r?ulein,”HerrHasselmannsaid.“HowcanIbeofservice?”
“Iwouldliketoopenanaount.IhaveanumberofprivatebondsthatI’dliketoconvert.”
IreneNesserplacedherportfolioonthedeskinfrontofhim.
HerrHasselmannexaminedthecontents,hastilyatfirst,andthenmoreslowly.Heraisedaneyebrowandsmiledpolitely.
Sheopenedfivenumberedaounts,whichshecouldaessviatheInterandwhichwereownedbyanapparentlyanonymouspost-office-boxpanyinGibraltar.Abrokerhadsetthemupforherfor50,000kronorofthemoneyshehadborrowedfromBlomkvist.Shecashedinfiftyofthebondsanddepositedthemoneyintheaounts.Eachbondwasworththeequivalentofonemillionkronor.
HerbusinessattheBankDorffmannalsotookmoretimethanexpected,sonowshewasevenmorebehindonherschedule.Shehadnochancetotakecareofherfinaltransactionsbeforethebanksclosedfortheday.SoIreneNesserreturnedtotheMatterhornHotel,whereshespentanhourhangingaroundtoestablishherpresence.Butshehadaheadacheandwenttobedearly.Sheboughtsomeaspirinatthefrontdeskandorderedawake-upcallfor8:00a.m.Thenshewentbacktoherroom.
Itwascloseto5:00p.m.,andallthebanksinEuropewereclosedforbusiness.ButthebanksinNorthandSouthAmericawereopen.ShebootedupherPoweranduplinkedtothethroughhermobile.ShespentanhouremptyingthenumberedaountsshehadopenedatBankDorffmannearlierintheday.
Shedividedthemoneyupintosmallamountsandusedittopayinvoicesforalargenumberoffictionalpaniesaroundtheworld.Whenshewasdone,themoneyhadstrangelyenoughbeentransferredbacktotheBankofKroenenfeldintheCaymanIslands,butthistimetoanentirelydifferentaountthantheonefromwhichithadbeenwithdrawnearlierthatday.
IreneNesserconsideredthisfirststagetobesecureandalmostimpossibletotrace.Shemadeonepaymentfromtheaount:thesumofnearlyonemillionkronorwasdepositedintoanaountlinkedtoacreditcardthatshehadinherwallet.TheaountwasownedbyWaspEnterprises,registeredinGibraltar.
Severalminuteslateragirlwithblondepage-boyhairlefttheMatterhornbyadoorintothehotelbar.MonicaSholeswalkedtotheZimmertalHotel,noddedpolitelytothedeskclerk,and