atHarrietwaslookingat.
Hisheartwasbeatinghard.Heleanedbackandpluckedhiscigarettesoutofhisbreastpocket.Someonehadtakenapicture.Howwouldheidentifyandfindthewoman?Couldhegetholdofhersnapshot?Hadtherolleverbeendeveloped,andifsodidtheprintsstillexist?
HeopenedthefolderwithNylund’sphotographsfromthecrowd.Forthenextcoupleofhoursheenlargedeachoneandscrutiniseditonesquareinchatatime.Hedidnotseethecoupleagainuntiltheverylastpictures.Nylundhadphotographedanotherclownwithballoonsinhishandposinginfrontofhiscameraandlaughingheartily.Thephotographsweretakeninacarparkbytheentrancetothesportsfieldwherethecelebrationwasbeingheld.Itmusthavebeenafter2:00intheafternoon.RightafterthatNylundhadreceivedthealarmaboutthecrashonthebridgeandbroughthisportraitsofChildren’sDaytoarapidclose.
Thewomanwasalmosthidden,butthemaninthestripedsweaterwasclearlyvisible,inprofile.Hehadkeysinhishandandwasbendingtoopenacardoor.Thefocuswasontheclownintheforeground,andthecarwasabitfuzzy.Thenumberplatewaspartlyhiddenbuthecouldseethatitstartedwith“AC3.”
Numberplatesinthesixtiesbeganwithacodeindicatingthecounty,andasachildBlomkvisthadmemorisedthecountycodes.“AC”wasforV?sterbotten.
Thenhespottedsomethingelse.Onthebackwindowwasastickerofsomesort.Hezoomedin,butthetextdissolvedinablur.Hecroppedoutthestickerandadjustedthecontrastandsharpness.Ittookhimawhile.Hestillcouldnotreadthewords,butheattemptedtofigureoutwhattheletterswere,basedonthefuzzyshapes.Manyletterslookedsurprisinglysimilar.An“O”couldbemistakenfora“D,”a“B”foran“E,”andsoon.Afterworkingwithapenandpaperandexcludingcertainletters,hewasleftwithanunreadabletext,inoneline.
RJ?NIKRIFARIK
Hestaredattheimageuntilhiseyesbegantowater.Thenhesawthetext.“NORSJ?SNICKERIFABRIK,”followedbyfiguresinasmallersizethatwereutterlyimpossibletoread,probablyatelephonenumber.
CHAPTER17
Wednesday,June11–Saturday,June14
Blomkvistgothelpwiththethirdjigsawpiecefromanunexpectedquarter.
Afterworkingontheimagesprac