worry about.’

Melling walked into her office. Ole Winter and Head of Information Kedzierski were at the small meeting table, each sitting with a cup of coffee and a copy of Dagbladet in front of them.

‘Good morning, Bratt,’ the head of Kripos said.

‘We’re sitting here discussing the leaks in the double murder case,’ Melling said.

‘Without me?’ Katrine said.

Melling sighed, sat down and motioned to Katrine to follow suit. ‘Without any of those who theoretically could be behind the leaks being present. No reason to take it personally. Now we might as well take it up with you directly. I presume you’ve seen what Våge has written today?’

Katrine nodded.

‘It’s a scandal,’ Winter said, shaking his head. ‘Nothing less. Våge had details from the investigation that can only have come from one place, and that’s here. I’ve checked my people who are on the case, and none of them are behind it.’

‘How have you checked them?’ Katrine asked.

Winter ignored that, just continued shaking his head. ‘And now, Bratt, you invite the competition in as well?’

‘You may be in competition with Hole, but I’m not,’ Katrine said. ‘Is there coffee for me too?’

Melling looked at her in surprise.

‘But back to the leaks,’ Katrine said. ‘Give me a few pointers on how to check my colleagues, Winter. Surveillance? Reading emails? Interrogation by Chinese water torture?’

Winter looked at Melling as though appealing to common sense.

‘But I have checked something else,’ Katrine said. ‘I’ve gone back and checked what Våge has and doesn’t have. And it turns out that everything he seems to have obtained from our investigators has appeared in print after it’s been logged in reports filed in BL. Which means that the leak could come from anybody in Police HQ with access to those files. Unfortunately, the system doesn’t register who has been in looking at which files.’

‘That’s not true!’ Winter said.

‘It is,’ Katrine said. ‘I’ve spoken to our IT people.’