An Old Debt
Page 17
"In the letter to the bishop, which I have thought of several times these days, Knudsen reported that he had spoken with Else Mertens in the middle of the week, so several days before attending the proclamation of the new queen, but everyone agrees that the pastor had changed significantly only after the trip to Copenhagen. He may not have believed entirely in Else Mertens and wanted to go to the capital on the pretext of seeing the sovereign to seek further confirmation of what the woman had told him," replied Petersen.
"But who could he talk to?"
"Maybe to an old friend, someone who had partnered with him when he was a fervent supporter of Nazism."
"It's possible. Anyway, as I told you when I came to Torslunde, we have nothing in our records. It's all in the hands of the military prosecutor's office who retains the files relating to that period. We'll have to ask for the names of the collaborationists known by the services to check if any of them may still live here in Copenhagen, but it will take time, and I can't assure you of anyone's full cooperation. Many of them have cleaned up their past and may not like our investigation."
"We still have to try and get things moving because we don't have any other leads. So far, we have thought that Mertens somehow realized that his wife had talked about Kraler and it was he who warned him, but it could also have been the person Knudsen had contacted here in the capital, if my theory shows correct," replied the inspector.
"So you think that the pastor came to meet a friend of those days whom he trusted so much that he asked him if he knew that Kraler was still alive, and that the latter betrayed him, but Hanne Møller told you that the pastor had not kept any contacts."
"That's for sure, otherwise Kraler would have known about Knudsen sooner, but that doesn't rule out that he had an idea of where to find an old friend, in case of need. The photo we found hidden in his studio portrayed him with a boy of the same age we haven’t identified yet. It may be the person he turned to. This would also explain why in the letter he sent to Bishop Madsen there was no mention of his visit to Copenhagen. He probably wanted to protect his friend's reputation in this way. Kraler had no idea that Knudsen had become the pastor of the church in Torslunde until he went looking for him. We know that someone must have told him. If we exclude the Mertens, then only his supposed friend remains," concluded Petersen.
"Your reasoning may be correct. You have to keep investigating and sooner or later something will come up," Kurt replied, then he added, "What are you doing now? Are you going home to your wife?"
"I think I'll go down to the gym and do some weights first. I need to ease the tension, and we'll have dinner tonight at eight."
"Why so late?"
"Hege has invited some old friends who had to come the night I left for Torslunde, but she had to cancel. Now she wanted to make sure I come back in time."
"Is everything all right between you?" asked Nielsen.
"She's become paranoid with my work, she can't do anything about it, as it's stronger than her. Probably it happens to every cop's wife at some point."
"Unfortunately, I know a little about it myself. I wish you better luck than I had," said the superintendent who had split up with his wife a few years earlier.
"Why don't you come to the gym, too? It would do you good to move."
"Maybe another time, for now I'll let you go on. Just remember that this story is not over yet, and we have to prepare for a very hard battle."
"I'm ready," replied Petersen as he walked out of the room.
Thank You
Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed this novel, please leave a review on Amazon! Honest reviews are really important for independent authors to find new readers and survive in today’s marketplace.
Thanks a lot for your support!
About the Author
Doriana Cantoni was born in Parma (Italy) in 1969. After graduating with honors from the University of Bologna in Philosophy in 1993, she taught for a few years in private schools, then she dedicated herself to other activities, starting to write the stories that later became her books.
She is fascinated by the concept of non-linear time, passionate for martial arts that she practiced for many years, for comic strips, books, and old movies.
She moved in 2015 to a beautiful little town in the mountains, where she started to write full time. She is the author of several novels, short stories, and a book of collected poems.
You can contact Doriana by sending her an e-mail to:
doriana.cantoni@virgilio.it