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and for all, forget all thoughts of Hålén. And be a diligent patrolman a little longer.
     
    That evening Mona came out to Rosengård. They had dinner and
Wallander said none of his prepared speech. Instead he apologised for being late. Mona accepted this and then spent the night. They lay awake for a long time, talking about July, when they were going on holiday together for two weeks. They had still not decided what they were going to do. Mona worked in a hair salon and did not make much money.
Her dream was to be able to open her own place sometime in the future. Wallander also did not have a high salary. To be exact, 1,896 kronor a month. They had no car and they would have to plan carefully to get the money to last.
    Wallander had suggested they travel north and hike in the mountains.
He had never been further than Stockholm. But Mona wanted to go somewhere where you could swim. They had done the calculation to see if they could afford to go to Mallorca. But that was too expensive. Instead Mona suggested they go to Skagen in Denmark. She had been there a few times with her parents as a child and had never forgotten it. She had also already found out that there were many inexpensive bed and breakfasts that were not yet fully booked. Before they fell asleep they had managed to reach an agreement. They would go to Skagen. The next day Mona would book a room, while Wallander would check the train schedule from Copenhagen.
    The following evening, 5 June, Mona went to visit her parents in
Staffanstorp. Wallander played poker with his father for several hours. For once his father was in a good mood and did not start criticising Wallander for his choice of profession. When he went on to win almost fifty kronor from his son he became so jolly that he took out a bottle of cognac.
    'Sometime I want to go to Italy,' he said after they had said cheers.
'And once in my life I also want to see the pyramids in Egypt.'
    'Why?'
    His father looked at him for a long time.
    'That is an extraordinarily stupid question,' he said. 'Of course you should see Rome before you die. And the pyramids. It is part of a well-rounded person's general education.'
    'How many Swedes do you think can afford to go to Egypt?'
    His father pretended not to hear his objection.
    'But I am not about to die,' he added instead. 'What I will do is move to Löderup.'
    'How's the property deal coming along?'
    'It's already done.'
    Wallander stared at him with surprise.
    'What do you mean by "done"?'
    'I've already bought and paid for the house. Svindala 12:24 is the address.'
    'But I haven't even seen it.'
    'You're not the one who's going to live there. I am.'
    'Have you even been out there?'
    'I've seen a picture of it. That's enough. I make no unnecessary trips.
It encroaches on my work.'
    Wallander groaned inside. He was convinced his father had been duped. Taken advantage of, as he so often had been when he sold his paintings to the dubious characters in their large American cars who had been his clients all these years.
    'This is news,' Wallander said. 'May I ask when you're planning to move?'
    'The removal men are coming this Friday.'
    'You're already moving this week?'
    'You heard what I said. Next time we play cards we'll be in the middle of the Skåne mud.'
    Wallander threw his arms out.
    'When will you pack? Everything is a terrible mess.'
    'I assumed that you wouldn't have any time. So I asked your sister to come down and help me.'
    'So you're saying that if I hadn't come over tonight I would have found an empty house the next time I came for a visit?'
    'Yes, you would have.'
    Wallander held out his glass for more cognac, which his father parsimoniously only filled halfway.
    'I don't even know where it is. Löderup? Is that on this or the far side of Ystad?'
    'It's on this side of Simrishamn.'
    'Can you answer my question?'
    'I already have.'
    His father stood up and put the bottle of cognac away. Then he pointed to the cards.
    'One more hand?'
    'I have no