Patricia proved for the first time to be a good listener, as she patiently heard out my long account of what had been found in the case so far. Several times I noticed a twinkle in her eyes, but when I made signs of stopping, she motioned impatiently for me to continue.
‘That was very interesting and informative on certain points,’ she said, when I had finished, sometime around four o’clock. I chose to take that as a huge compliment.
‘So, who killed Harald Olesen?’ I asked pointedly.
She gave me a small smile as she shook her head apologetically.
‘Investigating a murder when the perpetrator is unknown is in many ways similar to painting a portrait. On Thursday night, we had a blank canvas, but have now managed to sketch a few characteristics, which will then lead to more. Even though it may all become clear soon, it may still take a considerable amount of hard work before the face is distinct enough. Despite the adjusted timeframe, it remains hard to see how the murderer could get in before the murder without being seen – or escape afterwards. Given what we know, he or she can still only be one of the other residents. But we have to keep our options open. As the murder took place sometime between eight and ten past ten, everyone who was in the building – with the exception of the baby, of course – had the opportunity, in theory.’
I looked at her and hesitated, but then ventured a slight objection.
‘Don’t you think we can rule out the man in the wheelchair?’
She shook her head and pushed back her own chair.
‘Not at all. Nothing that we know thus far rules out the possibility that a man in a wheelchair, who is otherwise healthy, might have committed the murder, alone or in collaboration with others. You must ask him in more detail about how he came to be in a wheelchair and just how serious it is. Even the caretaker’s wife, until proven innocent, is a potential murderer.’
Patricia was on a roll now and carried on tirelessly.
‘So, in the spirit of Agatha Christie, the main question therefore must be, who stood to gain so much from Harald Olesen’s death that they murdered him? And by extension, why was there a need to kill him now – when he did not have long to live anyway?’
‘Perhaps the murderer did not know he was ill?’ I suggested.
Patricia nodded, but then shook her head.
‘That is, of course, perfectly possible, but I still believe that it is more likely that the murderer knew about the illness, and that, paradoxically, was the very reason why things had to happen fast.’