‘But that kind of plot definitely works better in English novels than in daily life in Norway, and does not seem very likely in this case. There would also be a considerable risk with so many people involved, and the residents seem to be a very mixed bunch. If we let go of our paranoia and shelve the theory of a major conspiracy among the residents, there’s really only one possibility left.’
I stared at her with renewed interest, my thoughts racing as she poured and drank another half-glass of water. And yet her question was completely unexpected.
‘Have many of the other residents complained about being disturbed by the baby on the first floor?’
Patricia smiled briefly and a touch condescendingly when she saw the confusion on my face, before continuing swiftly.
‘Or, more to the point, does sound travel exceptionally well in 25 Krebs’ Street? Does the building have unusually thin walls and good acoustics?’
I started to get a vague idea of where she was going, but I still did not see how it would end. I thought about it, then shook my head. None of the residents had complained about the baby making a noise.
‘But then how can a shot fired from a revolver in a flat on the second floor be heard clearly as a loud explosion in the hallway two storeys below?’
It was a good question. A very good question in fact, one that I should have thought of myself. But before I had time to understand its full significance, her voice broke my thoughts.
‘Interestingly, the residents, press and even the police have all made the same classic and logical mistake. If you hear a gunshot and then shortly afterwards find a man who has been shot, it is easy to conclude that he was killed by the shot that was heard. Logical, but not necessarily true. In other words, Harald Olesen did not die from the shot that the other residents heard at a quarter past ten. He was killed by another, less audible gunshot that was fired earlier in the evening, presumably using a silencer. Wouldn’t you have used a silencer if you were going to shoot a man in his flat and had every intention of getting away unnoticed afterwards?’
Of course I would. It was painfully obvious when she explained it so clearly and simply, and it grieved me that I had not seen it before. However, a glaring question did occur to me soon after.
‘Then where on earth did the shot that they all heard come from? We have searched Mr Olesen’s flat and all the others with a fine-tooth comb and have found no evidence of a radio transmitter or surveillance equipment.’